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January 2022 01/04/22 10:16:00 AM
1-10-22
It got cold around here this past week, going below zero a couple of nights with single digit highs. It finally warmed up to 25 today and seemed awfully nice. This week’s forecast calls for warmer daytime highs in the 40’s and freezing back up at night. It sounds like snow may come back towards the weekend, so we will watch that as it gets a little closer.
Saturday was a very good day for a sale. It warmed up some, was clear and sunny! The hog sale had a nice run of fat hogs and sows and a light run of pigs. Sows were up to $64 to 66 on the heavier weights and $45 to 50 light thinner sows. Fat hogs topped at just over $50 with the bulk of them at $43 to 45. A group of 71-pound pigs that brought $70 per head was the highlight of the pig sale.
The sheep and goat sales were very active again this week. A group of Katahdin bred ewes, mostly 5 & 6 years old brought $310 per head to an IL buyer. 50-to-60-pound lambs were at $3 to 4 a lb. The heavier lambs were mostly $3.60 to 3.80. Goats were just as strong this week. Baby dairy kids ranged from $5 to 20 per head on the year’s first big run of them. Kids in the 50-pound range brought $4.35 to 4.50 a lb. A good set of fat wethers averaging 105 pounds brought $3.60 a lb.! Great job Robert, they looked awesome! Nannies were mostly $2.05 to 2.65 a lb.
The outside sale had a big run of hay and not much for misc. items, so Logan sold everything outside. Small square bales topped at $8 with most selling from $2.50 to 5. Lots of wheat straw sold from $3.50 to 4.50 a bale. Big round bales of hay were higher on a larger run. $50 to 85 was the range with most of it bringing $55 to 60. Cornstalk bales were $32.50 to 40. A stack of wet wrapped rye brought $27.50 to 30. Hedge posts were $17 to 35 on some better-quality posts. Great job Logan, you are doing an awesome job!
All kinds of bred cows in town for the sale this week and quality was awfully good. The top bred heifers were a group of red cross heifers selling for $2200. Black white face bull bred heifers sold from $1875 to 2000. The nicer 3- & 4-year-old cows sold from $1750 to 2000; 5- & 6-year-old cows brought $1600 to 1800 and older cows would fall off to $800 to 900. I still believe we are short of momentum in the bred cow business. Drought liquidation from the NW has forced extra numbers into the market. Cows have been shipped to town in extra high numbers. Just in Keosauqua, we have averaged nearly 200 weigh cows a week since early October or over 800 cows a month to the packing house. I do not believe there are 800 bred cows a month coming back into our area to replace what is being sold and we have plenty of feed! Calves are higher in value than last year with fats at $1.40 and $6 corn. Let corn go down with big 2022 crop ahead and lower number of cattle to fill all parts of the business and the lid is going to blow off of this cattle market!
I slipped off to Oklahoma City to the Cattleman’s Congress this past week. Big numbers of cattle from all breeds were on hand for the National shows. The cattle were extremely good from all over the country. I found a couple of genetic opportunities to further explore and ate a great steak with the Lowdermans!
A special feeder cattle this Saturday.
Have A Dandy Week!
1-3-2022
Well after a week off and Christmas with all the little girls, we are back in business! The girls had a blast thru the holidays visiting everyone, checking out all the lights and of course sharing gifts! Layne & Hattie had a big time with Sparkly, the elf on the shelf! Everyone had a really great time, but I’m the most thankful to get back to work! We had beautiful weather all thru the holidays until New Years Day and it turned cold and snowy. It is crazy how some react to the first little flurry of the year! Most people continue on with life and work as normal while others hunker down like they were from Florida or somewhere sunny and have never seen snow flurries before. The amount of try in the country has sure changed and softened over the years.
New Year’s Day sale was a dandy to say the least. The markets were very active on all types of livestock to bring in 2022. Sows were higher at $57 to 60. There were not any good fat hogs this week and only one group of 46-pound pigs that brought $36 per head.
The sheep and goat markets were especially strong this week. 60-pound kids were bringing $4 to 4.25 a lb. A package of 63-pound lambs brought up to $4.35 a lb. Big nannies were right at $2 a lb. and weigh up ewes sold at $1.90 a lb. A small group of running age wool ewes exposed brought $300 per head. Nannies exposed to billy sold at $240 to 250 per head.
The outside sale had a big run of round bales with over 400 in the run. A lighter run of small bales that sold from $3 to 6. Cornstalk bales brought from $2.50 to 3. Big round bales were $15 to 75 and that indicated the wide range in bale size and kind! The straw and stalk round bales were $30 to 40. Col Logan Wells took on all the misc. items, posts, and firewood. I think this week is the first time since Logan has been helping that he finished before I did! I sure don’t intend for that to happen again! The wintry weather must have put him in high gear this week. The post market was just average. The wood was $ 7 to 17 on small piles.
The cattle sale had over 1000 head of really good cattle in big groups. The buyers turned out to aggressively make procurements for the new year. 570-pound steers topped at $179.50; 695-pound steer had a high at $170; and 750-pound steers topped at $165.50. Heifers under 600 pounds ranged from $145 to 162 and the better middle six weight heifers were at $155. The top 757-pound heifers brought $150. The better weigh cows ranged from $50 to 65 on a lighter run of 60 head. The crew bedded all the pens and made the cattle all very comfy for the night and by noon Sunday most of the cattle were gone again.
Monday was Hereford day at Carthage, IL. I usually try to attend and take some orders along. The cattle were darn nice this year and sold extra well.
I am heading to Oklahoma City for the Cattleman’s Congress for a few days for a meeting and a look at some of the nations most elite breeding stock.
A special bred cow and heifer sale coming up this Saturday will offer some exceptional heifers and cows to calve this spring. Don’t miss this sale of quality cows and heifers.
Have A Dandy Week!
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