Lowlines

[daydreamingacres]

I dont want to come off as rude or offensive to anyone, but looking into lowlines they seem to be very expensive....I understand that you get what you pay for but are they really worth it? Again no offense to anyone just looking to change up what kindof cattle I raise and become more feed efficent. Thanks for the imput! ))

 

[dori36]

I dont want to come off as rude or offensive to anyone, but looking into lowlines they seem to be very expensive....I understand that you get what you pay for but are they really worth it? Again no offense to anyone just looking to change up what kindof cattle I raise and become more feed efficent. Thanks for the imput! ))

....and no offense taken!  If one is a seller of Lowines, the prices are very attractive!  If one is trying to buy - well, they do cost a little more than commercial cattle.  It's rare that a Lowline would be sold on a pounds basis.  The fullblood Lowlines can be a little hard to come by as they were only imported into the US starting in 1996.  Although the breed has grown nicely, there still aren't nearly as many here as there are other breeds.  Lowlines can also be registered as percentage cattle if they are 50% Lowline or better, but short of 100%.  Those you'll find much more reasonable and sometime you can even find them sold at about the same "by-the-pound" basis as other crossbred cattle.  Semen on fullblood bulls is pretty reasonable and that's how I started in Lowlines - by buying some and putting it in a couple of Angus cows I had.  Eventually, I moved up to fullbloods.  Over the years since 1996, fullblood prices have actually declined markedly.  The first time I priced a fullblood open heifer, she was priced at $20,000.  Needless to say, I didn't buy her.  But quite a few cattle people 'did' buy at those prices!  Now, a fullblood, open heifer should be able to be found that you can buy for between $3000 and $5000.  Still expensive, but not so out of line with other purebreds of high quality.  I have some posted on my website that will average quite reasonably - pregnant females, open heifers, and a herd sire.  Also have a pregnant halfblood there, due to calve the end of April, for $2000.  www.genesislivestock.com

 

[TJ]

I dont want to come off as rude or offensive to anyone, but looking into lowlines they seem to be very expensive....I understand that you get what you pay for but are they really worth it? Again no offense to anyone just looking to change up what kindof cattle I raise and become more feed efficent. Thanks for the imput! ))

I guess I am curious why anyone would think that they wouldn't be worth it? 

Is a $10,000 Shorthorn heifer worth it?  Is a $10,000 Maine Heifer worth it?  Is a $5,000 crossbred steer worth it?  If you can answer yes to any of those questions, then yes, Lowlines are really worth it. 

I usually get at least 2-3 inquiries every week & sometimes I get 3 or 4 in one day.  FWIW, I'm completely sold out of Fullblood females & I have had 6 or 7 more who are looking for them.  Because of this, I've got a new joint venture partner & we are going to flush, implant, raise & sell fullblood Lowlines.  I most certainly think that they are worth it!  Actually, I'd go as far as say that there is more profit potential with Lowline Angus than there is with any other breed.       

 

[LazyGLowlines]

Let's also keep in mind that 'expensive' is all relative.  A nice clubby heifer can sell for $30,000+.  That may not be the norm, and the same goes with Lowlines.  According to the Lowline registry there are only 2,000 registered fullblood lowline females in the U.S. to date., so there aren't alot to chose from, that's for sure.  Genetics may also be a factor in the price.  And color makes a difference in the fullbloods.  Red fullbloods are very rare, so one would expect to pay more for a red or red carrier fullblood than one that is homozygous black.  So, again, it depends on how you define 'expensive'.  

 

[simtal]

just looking to change up what kindof cattle I raise and become more feed efficent.

I think that feed efficiency needs be defined better:


Are you needing actual improvement in feed conversion?, primarily fed cattle

or

Lower cow maintenance costs?

 

[daydreamingacres]

I guess a combination of both and looking for cattle that may be eaiser for me to handle by myself. I was just thinking that you can buy a pretty good ( on a local level) heifer for less then $2000 of another breed where as the lowlines seem to be on the higher side. Everyone is looking for ways to cut their feed costs! I have a smaller cow that takes less to feed then my larger cow and I feel more comfortable working her if no one is around....and they dont have horns. and to go back to everyone elses posts to me ( and again no offense to anyone) I dont think that there is an animal to me worth $30,000. I used to work with one and when I first saw her she was in a pen with another heifer that was home grown and I had to ask which one was the expensive one. You see whenever I buy anything for more then I would usually pay it goes horribly wrong and I lose out! Is it because that they are still new and kind of rare?

 

[TJ]

I guess a combination of both and looking for cattle that may be eaiser for me to handle by myself. I was just thinking that you can buy a pretty good ( on a local level) heifer for less then $2000 of another breed where as the lowlines seem to be on the higher side. Everyone is looking for ways to cut their feed costs! I have a smaller cow that takes less to feed then my larger cow and I feel more comfortable working her if no one is around....and they dont have horns. and to go back to everyone elses posts to me ( and again no offense to anyone) I dont think that there is an animal to me worth $30,000. I used to work with one and when I first saw her she was in a pen with another heifer that was home grown and I had to ask which one was the expensive one. You see whenever I buy anything for more then I would usually pay it goes horribly wrong and I lose out! Is it because that they are still new and kind of rare?

Sounds like Lowlines would be perfect for you & they are all polled... even the percentage Lowlines. 

Email Cindy Jackson at... [email protected]  ...and tell her that " TJ " told you to email her.  She has some big Angus, but she is converting over to strictly Lowline and Lowline crosses.  She doesn't have a lot of pasture & she can tell you about her stocking rates & how much less her Lowlines eat than her bigger Angus.  Plus, Cindy does everything with her cattle all by herself.  Her husband has had health issues for a while now & isn't able to help.  For that matter, Cindy has had a couple rounds with cancer, but she tries to do everything all by herself.  Cindy has been in the Angus business for a while & she's had some State Fair winning animals, yet she said that she's made more $$$ with Lowlines than with any other breed. 

I know a couple of places where you could find some fullblood heifers for around $2,500 (priced for a "quick sale").  However, most are currently $3,000+.  I also am pretty sure that you live in the northeast... those do tend to be pretty pricey & I think that you'd probably find them considerably cheaper in the midwest or the southeast.  If $3,000 is a little too pricey, I'd consider registered percentage Lowlines.  They aren't quite as small as the fullbloods, so they are actually more "commercially accepted", yet they are still considered small by many.  If you were willing to spend $2,000 a piece for percentage Lowlines, you could probably put together a pretty nice herd of registered 1/2 bloods.  You probably wont dominate any Lowline shows with $2,000 percentage animals, but you could compete.  You can  show percentage Lowlines & people will buy them as seedstock or as feeders for grassfed beef.           

 

[TJ]

BTW, I am not paying $30,000 for an animal.  Not paying $10,000 either.  I'm a cheap skate. 

 

[daydreamingacres]

Tell you how cheap I am... the best animal that I have ever purchased cost me $300 and she has made me more money in her lifetime then anything else on the property. Yes up here in the northeast they are very pricey probably because there arent any around. I thank everyone for their imput and help.