Cow sells for $25,000

I'm not joking.

This weekend the Boy and I made a trip over to Illinois for a couple Hereford cattle sales. It was a great weekend catching up with a lot of friends. The only not cool part - driving through Galena twice and still not getting to stop. Who wants to meet in Galena and drink wine? Pick me.

Back to the cows. These sales are special because they are put on by purebred cattle breeders. What are purebred cattle? Think of a purebred dog. They have a pedigree, registration paper and are typically worth more than mixed breeds.

For example the heifer that started the sale on Saturday brought $25,000! Below is the video of her selling.


$25,000 would make pretty expense steak, however this heifer (female cow) won't be eaten. She instead will be using for breeding and likely shown. Eventually, she may go onto raise a bull calf, that could then go on to sire (father) calves that end up in our freezer. Clear as mud?

So why are some purebred cattle worth more than others? It has to do with three things - genetics, phenotype (how they look) and marketing. In some parts of the country more emphasis is put on certain traits, and a lot has to do with personal preference. The Boy and I raise purebred cattle and definitely have an idea about which ones can make us money and which ones can't. Because no matter how much we love our cattle we they have to make us money because that is what pays the bills. (You can see some of the marketing that we do for our farm on our JJB Cattle Co. Facebook page.)

On a side note. It is hard for me to explain how much I love cattle. I was thinking about this as I was sitting watching the sale. Yeah I had on my new Ily Couture bracelet, designer jeans, J.Crew shirt, sound a little like you? But how many of you have ever had the thought running through your head "I love cattle so incredibly much I have no idea what I would do if I couldn't be around them or have them in my life." Weird? Maybe. But they are my passion, and I think about how much I love cows daily.

If you do have questions and things are still clear as mud comment below or email me. You can find my contact information on the About tab. Have a great Monday!