angus hanging weights

What do you find to be your angus hanging weight to live weight percentage? What are you charging per pound on the rail?

I had one done about 3 weeks ago. Hanging weight was 62.5% of live weight and the processer charged $1lb. hanging.

Ya, 60% is about average. I wouldn't know what to charge hanging. If you're honest and want to take what you can get at the sale barn, we topped at $1.51 two weeks ago. I took a load this morning, but won't know what they brought until I get the check Thursday. I think the sale results said a top of $1.59 last week. $1.50 at 60% would be 2.40 hanging. That said, some that I know were getting $3 or more this spring.

I know what you are saying. Everyone charges more than I do. I try to get sale barn price. I see most guys charging 3.50 plus processing. That's crazy. What do yours weigh live typically?

I can't answer about Angus as I raise mostly holsteins and they hang closer to 50%. I like to get mine close to 2,000 lbs and I'm at $3/pound hanging now. I can sell all I an raise at that price.

Just for reference, I raise hogs to 300lbs and get $2 on hanging weight.

Takes a lot of feed to get that big. I get it.

If you just want sale barn prices, why not sell them at the sale barn and save yourself all the work. At least charge enough to make all the extra work worth your time.

You say you try to get sale barn prices and think that 3.50 is crazy. Well you have to haul it or have it hauled then kill skin and gut then hang to cool all this costs money and if you have to pay in the range of 1.00 -2.00 to process it then your loosing money just to get it on the rail not counting the processing cost.

1425-1450 average.

I'm not gonna have somebody mad at me when somebody else tells them what they got at the sale barn. If anybody else wants people thinking they're a crook, more power to them. I have to live among these people I sell to. If anybody pays the farmer more than $2200 total for a 1500 pound animal right now,they're paying too much.

That's my philosophy as well. I gotta sleep at night. I know everyone I sell to. I'm ok with it.

To each his own. I'm not pontificating. I'm with rrlund on this one.

I think the meat is tastier at that age, which is 2 years+, and My customers agree. I think the taste comes from the feed I give them as well as being a bit older. And they really like the big steaks and chops from the hogs. It costs more to get them that size for sure, but the extra I get makes it worth while.

(quoted from post at 14:11:51 10/31/22) 1425-1450 average.

I'm not gonna have somebody mad at me when somebody else tells them what they got at the sale barn. If anybody else wants people thinking they're a crook, more power to them. I have to live among these people I sell to. If anybody pays the farmer more than $2200 total for a 1500 pound animal right now,they're paying too much.

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If they want sale barn price then I'd have them buy a truck and livestock trailer and head to the sale barn. It will only take about a half a day by the time they're done there.. Oh, don't forget to bring money because they'll have to pay up front. Also better hope they made a locker appointment a year in advance. There's value in buying from a neighbor

This post was edited by JDIH on 10/31/2022 at 07:46 pm.

The problem with 2+ year olds is they cut the backbone out, because of madcow scare 20 years ago. Under 2 they don't, might just be Maryland but they told me it was federal regulation. Angus have been averaging 60 percent, seem to have heavier front quarters then other breeds.

Personally I'm willing to pay more for something local grown meat or produce for a lot of reasons if its raised in a way I like.At any rate you are putting in a lot more time and effort than just hauling the animal to the sale barn and dropping it off so its very reasonable to expect pay for that effort.

Here $2.50-2.75 hanging is the going rate for generic feedlot beef. Grass fed, organic, or some other fancy moniker will be more. Just doing the math and that $2.50 puts you about even with the sale barn at $1.50 live. Cattle market must be heating up.
AaronSEIA

We sell 4's and 5's. Never seemed worth it to feed them out any bigger.

Tulsa Oct 31:







Around here at least, I've never eaten any farm raised beef that was worth eating(shrug).

When I was a kid, I worked for a feed lot in Colorado, long since gone(Sonnenberg's). They finished them out on pure corn and molasses. Beef was good in those days. Stuff now is crap. I'm assuming, maybe incorrectly, that the corn ration has been reduced in today's beef. I'm not around it anymore, so perhaps I shouldn't talk about what I don't know.

