I got a call from a very well-respected man who managed and owned a large feedlot for years. He just called to say what I wrote recently in High Plains Journal was very much on target on packer and retailer control and how their manipulation of the market is going to push the individual out of business.
He went on to say that it has been headed that way for years but these past two years are going that direction at a very fast pace. He said years ago he talked to a very large operator who fed a lot of cattle and owned several feedlots. He told this man, “You all giving them a lot of cattle that they do not own or have to compete for is going to ruin the business.”
This individual said, “We just want to get that extra 50 cents or dollar that you all get and we don’t.” He responded by saying, “Yes and soon we will all be getting a lot less because of it.”
Guess what? We are here. There are a lot of smarter people in this business than I am but this is written on the wall. Friends, get your head out from under the rock if you want to survive and my concern is just as much for the next generation. I do business with every one of the packers at my sale, selling feeder cattle to them and they have been nothing but good to do business with. I am for them and I want them to make money but just not all of it.
A teacher asked his students to share what their dads do for a living. Little Johnny said, “My dad’s a stripper at a gay club and he turns extra tricks in the alley to earn extra money.” After class the teacher pulled Johnny aside and said, “Johnny, is your dad really a stripper at a gay club?” Little Johnny said, “No, he’s a reporter at CNN, but I was too embarrassed to say that.”
A cab driver picked up a nun. She asked, “Why are you staring?” He said, “I’ve always had a fantasy to kiss a nun.” She says, “OK, I’ll kiss you if you are single and Catholic.” The cab driver said, “I am both.” So they pulled into an alley and she gave him a kiss. They drove a few more miles then said to the cab driver said, “I’m sorry, I lied. I am married and Jewish.” The nun said, “That’s alright, my name is Kevin and I am headed to a Halloween party.”
An ole cowboy comes in for breakfast every morning and he is just one of those ole guys that everyone likes to tease. But he dishes a lot of it out, too. My brother-in-law came into the café this morning wearing a new Woodward Livestock cap. So this ole cowboy hollers out really loud—How does a person get a WWL cap? Another cowboy hollered out and said, “I guess you have to sleep with the boss’ sister.”
Editor’s note: Jerry Nine, Woodward, Oklahoma, is a lifetime cattleman who grew up on his family’s ranch near Slapout, Oklahoma.
