|
|
|
July 2019 07/01/19 11:23:00 PM
7-29-2019
We have sure had a pretty last seven days of weather here in southeast Iowa. Highs have been in the low 80’s and overnight back in the 60’s with a little breeze and blue skies. We even received a shower again Sunday evening. The forecast is looking good for the next week again with temperatures similar to last week and more pretty blue skies. The stars last night were stunning with the Milky Way all lite up and meteor shower adding some flair to the night show.
Saturday brought a large run of hogs, sheep & goats. The hog sale had several butchers, sows and pigs. Fat hogs sold up to a $55 top with most at $48 to 54. The sows topped at $44 with most bringing $37 to 42 on those weighing over 500 pounds and $30 to 34 on light sows. Pigs were lower than last week with 40-pound pigs at $27, 60-pound pigs at $38 and some weighing 88 pounds at $57.
The sheep and goat sale started almost an hour late with the bigger run of hogs and the sheep and goat run was huge at nearly 1200 head. The crew had sheep and goats penned all over the place trying to get unloaded and find a pen for everything. There were big groups of 70 to 90-pound lambs, several 4-H fat lambs and some awesome kid goats in the run. The market was steady from start to finish. The lambs ranged from $1.50 to 1.90 on the lighter end and $1.40 to 1.50 on the lambs over 110 pounds. Kids were from $2.50 to 3 a lb. all day long. It takes some time to get thru that large of a run but by 2:30 we did start on cattle!
The outside sale was also good sized with hay wrapping around the parking lot just like a winter sale. Small squares sold from $2 to 5 per bale. Still no real pretty alfalfa bales in the sale yet. Big round bales ranged from $55 to 75 with most of the $60 to 70. This week most of the string tied bales were in the same range as the net wrapped bales. Big squares of hay ranged from $45 to 65 and wheat straw big squares brought $25. We sold 400 big bales this week. The #10 Massey Baler sold for $1050 in working condition. Misc. items were mainly lumber, tin and some fresh vegetables. A good-sized crowd was out front again this week.
When I finished up out front, I went to the back to help the guys that were working on the big sheep and goat sale. I was working in the alley coming up to the ring when a good-sized black hair buck wanted to be a little friendly with me! The dirty rascal came up to me and worked on me as if I were an itching post. He never really tried to line up and drill me just walked up to me and started flexing his neck and head on my leg! Finally, I had enough of that and got him behind a gate that sent the ornery thing to the ring. Those devils can really crack you one if you are not careful.
The cattle sale had three Angus Pairs selling at $1550. Feeders were steady with about 100 bulls and heifers of various types and weights. Weigh cows were higher with a darn good group of high yielding cows. Many cows sold from $65 to 72 with a $79 top.
The Van Buren Co. fair was on the past week next door. The fair board moved their dates one week later than they have had it the past few years and the weather was perfect for them! The boys held their annual ranch rodeo on Friday night. There was a very nice crowd in the stands to watch and a beautiful evening. The home team didn’t rope the best, but they got their horses worked and made for a good show.
Sunday, I stayed busy loading hay, hogs, sheep and goats. I did get to have lunch with Becky at noon and made a quick trip thru the south pastures just before dark. Monday, I went to sort and load yearlings at Cincinnati IA. They were heavy nine weights and were sure nice cattle. Monday night was the 4-H sale here at the fair. This county really supports 4-H kids and families extra well. The top pen of three hogs sold for $2.85 per lb. The top steer brought $2.70 a lb. The top selling goat sold for $900. The top lamb brought $6.75 a lb. and the top selling rabbit brought $410. The sale really put a cap on one of the best Van Buren CO Fairs I remember. Congratulations to all those that participated in making it an overwhelming success this year.
The boys are busy pregnancy checking again this week. The first group of heifers went thru yesterday were 70% AI bred. We are doing another group on Wednesday this week so hoping for more like that!
Good consignment of spring pairs coming in this week Aug 3rd.
Have a Dandy Week!
7-22-2019
The heat finally gave up here Saturday night, thank goodness. It was rotten brutal hot and humid here last week 95 to 99 high temperatures with heat indexes up to 110 to 115°! It was hot. The best thing was, we were fortunate to receive an inch of rain last week and another inch on Saturday night when the cool front came by. We also had some nasty wind that blew some tree limbs around. Becky had just got to our house as the storm hit and as she was getting to the basement a good-sized limb crashed into a double window on the west side of our house. It scattered glass and leaves all across our front room. I was just leaving Keosauqua when she called and told me what had happened. It was black as I headed home, but I really never ran into any wind just rain. I didn’t know what to expect to rind when I got there. I was hoping for the best but expecting a little worse! We got lucky that the window was all that was damaged and a screen on another window. We cleaned up glass for an hour after we put plywood on the window. The shattered glass was a pistol to get out of the carpet!
