Even with all the unknowns, it’s a great market for cattle at the moment! Demand for U.S. beef is outstanding and the supply is not getting any bigger! Yearlings and feeders are in great demand while stockers seem to be waiting for harvest to get over. There were lots of young pairs and bred cows only bringing $900.00 to $1200.00 this week, with yearlings selling well over $105.00. The butcher cow market is still excellent if not higher this week with cows bringing up to $65.00.

Harvest crews are already working in southern Oklahoma, and it won’t be 10 or 20 days before they get to central and northern Oklahoma. The wheat is really turning fast, even with all the moisture and wind we’ve had in the last week! According to some, the cooler weather in front of the warmer weather will help fill the heads this year. Just about any way a person looks at the wheat around Enid, it’s good!

It’s amazing how things, events, places or people can look different to everybody. A week or two ago, blk/bwf pairs could be quoted up to $1600.00 and 900 lb steers could be quoted up to $100.00, this week the exact same pairs might bring $1300.00 and the same steers might bring $110.00! It doesn’t seem to make sense that an animal that will be at the packing plant in less than six months is worth as much or more than a bred cow that will produce five to ten more of those fat cattle in the following years!

The same thing might be said of bred cows or pairs going to grass. Why is it that when there’s no grass, it’s dry and the cost of feeding one looks horrendous that everyone seems to want to buy those cattle, yet when the grass is lush, feed isn’t needed and moisture is plentiful no one wants to buy them? It sure seems like taking a little bit of time and effort when no one else will, perhaps right before harvest, might make some folks some pretty good money!

It’s interesting to watch cows sell. Everyone always asks what color the cows are first and then maybe ask what they’re bred to, what they look like, how old they are and how good the quality is. All the black hided pretty ones usually have lots of people trying to buy them while the off colored and not so pretty ones tend to bring quite a bit less. Yet, when the calves out of either set comes back to town, no one ever asks what kind of cows they came out of or what color they were and they bring the same money!.

WE WILL HAVE A SALE NEXT TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2008

NO SALE JUNE 10 OR JUNE 17, 2008

Timing can make a pretty big difference in the pocket book also! If you happen to get to the gas pump on the right day, it might save you $40.00 or $50.00! It’s also a pretty big difference if a person goes out of town when everyone else does, or when everyone else doesn’t! Maybe it’s supply and demand, and then again maybe it’s just human nature.

Year after year cattle are perceived to be worth more in January than in March, and calves are worth less in October than they are in February. It’s been a repeating cycle for decades if not longer! However, with the advent of the futures board and a lot more forward contracting, some of the natural order has been skewed. The same set of cattle that may have been contracted for fall delivery could be worth $5.00 to $20.00 a cwt more or less when delivery actually happens! Is that a true market?

There are going to be many opportunities coming up in the next month or so. While most folks in Oklahoma will have their energy and thoughts on harvest, there will be some opportunities to do other things as well. If no one wants to buy a calf during harvest, maybe it’s a good time to get some! There will also be a lot of work to do during that time so maybe a person could get ready by buying their calves early or at the least look at buying some of the pairs and bred cows that are still selling!

The weather is still being somewhat fickle, with the southeast getting some much needed rain, but the west is looking more and more like it’s in a drought again. The number of cows has already been depleted in those areas, and with the cow market as good as it is, many cows are going to the packing plant instead of to new pasture! Think about the opportunity a person might have by buying those cows at the right time and possibly selling some replacements when the moisture comes back! All it takes is a place and some of your time.

SPECIAL MEMORIAL COW SALE NEXT TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2008!
EXPECTING OVER 1000 HEAD OF PAIRS, BRED COWS AND YRLGS!

