There are a whole lot more cattle out on pasture now than there were a month or two ago. But how many of those cattle will be going to town in the next two weeks? If everybody cuts their wheat, where will the cattle come from in April, May and later? Most of the cattle that go into the grow yards or feedlots have a strong tendency to stay there, making less cattle available for everyone else.

Maybe a person should be selling the light end instead of the bigger end, especially considering the price of corn and the price of stockers! Even with all the see saw action on the futures board, the general trend at the moment is up! If the “experts” are correct, there will be a lot fewer cattle on feed, less placements and more marketings, which makes a pretty bullish statement!

One thing that is for certain is that we have received moisture, spring is right around the corner, and many folks will want to replenish all the cows and calves they had to sell this past summer and fall! Possession is still a big factor in the cow and calf sector! Without cows, we don’t have calves, and without calves we don’t have yearlings! Supply and demand!

NEXT TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2007 - IN ENID, OK:

JK FARMS 66 FANCY, BLK/BWF BRED HEIFERS! ONE RAISING!
EXPRESS RANCH SIRED, POLLARD ANGUS BRED!
CALVING MARCH 1 TO MAY 15, LOW BIRTH WTS
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Bill Davis 7 Char Bulls, 3 coming 2 yr olds, out of Recovery!
G. Edwards 30 Blk/Red cows, 5-10 yrs old, bred to Ang/Maine bulls
Jacobs & Co 700 Angus sired strs/hfrs, off wheat, gtd open, no implants
Age & source verified, 700 to 900 lbs
Mike Dettle 160 Blk/Bwf strs/hfrs, weaned/vacc, 500 to 600 lbs
T & L Glazier 100 Ang/Maine strs/hfrs, off wheat, 800 to 900 lbs
David Skouby 60 Blk strs, off wheat, vacc, 550 to 650 lbs
L. Bayner 65 Angus sired strs/hfrs, off wheat, 650 to 750 lbs
J.B. Farms 65 Angus/Limo strs/hfrs, off wheat, 650 to 750 lbs

Expecting a fantastic run of high quality cattle this week!
If you can’t make it in person, please don’t forget to watch live on the internet!

The market has sprung up also! Fats, feeders, calves, and cows have all had a nice increase in price in the last couple of weeks. Prices may not be as good as last year, but they are a darn sight better than they have been over the last 50 years! It’s still pretty nice to say that we got five or six hundred dollars for our calves right off the cow! Even with grain prices running so high, the overall market has stayed fairly strong.

The feedyards are having a tough go of it right now. Before the snows, costs of gain were being projected between $65.00 and $85.00! Now, with the weather, high grain costs, and low fat prices, it looks pretty tough! However, spring officially starts in about thirty days, so we’re on the down hill side of the track!

The beef cow numbers in the middle of the U.S. have dropped significantly in the last year! That’s not necessarily news to anybody that lives and breathes out here, but it’s nice to see the government and all the “experts” finally agree to it! Cow numbers in the packing plants have increased right along the last several years, and calf numbers have decreased, which makes for a whole lot fewer cattle! According to cattle fax, the number of beef cows in the central states has decreased by 300,000 head!

Where will the cattle come from after March 1st? With wheat prices at these levels, only the serious cattle folks will graze wheat out. In our little corner of the world, it first has to grow before it can be cut! There are still fields that were drilled in October that don’t have any growth yet! It looks to be one of those years that if a person could just find a home, and some cheaper feed for some of these cattle, it might be fairly profitable!

We had a great market again here in Enid this week! Calves weren’t tested very well, but several calves up to $120.00, with stockers up to $110.00. Feeder steers bringing either side of $95.00, with butcher cows up to $50.00. Bred cows also lightly tested, but looked higher.

