I drove down to Fort Worth, Texas, and noticed from there back to the Oklahoma line most all the grass was yellow and dry.
As you get closer to the state line you could see some green but you had to get within a 100 miles of Woodward, Oklahoma, before it looked better. And I guess that is the main reason our cow and bull killing market has gotten cheaper.
I am told that it is dry to Missouri and definitely dry out west. So with that in mind, I’m sure there are a lot of cows hitting the market. Normally our low cow killing market is around September and October when most wean and then cull their cows at the same time.
But sometimes an early drought changes the low time. Our area is selling a low number of cows as our grass is good. But there are very few good young bred cows and pairs selling. I have had several calls from customers wanting to buy some younger ones but not much for sale now of those. A few years ago when we had a big drought we had lots of buyers from the north and east, which was nice rather than sending young or even middle aged bred cows to slaughter.
One sale in 2011 during that drought we had 5,831 cows, bulls and calves. And I’m here to tell you that was a nightmare. We started pairing on Saturday then Sunday and Monday. But we survived.
Marriage is a three-ring circus—an engagement ring, a wedding ring and suffering.
Today at the sale a young boy said to me, “Why should you not play basketball with a pig? Because he will hog the ball.”
A friend of mine is a great hunter. He said he had shot three elephants in his life. But shortly after, Ringling Brothers Circus filed a lawsuit.
At the sale this past week they hollered at me and said there was a fight in the parking lot. So I ran out there and sure enough two women were fighting and they were fighting over me. I hollered at Kyle and said, “Call the law. There are two women in the parking lot fighting over me.”
He said, “Why do you want me to call the law?” And I said, “Cause the ugly one is winning.”
Editor’s note: Jerry Nine, Woodward, Oklahoma, is a lifetime cattleman who grew up on his family’s ranch near Slapout, Oklahoma.
