At the annual mid-year meeting, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association approved a resolution that supports voluntary efforts to improve cash fed cattle trade during a 90-day period with the potential for mandates in the future if robust regional cash trade numbers are not reached.
This tells me the NCBA is getting a little heat over packer control and monopoly by saying let’s give it a 90-day period with voluntary efforts. In other words, let’s say and do anything that is voluntary as we definitely don’t want anything that actually requires us to do anything. I have a call in to the NCBA headquarters to ask them what they felt was a fair profit for the packer before something needed to change.
NCBA says they will monitor the number of cash sale fat cattle trades in each region to establish a transparent market and a robust cash market. In my opinion, the only thing they are saying is they are catching some heat and should be. But they are smart enough to know if you prolong something long enough it will more than likely go away.
R-CALF USA came out pushing a 50-14 policy where the packer had to buy 50% of their fat cattle live and14 days to pick them up. Corbitt Wall was pushing a 30-14 policy. Either one is better than what we have. Sens. Charles Grassley, R-IA, and Jon Tester, D-MT, were pushing for the 50-14 policy.
I can’t believe someone broke into my garage and stole my limbo stick. Seriously, how low can a person go?
I have a friend who was proudly showing off his new apartment to a couple of other friends late one night. This friend was definitely broke but he led the way to his bedroom where there was a big brass gong. His friends asked, “What is that big brass gong for?”
My friend said, “That is not a gong, it’s a talking clock.”
“A talking clock?” his friends asked.
My friend said, “Yes, watch this.” He was plenty drunk but grabbed a hammer and gave it an ear-shattering pound.
Then all of a sudden someone from the other side of the wall screamed—“You idiot, it’s ten past three in the morning.”
Editor’s note: Jerry Nine, Woodward, Oklahoma, is a lifetime cattleman who grew up on his family’s ranch near Slapout, Oklahoma.
