Great market again this week! With what little grazing is available, the calf market has perked up some, although not as much as a person would think for November. Many areas west of Enid have little or no moisture, and pastures that were actually grazing cattle last year at this time are just done getting drilled!
300 to 500 pound calves bringing from $110.00 to $130.00, with the 500 to 700 lbs calves selling for $100.00 to $115.00. Yearlings very lightly tested, $100.00 to $112.00. The butcher cow market is still under pressure from the large numbers moving. Many cows just bringing from $30.00 to $45.00, while bulls are not much higher. The bred cow market is still strong, with younger bred cows bringing $900.00 or better.
Apparently, whatever wheat is going to be grazed this year will only be grazed for a short time period. The small, light weight calves are not bringing much of a premium to the bigger calves in Oklahoma. There seems to be more demand for calves weighing five to six that will come off in February and have some weight on them. The light calves that could go to graze off are just not getting the big demand. Opportunity!
Whatever the price of wheat is, there is always a chance to graze cattle! With the rising costs of gas, oil, etc, every opportunity for extra income should probably be considered. One nice thing about cows and calves is that they don’t care what wheat is worth, they will eat it and gain on it just the same! Let’s not forget about the umpteen thousand or million bales of hay sitting around this year, those cattle will certainly eat that too!
Here’s something to think about. If a person puts out a calf on wheat for 100 days, and it gains 2 pounds per day, that’s 200 pounds of gain. If the calf weighs 350 or 650 pounds, and they gain two pounds per day, that’s still 200 pounds of gain! At the end of the grazing period, there’s a calf weighing 550 pounds or a yearling weighing 850 lbs, with one worth $1.30 and one worth $1.10, that’s a difference of $40.00 of gain, which is what the point is, isn’t it?
There are still lots of opportunity in the cattle business! The calves are selling at a price where everybody can get along, the yearling market is strong and heading for higher country, and the fat cattle are still bringing several dollars above a year ago! What more could we ask for? Bred heifers, bred cows, calves, light yearlings, they are all a commodity with some outcome! Check out www.cattleusa.com and all the auctions that can help you make money! We appreciate all your business!
We will be having a sale next week! Come out and see us!
Special end of the month cow sale, Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Annual Fall Bred Heifer and Cow Sale, Saturday, December 1, 2007
Thank You,
Weston Winter
