Tablerock Ranch eastern Wa | As a Cowman / feeder I feel I wear two different hats, I have 8 weights out on pasture that will turn one shortly as there mother "in a different pasture is dumping there brother on the ground, she is cow calf in my view and the yearling is already being viewed as a different segment of my business "the feeder" my end goal however in either is to raise or maintain the best quality I can for the LEAST amount of money as possible, as either cow calf or feeder it appears the one thing in common is the cheaper you can get them to market without sacrificing quality or long term health of the cow the more profit can be realized, "no brainer we a say" but the reality is some can make great money in a market others are failing in, as far as strategy on the cow calf side, although I follow the market for the feeder end I ignore it on the cow end, I will produce calves regardless of market worries or forces, on the feeder end I follow closely with no more then hopes the market will be decent when we peddle loads of fats, unique to feeding, when you feed your own calves you can almost turn a blind eye to a lot of the chaos that exists throughout the year. If a good profit would present itself in the form of hedging or contracting I am not going to say I would never do it, but the reality is it seems all I can accomplish is hedging for a meager profit or a small loss. that being the case and having nothing at risk but the value of a feeder calf and home raised feed to get him to fat I am not ashamed to admit I don't mind rolling the dice NECKED as our southern friends suggest----- BUT as also stated I will save anywhere possible, "illustration" I might sell my corn and buy my neighbors Barley if I can get them fat for a net savings, to give a person an idea of how much stress is reduced feeding your own calves, last year I could of sold my 9 weights for $1800 but I fed them and the market went down and I averaged $2000 plus per head only $200 more then I could have gotten as yearlings, didn't loose one nights sleep over feeding for 150 days and paying for the privilege to do it. different deal then most but it works for us. |
should a cow man pay attention to corn price?