We can generally get more at OKC, but the added fuel cost, and wear and tear, doesn't make it worth it for a small outfit like ours. This ain't the Dutton Ranch LOL.

I agree on selling them as calves is more profitable. It's a niche market the finished beef thing. If you can find the right
buyers you can do quite well.

I can tell you with certainty from personal experience, if they're over 30 months old, they can't be cut to bone in cuts for sale to the public. A person can take the whole thing for personal use, but for stores or restaurants, it can only be ground in to burger or cut in to boneless steaks. We've had two rejected that way. Federal inspectors count the teeth. There are two molars that start to come in at 25 to 26 months. If they're in, they will be rejected and not be cut for bone in cuts for commercial sale.

The 30 month rule has been in affect for years now. Since shortly after "mad cow" scare I believe. Though I thought they had eased up on it some the last few year. Maybe that was exports, not sure.

This is my theory as well. I figure if I'm
only going to match sale barn price then I
might as well take them there. The extra
barely makes it work the effort to market
and deal with customers. That's why I went
to $3, at $2.50 where I was I was only
matching sale barn price.

(quoted from post at 19:27:02 11/01/22) This is my theory as well. I figure if I'm
only going to match sale barn price then I
might as well take them there. The extra
barely makes it work the effort to market
and deal with customers. That's why I went
to $3, at $2.50 where I was I was only
matching sale barn price.

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I'm kinda hangin' this out there, because I really actually don't know....................

We don't have a tub grinder, nor do we live within a reasonable distance from anywhere that we could get raw grain/legumes to put in a tub grinder.

We feed "breeder cubes". 20% protein cubes. At today's price of around $11+ per bag(50lbs). They have high energy rations, rapid gain rations...............the list goes on........but they're expensive as all getout.

With free access to reasonable hay, we feed about 3-5lbs/day breeder cubes. Double that when it gets really cold. And it's expensive. The high protein cubes don't actually cause weight gain on their own, they're more to feed the bacteria in the rumen so's the hay is fully digested. And, don't tell anybody this, it's a treat for the cows when it's in the middle of a bleak Winter. You're gonna take their young, send them to slaughter.....so you gotta make yourself feel better about it. I've talked to some old timers(Hell........I'm an old timer), and none of them like loading out for the trip to the sale barn. They feel bad about it. Young guys put on a bravado, and just talk dollars and cents. Killin' is killin'.

Given the cost parameters, I'm not sure I can see how you can feed beef cattle in a manner that promotes maintenance, growth, and marbling, for a somewhat reasonable cost. But, I'm not involved in that end of the trade. The feedlots are adept at turning a profit on the animals they get from me. I go home, wait for my check in the mail, and try to not think about it.

K'kins is a pure soul. She spends time with the waifs, or slow growers. I tell her to not make friends, but she can't do it. It's what makes her what she is, and it makes her the love of my life. I dread the loadout, and always will.........but I still like a good hamburger.

I think we got a new federal inspector or something. I'd never had a problem before, then twice within six weeks at the same
facility. The first time it happened, I went around and around with them. The packer side of things called one afternoon and said
it was OK, they had checked the bones and were satisfied it was under 30. Next morning somebody from the kill side called and said
they needed more documentation. I told him it was alright, Jim called yesterday and said it was OK. He said it was alright until
about ten minutes ago when the federal inspector walked in and said it wasn't. The second time it happened at the same place, I
just threw up my hands.

there is group on facebook called shop kansas farms, been around since shortly after the plague started. It features everything born, raised, planted, cared for all within the state of kansas and was/is meant to be a local farm to local kitchen type deal. Its worked out very well from what i can see. I reference because a lot of cattle farms post what they have and if you want, you get ahold of them, so if you are a producer and want to charge 4.00 a pound and someone wants to give that to you, then more power to both buyer and seller, because as a buyer a can see locations in and around the state and who is selling what and at what price. everything from A-Z on there. just an interesting take on things i guess.