Making money with show calves, there really is a profit?

[simtal]

I noticed on this board that there are many folks that try to pencil out profit with jr projects.  I find that really interesting because most people NEVER made one dime with their projects.    I particularly amazed that  some people not only make money but produce a profit.  I didn't know that was common. Even the notion that purchase price of the calf is not dictated by how much someone can afford (in the sense of how much they could borrow) but by if that could make a profit.  Is this just a rare coincidence or am not alone?

 

[Jill]

I don't remember anyone saying a Jr. project was profitable, did I miss that thread?

 

[renegade]

They usually arent lol! But the way I look at it is if Im not paying 2 or 3 grand to start with for "the great one" I can still find a really really good calf and at least break even or lose less and still do super well.  For example my friend josh and I got steers from this guy who runs hundreds of calves and raises them to slaughter.  They are not necessarily clubby or any specific type  - just beef calves - not where most kids would look for their Grand champion steer right? Well we got the calves for 700 each and I got top 10 and he placed reserve! He got $3 a pound and made some money.

 

[Ruchian]

I made a profit at a county fair level every year.  I do base how much  I spend on how much I think I can get at the end of the year.  It also helps that grand champion at my county usually got 25k to 35k, although it was only about 20k this year.  While I was never grand, I did win some classes.  Unlike renegade, I did pay over 2k and was still able to make money.

 

[Dusty]

Club calves are like Race Horses...  The easiest way to make a small fortune is to start with a large one...

 

[showjock1921]

Show calves are less costly than show horses, who needs a profit when kids are having fun and staying out of trouble.

 

[JSchroeder]

Forget show steers, how does ANYBODY make money feeding calves out with the current cost of gain?

 

[Ruebush Shorthorns]

You can make money if you are in it to make money.  For instance, you don't care about winning purple ribbons but you want to be there with everyone who is.  I made a killing in high school showing $500 stockyard calves.  Yeah I hated standing at the end of every class but when the checks were sent out I would grin from ear to ear.  If I would have taken the ame steer back to market I would have got a fraction of the price.  I did it for the money and now at age 23 I can afford to buy some big money calves and have learned how to clip and all the ins and outs I have learned from others.  I might not be reeping the benefits in the ring myself, but my younger brothers are.  It took about 9 years and a lot of trial and error to finally win a purple ribbon.  We won both champion commercial and breeding heifer at our county fair with the heifer in my profile pic.  If I would have had a calf as good as her when I started I wouldn't have been able to keep her in the condition to be a champion.  Now with the knowledge I have gathered, we are able to start spending some money on the "Good Ones".  I still get a couple stockyard bargains here and there because I deal in commercial cattle as well.  I hope to get to the point where I am raising the good ones then you can really make money showing your own calves.  Had some nice AI calves last week and the rest will be AI and ET.  Just depends on how you want to go about this SHOW CATTLE deal.  Everyone has their way of doing it.

 

[inthebarnagain]

Say you drop the junior projects because you don't make money and they actually cost money.  Pencil out baseball, basketball, dance classes, etc.  Or because you don't want to spend money on your kids, how much do you think drug rehab and lawyers are going to cost?

 

[farmboy]

iff you can sell big dolalr calves, yes, if you show them, not alot of money

 

[Show Dad]

Listen to Dusty. On this topic his wisdom is beyond his years.

It is called Market Steer at our county fair. And my kids are exposed to the market every year. The idea being that you learn how to raise cattle for a profit. Some years you do well others not so well. But if you don't learn how to make money now you will be behind the curve.

 

[Losin Money]

Where else could you spend thousands on a calf, thousands on feed, cool room, fans, blowers, etc. and freeze your hiney off all winter long...and LOVE IT!  My wife keeps reminding me that we are building memories which will last a lifetime.  I remind her the kids only have five more years and we can sell the farm.  She reminds me the grandkids will be here someday and she is sure they will want to show.  Will this ever end (do I really want it to?)?!?!

 

[bcosu]

not that our fair pays that well, but we have a feedlot and we can make more on calves we show as fats at the county fair with the few hundred dollar premiums and market price values than the feedlot calves alone. granted, there is a little more work put into the show calves but they pay for their feed and for next year's calf when it is all said and done.

