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March 2026 03/04/26 10:59:00 AM
3-10-2026
We hit 70 degrees and have had an inch and a half of the rain this past week. There is no frost left in the ground and the rain sure soaked up good and made the wheat and rye green up fast. There are chances of more rain and thunder storms over night and cooling down this 70 degree temperature, but it’s sure not a bad way to start off March in Southeast Iowa.
Saturday sale had a very pretty day and a good run of all classes of livestock with a lively crowd around for the sale! The hog sale kicked off at 9am, as always. The fat hogs sold from $0.65 to $0.75. The big sows were in strong demand this week with sows over 500lb bringing $0.79 to $0.81. Lighter sows sold at $0.68 to $0.77. The feeder pig market on about 100 head was mostly $75.00 to $100.00 for pigs weighing 60lb to 85lb. Both 4-H and feeders were active in this week’s sale.
The sheep and goat market wants to move lower, but has been so dang strong that even the lower market is remarkable strong! The baby lambs and kids sold at $50.00 to $100.00. Kids weighing 45lb to 75lb were $4.10 to $4.50 per pound. The cull nannies ranged from $1.50 to $1.80 and billies sold at $2.25 to $2.80. The better lambs sold at $3.70 to $4.10 per pound, cull ewes brought $1.25 to $1.40 and bucks sold at $1.25 to $1.55.
The outside sale had way less hay this week. The small squares were held back by the rain. The ones that did make it to the sale sold well at $4.50 to $7.00. There wasn’t any straw in the small bales. The big rounds sold at $25.00 to $50.00 and big squares brought $35.00 to $50.00.Local and shippers both participated in the hay market this week.
There was a nice run of miscellaneous items out front this week. Colonel Philip Zimmerman was back to fill in for Derek out front his week. There were all kinds of posts, gates, a building, and a few ATV’s out there in this weeks sale.
The cattle sale had a run of 810 head. The futures were nervous and going south last week, but the cash market in Keosauqua on Saturday, sure remained extremely active across all weights and classes. Little black bull calves under 300lbs brought $1875.00 per head. Some 343lb steers sold at $6.20, 445lb strs brought $5.70, 520lb strs brought $4.72, a xbred load of Charolais and black steers weighing 832lb brought $3.41 and a load of red and black steers weighing 901lb sold for $3.40.
The heifer market was just as good retaining the market. Some 200lb heifers brought $1900 per head! Some 407lb heifers sold at $5.05, 600lb heifer brought $4.21 to $4.31. The top baldie heifers weighing 775lb brought $3.70. A great group of backgrounders, farmers and order buyers sure made for an active market here on Saturday. The weigh cows were lower at least $10.00 per hundred weight. I’m not sure how long that will last, but we sure it sure felt to be lower. The bulk of the better yielding cows sold at $1.55 to $1.70 and the better bulls brought $2.10 to $2.17.
If you were here Saturday, you saw that I was absent. Last week, I hay my right ankle worked on in Waukeee and have a new join in the upper part of my ankle. I had it brought over 30 years ago and after that surgery, I soon wore the cartilage out of it. It’s been bone on bone for a long time. I looked at getting work done on it 25 years ago but never got a good feeling that they would be able to make it better. A few years ago, I ran into an Orthopedic surgeon at the farm I was loading yearlings at. He asked me about what I had going on. After a short discussion, he told me if I ever wanted to get it looked at, to let him know because he had friends in West Des Moines that worked on ankles. So, at about Christmas time, I gave up and called him and said I was ready! They were able to schedule me an appointment and I got right in to meet the surgeon. He looked at my xrays and gave me 3 options. I could get a cortisone shot and it would be better for a while, we could fuse the joint, it would take the pain away but also would limit your mobility OR we can replace this joint and I will make a new man out of you! Easy reasoning told me I was in for a replacement. So, we scheduled surgery at the last edge of calving season and recovery to be over at the start of breeding season! Becky had me at the surgery center at 6am. The doctor was in shortly and by noon we were back home and on the road to recovery! I am non-weight bearing for 2-4 weeks, so I’m on the crutches or a nice little knee scooter for a while. I really don’t have much pain so far and sure think I am healing faster than the normal old man might be! I stayed out Saturday and boy was it a long slow day watching the computer!
