Cull cow and bull prices today

National direct cow and bull prices

These are dressed-delivered negotiated purchases, quoted per hundredweight of carcass. Classes run from breakers (fleshiest, highest value) through boners to lean cutter cows, with bulls reported separately as premium white.

Reading a carcass price as a live price

Cull cows dress lighter than fed cattle — commonly in the mid-40s to mid-50s percent depending on condition. A thin cutter cow may dress under 45%, so a carcass quote does not translate one-for-one into what she brings on the scale at the barn.

Local auction prices for the same cow are typically quoted live, per hundredweight. Use these national carcass numbers to know which direction the market is going, and your barn report for what she will actually bring Tuesday.

Condition is the whole game

The gap between a lean cutter and a fleshy breaker is real money on the same cow. Adding condition to a healthy, sound cull cow before she sells often pays better than any other use of the same feed — especially if you are selling into a seasonally stronger window.

It does not pay on a cow that is lame, has a bad bag, cancer eye or a broken mouth. Those sell now, and they sell honestly described.

Timing the cull

Cull cow supply peaks in the fall when everyone pregnancy checks and weans at once, and prices usually sag with it. Cows sold in late winter and spring, when the run has thinned out, often bring more for the same animal.

If you can carry her through the fall run without buying expensive hay to do it, waiting frequently pays. If hay is short, sell early rather than feeding her thin.

Selling a cull cow to another farm instead

Not every cow you cull is a slaughter cow. A sound older cow that is simply too old for your rotation is a real bargain for a small farm running a few head, and she is worth more to them than salvage value.

Be plain about age, breeding status, health history and why she is leaving. Honest listings sell faster and avoid disputes.

Keep reading

• Cattle prices today — fed steer and heifer averages plus boxed beef.
• Boxed beef prices today
• Cattle prices per head, explained