TJ
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
- Messages
- 2,036
I said that I would give a report if I ever sold any more Lowline steers at a sale barn...
FWIW, last week, I let my dad sell 3 Lowline sired steers at a local sale barn. The sale facility is about 1.25 - 1.5 hours away & they had a big run. The 3 calves averaged right around 8 months of age. They were raised without any creep feed & have been fed soy hulls & grass hay since weaning. I "eye ball" guessed them to weigh around 550-575 when they left. They weighed 538 lbs. in the sale ring & brought $1.02. Nothing earth shattering & they didn't top the sale, but certainly not bad at all considering what our 4 local sale barns were paying last week. Fortunately, just like the last halfblood calf that I sold, these 3 calves didn't take the beating that several have suggested would end up being the case when selling Lowline sired calves the sale barn route. The dams were probably frame 5.5 - 6 females. Good sized, but certainly not BIG females.
1 more thing, the only other Lowline sired calf that I sold at a sale barn, was just under 700 lbs. at 11 months (he grossed just pennies under $750, a few years ago). Figuring the WDA, these 3 calves would've been about the same weight (around 700) at 11 months. The only trick is that if you want to do this, you can't feed them too much or too quickly or you will get them too fat & that will get you into trouble. But, hey, hay is cheaper than grain, right & isn't net profit (not the gross) the name of the game?
FWIW, last week, I let my dad sell 3 Lowline sired steers at a local sale barn. The sale facility is about 1.25 - 1.5 hours away & they had a big run. The 3 calves averaged right around 8 months of age. They were raised without any creep feed & have been fed soy hulls & grass hay since weaning. I "eye ball" guessed them to weigh around 550-575 when they left. They weighed 538 lbs. in the sale ring & brought $1.02. Nothing earth shattering & they didn't top the sale, but certainly not bad at all considering what our 4 local sale barns were paying last week. Fortunately, just like the last halfblood calf that I sold, these 3 calves didn't take the beating that several have suggested would end up being the case when selling Lowline sired calves the sale barn route. The dams were probably frame 5.5 - 6 females. Good sized, but certainly not BIG females.
1 more thing, the only other Lowline sired calf that I sold at a sale barn, was just under 700 lbs. at 11 months (he grossed just pennies under $750, a few years ago). Figuring the WDA, these 3 calves would've been about the same weight (around 700) at 11 months. The only trick is that if you want to do this, you can't feed them too much or too quickly or you will get them too fat & that will get you into trouble. But, hey, hay is cheaper than grain, right & isn't net profit (not the gross) the name of the game?
