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September 2021 09/02/21 10:50:00 AM
9-13-21
This week had a couple of days that were pretty warm, but most of this week has been really nice. It’s been dry, mostly clear skies with just a light breeze, mostly clear skies with just a light breeze most das. Temperatures have been mostly in the upper 70’s in the daytime and down to 60’s at night. The forecast is for some warming up into the 80’s but cooler at night and a little rain chance over the coming week.
Saturday had a good run of hogs. We had sows back to $80, fat hogs were mostly $67 to 72. Pigs sold around 90? a pound up to 60 pounds and 80? a pound for the bigger ones. Several odd hogs and building clean outs in this week’s hog sale.
The sheep and goat sale had a good run with a steady market. Light lambs were at $3 a lb., while 102-pound lambs brought $2.4250 and some 142-pound lambs sold at $2.20. Ewes were mostly $90 to 1.05 and bucks brought $1.05 to 1.17 a lb. Kid goats weighing 50 pounds hit $177.50 per head and some weighing 65 pounds were up to $235. Nannies were ranging from $190 to 280 and billies topped at $490 a head.
The outside sale had a large quantity of small and big bales of hay this week. Small bales sold from $2 to 6 with several piles at $3.50 to 4.50 a bale. The hay was real good quality this week with beautiful weather making the hay go up easier! Big round bales would be $5 higher this week. Mostly grass hay that was net wrapped was very solid at $45 to 60. One pile of smaller, string tied round bales brought 25. The bulk of the hay sold to buyers within 30 miles of Keosauqua this week. Logan sold the misc. items this week. The shipping container made into a shed brought $2200. The My-D Han-D feeder brought $450. Three rabbits brought $15 each and over 80 mums sold from $5 to 12.
The cattle sale had 400 head. Baby calves sold for $100 to 200 on Holsteins and $200 to 375 on beef calves. A few cow calf pairs in this week selling from $900 to 1600. It sure looks like there should be more interest in breeding stock for the amount of feed around and our strong feeder and weigh cow markets.
The feeder cattle were mostly steady in this sale. A package of 580-pound steers sold at $1.65 and some 660-pound steers at $1.61. Heifers weighing 683 pounds brought $1.47 and some 793-pound heifers brought $1.41. Weigh cows were steady this week with two cows at $80. Twenty five cows brought in the $70’s, 55 cows brought in the $60’s. Bulls sold from $80 to 95.
We finished up our third cutting hay this week. It was sure nice, and we have all but a handful of bales in the barn. I made big square bales up at Douds. Luke and Rick made almost 600 nice small squares and rolled up the grass with the round baler. Our corn is getting closer but at least a week before we will chop. The corn has some fungus on it as I didn’t spray this year, so it is going to change fast now, I think.
A good run of feeder cattle coming this Saturday featuring the Bigger Farms calves. They are 200 head of weaned 450-550 very reputation set of calves.
Have a Dandy Week!
9-6-2021
It has been warm here with highs up in the mid 80’s to almost 90 a couple of days over the long weekend. The lows have been nicer getting into the upper 60’s. We had a little more rain the past week that should sure help the beans and fall pasture. The forecast looks beautiful with highs in the 70’s and lows down to the lower 50’s this week. I sure do enjoy this time of the year!
Saturday was a regular sale that saw 250 hogs, 550 sheep and goats and 250 cattle. The hog market is starting to slip back some with the better fat hos bringing $65 to 71. The sows topped at just $74.50. Feeder pigs sold steady with 40-pound pigs at $56 and 75-pound pigs at $64.
The sheep and goat market continues to hang in the same range week after week. 50-pound kids were $3 to 3.50 a lb. Lambs weighing 60 to 70 were right at $3 a lb. on the better end. We sold a few 80-pound kids at $280 to 300 per head and the nannies ranged from $185 to 275. Cull ewes sold from $85 to 1.05 per lb. and cull bucks were as high as $1.20 a lb. It is incredible how stable the sheep and goat market has become over the past couple of years. For years you could count on the lambs and ewes going low in the summer and then peaking in December and again at Easter time. Anymore the market just pushes on no matter what happens anywhere! For me it says a lot about the number of small processing facilities that compete at auction for their weekly supply. This is so much different than what we have seen in the cattle and hog markets with only four packers controlling the market!
