I’m not real sure how the packer or retailer or both broke the cattle market down like they did this time when I’m sure they wanted to for the past two years and didn’t.
They came out with the news, “We are closing two packing houses and supposedly cutting kills at another.” If they would have wanted to keep the market up they would have said, “We are closing the two packing houses, but keep in mind the one facility is 43 years old and needs drastic repair and sometimes (it’s) better to tear down and move the fat cattle to other facilities.”
The problem with our business is we are so controlled by the futures and one or two drastic moves often gets the funds in there selling hard. And a lot of fund money comes from investors who have no idea of where their money is being invested nor do they care. Most are just saying to their commodity broker, “Make me more money than I can make putting my money out on interest.”
I like what President Trump has done for America in a lot of ways Particularly getting control of our border, which before we had lots of people coming in that hate America. But naturally I do not like the decision to import more beef. There are better ways of achieving a better goal and still get grocery prices down.
I still think putting a rebate on all beef for the next 90 days would be perfect and won’t cripple a lot of cattlemen in the process. Most cattlemen that had cattle on grass are trying to decide what to do now because they are worth less dollars per head then when they bought them.
I told a friend of mine that I like him enough that if the two of us were on a boat and I was sinking and there was only one life jacket left—well I would really miss him a lot.
I went to a psychiatrist today. He told me that I have a split personality. When I was leaving he charged me $200. I gave him $100 and said, “Get the rest from that other idiot.”
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 and grew up on his family’s ranch near Slapout, Oklahoma.
