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August 2025 08/08/25 11:21:00 AM
8-25-2025
Pour weather has turned beautiful here over the past several days. The humidity has dropped off some and moderating temperatures have made for good living for sure. The morning temperatures are in the upper 50’s and highs get into the 70’s most days. We have dried off from the showers through much of the summer. We made some very nice quality 4th cutting alfalfa over the weekend, not that we need more hay, but boy was it nice quality and heavy for 4th cutting. We haven’t seen many army worms like some places have and we are sure thankful for that! The forecast looks to remain very nice to finish up august with this week. It looks dry, highs in the lower 70’s and lows even getting into the upper 40’s.
Saturday had a big run of hogs, sheep and goats and 280 head of cattle. The hay run was big for August, as there are several loads coming to the auction straight out of the fields. The hog market was very active with multiple buyers gathering all classes of hogs. The fat hogs brought from $0.79 to $0.86. The sows were mostly $0.89 and $0.96 for over 500lb and $0.78 to $0.90 for sows under 500lb. The feeder pig numbers were really up this week! Most all pigs sold from $0.95 to $1.20 per pound. The big boars sold at $0.12 to $0.21 per pound.
The sheep and goat sale was big this week with kids and lambs both selling steady. The 50lb to 70lb kid goats sold from $3.30 to $3.80. The big wethers were strong from $3.00 to $3.30. Nannies brought $1.65 to $2.00 and big billies sold at $2.45 to $3.10 for a high. The 50lb lambs sold from $2.85 to $3.10. A fancy set of 62lb whiteface lambs were mostly $2.20 to $2.30. The ewes ranged from $1.15 to $1.45 and bucks brought $2.20.
The outside sale had a very large run of hay for August. The small square bales sold from $0.75 to $4.25. Big round bales ranged from $10.00 to $40.00. The big square bales sold at $17.50 on some rougher grass bales and up to $45.00 on some pretty 3rd cutting got up to $45.00. We sold 476 big bales. There was a bigger run of miscellaneous items this sale. There is no shortage of variety in the outside sale.
The cattle sale was a regular sale with strong demand across all weights and classes. Baby claves were from $400.00 on dairy to $1250.00 on some good beef calves. The calves were good with mostly under 600lb calves with no work to them. Some 340lbsteers sold at $5.26, 465lb sold at $4.70, some weighing 506lb sold at $4.85 and 620lb blk steers sold at $4.05. Some heifers weighing 371lb brought $4.60, 410lb sold at $4.625 and 500lb sold at $4.09.
The weigh cows continue to be very strong with highest yielding cows topping at $1.95 to $1.99 per pound. The bulls topped at $2.30 per pound. It sure is a good time to clean up older or non-productive cows!
Rachell went with me on Sunday to the Iowa Hereford tour. We started in Parkersburg and ended up at Newell with 5 stops, including the lunch stop. It really was a beautiful day to look at cattle!
It is a special bred cow and pair sale this Saturday, August 30th. It will feature 80 head of running age black cows that are due now, but already 20 that are pairs from the Paul Mangus dispersal.
Have a dandy week!
8-19-2025
It looks like the heat has finally broke for now! We have been very humid and highs in the 90’s for the past 4 or 5 days. It’s been dang hot with indexes into the 100-105 range. That’s hot! The nights were dropping back to 80 or even 70, something that gave us some reprieve, but it was always very humid and stuffy even overnights. Thank goodness for cooler air the next several days ahead, with some dryer conditions. The forecast is for highs in the 70’s and lows even in the 50’s for the next week or so. That will be nice for the livestock and humans as well!
Saturday had a very good hog market to start the morning off. We sold fat hogs from $0.75 to $0.85 with the high being those heavier weights over 320lb going on sow trucks. Sows sold over a dollar again to a $1.02 top on a group of 550lbs. Light sows were in the lower 90’s. The supply was very light on sows again this week. Just a couple small groups of feeder pigs this week, still running over a dollar per pound. The boars sold at $0.10 to $0.15 over 350lb. Light boars at $0.40 to $0.50.
The sheep and goat sale was very good with a lighters tone to demand noted. The weigh up ewes sold from $1.10 to $1.40 per pound. The lambs sold from $2.40 to $2.70 in the 50lb to 80lb range. Heavy lambs were from $2.05 to $2.25. The big bucks sold at $1.50 to $1.40 per pound and some light lambs that were under 40lb at $110.00 to $140.00 per head for the good healthy types.
The kid goat market was in the $3.20 to $3.70 range for the meat type kids. Dairy kids sold at $2.50 to $3.00 for the over 50lb types. Nannies going to town were $1.35 to $1.80 this week and a couple bigger billies sold at $2.10 to $2.35. Feeding kids under 40lbs sold by the head at $1.00 to $1.40. This market has sure been solid across all the sheep and goats for the summer. It kind of makes me curious as to what the fall may look like in this market when we get there.
