Wehner Homestead

[Wehner Homestead]

I do agree with LS on “giving away” pieces of my expensive animal.

As far as how many embryos- refer to what farmer Jan said. I know of cows that have been flushed more than once a year so you are looking at POTENTIALLY 40 embryos a year plus a natural born calf.

@Mike CHS I am on the same page. We’ve never brought in a female over market price. Bulls have ranged from $1200 to $4000. It just depends on what the purpose of the bull is. The most expensive one we kept four years and actually got another to breed his daughters. We’ve retained several from that line. Maxine and Melody are the first two that come to mind that are Rocky daughters that we kept. Mabel and Sydney are both Rocky granddaughters.

 

[Baymule]

LS, I don't think you would have the opportunity to buy those overpriced heifers if you didn't agree to the terms.

Sorry but it strikes me like the Alpaca hysteria from a few years back. Pay huge money for breeding animals so you can sell the offspring for stupid high prices to others who want to breed them so they sell the offspring for stupid high prices to others who want to breed them so they can ....

Works great until people figure out there are only so many people willing to pay stupid high prices for an animal for the purposes of breeding and selling the offspring.

Witness the emu craze some 30 odd years ago when a mated pair sold for $20,000! At least Alpacas don't have poop patties the size of a small tire.

 

[Baymule]

And I feel like a spendthrift for paying $500 for a yearling ewe.

Over 100K for a heifer is a bit out of my league too.

 

[greybeard]

wow... that's a lot of money for one cow... Plus that fact that you have to give the first two calves produced so like another 200 thousand worth... Sorry you're dragging and not feeling well. That time of year.

When you get on the higher end of cattle (and horse) auctions, many times, no actual $$ (or very little) really changes hands.

 

[farmerjan]

Along with what @Wehner Homestead said, a cow that flushes well can actually be flushed every 2 months. Nowadays, they are doing more IVF which is invitro fertilization, and taking the ovacytes directly from the ovaries, maturing them and fertilizing in a "petri dish". It is actually easier on the cow than using hormones to cause her to produce a "flush" of eggs all at once and to breed her then to "flush" the eggs out at about day 10 as fertilized "embryos". It gets pretty complicated and involved. And expensive too. But some farmers look at it this way. They want lots of daughters out of their best cows, so they implant eggs from their best into the mediocre cows to carry the calf as a surrogate or recipient (recip). With thousands of cows, there are plenty of recips available in most herds. The only way to increase the number of offspring from certain breedings as natural pregnancies pretty much limit you to one calf a year and cows might live and produce into their teens with a few into their 20's. So you can conceivably get say 25 calves (or more) in a year instead of 15 in a lifetime.

All those high priced heifer calves are being looked at as potential show animals, and then as potential donors (of eggs) for future show animals. And understand, that alot of show animals live a somewhat pampered life. Most would not make it on the average farm for a long life. If you are into show stock, then better have some serious money to play with. And what @greybeard said is right... often money does not change hands. There are "deals" made all the time.

 

[Bruce]

When you get on the higher end of cattle (and horse) auctions, many times, no actual $$ (or very little) really changes hands.

Um, then what DOES change hands??

All those high priced heifer calves are being looked at as potential show animals

Unless there are ridiculously high cash prizes at cattle shows, I still don't get it. I guess the very wealthy have to spend their money somewhere.

 

[Mike CHS]

I don't know cattle auctions but even at sheep sales the prices sometime get silly but it is the big show place farms that usually drive up the price. At Sedalia last year the highest price ram (but not the best ram) was being bid on by two of those type of farms and the sale price was north of $8000.

 

[Baymule]

Um, then what DOES change hands??

COW EGGS!!!!
They make beef omlettes out of them.

 

[farmerjan]

 

[Wehner Homestead]

@Bruce it works like this: I have a pretty good heifer and you have a pretty good bull. We work out a deal to trade but the catch is that we both say we bought the new one for $100K and sold the other for $100K. Usually this doesn’t crop up in the same conversation so people think I’m selling 100K$ heifers and you are selling $100K bulls.