My biggest issue with bringing them to the mart is that they don't sell well compared to comparable weights in different breeds. There is a conception that they are harder than other breeds to finish, that they are harder to put flesh on than other breeds and that they ultimately cost more to finish than other breeds. I have finished a good few of my own simmentals over the last few years and have found that they are not the worst to put flesh onto. People say that they are big framed and have to be fed into big weights and on to 30 months to get cover on them and to get them to grade and this is the conception that buyers in the mart have of them when I sell them and therefore they value them less than other breeds. In fact the majority of my bred simmentals that I have slaughtered were under 25 months, weighed 650kg or less live and killed out U grade with fat score 2 or 3. So my own view of my own simmentals is that I don't get the value of them when I bring them to the mart. That's why my preference is to slaughter them.
There’s not much credit given to the people who have bought and finished all breeds and types of store cattle for years, whether they buy and finish a load a year, a month, a week or a day, the vast majority are doing it to make a profit, there’s a much greater amount of experience of buying and finishing cattle on the buyers side than on the sellers side.
Buyers set the price of store cattle, while there may be very high prices at times, for various reasons..
Prices average out over time, buyers pay different prices for different breeds and grades of animals, based on experience of feeding and finishing.
Is there any point in starting another, what to do thread about mart v factory, when you have your mind made up before staring the thread?
There is plenty of knowledge and experience on feeding and finishing cattle on this forum.
Asking for it, would be your fourth option and imv your best one.
Your happy with your system and the results it brings, stick at it, if you’re looking for options and advice, to improve what your doing, then look to someone who is doing it a bit better.
I’d always be looking at what the best farmers are doing.
As I said earlier, I don’t know of any farmers practicing options 2 or 3, as neither achieve much profit.
I should be happy, if more farmers sold cattle at light weights, it would reduce the overall amount of beef being processed.
You have the cattle, you can do any of the 3 options, if you didn’t have the cattle, I don’t think you’d be going to buy the stores to practice option 2 or 3.
It won’t matter which option you go for,
the difference the profit or loss from any of the 3 options, will be negligible in the overall scheme of things.