Saturday’s sale was hot as the devil. It was 80° at 6 a.m. and went to 97° by 1 o’clock. We had several feeder pigs and they sold at a higher market. 32-pound pigs brought $37 and some 52-pound pigs brought $50. There were some 85-pound pigs that sold at $79. Fat hogs sold from $50 to 55 and there were not any big sows to test the market.
The sheep and goat market was higher. The 60 to 70-pound lambs sold from $1.70 to 1.90- and 100-pound lambs sold at $1.60 to 1.65. weigh up ewes topped at $67. Goats sold steady to higher on a run that had 30 to 40 head of county fair wethers that kids are done showing. They sold up to $3 a lb. on a 50-pound kid and $2.50 a lb. on those weighing 90 pounds. Big billies sold from$275 to 440 per head.
I tried to draft several young fellas to take over the duties of selling outside this week and found no takers! Ole Dad had to find an umbrella and it helped me get most of the way thru before I started seeing stars! Jimmy had come out and was working on posts and plants and he finished up for me. The small square hay market was higher. Most hay sold from $3 to 6.50 with one pile at $14.50 per bale! The straw sold from $3 to 4.50. big round bales were up $5 to 10 per bale also. The top was at $77.50 and most brought $65 to 70. Big squares ranged from $35 to 55. Misc. items like the JD 640 rake brought $700 and the old Vermeer baler brought $75.
I sat down in front of the fan and got going again to start the cattle sale. Not much in the week to give a cattle trend except weigh cows were $2 to 3 higher.
Boys went to the big heifer pasture Sunday and pulled the bulls out. Sounds like Blake has the heifers looking good and has plenty of grass. They went to rope in the afternoon, and I checked cows and caught Hereford heifers to pregnancy check Monday morning.
Doc arrived at 7 a.m. to start. Boy was it a pretty morning. Temperature was 65 and clear skies, it was awesome day to pregnancy check and handle cattle. It seemed like they flowed thru the chute better than sometimes. We did our home raised heifers and the first and second calf cows. Conception was pretty normal on the yearlings and 96% on the first and seconds! That a very good day!
Shipping yearlings in the morning and have some more to look at this week.
Have a Dandy Week!
7-15-2019
Dry conditions remain across this corner of the Tri State area. The heat hasn’t been as bad the past week but look out the next few days! Temperatures are to reach the high 90’s by the weekend. Without a shower the late planted crop is going to have to root down to get moisture. It really looks pretty good for all it’s been thru. We have corn tasseling in the area and corn from thigh high to fence post height that is 3 weeks to a month from pollinating. Mother nature usually gets evened up so will hope that holds true again this year.
Saturday’s sale saw the hog market hold steady. Sow topped at $51 and fat hogs were up to $55. Not too many feeder pigs this week, some 48 pound pigs sold for $38 and some weighing 61 pounds were at $47.
The sheep and goat sale had a lighter summer run. The market surprised me this week with an up on light lambs, goats and old sheep. There was good interest in lambs going home to feed for a while as well as those lighter kid goats.
The outside sale had a good run of hay in small and big bales. It seemed like the 90° temperature might have put a slight damper on the small square market. Most of the hay sold from $3 to 4.50, with some at $2 and a pile of finer quality hay up to $5. Big round bales were all new crop hay. One pile of clover and most of the rest was grass mix net wrapped hay. This week the market was at $60 to 72.50 on 1st cutting hay.
The Ole Massey square baler brought $1025 and the two-wheel trailer with the fold down ramps brought $1300. Other misc. items had just average interest as the temperature kept rising!
The cattle sale saw baby calves steady at $250 to 400 for beef calves and $50 to 85 on Holsteins. A sprinkle of bred cows brought $1000 to 1050. Feeders sold active to a small crowd. Weigh cows were stronger with the better cows $65 to 72. The top bull was $90.
