Beef prices going up????

[NDbowman]

Too many variables to know who bought them, why, and their end purpose. I just know he sold them for that price.

I'm skeptical that he got that price for an 1100lb holstein cross. He did sell at the high point of the market but even still I don't believe it. Right now a finished steer sold to a packer would bring $2.30 per lb. I don't remember exactly what the high was about 2 months ago, maybe $2.50 or $2.60. so say a finished steer weighs 1300lbs at $2.50. that is $3250.

Well I guess I could be wrong. After I posted this I looked at archived sale reports from Napoleon livestock. back in Oct 1000+ lb steers brought good money.
WISHEK 63 BLK-STR 984 $346.00 $3,404.64 WISHEK 61 BLK-STR 1012 $345.50 $3,496.46 BALDWIN 15 CHAR-STR 927 $340.00 $3,151.80 LINTON 59 BLK-STR 1045 $326.00 $3,406.70 NAPOLEON 37 BLK-STR 1025 $325.00 $3,331.25

 

[Fritz the Cat]

25,000 cow dairy going in north of Fargo.

https://northdakotamonitor.com/2025...-permit-for-large-eastern-north-dakota-dairy/

Maybe

https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/w...25/10/29/lawsuit-challenges-north-dakota-mega

 

[Maddog]

25,000 cow dairy going in north of Fargo.

https://northdakotamonitor.com/2025...-permit-for-large-eastern-north-dakota-dairy/

Maybe

https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/w...25/10/29/lawsuit-challenges-north-dakota-mega

water pollution

manure

 

[KDM]

I'm skeptical that he got that price for an 1100lb holstein cross. He did sell at the high point of the market but even still I don't believe it. Right now a finished steer sold to a packer would bring $2.30 per lb. I don't remember exactly what the high was about 2 months ago, maybe $2.50 or $2.60. so say a finished steer weighs 1300lbs at $2.50. that is $3250.

Well I guess I could be wrong. After I posted this I looked at archived sale reports from Napoleon livestock. back in Oct 1000+ lb steers brought good money.
WISHEK 63 BLK-STR 984 $346.00 $3,404.64 WISHEK 61 BLK-STR 1012 $345.50 $3,496.46 BALDWIN 15 CHAR-STR 927 $340.00 $3,151.80 LINTON 59 BLK-STR 1045 $326.00 $3,406.70 NAPOLEON 37 BLK-STR 1025 $325.00 $3,331.25

Yeah, I know what you mean NDbowman and I don't blame you for throwing the BS flag. When he told me what he got for them, I was shocked. It's part of why I started this thread. Figured folks might want to know what might be coming on the horizon.

 

[shorthairsrus]

What pisses me off is last time I was in Fargo's Costco and NY strips 15.99 per pound - same usda sticker i walk into Lihue's costco last week while on vacation and see them at $13.99.

Cost of living cheap in Fargo my ass it is.

 

[riverview]

go to the sale barn buy a bottle calf in april, feed it till oct then butcher it.

 

[BrokenBackJack]

Too many people forget it isn't just the critter for cost.
You have all your machinery for baling and raising grain to finish them out, don't forget the land for raising them either.
It isn't all profit by no means.
You have that critter for darn near 2 years if you calved them out and you have that cow year around.

 

[Pheasant 54]

The guys I know who liquated didn't do it because of costs. They did it because it was what they felt was an opportunity they absolutely could not pass up . Neither one regrets it

 

[Rowdie]

 

[Fritz the Cat]

Something is happening. Tyson closes two more and JBS closes one.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...S&cvid=693ca3ad3cb84a35bce89db047d5d3ee&ei=49

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/com...S&cvid=693ca3ad3cb84a35bce89db047d5d3ee&ei=68

 

[Davy Crockett]

go to the sale barn buy a bottle calf in april, feed it till oct then butcher it.

I don't know if it's worth it. My Boy and I talked about it until I saw day old calves were over $ 500 . Milk replacer is spendy and there is always a risk of losing the calf or it ends up being a runt. The big dairy farms coming up might help with supply but they are big operators and seems like they want to get bigger. It would be nothing for them to ship the heifer calves down south or to a different facility and feed them out. Might be able to pick up bull calves reasonable though.

Something is happening. Tyson closes two more and JBS closes one.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...S&cvid=693ca3ad3cb84a35bce89db047d5d3ee&ei=49

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/com...S&cvid=693ca3ad3cb84a35bce89db047d5d3ee&ei=68

I'm guessing ICE has scattered most of their employees.