The outside sale had more interest in the big bales and steady in the small bales. The small bales were mostly $1.50 to $3.00. Big round bales topped at $45.00 but more were at the $30.00 to $35.00 mark this week than last and not much at all under $20.00. The quality was about the same. The bale size and appearance sure is the driver in the better prices for those big bales. The big squares of mixed grass and legume hay sold from $25.00 to $45.00 and not as many in the sale this week. No straw of any kind here this week. There was several of the miscellaneous items like tin, posts, plants, wire and etc. kept Derek and Colby busy again this week. I am sure thankful for that young heat tolerant auctioneer!
The cattle sale had a few baby calves selling at $1000 to $1250. The dairy and crossbred calves sold at $850 to $1000 this week. Not much test on bred cows or pairs but have been receiving some calls inquiring about some. There is a special cow sale on August 30th, that will feature 80 blk cows with fall valves and calving right along a nice dispersal. Cows are all ages, very great productive set of cows.
The feeder cattle market continues to be at all time levels. The lower feed costs, solid fat market and strong futures see a solid foundation und er the feeder market. The bulk of the sale this week was yearling cattle and mostly steers. The 756lv cross bred steers brought $3.79, 864lb blk strs sold at $3.49, 2 loads of 936lb steers brough $3.3975 and a load at 1047lb brought $3.165.
Heifers weighing 595lb brought $3.72, 15 head 708lb sold at $3.435, 16 head at 892lb sold at $3.255 and 9 head weighing 1078 sold at $2.915. The weigh cows and bulls were very steady across all types and kinds.
The crew dealt with the heat at best as they could. The cattle drove tough all day and made it a challenge. They did a great job getting it all done in the nasty weather and not complaining or quitting. I’m pretty proud of them for sure!
The trucks started loading as it cooled off Saturday evening and Colby loaded all through the night, 3rd shift arrived at 6am on Sunday and by 10am they were nearly all loaded out and gone again.
I mowed alfalfa Thursday afternoon last week and it was ready Sunday, so we jumped on it and raked it all at 11. Curt and Ted went to baling about 1:00 and by 5:30 we had 110 acres of 3rd cutting alfalfa rolled up! Not sure what I need with that much fancy hay, but the good lord provides for a reason, so we will figure out a good place for it!
The 5G crew finished up with the heifer preg check on Monday morning before it got too warm. We had pretty similar results as past years, with some pastures better than others, but over all the numbers are dead on with past years. The heifers have summered well and are in great shape. With cool weather ahead they are really going to bloom nicely this fall!
Luke, Cody, Layne and Hattie made it home from the team roping in Rapid City, SD. The girls went to Mount Rushmore and Bear country. They did some school shopping and met some new friends. Luke drew a check or 2 at the roping and passed out sale catalogs for the September 13th horse sale. Now they have to get busy and get the barn finished up so they are ready!
Ted, Rachelle, Ellie and Clara made it back from New Mexico and Texas from delivering a couple heifers to my sister and spending time with Rachelle’s grandmother near Dalhart, TX. The feedyards looked full of cattle and the area was green and lush compared to a normal August in those dry areas.
I spent the last week with shingles on the left side of my head. I got on medicine pretty quickly. My eye has been swelling shut over night a couple of mornings. The eye doctor doubled my dose and now I believe I’m getting ahead of it. I will probably look for the vaccination after I get over it!
It is a regular sale this Saturday the 23rd and then a cow sale on August 30th.
Have a dandy week!
8-12-2025
We have sure had a consistent rain pattern in SE Iowa this summer. We have had a couple more half inch to inch rains the past week. I have been here a long time and don’t remember a summer that remained this lush and green all the way through. We are forecast to get up to 90 by the weekend after a few days of drying out and then another chance of rain later next weekend. That gets us past mid-August into September with excellent moisture and moderate temperatures. What a year it has been so far!
Saturday had a light hog run, but an explosive market! Fat hogs sold from $92 to 100! Big sows also sold from $98 to 104, the light sows ranged at $80 to 85. Feeder pigs were all over a dollar a pound on only 35 or so head.
The sheep and goat run was lighter also with just 400 head. The market eased up a little with 60-to-80-pound lambs at $2.45 to 2.65 a lb. Fat lambs sold at $2.15 to 2.25 a lb. Ewes were mostly $1.10 to 1.35 and bucks brought $.140 to 1.60 a lb. Kid goats weighing 50 to 70 pounds sold $3.50 to 4.05 a lb. with heavier wethers at $3.20 to 3.60 a lb. Nannies sold from $1.50 to 1.90 and billies at $2.10 to 2.35 a lb. Three small Savannah kids still on the bottle brought $75 per head.
