The biggest challenge cattlemen and farmers have today is not the coronavirus and not even the falling of the stock market. Because we will get over this.
Our biggest challenge is definitely the packer and retail manipulation of our cattle market. Years ago feedlots figured Choice beef and Select beef and could price what fat cattle should sell for. It is high time feedlots demand they are paid off those quotes and not the futures. Even I could run that part of the business. Sell futures to make sure they stay low and price your beef off beef prices. Ridiculous! And as long as fat cattle sellers are not willing to raise heck than I say they somewhat deserve it.
It makes me mad to think about it. A few days ago Choice beef was $255 and Select was $239. If you have half Choice and half Select the price should be $159.31 per hundredweight not including the value of offal. And it was $113. Well, isn’t that generous?! That is $648.34 profit for them.
And our secretary of agriculture says nothing about it. NCBA says nothing. And a lot of state organizations say nothing. I see why an individual feedlot that is not in bed with a packer doesn’t come out first and holler because they are afraid of retaliation. The packer and retailer do fear a little of the government stepping in or they would not have added money to what they already said they would pay.
A lot of you may bad mouth R-CALF USA but at least it is trying to get something done and I don’t hear a lot of others saying anything. It’s high time some others speak out.
A man who comes to the sale every week said he went to the doctor and the doctor said to him, “You are in good shape for being 65 years old.” The man said, “Who said I am 65 years old?” The doctor said, “Well, that’s what your paperwork shows.” The man said, “Well, as a matter of fact I am 74 years old.” The doctor said, “Well, you are in extremely good shape for 74.”
The doctor said, “Well, how old was your dad when he died.” The man said, “Who said my dad was dead? As a matter of face my dad is 91 years old and he just got married.”
The doctor said, “Why would any man 91 years old want to get married.” And he said, “Who said he wanted to?”
Editor’s note: Jerry Nine, Woodward, Oklahoma, is a lifetime cattleman who grew up on his family’s ranch near Slapout, Oklahoma.
