Driving in to the sale early Tuesday morning an ag reporter said Choice beef was quoted at $206 with Select being $198. If you figure $206 on Choice and multiply that times yield of 64.5 percent, that would figure $132.87.
I realize they will not all grade Choice but even figuring them all at Select and with a yield of 63 percent and that figures $124.74 and nothing for offal that they get to sell or use part of it for expenses for processing cost. Last week’s fat cattle price was $108. Figure the difference with all Select and at 1,400 pounds that is a profit of $234.36 not counting offal. Ridiculous. If you are satisfied then do nothing. If not at least ask the cattle organizations that are suppose to be representing you what they are doing.
I just got a text showing China beef imports are a plus 35 percent with Hong Kong plus 17 percent. Beef to China is now the biggest global protein flow and growing. All this is very positive as long as we share in some of the profit. But as long as they can base what we get off of futures and nobody figures beef price then there is no limit what their profit can be.
Our cattle numbers at the sale are small compared to a normal year. The grass in most of our area is extremely good and very green causing most to wean calves later than usual and most of yearlings still on grass will probably stay out there for 45 more days.
I want you to know I am actually good in bed. I hardly ever fall out any more.
An old cowboy friend was at the coffee shop the other day. The waitress was teasing him and asked him if he wore boxers or briefs. And he said, “Depends.”
Out on the ranch the other day we were preg checking cows. There were several cowboys there working. One cowboy was in his 20s and his wife is about to have their first child. There was one cow that was mad at the world and put all the cowboys on the fence. They finally got her to go up the alley as she tried to jump out, snorting and throwing her head back and forth. Before the vet could preg check her, the young husband said, “I can tell you for sure—no use to preg her. She is bound to be eight months bred—I can tell you from experience.”
Editor’s note: Jerry Nine, Woodward, Oklahoma, is a lifetime cattleman who grew up on his family’s ranch near Slapout, Oklahoma.