I took Thursday off last week to attend the National Jr Hereford Show in Denver CO. The Hereford Jr. National is the largest show of its kind. There were 1800 cattle from over 800 Junior exhibitors from all across the country. Ben, Ashley & I left Fairfield at 6:30 a.m. and landed at Rocky Mountain Metro Airport just 20 minutes from the National Western. Our Uber driver pulled right in and dropped us at the yards, and we walked up the hill one more time before that part of history get reconstructed. The first guy we run into at the barn was a 4-year-old with a show stick. He is giving me grief by holding his show stick blocking our pathway in, demanding a password or pay the toll! Just inside the barn was his head coach Mr. Jason Hoffman. Once we were able to enter, we had a short visit with Jason and then proceeded to look thru the cattle. The cattle were sure as good as you can find anywhere, and I was able to visit with several people. The bred and owned show was going on that day as well as the bull and steer show. We watched some of all of it. The Champion bull was from SD. The Champion Bred & Owed came from TX and the Reserve Champion steer was from Maryland but was raised in Iowa! We had a very fun day and an Uber driver picked us up at the front door and dropped us off back at the airport. We were back by about 11 p.m. There is lots of water still standing or standing again across Nebraska from Grand Island on west. Terraces were full of water; feedlot pens were full, and rivers were out. While visiting with some folks up on the north side they were experiencing much of the same and were struggling to get hay made. I hope that Mother Nature gives them a break shortly.
A regular sale this week.
Get out and support our youth at one of the many county fairs going on now.
Have a Dandy Week!
7/8/2019
This week saw hot weather give way to some more milder temperatures and no general rain only a few pop-up showers. The past couple of morning have sure been a relief for everything. The corn has really grown the pasts couple weeks with the hot & humid conditions. There is corn starting to tassel now and some corn only knee high! Lots of hay is being baled over the last week. The pasture grass still doesn’t impress me much, so we will have to see what happens the rest of the summer. There is a chance of rain tomorrow then dry thru the weekend, but the temperature is going back up into the 90’s by Friday.
Saturday sales on the July 4th holiday week are usually pretty light. Surprisingly a nice run of stock and a large outside sale kept us pretty busy. The hog sale had 180 head of all classes. Sows made a huge recovery on a light run going back to $52.50. Fat hogs were $2 to 4 higher reaching a $56 top. One group of pigs sold to seven different buyers taking 3 to 10 head a piece. They averaged 68 pounds and sold from $50 to 55 per head.
The sheep and goat market also perked up a little this week. Lambs were $10 to 15 higher across most weights. The better fat kids weighing 50 to 60 pounds sold from $150 to 185. Cull sheep and goats also moved up, more like $5 to 10 as well.
The outside sale looked more like a winter run of inventory! Big bales of hay wrapped around the parking lot all the way past Colby’s house on the south side. The market was steady with net wrapped new crop bales ranging from $50 to 75 and big squares mostly $40 to 55 per bale. Small squares sold from $2 to 6 with most in the $3.50 to 5 range. It sure seemed like folks were buying larger quantities of big bales at this week’s market prices. They seem to be content to put supply away for the winter at current value. The hedge posts sold strong up to $30 on the corners and $15 on some lines. This week’s highlight out there was in a pile of misc. items I was trying to bunch up to get a bid on and a fella asked if he could buy the lock. It was like a cable bike lock, I think. I said sure you can and started it at 50? and he threw his arm up into the air to make sure I saw him standing right beside me and in a quick glance around no one else bid and I said sold! That 4 or 5-year-old boy threw his fist in the air and jumped up and down hollering YES. He was so tickled he just made the winning bid! I rarely see that kind of enthusiasm at a feeder cattle sale anymore! It always a treat to sell outside here on Saturday!
The cattle sale had a 200-pound heifer calf lead off at $575 and a couple more nice beef calves over a month old bringing $400 to 500. Dairy calves sold from $50 to 100. There was just a few pairs and bred cows. The pairs were bringing more to split up and was sure sorry interest in the few pregnant cows we had. Feeders had decent interest with a little group of 485-pound steers getting up to $169. Weigh cows were solid with a $72 top and several from $62 to 67. The top bull was a lean muscled up good yielding rascal that has the summer high at $95.
The sale was over early and ole dad stayed around to load while the boys took off for the evening. A couple went to the rodeo in Bloomfield and the others just relaxed around home.
Sunday, I loaded out until noon and then went to mow some pasture that I hadn’t turned into yet. I always think that is the right thing to do until I get going and after bouncing over the rough ground, mowing over locust and rose sprouts realizing I really won’t have much when we are done. I wish I never would have started!