 

[Obi-Wan]

You should know that bashing, farmers and ranchers on this site is frowned upon

 

[tikkalover]

Seen today that at one of the sales barns in the state, they sold 560-pound calves for like $2500.00 a piece.

At that price why would a rancher want to feed them all winter to butcher weight and then sell them.

Good for the ranchers bad for the consumer.

I agree that it could be lack of employees, but my 2 guesses are that,

1. They are closing plants to keep inventories on the supermarket shelves low, to keep retail prices up.

2. With the prices where they are, the meat packers see the writing on the wall that consumers will stop or at least slow consumption of beef down, thus causing the retail prices to drop. See number 1.

The reason that poultry and pork prices are up in the stores is because people are buying those meats because beef is overpriced.

 

[Kurtr]

Seen today that at one of the sales barns in the state, they sold 560-pound calves for like $2500.00 a piece.

At that price why would a rancher want to feed them all winter to butcher weight and then sell them.

Good for the ranchers bad for the consumer.

I agree that it could be lack of employees, but my 2 guesses are that,

1. They are closing plants to keep inventories on the supermarket shelves low, to keep retail prices up.

2. With the prices where they are, the meat packers see the writing on the wall that consumers will stop or at least slow consumption of beef down, thus causing the retail prices to drop. See number 1.

The reason that poultry and pork prices are up in the stores is because people are buying those meats because beef is overpriced.

The only guys I know here that keep calves are replacement heifers or a couple to feed out for family. Most sell in the fall.

 

[ND58201]

I'm skeptical that he got that price for an 1100lb holstein cross. He did sell at the high point of the market but even still I don't believe it. Right now a finished steer sold to a packer would bring $2.30 per lb. I don't remember exactly what the high was about 2 months ago, maybe $2.50 or $2.60. so say a finished steer weighs 1300lbs at $2.50. that is $3250.

Well I guess I could be wrong. After I posted this I looked at archived sale reports from Napoleon livestock. back in Oct 1000+ lb steers brought good money.
WISHEK 63 BLK-STR 984 $346.00 $3,404.64 WISHEK 61 BLK-STR 1012 $345.50 $3,496.46 BALDWIN 15 CHAR-STR 927 $340.00 $3,151.80 LINTON 59 BLK-STR 1045 $326.00 $3,406.70 NAPOLEON 37 BLK-STR 1025 $325.00 $3,331.25

My only question in all of this is if your finished steer is only worth $2.30/lb to the packer why are you charging $3.65lb to have butchered locally with no transport ..: this is where the disconnect is.. seems a lot of ranchers want way more locally than what they would get from a packer. It seems like they look at how much it costs at the grocery store and add a little since it’s better beef. I’m not mad just curious

 

[NDbowman]

My only question in all of this is if your finished steer is only worth $2.30/lb to the packer why are you charging $3.65lb to have butchered locally with no transport ..: this is where the disconnect is.. seems a lot of ranchers want way more locally than what they would get from a packer. It seems like they look at how much it costs at the grocery store and add a little since it’s better beef. I’m not mad just curious

So a finished 1300lb steer is worth $2.30 per lb today to a packer. Add $1200 for processing. 1300x2.30 is 2990 plus 1200 is 4190. That 1300lb steer should have a hanging weight of 60% of its live weight that is 780lbs. I think that is a bit low, but we'll use that. $4190 divided by 780lbs is $5.37 per lb. So if you can buy it at $3.65, you better buy all you can.
The big Packers also have other ways to get every dollar out of that carcass. They have markets for the hides, tendons, and offal or organs.

 

[Twitch]

Hide, tendons, and offal…..mmmm who doesn’t love an all beef hotdog

 

[measure-it]

Food for thought: with meat prices so flippin' high, why hasn't the bison market taken off again with reasonable prices? There's a fair amount of bison on the landscape, & they are fairly easy to raise/keep, disease resistent, good, lean protein, and then there's the New Rockford NA Bison coop to help get things rolling.....is New Rock. sleeping?

 

[riverview]

why is pork so cheap? and beef so expensive?

 

[Jiffy]

Speaking of that, a nice thick cut, bone in pork chop on the smoker has become my new favorite!

Slather in yellow mustard, cover in Bad Byron’s Butt Rub, 225 with apple chips to 145ish.

YUMMY and you can afford it!

PS: I should clarify. I usually take them off the smoker at 140. Let them set 10-15 minutes and they’ll climb 3-5 degrees. DON’T OVERCOOK YOUR PORK PEOPLE!! You ruin it doing that!