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November 2024 11/05/24 5:07:00 PM
11-26-24
We have had several days of nice warmer weather the past week. One day of very strong wind and one day of some light showers. Now we are cooling down and look to be in the low teens at night and highs barely up to 30 over the next week. It’s sure been a good long fall with harvest finishing up early, lots of fall field work getting done and even fall pastures have held on really good this year. The forecast looks to be mostly dry and colder over the next week, so hope to get all the tank heaters working.
Saturday, we had a shorter run of hogs, but sure higher on feeder pigs. All weights sold from $0.75 to $1.00 a pound. All driven by roaster buyers pushing into the market. The fat hogs sold from $0.55 to $to $0.65 this week. The sows were lower on the short week, due to Thanksgiving. The top heavy sows sold at $0.58 and lighter weights sold from $0.40 to $0.52 per pound.
The sheep and goat sale had a nice sample of all classes. A group of middle-aged Katahdin ewes were confirmed preg sold at $190 per head. Another group of open ewe lambs at $210 per head and a fancy blk face ewe lambs sold at $225.00 per head. The light lamb market held at $2.00 to $3.10, while lambs over 80lbs were mostly $2.20 to $2.50 a pound. Weigh up ewes sold at $0.95 to $1.25a pound.
The kid goats ranged in price from $2.85 to $3.50 for the fancy boer crossbreds under 60lbs. Nannies sold at $1.50 to $1.75 per pound and billies brought $1.85 to $2.15 per pound.
The outside sale had several big bales of hay ranging from $35.00 to $65.00. Big squares sold from $35.00 to $60.00. A pile of 8 cornstalks brought $52.50. The small squares of hay were $6 to $8 on the top ones, with the majority bringing $3 to $5 a bale. The straw sold $2.00 to $3.50 a bale and was just average quality.
The cattle sale had 600 head mostly feeder cattle. Baby calves was generally $500 to $700 with a couple older calves bringing up to $800.
The feeder market continues to be very solid with good interest. The light weight calves sold up to $3.75. Heifers weighing 300lbs sold at $3.25 and 400lbs sold at $3.10. The 500lb steers topped at $3.28 and heavy 500lb strs sold at $2.87. The 600lbnstrs had a few at $2.85 and heifers at $2.60. A load of 889lb steers sold up to $248.50 and a load at 989lb sold at $2.35 with some flesh. The weigh cows mostly brought $1.10 to $1.25. The top cows sold in the $1.30’sand heiferettes brought up to $1.90. The top bulls sold from $1.50 to $1.58.
The sale finished up by 4:30pm and the crew vanished to enjoy the very nice evening! Sunday was a gorgeous fall day up to 60 degrees. I loaded out around the barn most of the day. I had help until about 2 and it was getting slow by then!. Some of the girls stopped through and brought lunch that was awesome! That afternoon, some of them took a trail ride enjoying the sunshine. The roping pen was active all day after 11am with Luke helping with the trail ride for a while in between roping!
This week we are cleaning up and getting ready for Saturday, as well as next week’s Hereford and 5G female sale on Wednesday, December 4th. It looks like the weather will be cool but dry conditions, which sure makes it easier to get cleaned up and moved in for sure.
The heifers all went through the chute and are coming along very nicely for next week. They are all very close to the barn, if anyone wants to look at them, and are easy to see.
Have a dandy week!
11-18-24
The past week has been a little damp and hilly and other days sunny and nice. Today was wet from daylight on, but was windy or chilly getting to the lower 60’s even. The forecast is calling for some showers yet this evening. As I pick up this Tuesday evening, we missed most of the rain we were expected to get and had a really, beautiful day. Sunny, breezy and clear up to the low 60’s. It may cool off the next few days, but for the 19th of November this weather is awfully nice.
Saturday had a good run of hogs and a good aggressive market The fat hogs were a little higher selling from $60.00 to $68.00 by the hundred weight. Pigs were steady at $0.60 to $0.70 and sows were just steady at $0.65 to $0.71 for good heavy sows.
