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December 2019 12/03/19 4:33:00 PM
12-10-2019
The past week has been really nice in our area. We have been dry and several days were mostly sunny. We changed over yesterday afternoon to colder and windy with lows down in the teens last evening. The wind died down and it was cold this morning, but the sun was out and very pleasant this morning. The forecast looks like it will warm up the next three or four days and be decent right thru next weekend.
Last week was busy around here with the Hereford sale and the Big Bend Heifer sale on Wednesday and then right back Saturday with a bug run of everything again! The boys are glad to get through all the work of moving in and out and getting cleaned up and re bedded for four sale in seven days! We were blessed to have a really nice week of weather and have the crew around to everything done in good shape.
The Hereford sale kicked off at 1:00 after folks enjoyed a really good lunch Lauren prepared in the café and was sponsored by ADM and Donnellson Elevator. Thanks to those folks for getting involved and helping with lunch. Col. Cody Lowderman handled the auction duties for us again this year and moved right thru the cattle and finished in just over an hour. Females sold to Ohio, Tennessee, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa. The top female sold for $4100 and they averaged $1636 on the total sale.
The Big Bend Heifer sale started off at 5:00 on the second calf heifers. There was good interest in this group leading up to the sale and active bidders took them to a range of $1850 to 2250 for an average of 1936. The first calf heifers were sold from $1350 on a small group of late breds to $1800 on the top set for a $1615 average. The cows and heifers sold to Nebraska, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri and Iowa. We were still loading out heifers as folks were unloading stock for Saturday!
Saturday was a very busy sale once again. The hog sale numbers keep rolling up! This week there was 500 head again. The top sows went to $34.50 while the fat hogs topped at $45. Feeder pigs were a big part of the run. 50-pound pigs hit $45 per head while 90-pound pigs made it to $70 per head.
The sheep and goat sale had just shy of 700 this week. Kid bottle goats sold from $30 to 60 for boer kids. 50-pound kids were bringing from $135 to 155 per head. Billies were in the $250 to 350 range and cull nannies sold from $125 to 200. Lambs weighing 50 to 60 pounds were mostly $2.10 to 2.25 per pound and fat lambs were $1.47 to 1.54.
The outside sale had a large offering of small squares. The hay sold from $4.50 to 8 and straw was from $4 to 5 per bale. Small corn stalk bales brought from $4 to 4.50. Big round bales of hay topped at $115 with most in the $50 to 70 range. Big round bales of cornstalks brought from $40 to 50. There was a pretty large run of misc. items including a JD 1050 utility tractor. It brought $4200 and the NH grinder mixer sold for $700. Not many hedge posts to test the market. We had a little bake sale on the way back inside cookies, cinnamon rolls and some fresh bread!
A bigger run of cattle again this week selling 1275 head. Feeders were steady on the better kind and quality while softer on the plain cattle. The top 405 pound black bull calves brought $179.50. the better 600 pound steers brought $154 and a few yearling steers that averaged 790 pounds brought $146. Heifers wee in good demand with 4 weights in the $140’s and 7 weights in the $130’s. A big run of weigh ups had a top at $68 on a high yielding fat cow. Most of the cows were in the $50’s.
It was late when we finished, and the crew was glad to get to bed for a little nap! Sunday, I went to Kansas City for a meeting early Monday morning and drop off a sale heifer on the way. I was glad to get to my pillow last night as well.
This week will be a special bred cow sale along with our usual run of everything else.
Have a Dandy Week!
12-3-2019
It has been a tad rainy and chilly over the past week, but it looks like we might have turned the corner yesterday and today! We have turned bright and sunny again for almost the rest of this week. The past couple of mornings we have been in the lower 20’s and with the sunshine it is starting to dry off a little.
Saturday was busy again with a solid run of hogs. The feeder pig market jumped up about $10 with increased roaster demand. The top pigs averaged 87 pounds and brought $70 per head. The 50 to 60-pound pigs sold for $45 to 50 per head. Sows were just steady with a $34 top and fat hogs topped at $49. Most of the butchers sold from $40 to 45.
The sheep and goat run was 450 head this sale. A group of ewes from a long-time sheep producing family drew a few extra folks in to watch them sell. The younger end of the ewes exposed to the rams for three weeks sold at $180 per head. The middle-aged group was more in the $160 to 175 range. Lambs sold steady with the 60 to 70-pound lambs selling from $1.85 to 2.10 a lb. Fat lambs sold from $1.45 to 1.50. the goat sale was steady as well with the top kids reaching $3 a lb. for 50-pound kids.
The outside sale had a bigger run of big rounds and a smaller offering of small squares (the threat of rain held back some hay). Small squares sold from $5.50 to 8.50 and straw sold around $5. Big round bales of the better kind of hay hit $85 and the rough stuff was down to $30. Several corn stalk bales made it in and ranged from $40 to 47.50 this week.
The cattle sale had baby calves ranging from $100 to 350 for beef calves and $15 to 50 for the dairy calves. Bred cows made up a large portion of the sale this week. All ages and stages of cows sold from $700 to 1500. Some nice Angus bulls were brought in this week and sold from $1900 to 2600. Feeders sold steady on mostly smaller groups of cattle not worked or weaned. There were not many yearlings. We had a large run of weigh cows again with 200 head. The market was good on the fat cows reaching $70 on the top yielding cows. Most of the fleshy cows sold from $60 to 65. Shelly and weak cows sold from $10 to 40 and there were several of them! It pays really good to cull those cows before they get that bad!
This is a busy week for the crew! Cleaning up from last Saturday sale, getting all the cows and bred heifers moved in for Wednesday’s sale. The Hereford sale will start at 1:00 and the Big Bend Ranch bred female sale is at 5:00. Stop in, call or send a neighbor over to see this year’s offering. They are really an outfit to see! Register on LiveAuctions.tv to bid online if you can not make it to the sale. I got to go as we are not quite ready yet!! See you tomorrow!
Have a Dandy Week!
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