6 dollar corn

[knabe]

is economics the only hold back to sexed semen in dairy and faked pregancies to generate milk without having to have a calf?  of course why create a shortage of good marbled beef and not participate in the profit.  overproduction is a driving force for improvement.

 

[shorthorns r us]

i'm told that freshed first calf holsteins are bringing about $2750.  jerseys are about to get really valuable in the southern plains and southwest because of a cheese plant going in down in texas.

you can get 90% female vitrified holstein embryos for about $75.  could be profit in that.

 

[aj]

I will have 500 acres of corn out this year so I have mixed ideas on the deal but can you say" 200$ ton alfalfa"? Can you say "100$ ton cane feed"?  Can you say"double the cost of protein?" Can you say"backgrounding cattle, I have never heard of such a thing"? Can you say major feedlots in the red? Can you say 600# calves bringing .60 cents a pound at weaning next fall? Can you say ethanol plants closing up and local jobs lost. It just doesn't matter...it just doesn't matter everybody now!

 

[OH Breeder]

I just sold a load of 600# plus calves. Should have sent them to the butcher instead. The highest pricest went for .57/lb. Now that is pathetic. The lowest was 590#'s for .47/lb.

 

[Shebet21]

Wow, that is terrible. Here in West central Wisconsin, our 500-700# calves are still running .85-$1.02. I couldn't imagine only getting .57. Yikes

 

[REM]

This is just my take on it, but every thing cycles around and I think the cattle industry is in for at least 3 years of tough sledding.  The scary thing for me is that you will have the same profit at $6.00 that you had at $4.00 because the input side has already caught up  ( was told by the coop to expect at least a 60% increase in fertilizer for next fall). The positive side is that sometimes with low cattle prices comes opportunities, new genetics may cost less, alliances should be more popular, exports should pick up.  Try to stay positive and weather the storm.

 

[Jill]

500-700 lb calves this week were from 99-113, guess it hasn't hit here yet.

 

[red]

All I know is that we are buying new fleet of semis. They're used but new to us. I guess every side has a plus or a negative.

Red

 

[dori36]

I just sold a load of 600# plus calves. Should have sent them to the butcher instead. The highest pricest went for .57/lb. Now that is pathetic. The lowest was 590#'s for .47/lb.

Just wondering if they were dairy or beef?  'Scuse me if "everyone" knows what you raise - I don't - no insult intended.  Also, for you, what consitiutes a "load"?  I'm used to calling about 70 to 80 head of calves that weight a "load".  If it was a small lot, they often bring less - at least where I've come from.  And, how old were they?  Short yearlings will sure sell down from calves born summer or late spring '07. Where did you sell 'em?  Here are averages from western markets week ending Jan 11:  600 - 700 lbs beef steers:  PAYS (In Billings) 95.25-108.75; St. Onge 94.25-109.50;Riverton (WY, usually lower than others) 93-107.25; Torrington (WY) 97.75-107;  Billings Livestock 105-110.50.  Heifers a dime back across the board.

Did any of yours have some little thing that would have given a buyer an "excuse" to dock them?  I've seen buyers get away with a serious dock for something as silly as frostbitten ears or tails!

 

[shorthorns r us]

Below is Wednesday's market from south-central Oklahoma.  Prices are sliding.  These guys sale alto of small lots from mixed loads.  Have IMNSHO the best cattle auctioneer around.  Seems like conditions are in place for prices to remain depressed until grass greens up.  Southern plains wheat growers can't afford to runs cattle with $8-9 wheat.  Cash price in Weatherford, OK was $9.07 yesterday up from $8.28 during early December.

This also happens to be AAOK's home town.


Southern Oklahoma Livestock Auction
                          Ada, Oklahoma
                Wednesday and Thursday Auctions  1/16-17/2008

***ADDED COW AND BULL SALE***

   This week: 1385          Last week: 2675        Last year: 2550

   Compared to last week:  Feeder steers and heifers steady.  Demand was
moderate to good on all classes.  Weigh-ups average.  Flesh conditions medium to
fleshy.  Supply included 49 percent heifers and 23 percent over 600 lbs.  The
weather is cloudy and cold. 
   Slaughter cows and bulls steady.  Total of 255 cows and bulls sold with 37
percent going to packers. 

                 Feeder Steer Medium and Large 1
   Head   Wt Range     Avg Wt     Price Range     Avg Price
      9    403-407        405    117.00-122.00       119.99
      6    458-465        460    118.00-121.00       119.99
     24    506-534        518    106.00-112.00       108.88
      9    600-605        603    101.00-103.00       101.88
      9    655-683        671     95.00-96.00         95.43   Fleshy
      8    728-734        732     95.50-96.00         95.62

                 Feeder Steer Medium and Large 2
   Head   Wt Range     Avg Wt     Price Range     Avg Price
      5      344          344       119.00           119.00
      6    378-393        388    116.00-121.00       117.62
     12    454-471        463    104.00-109.00       106.65
     10    530-545        539    100.00-105.00       103.03
     24    564-591        582     98.50-102.00        99.41
      5      670          670        94.50            94.50
      5      730          730        90.00            90.00

                 Feeder ***Bulls*** Medium and Large 1
   Head   Wt Range     Avg Wt     Price Range     Avg Price
      5      559          559       104.00           104.00

                 Feeder ***Bulls*** Medium and Large 2
   Head   Wt Range     Avg Wt     Price Range     Avg Price
      5      524          524       102.00           102.00
     11    553-588        572     98.00-103.00       100.76
      7    660-668        663     85.00-89.00         87.27

