by Linda Greenwood
Take it from John Fobare of Seymour’s Commission Sales of Dekalb, N.Y. The market for dairy calves is very strong right now. But how you manage those calves is crucial to getting a great price.
You can get “$600 more per calf if you manage your sell calves properly,” he says.
A good calf can bring $10, $11 or even $12 a pound at the sale barn. A poor calf is in the $2-a-pound range.
Everyone knows good calf management: feed colostrum, dip navels, keep clean and dry, don’t overcrowd. The primary factor that affects getting top or bottom prices is sending calves too young.
“I’ve seen calves being brought in with their navels still wet,” Fobare says. “The buyers aren’t interested in these calves. If only the farmers just held onto them for three days, the price difference would more than pay for the extra labor.”
John Smith, owner of Smith Trucking in Canton, N.Y., agrees that sending calves too soon results in some farmers losing out on record prices.
“I've seen calves being loaded that weren’t even a day old,” he says. “Calves need to be a few days old if they are to do well. When I arrive at the sale barn and open the cattle trailer door, the calves that run out are the ones the buyers want. Sometimes I have to go into the trailer to help a calf stand up. That calf will not bring very much. Farm owners need to monitor their sale pen. It could pay big dividends if they did.”
Hiring someone who can pay special attention to your sale calves can pay big dividends.
Nate Pierce, dairy manager of Royal J. Acres in Ogdensburg, N.Y., bred everything to Angus.
“I wasn’t getting top dollar for my calves,” he says. “The problem was no one was responsible for the sale calves. I needed a dedicated person and hired Maddy Pranaitis. She has turned things completely around. Now, the buyers want my calves and are willing to pay for them.”
Pranaitis came with years of experience and was up to the challenge.
“It wasn’t that the employees weren’t doing their job. They just needed to be trained properly,” she says. “So, I did training on tube feeding [esophagus], proper temperature and timing of colostrum. I also worked on calf handling. They knew what to do; [they] just needed guidance to put everything together. Now my job is easier, and the calves look great.”
Fobare adds, “Take advantage of these prices. They won’t last forever. Once they start to drop, it will be back to $1.50 a pound that we were getting before. Even with lower prices, good calf care will pay. Good calves always result in better prices.”
Greenwood manages Greenwood Dairy, a 1,500-cow, 6,000-acre farm in Canton, N.Y.