CONSIGNED FOR NEXT TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2007:

JACOBS & CO 750 Fancy, source & age verified Angus sired strs and hfrs,
Off wheat, no implants, gtd open, 800 to 1000 lbs

SPECIAL END OF THE MONTH COW SALE TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2007:

It sure looks like we’re going to have some pasture this spring! The grass country has gotten excellent snow, while we’ve received some nice moisture here in Oklahoma. The wheat looks good along I-40, even with a tint of brown, and in northern Oklahoma, the wheat is possibly starting to fill out some fields. It will be a toss of the dice whether it makes graze out pasture or a crop.

The month of January in 2007 sure started the year out in a different way. Hardly any cattle were moving, auctions closed down all over, with many people and places not able to do anything for almost the entire month! Cattle that sold on a live basis and were under 35% choice, brought the same or more as cattle that graded over 80%! On a dressed basis, all the cattle, except heifers under 35% choice, brought from 139.11 to 139.91. How in the world are branded products, “better” genetics, certified beef programs, and all those other things helping us?

It sure appears as if the better cattle are getting discounted in comparison to the lesser grading cattle. According to all those tests, research, and surveys that our dollar a head is paying for, not to mention common sense, cattle grading choice or better should be bringing more than cattle that don’t grade at all. Yet, our pocket books and government figures tell a different story. Making cattle bigger doesn’t necessarily make them better.

Where will the cattle come from this spring? Just about anybody that is raising wheat is talking about cutting it, and hardly any body is thinking of grazing out wheat this year. There might possibly be some rye pasture or something, but with the scarcity and price of hay, drought still only what’s growing out of the ground would make sense to feed. With less than half the cattle turned out in Oklahoma compared to normal, and wheat prices at these levels, it looks like there won’t be any cattle to find after March 1!

Any way you look at it, we’re in a much better situation than we were last fall. Every day is one day closer to spring, the market is getting better, demand is excellent, moisture is better, and stuff is growing! It’s amazing what a difference a few weeks can make!

Our next end of the month sale will be Tuesday, February 27, 2007! Keep an eye on our website or listen to the radio for more information! As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to call on us anytime! Thank You all for your business!

Where is the fat cattle market? Up until this week, we’ve had $150.00 cutout values, cattle losing weight and dying in the feedyards, excellent demand for beef in the supermarkets and restaurants, yet fat cattle continue to sell below 63% of the cutout values! What or who is moving the market?

Something interesting to note, during 2006, fat cattle average around $85.00, just as they did in 2005, yet beef in the grocery stores just got higher! It seems like the beef should be just as fluctuating as oil and gas, given that they all are used up pretty quickly, yet that is not the case. And it doesn’t seem to matter whether the beef is choice or select, they all bring the same!

During 2006, fat cattle grading under 35% choice brought within ten cents of cattle grading 65 to 85 percent choice! How is that? Everybody and their dog wants to push “quality”, “choice”, “angus”, etc, yet when all is said and done, it makes absolutely no difference in the price paid for fats, feeders, or calves! As a matter of fact, since all the alliances and “higher quality” cattle have come into the market, the grading percentages at the packing plants have done nothing but go down! Cattle used to grade on the average over 65%, now we’re lucky if they average 50%!

Overall though, the cattle market is okay. Calves are still bringing over $100.00, with feeders mostly in the $90.00’s and butcher cows in the $40.00’s! Bred cows and pairs look like a good opportunity still, with hay prices high, no pasture, and snow and ice everywhere! That will change in the next 2 or 3 months though! Green grass is not as far away as it used to be, and by the time it gets here, those pairs may be pretty hot!

We had 1700 cattle this week, with excellent attendance, a great market, and a nice selection of cattle! A few calves up to $143.00, with stocker steers up to $108.00 and feeder cattle selling mostly from $90.00 to $97.00. Butcher cows from $35.00 to $50.00, with some very nice RWF cows at $1050.00!

Looking forward to some more moisture and sunshine! Don’t forget to check our website for everything you need! Thanks again to all of our friends and customers!

Next special end of the month cow sale will be on Tuesday, February 27, 2007!

Weston Winter