During the week of Jan. 22 one out of every five boxes of beef was exported. Beef exports in 2017 totaled 2.8 billion pounds, up 6 percent from 2016.
This was the fourth largest volume on record. And exports were 15 percent more in dollar value compared to last year. Japan’s imports of United States beef tongue averaged a dollar value of $12.13 per head. Beef exports to South Korea increased 3 percent in volume to 406 million pounds.
One cattleman told me he thought we imported more beef than exported but the figures I could gather showed the opposite.
Our last on feed report showed the total on feed at 108 percent with placement at 104 percent and marketing 106 percent. They called our report bearish but what seemed to not be taken into consideration is that exports are 6 percent higher than last year.
Bred cow and pair demand is very good particularly for a big area still in a drought. Also, cattle on grass numbers are still very strong with most of us being either optimists or realizing feed is still cheap enough to grow a calf and several stocker buyers wanting to keep their numbers up.
I like to be around people with a sense of humor. There was a table full of cowboys at the sale barn café and one of the cowboys is also a preacher. I was fixing to tell this joke so I said, “Preacher, you might want to cover your ears. This is slightly off color.” He said OK and then leaned in close so he could catch every word.
This preacher grew up in a family where there were six boys and he said everyone of us boys also had a sister to make you think there were 12 but, no, each one had a sister to make seven kids. I said to the preacher, “The other day your brother came to the café for breakfast and called him by your name.” I said, “I hadn’t seen him for a long time and I thought it was you.”
He said, “Well, you would have to pick out the ugliest one of the whole bunch to think it was me.”
He and another ole cowboy were talking about playing football in high school. One of them said, “Neither one of us weighed but 140 pounds then.”
Now this preacher, I would guess, is at 240 now. He said, “Yeah and I would have only weighed 130 pounds if it hadn’t been for my ears.” I took a look and thought I know how he feels, except the Nine family trait that adds 10 pounds is our nose.
Editor’s note: Jerry Nine, Woodward, Oklahoma, is a lifetime cattleman who grew up on his family’s ranch near Slapout, Oklahoma.