The sheep and goat market was steady to a little better. The lambs from 60-80lb sold from $2.50 to $2.85. The heavier fat lambs sold from $1.85 to $2.15. The ewes brought $0.85 to $1.10 and there were not any big bucks here this sale.
The goat market had 40-60lb kids at $2.60 to $3.25 a pound. Heavier boer cross kids sold from $2.30t o $2.70 a pound. Nannies sold mostly from $1.15 to $1.35 a pound and billies up over $2.00 a pound. We are expecting a fancy set of dorper/Katahdin ewes bred to a star lambing in early December to be here next Saturday, November 23rd.
Richard Yoder a young auctioneer was here Saturday to help us with some of the duty. Jimmy coached him through the morning sale and they both enjoyed working together. Richard does horse sales, machinery and household sales for the most part. He did a nice job here learning to sell livestock on Saturday.
The outside sale had a few more big bales this week so I went out and sold them so Derek wasn’t overworked! The big round bales sold from $35.00 to $55.00. Big square bales sold from $35.00 on grass to $65.00 on some 3rd cutting alfalfa. We didn’t have any corn stalks but have a growing inquires for some. Small squares sold from $3.00 to $6.00. There were several miscellaneous items of all kinds out front that made for a good sale with a nice active crowd.
The cattle sale had 1075 head this week. The baby calves were mostly $600 to $900 for a few that were almost ready to wean. Feeder cattle had a fancy consignment of Simmental crossbred calves from the Frieden family from Illinois. Those folks have focused on high-performance genetics for years and do an outstanding job with their calf crop. There were 49 head weighed 823lb at $2.50. For a calf that’s extra good for sure. They’re a great family to work with and they work hard to bring a consistent high quality calf crop to market every year!
The light calves were in high demand, a 350lb bull calf would hit $3.90 a pound! The five weight steers brought to $3.28 and mid six weight steers up to $2.85. The fat cattle market is holding and may look to improve as we go into the end of the year. The grain market gives a lower cost of gain to cattle feeders offering an opportunity for profit.
The boys had a busy day re-preg checking the 5G sale heifers today. We did the Herefords first and started through the commercial heifers. It was a dandy day to work them, and the crew had them finished up at dark. The sale is coming up quickly already, with only 2 weeks away!!
The special cattle sale this week expecting 600 to 800 head.
Have a dandy week!
11-11-24
It is surprising how darn muddy it can get for as dry as we have been! It’s pretty darn slopping where there is a head count in small areas right now. We had another 3 tenths of rain on Saturday afternoon into the evening. The sun was out good today and it is improving quickly. The forecast looks to be dry tomorrow, but showers again on Wednesday. My sister and brother-in-law live in the NE corner of New Mexico, and they got hit with 30 inches of snow. They love getting some moisture in that dry rocky country, but would prefer to get it over a longer period of time!
Saturday’s sale had a big run of hogs again. It seems like the numbers continue to roll in for the hog sale. The sows topped at $0.71 again, while butchers were lower with just $0.60 top. The feeder pigs were mostly $0.60 to $0.75 for feeders up to 80lb.
The sheep and goat sale had a larger run than last week, totaling close to 600 head. The lambs sold from $2.40 to $3.00 for lambs under 80lb. The heavier weights sold at $1.80 to $2.25. The weigh up ewes were $0.70 to $0.95. A breeding buck sold up to $450.00. The goats sold from $2.75 to $3.50 for kids up to 65lbs. The heavier weights brought $2.30 to $2.75. Nannies sold at $1.10 to $1.60 a pound. A nice red doe with a new boer kid at side sold for $175.00 counting noses. The top selling billy brought $500.00.
The outside sale had small squares of alfalfa from $4.50 to $7.00 and grass mix hay brought $3.00 to $5.00. Big round bales of better alfalfa grass and straight grass sold from $50 to $60. Small bales and some rougher quality hay brought $25.00 to $40.00 per bale. Rye straw in a big tight bale sold at $25.00. Cornstalks sold at $30.00 to $35.00 again this week.