 

[Lindsey Farms]

I was able to make a profit every year.
I got my first $500 loan from my dad to buy my first steer then form there on out i bought and fed my own steers.
My first 4 years i bought $500-750. steers, did i win no, but my worst placing was 3rd in class(usually heavy weight)
My last 3 years i gradually increased the price i payed for the steer and luckily i placed higher and higher every year. I never won a show but i had many of 1st in class and reserve champions.
I agree as long as you are not in to make money you can if you are smart with the purchases you make.

 

[Joe Boy]

My wife and I reared 5 children and 1,000s of projects over the years.  We never made a profit.  We did raise 5 children who kept their money and went to college.  Everyone of them has made it to the top of whatever profession they chose.  I am proud of what they have done and think their projects had something to do with it.  Both older sons became managers at an age when they were not shaving good.  One daughter will soon have her doctorate while she has been a 5th grade teacher, she is not married and is 26.  One dauther is the head of finance for a university.  One son owns his own home, has been the top salesman for his company ever since he graduated from college, writes country songs, and is still single at 27 years of age.  All that went to college graduated at the top of their class.  Two were athletes in college.  One has been to Iraq twice and has many men under him that are older and have been in the service longer than he. 

I BELIEVE in projects for children to learn responsibility and that responsibility is on band night, game night, bad weather night, date night, and even if you are not feeling real well.  Most never missed a day of school, except for times they felt really bad, and the same is true of work.

Did I mention that we have 10 grandchildren who are city kids but their parents have projects for them.

 

[Show Dad]

Not to get off subject but Joe Boy's reply is worthy to note.

Joe Boy first of all thank you. Thank you for your family for it is truly an American tale. Thank you for the service of your children to this country. You have raised them to be productive citizen which unfortunately isn't the norm anymore. But its families like yours that give us hope for our future.

Again thank you and God bless.

 

[kanshow]

Joe Boy - That's awesome!!    Thank you for posting, that's what it is all about!

I don't know about making money but I like to think the cattle do make money overall -  but our kids enjoy it and I often wonder what they would be doing otherwise and what that would be costing us.   

 

[rtnok]

Congrats Joe Boy!! We raised four  the first three were city kids when the wife and I got married. they all have degrees one has her masters, two grandchildren and one on the way. Well when these city kids got out into the world they come back for all the stock shows and say how much the miss them. They also tell us that their kids will show when they get old enough.So we keep the farm for them. roni

 

[Jenny]

As a friend of ours put it one time.....projects cost money and so does paying a lawyer to represent your son/daughter when they are in trouble with the law because of lack of responsibility. 

We have three grown children....one is a computer software engineer who writes software that has won world-wide awards for "Best New Product"....he will change the way we all live; the next one is ranked 9th in his class of 160 at the University of Tennessee School of Law, one of the top 50 law schools in the nation. and the third child is finishing up her undergrad and deciding which medical school to attend to become a physician.

Each of these kids had over 10 years of showing all 3 species...sheep, hogs and cattle, but our main focus was the cattle.  They all won state awards for livestock judging and two represented our state at the Nationals 4-H Livestock Judging Contest at the NAILE.  In fact, the son that is in law school attributes his great ability to litigate to it being "alot like giving reasons in livestock judging". 

Those tiny seeds that you plant in those little people can have huge rewards later.

I know we "lost" money each year that the kids showed....but that money was looked upon as an investment into the future.

 

[justme]

its an investment in the future of my kids is how I look at it.  I want well rounded responsible children that grow up to be productive citizens.  The time I spend with my kids getting the cattle ready and at the shows are priceless.  But on a better note, my daughter won enough jackpotting her heifer last year (her first year showing) to pay for her first heifer.  This year she showed her as a cow/calf pair and brought home over $500 in show premiums.  Not many 10 year olds have cd's (not the music ones) and investments like her.  I think some get carried away with the price they pay for show cattle.  I feel there are a whole lotta cattle out there that people miss and are more economical.