Hope to get some second cutting alfalfa mowed this week.
A regular sale this Saturday.
Have a Dandy Week!
P.S.
The Van Buren Co shop across the highway from the sale barn decided today that folks would be able to park on the gravel around the shop. They are going to be monitoring the parking, so please be respectful of their grass and don’t park by the fuel island. Parking is an ongoing challenge and many people can park on the gravel there. So, if you see any of those folks tell them thanks for opening up the area and treat it with the utmost respect or the gates will go up and they will no be any parking there. Thanks a supervisor as well!
7-1-2019
We sure hit summer head on this week! The temperatures jumped into the mid 90’s since Saturday and very high humidity. Friday was supposed to be hot, but a pop-up shower came down from the north and it stayed cloudy all afternoon and was very pleasant. The high temperature and extra humidity sure made it a challenge to handle stock Saturday and keep the crew cooled off as well. The crew drank plenty of water and Gatorade and hung in there very good until the finish and then they were gone! The forecast calls for a gradual cooling down this week but will remain in the 80’s and more dry days than wet days.
Saturday’s sale saw a bigger run of livestock than normal for as hot and sticky as it was. The hog market was barely steady on sows, but fully steady on fat hogs. Butchers were in the $50 to 54 range and sows topped at $38. The better pigs sold right at 90 cents to $1 a lb.
The sheep and goat market continue to back off the stronger spring market. 60 to 80-pound lambs sold at $1.54 top, but many sold $1.45 to 1.50. The goats did get over $3 a lb., but just a few extremely good ones weighing 50 pounds. I would sure expect all the sheep and goat market to continue to ease up thru July maybe perk up the first of August for a week, but not much more until next fall.
The outside sale was pretty warm at 11 o’clock when we started but there was a very good crowd out there anyways. Small squares ranged from $2.50 to 8 all on new crop hay. Big rounds were about half old crop rougher hay selling at $50 to 60 per bale and new crop from $60 to 75 per bale. I am expecting a big run next week with all the baling that is going on now.
There were all kinds of other items out there this week. A couple different trailers, lumber, a used Palco working tub. Flower baskets sold for $15 each. Rabbits were warm but sold up to $5 a piece and puppies were not very popular this week. Gabe and Rick sure have a nice litter of border collie pups ready to go if you are looking for one out of working stock. Contact Gabe.
The cattle sale had 750 head and the friendly crop report on Friday combined with some strength in the futures made for a better feeder cattle market. Five weight steers sold up to $1.74. Severn weight steers were up to $1.46 and eight weight steers topped at $1.35. A strong farmer feeder interest along with feed yard order buyer interest made for a good market Saturday. Weigh cows were very steady with lasts week.
Sunday, I headed out early to feed and get back to the barn to help load trucks. I feed the cows at my house and didn’t see the bull that is running with them. I figured the critter was upside down somewhere in a ditch from heat stroke! So, I went back to the barn and grabbed the 4-wheeler and went looking for him. I started on one end of the pasture checking low spots and the creek that winds thru the pasture and saw nothing. I saw signs of where the cows were loafing the night before and ran out of tracks of any kind as I rode on to the north. As I came over the hill in the last part of the pasture, I found him. There was a heifer in heat and a bull calf wanting to be a big bull with the herd bull I was looking for and all was good, it just had me nervous!
Sunday night I went to Fairfield to announce the open steer and heifer show at the fair. Hotter than the dickens, but the faithful show people came thru with 40 entries. The champion heifer was a Chi heifer from Creston and the Champion steer was a very good crossbred from right there in Jefferson Co. We even got a cool down towards the end of the show with a lot of wind and nearly 20 degrees temperature drop!
Monday morning was the 4H sale in Fairfield. Merchants really turned out in strong support of the youth of Jefferson county. Curt and Gabe brought the trailers up to haul the stock after the sale. I never saw many tears in the goat barn, but where Curt was loading calves the kids were sure hating to see them go. Its been that way for years, I guess. You take care of them and work hard to get them ready for fair knowing the day is coming that those calves are going to feed other families. It’s a lesson that we all go thru at that age, it molds character and back bone in our youth. I am so proud of all the kids and their families that are committed to livestock production, so that our industry can continue to feed future generations around the world!
A regular sale this Saturday.
Have a safe and Happy 4th of July
Have a Dandy Week!
|
|
