Beef cattle?

[Back to Nature]

How much do you think a 1,000 lbs. pasture-fed steer would sell for at a fair in Michigan? I'm talking about one of the fairs where you pick an animal and then they butcher it for you. I'm just trying to think of something... Thanks!

 

[Royd Wood]

Do you mean pasture fed with grain feed or pasture fed grain finished, or strictly hay & grassfed from birth
The first two would be around 12 to 15 months old and the last option would be around 26 to 30 months old
as for price at a fair then if it was grand champion expect to pay alot more than an unplaced steer
Anyone on here from Michigan ??????? with a price ???????????

 

[Back to Nature]

Do you mean pasture fed with grain feed or pasture fed grain finished, or strictly hay & grassfed from birth
The first two would be around 12 to 15 months old and the last option would be around 26 to 30 months old
as for price at a fair then if it was grand champion expect to pay alot more than an unplaced steer
Anyone on here from Michigan ??????? with a price ???????????

It would be purely grass and hay fed. And I don't think anyone would buy a grand champion for meat.. At least, I would never pay show prices for a meat animal.

 

[boothcreek]

The 4-H fair beef are valued like gold here, even the non placers dont go under $4000 live, the 3 champion steers last year was bought for like $10 000 each by one of the local fast food chains, all gets cut at our butcher shop and send to the food bank(the poor eat better then the wealthy around here during 4-H season makes me think if we ever get out of owning cows I go to the foodbank instead, sad thing is it all gets hamburgered so there are no fights over steaks).

We sell our weanling beef at about $2/lb liveweight or whatever the current auction(regular weekly auction, not a fair auction) averages are that year.

If we keep a beef longer then weanling age it either goes into our own freezer or we use it to trade with other people and neighbours for labour/equipment use so cannot even guess as to the value of a finished beef. But I see $4-$5/lb prices for grassfed and grain finished beef around here.

 

[Royd Wood]

Do you mean pasture fed with grain feed or pasture fed grain finished, or strictly hay & grassfed from birth
The first two would be around 12 to 15 months old and the last option would be around 26 to 30 months old
as for price at a fair then if it was grand champion expect to pay alot more than an unplaced steer
Anyone on here from Michigan ??????? with a price ???????????

It would be purely grass and hay fed. And I don't think anyone would buy a grand champion for meat.. At least, I would never pay show prices for a meat animal.

Your first post said steer so a grand champ steer would be just fine for meat

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

 

[Back to Nature]

Do you mean pasture fed with grain feed or pasture fed grain finished, or strictly hay & grassfed from birth
The first two would be around 12 to 15 months old and the last option would be around 26 to 30 months old
as for price at a fair then if it was grand champion expect to pay alot more than an unplaced steer
Anyone on here from Michigan ??????? with a price ???????????

It would be purely grass and hay fed. And I don't think anyone would buy a grand champion for meat.. At least, I would never pay show prices for a meat animal.

Your first post said steer so a grand champ steer would be just fine for meat

... Riotous. You know what I meant though.

But I see $4-$5/lb prices for grassfed and grain finished beef around here.

Thank you, Boothcreek.

 

[ourflockof4]

... Riotous. You know what I meant though.

Um, I'm actually not following what you are asking at all.

Are talking a county fair?
Are you talking live weight or hanging weight?
Are you talking about a finished steer? Thats not a very big finished steer.
HERE (in Ohio) wou will not see any grass fed beef cattle at the fair, or a heifer in the beef class.
HERE, EVERY beef steer goes to slaughter.
HERE you wont see close to $4, maybe $2 live, $3 hanging if your lucky
Sale prices at the county fair is usually about $0.10-$0.15 above market price, sometimes right at market price, champions more.

Like I said though, I'm not sure what your actually asking so this may or may not be any help.

 

[BrownSheep]

I don't think it's possible to find a purely grass fed fair steer.
Also the fair steers in my part of the world go for way marked up prices. People pay a lot to help the kids out, but they also pay for butchering. Although they will pick it up for you.
I don't know about Michigan but I would be hard pressed to find a fair who let anyone besides 4-hers and FFA kids sell.
Just to give an idea of how marked up it is I sold a 140lb lamb for over $900.

 

[Back to Nature]

I don't think it's possible to find a purely grass fed fair steer.
Also the fair steers in my part of the world go for way marked up prices. People pay a lot to help the kids out, but they also pay for butchering. Although they will pick it up for you.
I don't know about Michigan but I would be hard pressed to find a fair who let anyone besides 4-hers and FFA kids sell.
Just to give an idea of how marked up it is I sold a 140lb lamb for over $900.

Maybe I'm thinking of auctions then. Whatever. ^ Congrats on the lamb.

I'm not sure what your actually asking so this may or may not be any help.

I'm asking how much people would pay per pound of beef at a fair. The people I babysit for go to a fair every year, pick a couple of animals have then butchered and packaged, and drive home...