What is the purpose of having cattle futures that are so out of touch with reality? I still say we should be trading Choice beef instead of live cattle.
Then we should make the grocery chains or buyers of beef agree to buy accordingly or off the futures. Then if the packer wanted to sell the futures down or at least start the trend and let the funds take it further down from there—then they would be running their own product down if they chose to sell the futures.
What we have now is June live cattle futures at $94.12 and a Choice beef price at $256.33. If you multiply that Choice figure times 64.5, which is what most fat cattle should yield then all those grading Choice should be worth $165.33 on a live basis. And last week fat cattle sold for $105 to $117 per hundredweight. Is this the new normal we should expect in the cattle business? It should be because we have been operating like this for two or three years where it must be fine for the packer to make $300 to $2,000.
West of Woodward, 100 miles, it is very dry and looks like if it doesn’t rain soon we will be getting some of their cows. The cow killing and bull market was very good last week with a lot of good straight cows bringing $66 to $72 per hundredweight. This week was not that aggressive but a lot of better cows bringing 62 to 64 with a cow or two bringing 70.
If we don’t get this destruction stopped with all this vandalism after the police problem then what a killing cow brings will be the least of our worries. I am for holding cops accountable if they are idiots but if you start limiting the cops in numbers then gangs will move in and rule this country and it will be hard to get our country back like it used to be. Anyone causing destruction should be asked to stop and if not shoot them and take control of it. There are lots of countries you can move to if you want gangs of communism running them.
People need to laugh, so I like to find something that is funny, but you better not turn on the television if you want to have a good day.
Two nuns were shopping at a 7-11 store. As they passed by the beer cooler one said to the other, “Wouldn’t a nice beer or two taste wonderful on a hot summer evening?” The second nun answered, “Indeed it would, sister, but I would not feel comfortable buying beer since I am certain it would cause a scene at the checkout stand.”
The other nun said, “I can handle that without a problem.” And she picked up a six-pack and headed for the checkout. The cashier had a surprised look on his face. The one nun said to the cashier, “We use beer for washing our hair—we call it Catholic shampoo.”
The cashier, without blinking an eye, reached under the counter and got a package of pretzel sticks and placed them in the bag with the beer. He then looked at the nun and smiled and said, “The curlers are on the house.”
Editor’s note: Jerry Nine, Woodward, Oklahoma, is a lifetime cattleman who grew up on his family’s ranch near Slapout, Oklahoma.
