With the futures falling hard this past Friday, I was afraid this time that we would follow through lower the following day. Three times before in the past few months, we had basically went down the limit, but recovered shortly.
This time I guess it brought out more fear. President Trump had said beef was too high, but if we are going to check on things too high there are lots of things too high. Repair costs about knock my head off every month. How about potato chips? Compare them to beef and then see which one is a lot better for you.
Anyway, futures were basically the limit lower on Monday even with those expanded limits. Almost always the fear of something whether it be mad cow or dairy buyout is worse early with the initial reaction than the actual problem.
The talk of opening the Mexican border—well we all knew it might open soon. To cross the border cattle have to have at least a 30-day health permit in advance. With that in mind you are looking for those cattle about seven months later before they can be fat cattle ready to slaughter.
If anyone else wants to think positive at least our area received some very nice rain. I got 2.25 inches at my house with some getting more and some less.
If you go to a sale barn now the most common talk is about all these calves getting sick and I can attest to that. I thought to myself if I buy another calf in September or October—off the cow—I hope someone will knock me upside the head. But now that I think about it let me pick the guy to do that. I guess I should look on the bright side I still own a vet store.
A teenage boy told his friend he asked his dad about how to figure out girls, his dad said, “Son I don’t know anything about them either.”
If you want to be remembered by a lot of people after you die, then borrow money from everyone you know.
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.
