Things have sure changed in the cattle industry! Not so long ago we used to think that getting $1000.00 for a fat animal was pretty good money, yet today some feeder cattle are going on feed costing over $1000.00! Replacement cattle at the moment look fairly reasonable at these kinds of prices, with bred heifers bringing about the same, and calves bringing under $500.00.
So far it looks like we’ll have a very good corn crop and good chances of wheat pasture. At nearly $8.00 a bushel for wheat, it would make excellent sense to hedge that and then turn some cattle out on it. There will be many opportunities coming up this fall, and it probably wouldn’t hurt to take advantage of them!
There have been a lot of changes in the country scenery in the last couple of weeks. It looks like almost every piece of farm ground has been gone over at least once, and with rain in the forecast, there will probably be tractors running everywhere next week. Corn harvest is well under way, and the bins will soon be full!
The yearling market at the moment is fantastic! Seven and eight weight steers bringing $120.00, with 900 to 1000 lb steers bringing up to $115.00! Six weight steers seem to be a pretty good buy at $120.00 to $125.00, especially with the futures board not far from $120.00! Calves are just beginning to show up, and at the moment, not every one is ready for them. Opportunity is knocking!
It’s amazing how many times that we pass up things because we don’t want to take the time to take advantage of them. Just a little patch of grass and a little bit of feed and care could save a person several hundred dollars in getting some calves ready for wheat! It’s almost an historical fact that every year calf prices go down when the field work is being done, and then jump through the roof when the moisture comes and the wheat is out of the ground. Timing can make a huge difference in the profit or loss on some cattle.
OPPORTUNITIES COMING UP AT WINTER LIVESTOCK:
Tuesday, September 11 CattleUSA video auction at 9:00 am
Tuesday, September 11 Regular cattle sale after the video
Tuesday, September 18 Special weaned/precondition calf sale
Tuesday, September 25 ABBI breeding stock sale at 8:00 am
Tuesday, September 25 End of the month bred cow sale
Thursday, September 27 Gene Baker fall Classic sale at 9:00 am
There are some outstanding local calves selling on the video sale. On the 18th there will be several hundred high quality preconditioned and weaned calves.
Bouzidan Ranch 450 Northern genetics, Ang/Red Angus, prevac.
Bowers Ranch 85 Angus/Hereford, strs/hfrs, prevacc. 400-500lbs
Davis Ranch 75 Angus/Charx strs/hfrs, weaned, vacc. 400-650lbs
R.S. Ranches 100 Ang/Limx strs/hfrs, weaned, vacc. 500-700lbs
D.K. Cattle Co 200 Angusx strs/hfrs, weaned, vacc. 400-600lbs
