Angus Report - Leo McDonnell

[creativecattle]

This week's Angus Report features an interview with Leo McDonnell and what he has seen in the bull market. As well as an interview with CAB and their partnership with Weber grill, and information on using social media to tell agriculture's story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJZkMOYEn0Q

 

[Anonymous]

I do agree with Leo on there being a higher retention of heifers-both blacks and reds- and a higher demand for heifer bulls this year....

I attended a red angus bull sale yesterday...My neighbor (who is a lineman- and I help winter/calve out his cows for him) got called out for all the down power poles in the mid part of the highline and couldn't make the sale but needed one more bull- so called and asked if I'd get him one...

Bowles J5 Red Angus has some nice functional cattle- and cattle that are in a condition to go to work instead of butcher fat like some sales...And as has been the trend I saw at several sales- the lower birthweights and true "heifer bulls" were the hot item overall-- and when the birthweight got up around or over 90 lbs. the interest dropped...

 

[burnt]

I thought heifer retention marks the last leg up, and thus the highs, of the beef market.

If this is the highs of the beef market then I'm not too optimistic about the future of this business.

I hope I'm wrong and just in a poorly state of mind. Well I sure know about the poorly state of mind part. . .

 

[Angus 62]

My guess is that the next turn of the cycle will see cows numbers peak at a much smaller number then in the past. The infrastructure to support large increases in cow numbers is gone- namely the ranchers.

Not much wrong with the cattle market here. On Wednesday I watched some 607 pound steers bring $143.50. They were green and had
wintered on native grass and a little hay. This guy used to finish all his calves but has changed his operation including selling a bunch of bred heifers every year. My guess is he is making more money then ever.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm only going by what I see locally...I'm not sure if the herd size will grow-- or just that the average cow age in the herds will go down..

Because of the sorry heifer calf prices last fall- many with enough feed kept their heifers....Cull/butcher/bred cow prices went higher than we've seen them in years during the winter/spring-- and many culled very deep...I even know of a couple outfits that sold a big part of their bred cows - and kept the heifers to breed...
One outfit that normally runs a couple thousand yearling steers- and a couple thousand spayed heifers-- this year is doing the same, except they are breeding the heifers instead of spaying them...