4C RANCHES 150 Fancy, blk/bwf 2nd & 3rd calf pairs
BAR BOX RANCH 300 Fancy blk/bwf bred cows, mostly 2nd & 3rd calvers
WW CATTLE CO 100 Blk/Bwf/RedAng 1st calf pairs
100 High quality blk/bwf running age bred cows and pairs
SAR FARMS 75 Blk/Red/Charx bred cows/pairs, 3-10 yrs
MIKE WILLEY 4 2-3 yr old beefmaster heifer bulls, out of reg. bloodlines
WW CATTLE CO 2 Angus bulls, 2-3 yrs old

High dollar corn, high fuel costs, high input costs, a weaker dollar, and fewer buyers in the market all would seem to point to a lower market not a higher one. . The price of corn and fuel has already made some smaller feeders close the gates, and certainly taken them out of the market, yet the market continues to get stronger! The futures board is making things look wonderful down the road, but is that just wishful thinking?

Where is the breaking point? At some point, gas will reach a price that will severely curtail travel other than necessity, and the American consumer will say that’s enough. Of course, that’s assuming people actually know how much money they have and what it’s worth. It seems that with credit cards folks are willing to keep spending on things even when they’re high or unnecessary. There does come a time though when a product or service just becomes too high and then it’s not worth anything.

When will the cattle stop showing up? Every week there just always seems to be a few cattle available, yet not near as many as usual. It won’t be long before harvest and then many auctions across the country will be shut down, there won’t be enough yearlings for everyone and nobody will want to buy a calf for love or money. It’s amazing how that cycle happens every time, but even when it’s expected everyone seems surprised!

It’s a great time to be selling cattle! Prices are great, demand is high, and other opportunities are coming around the corner! Take advantage of it!

THE END OF THE MONTH COW SALE IS TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2008!
OUTSTANDING OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDING:

4 C RANCH 300 Fancy, Blk/Bwf, mostly 2nd & 3rd calf pairs and bred cows
BAR BOX RANCH 100 Choice, Blk/Bwf/Red/Char pairs & bred cows, 3-8 yrs old
ORS RANCH 200 Choice, Blk/Bwf pairs & bred cows, 3-10 yrs
MILLS CATTLE 20 Fancy, registered Maine Anjou cows/hfrs, bred to club bull
MIKE WILLEY 4 Coming 2 & 3 yr old beefmaster heifer bulls
WW CATTLE CO 25 Blk/Bwf/Charx 1st calf pairs, with Angus sired calves

THANKS TO ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS!
WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR BUSINESS!

The last rush of yearlings is upon us, with a few more cattle moving off of rye or graze out wheat. There isn’t a big rush of course, but there does seem to be a few cattle moving at the moment. It will be interesting to see how many cattle are available in the next few weeks, because it sure doesn’t look like there are very many around. A few pockets of cattle here and there, but certainly a lot more empty pastures than usual!

What is happening to all the private feeders? It seems like there are fewer and fewer individuals to buy yearlings and the big corporations are buying more and more. It also looks like the second cut of cattle, i.e. spotted, ill colored, non black, heifers, etc are really being discounted. If they get discounted as feeders, why don’t they get discounted at the supermarkets? It sure seems like select beef brings the same price as choice at the beef counter!

It’s sure nice to see the grass growing and the tree turning! There are still many areas that are in the brown, so to speak. Outside of central Oklahoma, and some other places that have gotten some rain, the grass is still brown and the trees are maybe just now beginning to bud! Grass pasture is definitely at a premium this year, with lots of folks losing leases or selling! It’s very hard to find any pasture at the moment, but a little sunshine and moisture might change that1

There are still lots of opportunities in the cattle industry. The futures board makes it look like feeders may be worth good money this fall, and some of the stocker cattle are bringing less than the board. One thing that’s really interesting is seeing eight and nine weight steers bringing well over $100.00, and the same weight of heifers bringing either side of $90.00. They both eat the same corn, they both bring the same fat, yet the heifers are sure discounted to the steers, and well discounted from the futures board!

NEXT WEEK AT WINTER LIVESTOCK IN ENID:

Eric Edwards 150 Angus sired strs/hfrs, home raised, 700-1000lbs
Edwards Ranch 200 Ang/Lim/Charx steers, off rye, 800-900 lbs
Sonny Bode 150 Ang/Charx heifers, off rye, gtd open, 800-900 lbs
Jeff Hartless 100 Eng/Exotx strs/hfrs, off grass, 600-750 lbs

END OF THE MONTH COW SALE, MAY 27, 2008: