It’s a great market! Even though the overall market seems to have come down several dollars, there are still feeder cattle bringing up to $120.00 and calves bringing up to $150.00! $600.00, more or less, is a great price for a bawling calf right off the cow! In the scheme of life, $900.00 for a feeder steer is a good price! How many times in the past ten years did we wish we could get $700.00 for the same steer?
The U.S. cow herd still does not look like it is rebuilding. Cow numbers in the packing plants are still running good, and the price for cull cows is still good enough to put some of the light bred cows through the plant! It looks like a great time to own a few cows and wean off some $600.00 calves! The yearlings to go into the big feedyards have to come from somewhere, and they all start out as calves! Wouldn’t it be ok to have the factory and sell the product rather than buy the product all the time?
To graze $8.00 wheat or not to graze, that seems to be the question this year. This would certainly have to be one of the highest prices for wheat in history, but how many people have wheat to sell right now? And will it still be worth eight dollars when every body plants wheat on every available acre?
Why wouldn’t a person graze wheat this year? If it stays this high, they only have to plant a third of normal and get the same money, which leaves two thirds of the acreage to graze cattle and earn more income. If wheat was only worth $2.00, then a person would have to plant a lot more acres in order to maximize the money, and grazing cattle would still be extra income! It doesn’t seem out of this world to get a few hundred dollars per acre out of grazing cattle, especially when it appears they will be worth $112.00 a pound next May!
If nobody grazes any wheat, and all the calves have to go into grow yards, will that make them worth more or less? Wheat has been grazed for years around 35 cents a pound, while the grow lots and feedyards are desperately trying to get the cost of gain below $.70! It sure looks like a big opportunity!
COMING NEXT WEEK TO WINTER LIVESTOCK IN ENID:
Randy Schmutz ABBI Breeding Stock Sale 8:00 am Tuesday
Winter Livestock Monthly Cow Sale 12:00 pm Tuesday
Gene Baker Fall Classic Sale 9:00 am Thursday
On Tuesday at Winter Livestock:
T & T Edwards 20 Blk/Bwf/Xbred cows, bred to Ang/Char bulls
4 to 6 yrs old, early spring calvers!
30 Outstanding calves, Charlais sired, 400-600 lbs
S Bar R Cattle 40 Blk/Bwf bred cows, 3-7 yrs old, fall calvers
Manny Jones 50 Blk/Bwf Angus cows, 6-10 yrs, bred Angus