                Feeder Heifers Medium and Large 1
   Head   Wt Range     Avg Wt     Price Range     Avg Price
     16    352-373        362    113.00-115.00       114.08
     13    405-428        422    106.00-109.00       106.97
     16    450-485        458    105.50-108.00       106.59
     10    531-548        536     98.00-99.00         98.69
     23    610-647        620     91.50-95.00         93.33

                Feeder Heifers Medium and Large 2
   Head   Wt Range     Avg Wt     Price Range     Avg Price
      7    378-392        387    106.00-112.00       109.41
     16    420-441        436    100.00-105.00       103.45
     23    463-496        479     97.00-101.00        98.50
     15    522-543        534     96.00-97.00         96.66
     15    550-580        564     93.50-95.00         93.99
     12    612-641        629     89.50-92.00         90.51

 

[red]

Ohio's got a pretty slim market where you can take calves. I'm sure Ohio B were beef.

Red

 

[garybob]

I am too young to remember much, Except one time I can remember Daddy taking 5 or 6 bull calves for a "ride" in the back of the pickup/stock rack, and coming back "empty", but Daddy says the worst case of a market crash like this was about '71, during Nixon's time.

Anybody remember that "rough ride"? Daddy sure does! He says Fed cattle traded for about 30cents. He said Bottle Holstein Bulls are the "canary in the mineshaft". when they bottom out, watch out!

GB

 

[kanshow]

Feb & April feeders are up again today, I think they finished up yesterday too.  Still haven't regained all that was lost. 

 

[OH Breeder]

I just sold a load of 600# plus calves. Should have sent them to the butcher instead. The highest pricest went for .57/lb. Now that is pathetic. The lowest was 590#'s for .47/lb.

Just wondering if they were dairy or beef?  'Scuse me if "everyone" knows what you raise - I don't - no insult intended.  Also, for you, what consitiutes a "load"?  I'm used to calling about 70 to 80 head of calves that weight a "load".  If it was a small lot, they often bring less - at least where I've come from.  And, how old were they?  Short yearlings will sure sell down from calves born summer or late spring '07. Where did you sell 'em?  Here are averages from western markets week ending Jan 11:   600 - 700 lbs beef steers:  PAYS (In Billings) 95.25-108.75; St. Onge 94.25-109.50;Riverton (WY, usually lower than others) 93-107.25; Torrington (WY) 97.75-107;  Billings Livestock 105-110.50.   Heifers a dime back across the board.

Did any of yours have some little thing that would have given a buyer an "excuse" to dock them?  I've seen buyers get away with a serious dock for something as silly as frostbitten ears or tails!

6 calves is a load for us. WE are small. Beef calves. June calves. We are not penalized here generallly for small lots. Most of the time they sell for a premium or least mine have. Last summer fall same load was 1.37. No dock and even got a preferred sellers discount- HA.

 

[shorthorns r us]

just for fun, i thought that i would bring this one back to the top since we have a topic about $7 corn.

 

[steermaker]

I see that earlier in the thread there was mention of not being able to sell day old holstein bull calves at the auction barns.  That was the case a couple of weeks ago here.  I heard that the sale barn actually sent one dairyman a bill for getting rid of the calves that he sent one day.  As far as feeder calves go we got $1.01 for two calves recently that weighed 450-500 lbs.

My biggest concern with the whole corn deal is how it will affect the 4-H and FFA programs in our area.  Based upon the increased cost of feed this year each project is going to have $.15 to $.20 more per pound invested in the come fair time and I pretty confident that all of the beef buyers won't be coughing up extra money on sale day.  Our program is rebounding but I fear that some of the newer families will back off after this year.

 

[aj]

I heard they sold a baby calf for 30$ at Sainty and it went back on a cow that lost her calf. In the 1930's my grandad told the following story. He hauled six 60 pound pigs to the salebarn in Colby. There were no crops or money or vegetation because of the dirty 30's dust storms. He ran down town to get some stuff. During the sale. When he got back the sale was over...nobody was there and he had 14 hogs in his little trailer. ???

 

[knabe]

85% of the american coastline is off limits for drilling for oil.

iraqi's pay $1.25 for gas subsidized by the iraqi govt.

they charge the US military $3.25

subsidies work, only to inflate prices for market sectors that don't have the proper status.  the true market price is somewhere in between, but heaven forbid it be there.

 

[kanshow]

My biggest concern with the whole corn deal is how it will affect the 4-H and FFA programs in our area.  Based upon the increased cost of feed this year each project is going to have $.15 to $.20 more per pound invested in the come fair time and I pretty confident that all of the beef buyers won't be coughing up extra money on sale day.  Our program is rebounding but I fear that some of the newer families will back off after this year.

Some of those non-farm families that do pigs and lambs are going to be in for a big shock when they go to buy their feed this year.  A bag of pig feed has gone up almost $3.00 in price since last spring. That's a lot of money when you consider how much feed it takes to get one to the county, state or whatever show.    However, it still hasn't affect price of the pigs much - the good ones are still bringing 450 & up. 

As far as baby calf prices, our market must really be inflated because 2 weeks ago, we watched some sort of guernsey or jersey bull calves sell for $65.  Anything better than that went much higher. 

 

[steermaker]

Kanshow I couldn't agree more, except that the prices for the 4-H market hogs at our fair are way higher per pound than what our beef get.  So with the increase in the cost of feed this year the hog kids will not make the killing that they normally do.  My concern is that some of the market steer kids won't even break even.  According to what my feed dealer said today when I was ordering a batch of feed, whole oats are now higher than rolled corn in our area!!!