I am sure thankful for all the crew, Jimmy and Clay Hammaker for filling in and running the sale! I was back Sunday and am getting along very good!
We have a nice bred cow and pair sale this Saturday, March 14th.
Have a dandy week!
3-2-2026
March has arrived as a lamb. We are mild and dry, so far. It is 35 degrees today, cloudy and chilly, but sure nothing nasty about the first of march this year. The forecast is calling for some more rain chances through the week, with temperatures mostly above freezing with a 70 degree day out ahead of us. It’s been a winter to remember and reminisce on in the future!
Saturday’s sale to end February had a large run of livestock, hay, posts and miscellaneous. It was a beautiful day for sure and a big crowd was around all day. The hog sale kicked off just before 9am and we sold over 300 head this week! The market was from $0.65 to $0.78. The sows were higher with over 500lb sowings selling at $0.83 to $0.86 and lighter sows mostly bringing $0.60 to $0.70. Big boars brought $0.15 to $0.20. The feeder pigs had a very wide market ranged. A solid price of $1.10 to $1.25 per pound was paid for all the bulk of the pigs. A package of 80lb 4-H pigs sold at $180.00 per head.
The sheep and goat sale was slightly lower on most classes. Those 40lb to 60lb meat type kids sold form $4.50 to $5.20 per pound. Nannies sold from $1.75 to $2.30 per pound. Big billies sold at $2.25 to $2.50 per pound. Light lambs sold at $4.00 to $4.40 per pound. The 100lb lambs topped at $3.50. Ewes selling by the pound sold at $1.25 to $1.50 with big bucks mostly the same.
A couple packages of middle-aged ewes with lambs at side brought $200 to $310 counting noses. Baby lambs were $60.00 to $100.00 and bottle kid goats sold at $40.00 to $90.00.
The outside market had 1285 big bales of hay. The market is steady to just a little higher. Nicer quality, good, tight big round bales sold at $40.00 to $60.00. Smaller, lighter, rougher condition hay was $20.00 to $35.00. The big squares were from $30.00 to $55.00. Cornstalk round bales brought $20.00 to $30.00 and straw round bales sold from $20.00 to $30.00.
The hedge posts were very high quality this week. Several stacks of 9ft and 10ft would bring $70 to $90. Good 8ft line posts sold from $20 to $40. It’s always fun to sell top quality posts and several fellas went out and found the good kind!
Derek and Colby had all they needed out there! The calf shed brought $1900, a used chain saw brought $200, a 3 point seeder brought $450, used fencers brought $100, wood sheep feeders at $200. There were all kinds of miscellaneous items out there that took most of 2 hours for them to work through.
The calf market was good at $1000 to $1400 this week. A group of 3 head of black bred 3rd period cows brought $4250. A few black steers weighing 305lb sold at $2000 per head and a 388lb brought $5.60. Some 650lb all-natural, unweaned bulls brought $3.825. Some 876lb onery bwf bulls sold at $3.025. The light heifers weighing 400lb brought $4.75, 565lb brought $4.20 and some 659lb sold for $3.76.
The weigh cow market was solid as ever with about 140 head. The heiferettes and young cows sold from $2.20 to $3.00. The high yielding cows ranged at $1.70 to $1.85. The bulk of the average cows sold at $1.65 to $1.75. Bulls sold at $2.00 to $2.24 that were lean and not overfull. As the summer gets closer it will be interesting to see if the cow and bull market takes a strong march to new record highs!
Last week was a busy week in the nice weather. We sorted through the 5G heifers. We pregnancy checked all the fall cows at Ted and Colby’s. We weighed and ultrasounded all the Hereford yearling cattle. Bull shoppers have been coming through making their picks for the breeding season and I picked up a couple new herd bulls as well!
It’s a special feeder cattle sale this Saturday, March 7th.
Have a dandy week!
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