The cattle sale featured bred cows and pairs. We had the Don Daily dispersal here on Saturday. The cows were in good shape and due to start calving again March 1st. Donnie was passionate cattleman, always striving to have better cattle. Folks came from several miles around to see them sell and to try and help make their own cow herds better. The 3 yr olds sold for a top of $3300. The 4yr and 5yr olds ranged from $2800 to $3150. The older cows ranged from $2250 to $2500. It’s hard to see a man’s lifetime in the cattle business go through the ring in less than an hour’s time. Donnie was so proud of the cows and would be genuinely interested in the folks that got them to have success with his cows. Donnie will be missed by all of us at Keosauqua Sale Company.
The weigh cow market is still trickling slightly lower. More cows sold at $1.10 to $1.20 now, rather than over $1.20. The big bulls were mostly $1.40 to $1.60.
Colby, Mr. Cory and Mr. Carr were on a big coon hunt over the weekend. The local Pheasants Forever club sponsors what they call a nest raiders hunt every year. Their team totaled 285 coons and an opossum in the 2 nights! The whole hunt gathers 1380 from mostly all of Van Buren County. They weren’t worth a hoot Sunday and still looked tired here today, but I’m glad they were able to thin them out a little!
We have a good feeder cattle special this week.
Have a dandy week!
11-5-24
The rain showers have moved through here with an inch and a half Friday night and another inch on Monday night into this morning. The temps are sure warmer than usual with highs into the 70’s most days. The forecast looks to continue to be mild with another chance of rain going into the next week. The rain has made it sloppy for sure, but grass and rye kind of greened up and are starting to look much better. The men looking to get harvest completed are ready for it to dry off, but there sure aren’t many acres of crop left to harvest.
Saturday’s sale was a really good sale. The hog market got started early, before 9am and we moved nearly 500 head through Saturday morning. The fat hogs sold from $0.65 to $0.80 with the top and going to fill lock orders. The sows sold from $0.60 to $0.71. Feeder pigs continue to be a large part of the weekly hog sale. This week $0.50 to $0.70 would have bought the biggest part of the run.
The sheep and goat market was sure active with close to 400 head. The lambs brought $2.00 to $2.60 for under 80lbs. The fat lambs ran from $1.50 to $1.70. Ewes sold at $0.80 to $1.00 and some exposed ewes due to lamb February brought $150 to $170 per head.
The goat sale had a nice offering of kids and cull does. The kids sold at $2.80 to $3.40 a pound. The nannies mostly sold at $1.00 to $1.25 per pound. Billies sold for $1.50 to $2.00 per pound.
The outside sale had a light run of small squares selling from $3.50 to $6.50 per bale. The big square bales ranged from $35.00 to $50.00 on the best kind. The miscellaneous items were made of a wide variety of items. There was used lumber, tools, iron and harnesses were just among the few items outside. Derek handled all of the outside duties this week and we sure thank him for doing a great job!
The cattle sale was one of the best lineups of high-quality calves that you could find anywhere. Several consignments have been in the sale for many years, like 36! The crew was game-on from the start and did a great job handling stock and keeping a good flow rolling all afternoon. The forecast for heavy rain made some buyers apprehensive about starting new cattle, while most buyers were all about procuring the highest quality cattle available when they are brought to town. The cattle sold into Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas and Iowa from this sale. It was a great afternoon to be at the market and watch the high-quality calves sold in a competitive market to place strong value on those cattle. It makes it fun and easy to referee the market when the calves are that good! We sold a couple hundred weigh cows that were fully steady, with the exception of a few very low yielding cows. The better cows sold at $1.20 to $1.38. Heiferettes sold at $1.30 to $1.85. The bulls mostly sold at $1.50 to $1.60. We finished selling at 9pm and finished loading out Monday afternoon! It was good to see every come through and enjoy the good roast beef lunch and social at noon. We sincerely thank everyone for your business!
We have an outstanding line up of bred cows, pairs and a few breeding bulls coming in for this Saturday’s sale. Come take a look!
Have a dandy week!
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