When is the best time to sell your cattle?
The cattle market has been enjoying a good ride recently. However, no matter if the market is sky high or rock bottom producers are consistently on the lookout for the best time to sell and for successful marketing practices.
Reaching Maximum Potential
Though the current market is strong, there are management strategies producers can use to give them the opportunity to hit the top end of the market. “I think the buyers still really like to see those calves be weaned on farm. We used to talk about 30 days and then it went to 45 days,” Shawn Deering, livestock specialist with the University of Missouri Extension explained. “And now, I think they (buyers) really prefer for those calves to be weaned 70 to 75 days or even longer.”
Deering added another benefit to keeping calves on the farm a little longer is it gives producers the opportunity to get economical gain on the calves. “If the calves are pretty efficient, you can put some good gain on them. I think it pays,” Deering stated.
Another management tool that will give calves the ability to bring top dollar is to make sure they have two rounds of preconditioning vaccinations before they are sold. Livestock specialists encourage producers to give weaning and vaccination information to the marketing professionals at their local sale barns. Making buyers aware of the additional care the calves have received will help the calves fetch a higher price.
Market Timing
When producers market their calves and at what weight varies on the needs and management of each operation. However, there are some consistent market trends producers can look to when considering when to sell their calves.
For instance, fall is typically the time of year when the most animals are marketed. “It seems to me that the way it goes in that fall time period is there will be a lot of unweaned calves come to the sale barns and there will be others too and that is when they will have pretty good runs. If you look at that chart over time that is usually the lowest point,” Deering explained.
Therefore, the strategy some producers utilize is weaning calves in the fall and then backgrounding them through late fall and early winter and then selling them after the first of the year. “That seems to be a pretty good market and it shifts that income to the next year. And some people, depending on their finances and taxes, might want to think about that,” Deering said.
Additionally, livestock specialists advise producers to consider the advantages of a fall calving herd. When the calves are weaned in the spring, they will be ready to be sold during a good time in the market. “One of the benefits of a fall calving herd is the early spring marketing where you typically hit a very high market,” Deering said.
Build Relationships
Livestock specialists encourage producers to build strong relationships with their livestock marketing professionals. Producers may want to ask the auction facility owners what they recommend when it comes to weight, condition, and sale timing.
Seeking the input and advice of local marketing professionals will help producers determine strategies and timing to get the most money for their calves. “It is a relationship that probably people don’t pay attention to enough, and don’t think about enough. Visit with those folks, they want your business, and they want to help you and they have a good idea when you should bring your animals in to sell,” Deering stated.