The outside sale had a good run of big rounds and a lighter run of small squares. Little bales sold from $2 to 5 this week with some stacks baled a tad bit wet! Round bales sold from $30 to 60 with most at the $40 to 50 range. The market sure appears to be favorable for anyone that needs hay for winter to get some laid in early at good value. Lots of misc. items out front again. Everything imaginable comes in out front! Machinery, fencing, tools to mums! Logan was back to assist with the sale this week. With Jim gone for Justin’s wedding, Logan came early and sold hogs, sheep & goats and then headed out to sell misc. I finished the sheep and goats and then took into the hay. Logan helped by working the ring for the cattle sale and selling weigh cows for us. Pound cow buyers were a grouchy set and Logan was in the middle of it! He did fine and hopefully comes back next week!
The cattle sale had baby calves selling in the $50 to 100 range for dairy calves and $200 to 300 for beef calves. A few odd bred cows and pairs were selling from $900 to 1200. Feeders are still in strong demand with unweaned 485-pound calves bringing $1.85 and 675 pound yearling type steers at $1.61. Some five weight heifers got up to $1.60 and a few seven weight heifers sold at $1.44. Weigh cows trended a couple of dollars lower.
The sale got over in good shape and all the crew that wanted to go to the Utt-Overstreet wedding were able to attend. It was a very nice evening at the Davis Co fairgrounds for the festivities. Lauren took all the pictures Saturday. Luke stood up with the groom and Layne was a flower girl. I’m pretty sure they way Layne and Hattie were dancing that night, they will never miss another one! A great family and it sure was a nice evening of celebration for everyone.
I hope to finish up hay this week and get that equipment put away. Our corn is not quite ready to chop yet, but several around have been chopping already. I also saw the first corn shelled out west of Libertyville this week. Fall is come right along!
A couple of special cattle sale coming up this week and next!
Have a Dandy Week!
9-3-2021
I am late getting the news out this week! I took off to look at cattle in South Dakota and Wyoming after the IA Hereford tour last Sunday and didn’t get it done until now. The weather was gorgeous out there for me, too dry for those folks but great for me. Their lower humidity is sure nice when n the temperature gets close to 90. That country always looks dry but this year they are extra dry. Some spots we went to have had less than five inches of rain in the past year! We went thru several acres of forest permit land that looked ok. The coal mine reclaimed pastures were just ok but other pastures were used up and may not recover for at least a year. The impressive part was how good the body condition was on everything we saw. The cows, calves, bred heifers and yearlings were all in excellent body condition. The hard grass has been very good for beef production this summer. Our cows have to eat so much more to get the same dry matter value that they are eating all day. The big advantage to our cows is they rarely have to travel much over a half to a mile for water or grass. The cows out there are covering several miles a day. Several ranchers we stopped at were improving their water systems this summer. Pipeline water systems, solar pumps, storage tanks to gravity feed 12-foot tire tanks were the most of what they were doing. I met a great group of ranchers in that part of the country. I sure have to admire how they plan and strategize how to make it from year to year in that country!
Wednesday, I had a Genex representative stop and go thru the cattle. Gail is from McCook NE, and we always have a good visit. Their country is dry as well. Cattle are in good shape but the winter and next year is the focus of their planning as well.
Corn and beans have really improved here around home over the past couple of weeks. The corn looked incredible up on Highway 30 last Sunday on the tour. It seems Chicago has finally realized there is going to be a corn crop this fall! It is down 80? over the past month and almost 50? in the past week!
I am hoping to get a window of drier weather to finish up some hay the next couple of weeks. Chopping will be here before we are ready, but sure a couple of weeks to go.
Lucas and the crew had a strong horse sale this past Saturday. Ben took Cody, Hannah, Layne, and Hattie out in the airplane last Thursday. The girls had a great time and it sure helped make that trip easier for them. He picked them up on Sunday after he dropped me off and brought Luke, Cody, and the girls home. I think Cody will never drive out there again!
Hope to be finished up with the sale this weekend to make it to Justin Utt and Taylor Overstreet’s weeding reception.
Have a Dandy Week!
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