Our cow killing market was a little cheaper but still a lot better than normal and particularly considering it comes at time of drought.
Normally in a drought killing cows would bring in the $30s and $40s per hundredweight. But now a real thin one would bring in the $50s per hundredweight, medium flesh cows are $60 to $73 per hundredweight and fleshy straight cows bring in the low $80s per hundredweight. Some middle-aged pairs bring what a big fleshy open cow would as far as same dollars per head. It’s a good time to switch those wild or open cows for a young heavy bred cow or pair.
We need a rain while 140 miles to the east they seem to have plenty of moisture and if you go 300 miles east one customer said he is getting too much moisture.
Stating May 1, futures on corn the limits are increasing from 35 cents to 50 cents as far how much they can move in one day. And bean limits are going from 90 cents to $1.15. Also starting May 1 wheat limits for Chicago and Kansas City wheat are decreasing from 85 cents to 70 cents for a one-day move.
The fat cattle show list in the feedlot is the smallest show list this year. Cold storage report showed red meat supplies higher. Last week the total harvest was 665,000, which officials claimed that extra kill was slaughter cows that continue to be liquidated.
The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing to discuss cattle markets and price increases for consumers. Executives from Cargill, Tyson Foods, JBS and National Beef Packing were expected to be heard. Good luck getting any information that is accurate to explain why the individual cattleman is getting cheated by those four.
There were three lifelong pals who at one time had lived together. They later were separated, and one lived in New York, one lived in California and the other one was a western Kansas farmer. They decided that it would be nice to leave this world together since they hadn’t seen one another for some time.
After arranging for the use of a large furnace they placed themselves in it to be cremated. Three days later the New Yorker was taken out and burnt to a crisp. The Californian was taken out next and he was cooked well done. The western Kansas farmer was the last one to be removed. While he was being taken out, he remarked that another three days of this good, hot weather and the wheat will be ready to cut.
Editor’s note: The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not represent the view of High Plains Journal. Jerry Nine, Woodward, Oklahoma, is a lifetime cattleman who grew up on his family’s ranch near Slapout, Oklahoma.
