Program manager with the Missouri Department of Agriculture Tony Hancock says he’s starting to see more interest in the slaughter cow market.
“We had some kill cows bring up in the $140s,” he says. “That’s an awfully good price for some cull cows. So as things go on, I think we’ll see that battle between the take-home guys and the slaughter buyers heat up a lot more, and that could really push some prices to levels that we’ve never seen before, potentially.”
He says the market has been slower in recent weeks. “We’re in the middle of fall calving right now, so a lot of guys are getting busy just starting corn harvest and the replacement cow market and demand is not real hot,” he says. “But we have seen a little bit show up and we’re starting to see a little bit more of a battle.”
Hancock says if corn stays under $5, he wouldn’t be surprised to see even more interest in the cull cow market from producers.
