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July 2020 07/13/20 6:38:00 PM
7-13-2020
Ole Mother Summer has got a good hold on us now! It has been in the 90° most days and humid as all get out. No rain in the past seven days. The forecast looks pretty much the same over the next seven days with a slight chance of rain on Wednesday.
Saturday’s sale lived up to it billing of having two sales in one week! We had a very large run of livestock and hay and it was a hot one! The hog sale started early and finished late. 490 head and really only one larger group of feeder pigs, it was mostly sows, boars, butchers, and light hogs. The market was steady on most weights and kinds. Fat hogs sold from $18 to 30 and a few 380-pound ones brought $15. Sows were just $23 on the ones over five hundred pounds and $12 to 20 on the rest. Pigs sold about 60 cents a lb.
The sheep and goat sale grew in head count all morning and they were still in line to unload when I went outside to sell hay. The sheep and goat sale totaled over 1100 head and the market was really strong this week. Lambs sold from $2 to 2.20 on 60 to 80-pound lambs and 100-pound lambs were $1.85 to 1.95. The top fat lambs brought $1.55. Old bucks were over 1.00 and ewes sold from 70 to 85 cents. The goat market was as hot as the temperature was Saturday! Kids weighing from 50 to 70 pound brought way over $3.00 a lb. to $4.00 on a few elite kids. Nannies and billies were high as well. Big wether goats weighing up around 100 pounds sold $300 to 350 per head.
The outside sale had 1165 small squares and 425 big bales of hay. The small square market was $2 to 8. Most of the hay was $3.50 to 5. A couple of piles of year-old wheat straw sold from $3.50 to 4. Big rounds of hay brought $35 to 45. Big squares of alfalfa topped at $50. Cornstalks sold at $18 for net wrapped big round bales. The hedge post market was $7 to 15 for lines. Mostly $20 to 40 for corners. All kinds of misc. items were out front this week and it was hot! Lowell Yoder kindly stepped in and finished up for me out there just before the lights went clear out for me! It was hot outside Saturday about 12:30!
The cattle sale had 509 head and it was hot! The market was sure good for the weather and the late start we had. We had five weight steers selling up to $1.70 and six weights up in the $1.50’s. Weaned bulls from 450 to 650 pounds sold from $1.25 to 1.45 A good pen of 975-pound black steers brought $1.13. Several packages of seven weight heifers sold rom $1.20 to 1.25. Weigh cows were steady on 75 to 80 head this week. The bulk of the cows sold from $64 to 68. The top bull was at $1.08.
We finished up selling about 7 p.m. The crew was wore out from the heat and all the challenges of moving stock with pens all maxed out with head count! It was a long Sunday loading out stock that was left over waiting on trucks. I stopped and checked a couple of groups of cows on the way down Sunday morning and arrived just before 8. Gabe was coming across the parking lot headed to start loading a sheep truck. I grabbed the paperwork and headed to the north side. I was met in the alley by stray hogs in the next alley, multiple gates were open, and all kinds of hogs and sheep were out and mixed up. Gabe remained very calm and collected as we worked thru the ordeal! By about noon the five of us had everything either loaded out or back to a pen where it belonged.
Lucas bales some hay on Sunday afternoon. I went back to mow some alfalfa and the rest of the crew caught up on chores and took a deep breath to rest up and cool out!
We shipped a couple of loads of yearlings this morning and will get some more sent this week. The fat trade is sure nothing to brag about, but the fellas have faith that the next turn will be considerably better!
I am headed to Kansas City in the morning to watch some of the National JR Hereford Show. Kids and cattle from 39 states are in attendance for one of this summer’s very best shows!
Have a Dandy Week!
7-6-2020
July is living up to its reputation of being hot and humid! We are in the low to mid 90’s every day and humidity will be 95% in the morning to 65 to 70% in the afternoon. This is sure perfect corn growing weather if we don’t run out of water. Some fields are starting to tassel, many will shoot out by next week. Folks are back to baling hay this week and it looks like a few oats may be harvested by next week. Grass in the pastures has been good but, the clover has been way over the top. I never believed clover would choke back fescue in this country (I saw some that did in Virginia), but I think we are seeing it happen this year! A hot and dry forecast for the next couple of weeks, so what has looked like euphoria may quickly evaporate. It has sure been good while it lasted, and we are thankful for that.
With no sale Saturday it felt like I had lost a kid somewhere! I don’t think anyone else had any remorse but when you skip a Saturday it sure feels odd! The boys and gals all scattered to relax and celebrate the holiday over the weekend. Part of them practiced putting the boat in and out of the water a few times! The ole girl doesn’t quite have all the cobwebs out of the engine just yet. I’ll give them credit, they seem to be committed to reaching their goal of having it motor up the river and they continue to invest time and dollars in it to see it happen. The grand daughter and parents spent time at a photo shoot with Lauren that turned out really amazing! Luke and Colby went to a pasture roping Sunday. They got hot, saw some good ropers, and helped those gentlemen make their July ranch payment. At least they got their horses rode and showed them some new country that will add value to them!
Becky answered the phone “No we are not having a sale today, see you next week”. I took off to mow some pasture and got the oats mowed Saturday evening. My brush cutter tractor doesn’t have AC and its darn good conditioning for me to get ready to sell outside at 11 a.m. when it is 95 °.
The markets have strengthened up locally and in Chicago. Hogs are creeping up, sheep and goats are strong, and yearlings are $4 to 6 higher, while the futures are hurrying to catch up! This week is going to be a test for fat cattle to see if we can gain any ground. Box movement was very strong over the holiday as people ate a lot of beef! Feedlots turning in counts to soon this week may knock any strength in the head, but let’s hope we can catch a little bit of strength. The Senators bill to get 50% cash negotiated and delivering with 14 days is laying in committee and going now where right now. Chairman Pat Roberts has not moved it up for discussion. I will leave the contact information here on who to call on the Senate committee. When it is hot and your ticked off because the baler broke or you hit your thumb while building fence, look up a number on the list and give them something t6o think about besides which lobbyist is taking them out for cocktails and lobster that evening! It is going to make a difference if they hear from you. If you are quiet, the lobbyist wins, and we are screwed again. Think about it and call them!
The county fair sale in Jefferson Co was a barn burner! It was a premium only sale this year with all the livestock going home after each show. The kids had a great time and the merchants of the area stepped way up in a hug show of support for youth in agriculture. I encourage all of you to attend a fair sale in your community and support our future at whatever level is comfortable to you.
Have A Dandy Week!!
This bill S.3693 must get passed out of the Senate Ag Committee, so please call these members and have them vote YES!
Members of Senate Agriculture Committee (2020)
Pat Roberts, Kansas, Chairman: 202-224-4774
Mitch McConnell, Kentucky: 202-224-2541
John Boozman, Arkansas: 202-224-4843
John Hoeven, North Dakota: 202-224-2551
Joni Ernst, Iowa: 202-224-3254 Already a sponsor. Thank her.
Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mississippi: 202-224-5054 Already a sponsor. Thank her.
Mike Braun, Indiana: 202-224-4814
Kelly Loeffler, Georgia: 202-224-3643
Chuck Grassley, Iowa: 202-224-3744 Already a sponsor. Thank him.
John Thune, South Dakota: 202-224-2321
Deb Fischer, Nebraska: 202-224-6551
Debbie Stabenow, Michigan: 202-224-4822
Patrick Leahy, Vermont: 202-224-4242
Sherrod Brown, Ohio: 202-224-2315
Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota: 202-224-3244
Michael Bennet, Colorado: 202-224-5852
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