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How much for a cow?

Just Jack

By Just Jack
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boyst Hall of Famer

boyst

Posted
Posted (edited)

Not even close to a record (well, for overall). I saw a $500,000 cow a few summers ago.

But, this cow will never give birth again, and have a ton of calves through ET and possibly even pulling the eggs out and petrie dishing them.

 

The genetic mention is no joke. It is being done in the beef industry, and any ag industry for that matter. The best animals are found with genetics and a matrix of more hands on info, such as EPD's (expected progeny differences). This is not just as simple as taking Dam x Sire and dividing their numbers to figure out the calf will weigh about 650 lbs. @ weaning... This is looking at all that calves brothers, uncles, aunts, sisters, grandparents, great grandparents, putting them in a weighted formula and then deriving what that calf would get when made between Dam and Sire. Those numbers are things from the amount of milk weight to the scrotal size, down to even what % of marbling was found in certain cuts.1 With that info you then go to look at the cow. Does he/she walk good? Does he/she have the traits neccessary, a nice triangle like head to pass on to calves which make them birth easier? The same is true for the shoulders and a diamond like shape, and then a nice square butt when viewed from behind. That's where the beef is. How is the temperment? Was the ancestry prone to having horns? scurs? being naturall polled?

 

My most expensive cow was one I just put down in Feb. So this makes a great comparison. She birthed the best cows, was one I bought after my gramps passed on as I revamped the farm. She was bought in a lot of 8 cows with 6 calves on the side, and all 8 were bred. She had done tremendous work for me, giving me my best steers and heifers in her 3 1/2 years here, I bought her at 6 years old, iirc. If I put a single value on her, she could have sold at a cow auction for about $4,500, which is pretty good at auction for a brood cow. Now, of course, if I took her to an livestock market as a cull on a Friday afternon she would have brought about $.80. Yep, not even a $1, despite what the markets tell you.. beef on the hoof of a cow is not worth squat. She weighed probably close to 1,400 lbs (all her weight was going to make calves, not look big and pretty). So, Wednesday when I got my check I would have deposited maybe $1,000, and spent $50 taking her there. One single calf at weaning weight (about 600 lbs if you're lucky) will sell $1.20-1.30. So, if I could just have kept that cow to drop me one more calf (9 month 10 day gestation), and milk it 6 months I would have made another $750 minus expenses on her. To most, it is much better to risk them dropping on the pasture then taking them to the lot. In her case, she had a calf about a 6 weeks before and most likely, not related to calving, went lame. Her entire system seemed fine, she could not simply get up. I spent close to $250 on her with vet bills with no good outcome. NHF2075 was a dam good cow.

 

 

1 The funny thing about most EPD's is that the bulls out there now that bring the highest prices have been dead for 10-15-20 years. Their EPD's are now shooting up because there have been 3-6,000 or more calves from that bull. He has now shown how amazing he was and his sperm value is now huge. A good straw of semen will draw maybe $50. A superior over $100. An excellent could cost over $1,000. And, like the ultimate double dog dare stuff you would never be able to get your hands on.

Edited by jboyst62
ExiledInIllinois Hall of Famer

ExiledInIllinois

Posted
Posted

Waiting for pooj to say "Yuuuuuuuup"

 

LoL...

 

"Lee Harvey, you are a madman. When you stole that cow, and your friend tried to make it with the cow. I want to party with you, cowboy. If the two of us together, forget it..."

 

First one to guess the movie reference without cheating gets an attaboy! ;-) ;-)

dayman Veteran

dayman

Posted
Posted

Not even close to a record (well, for overall). I saw a $500,000 cow a few summers ago.

But, this cow will never give birth again, and have a ton of calves through ET and possibly even pulling the eggs out and petrie dishing them.

 

The genetic mention is no joke. It is being done in the beef industry, and any ag industry for that matter. The best animals are found with genetics and a matrix of more hands on info, such as EPD's (expected progeny differences). This is not just as simple as taking Dam x Sire and dividing their numbers to figure out the calf will weigh about 650 lbs. @ weaning... This is looking at all that calves brothers, uncles, aunts, sisters, grandparents, great grandparents, putting them in a weighted formula and then deriving what that calf would get when made between Dam and Sire. Those numbers are things from the amount of milk weight to the scrotal size, down to even what % of marbling was found in certain cuts.1 With that info you then go to look at the cow. Does he/she walk good? Does he/she have the traits neccessary, a nice triangle like head to pass on to calves which make them birth easier? The same is true for the shoulders and a diamond like shape, and then a nice square butt when viewed from behind. That's where the beef is. How is the temperment? Was the ancestry prone to having horns? scurs? being naturall polled?

 

My most expensive cow was one I just put down in Feb. So this makes a great comparison. She birthed the best cows, was one I bought after my gramps passed on as I revamped the farm. She was bought in a lot of 8 cows with 6 calves on the side, and all 8 were bred. She had done tremendous work for me, giving me my best steers and heifers in her 3 1/2 years here, I bought her at 6 years old, iirc. If I put a single value on her, she could have sold at a cow auction for about $4,500, which is pretty good at auction for a brood cow. Now, of course, if I took her to an livestock market as a cull on a Friday afternon she would have brought about $.80. Yep, not even a $1, despite what the markets tell you.. beef on the hoof of a cow is not worth squat. She weighed probably close to 1,400 lbs (all her weight was going to make calves, not look big and pretty). So, Wednesday when I got my check I would have deposited maybe $1,000, and spent $50 taking her there. One single calf at weaning weight (about 600 lbs if you're lucky) will sell $1.20-1.30. So, if I could just have kept that cow to drop me one more calf (9 month 10 day gestation), and milk it 6 months I would have made another $750 minus expenses on her. To most, it is much better to risk them dropping on the pasture then taking them to the lot. In her case, she had a calf about a 6 weeks before and most likely, not related to calving, went lame. Her entire system seemed fine, she could not simply get up. I spent close to $250 on her with vet bills with no good outcome. NHF2075 was a dam good cow.

 

 

1 The funny thing about most EPD's is that the bulls out there now that bring the highest prices have been dead for 10-15-20 years. Their EPD's are now shooting up because there have been 3-6,000 or more calves from that bull. He has now shown how amazing he was and his sperm value is now huge. A good straw of semen will draw maybe $50. A superior over $100. An excellent could cost over $1,000. And, like the ultimate double dog dare stuff you would never be able to get your hands on.

 

Except them race hourses. Natural breeding with paperwork irrc

The Poojer Hall of Famer

The Poojer

Posted
Posted

Oh come on..at least make getting an attaboy some effort...'I got my ass kicked in Wisconsin'

 

 

 

LoL...

 

"Lee Harvey, you are a madman. When you stole that cow, and your friend tried to make it with the cow. I want to party with you, cowboy. If the two of us together, forget it..."

 

First one to guess the movie reference without cheating gets an attaboy! ;-) ;-)

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