The outside sale had a very large offering of big bales, over 500 and a good sample of small squares & misc. items. Small squares sold from $.25 to $2.50 a bale. Big rounds were mostly $20 to 30 a bale. One pile of fancy second cutting grass mix brought $55 per bale. Some old crop small bales got down to $10 a bale. The Buick brought $4000, used steel posts ranged from $2.50 to 4.50 and rabbits were at $4 to 8. A nice crowd but not huge out front.
The cattle sale was mainly weigh cows with 125 cows in the sale. Boy, it was good on all the cows with a top on a 1685# Hereford cow at $1.99 a lb.! Lots of cows were over $1.80 and the bulk of those were unloaded Saturday morning and were selling before 2 p.m., not offering a great weigh up! This market will remain good as added competition creates true value in this market!
Ted & Rachelle and their two girls left last Thursday to take some time off and deliver a couple of heifers to my sister in New Mexico. They also were going to see Rachelle’s grandmother near Dalhart and should be home by Thursday.
Layne and Hattie have been selling sweet corn for the past week and a half. The corn was really good and plenty of it again. Thursday’s rain and storm blew what was left down and made it horrible to pick, so I think that’s the end of this year’s crop!
Little update on the ticks. We mowed a pasture with severe tick pressure and sprayed it to kill them. A second pasture, we only sprayed. Ten days out the ticks are back just as nasty as they were in June! We sprayed permethrin at a strong rate too! Not sure we will be able use this grass there until it frosts.
An awesome line up of some of the countries best yearlings coming in this week! Featuring several loads of 900 pound black yearling steers from Phil Peitz. They are as good as you can find to feed. Come take a look and enjoy the sale Saturday.
Have a Dandy Week!
8-6-2025
We made it through the rain of July without getting flooded or blown away! That sounds odd getting extra rain in July in Iowa! It dried off, cooled down and we have been beautiful the past few days. Hay mowers have been back at it since the weekend, and baling is moving along as well. Some fields are down a little more than others from the rains but it seems the quality of the hay is still real nice. The forecast is to warm up toward the weekend and a chance of showers again.
Saturday was big for the first of August. 350 hogs led off the morning in a very strong paced market. Sows went to a $93 top on some weighing right at 600 lb. girls. The bulk of the sows were $88 to 92 over 500 pounds and $70 to 80 on the fleshy sows und 500 pounds. Fat hogs were all the way to $86 this week with the majority at $80 to 85. Big boars had the big jump this sale with a $13 to 16 price. Feeder pigs ranged from 90 cents to over a dollar on the lighter weights.
The sheep and goat sale had 675 head and a very active summer market. Kid goats were mostly $3.75 to 4.05 a lb. Even the 90-to-100-pound goats were still $3.55 to 3.80 a lb. Nannies sold from $1.0 to 1.60 a lb. and billies topped at $3.0 a lb.
The outside sale was a little shorter this week. Small squares really came back to life this week selling at $5 to 10 a bale. Arkansas buyers gave a significant boost to this week’s sale. Big round bales didn’t get the same kinda boost however as all the hay was $20 to 40 a bale this week. A smaller amount of misc. items but a good active market on everything, especially rabbits getting a $8 to 16 range. Col. Derek was off this week, so I sold everything out front Saturday, while Jim handled this sheep and goat sale inside.
The cattle sale had 500 head. Baby calves sold at $900 to 1300. A couple of 342-pound black bull calves right off the cows brought $5.00 al b. A good handful of 600 pound black white face steers brought $3.58 and a single 800-pound steer was at $3.30 a lb. Heifers weighing 338 pounds sold at $5.00; 449 pound black white face heifers at $3.95; 684 pounds sold at $3.32 and 741 pounds sold at $333.50 a lb.
A group of pairs brought $3800 and several mid to older age fall bred cows were at $3600 to 3850. Nine fall bull bred heifers brought $3600. The weigh cow market continues to be very, very active. The bulk of the better yielding cows sold from $1.75 to 1.88 a lb. Big bulls topped at $2.28 a lb. Five active bidders in the weigh cow sale keeps a very strong competition for area cows and bulls.
The crew has been busy with pregnancy checking this week. Nature can be very humbling some days and extremely rewarding. Some pastures have been as high as 95% bred, while others have come in at 25% open. So far, I have been unable to identify any particular correlation. I am still working on that.
We were able to get a couple of fields of really pretty 3rd cutting alfalfa baled and put in the barn. Tonnage is pure good for 3rd cutting this year. We have another couple of farms to get mowed but I am thinking we will hold off and see if it rains again this weekend.
A regular sale this Saturday and then our annual yearling and calf special is coming up August 16th featuring the fancy black yearling steers from Phil Peitz.
Have a Dandy Week.
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