The feeder market has gained some strength. And with most all cattle auctions shut down for Independence Day this past week, perhaps we should have some empty pens and some willing takers.
Last week most fat cattle were $3 per hundredweight higher than the week before. For quite a long while meat has been moving extremely well thus working through some bigger placements and never dropping to those extreme lows that quite a few were predicting.
And with the huge packer and retailer margins this was an added incentive for them to move as much beef as they could.
Some of my customers talk about still being dry while others say they are in good shape moisture wise. I have heard several buyers say there were very few good young bred cows and pairs. Light weight feeder prices are good and so far are not at a big discount for those coming directly off the cow, which normally it is easier to start a calf this time of year rather than when it is hot and cold.
Some were reporting the markets as much as $5 to $10 higher on feeder cattle than two weeks earlier. I just want to see customers making money.
We are building pipe corrals in one pasture. After sorting cattle at a lot of different locations I can assure you I will never build a square pen again. Every part of the corral coming in as slanted as they are already walking toward the gate. I want every sort gate to be 2 feet wider than the alley to hit on the other side and every sort alley to be slanted away from the alley.
Cattle go in and out of slant a lot better and cattle are not as nervous if farther away from you on slant after being sorted. If the gate hits on the other side and cannot go all the way around it will not knock the gate holder’s teeth out. And besides if your wife is holding the gate she will look a lot better with all her teeth.
I got a text from a lady I tease a lot. This had a picture of an older lady—well let’s just say I was glad she had on at least some clothing. The headline says, “A friend is like a good bra. Hard to find. Supportive. Comfortable. Always lifts you up. Makes you look better. And always close to your heart.”
When you are in jail a good friend will be trying to bail you out and a best friend will be saying, “darn that was fun.”
Editor’s note: Jerry Nine, Woodward, Oklahoma, is a lifetime cattleman who grew up on his family’s ranch near Slapout, Oklahoma.
