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Fall Calf Prices

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Anonymous

Guest
Our local sales barn and its manager who was a rep for Superior switched over this year to Nothern Livestock Video Auction (the Goggins')...Never did hear the reasons- but I know Northern held a gettogether earlier this year that I wasn't able to attend...
That may be the reason I didn't see several of the local consignors that normally were on this sale...

I was just looking over their list of reps- and see they have most the local sale barns represented...

http://www.northernlivestockvideo.com/reps.php
 

Silver

Well-known member
Bullhauler said:
Aren't the no-sales going to be the death of video auctions? I just can't see buyers sitting around supposedly buying calves all day only to have them get no-saled over and over.

I haven't sold by video auction before, but I might. It seems to me if we all sold video (or private treaty), and all no-saled unless the price was right, it might put the producer back in the driver's seat rather than being at the mercy of the bidding crowd at the sale barn.
 

Denny

Well-known member
Things will improve, Maybe a guy should have tightened the belt when calves were higher. This will shake out some ranchers of which need's to be done from time to time if it were easy everyone would be doing it. Look at the bright side you all could be locked up in an office building in Los Angelas now would'nt that be fun. I'll deal with my low calf prices by mooching off my wife. We've got a sign above my bed that reads. (For every successful Rancher there's a Wife that work's in town) pretty much been that way for generation's. $1.10 for steer's is alot better than 75 cents :wink:

My diesel fuel is $2.60 a gallon cheaper than last year so thats a plus also the mineral cost has went down also.

Our haycrop here is going to be real light but on a good note I planted a 115 acres of corn for silage and thats looks real nice barring any disaster's.
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
I worked for the satellite outfit up here for a couple years and dealing with greedy producers was the worst of it-seen alot of money peed away because someone no saled their calves-most times it was because a neighbor had got a couple pennies more. I think Superior is still doing ok stateside my buddy in Wyoming just got a saddle from them for repping over 250,000 calves. If you have a good even set of cattle it's a good way to go.
 

Silver

Well-known member
I don't know of any procucers that are any greedier than the buyers. Everybody I know just wants to be paid fairly for the product they produce. Those couple of pennies can be the difference between a profit and a loss these days. My days of having any sympathy for the big boys up the chain are long gone. We've been tightening our belts at this end for so long we can pretty well use those little green rubber bands to hold our pants up anymore.
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
Every producer should try every step of the production chain from feeding steerrs to buying cattle to marketing bred heifers etc. Trust me greed and skulduggery are alive and well out in the heartland-for every upright rancher there's one that will pimp his handshake in a minute-I saw one outfit pull their calves off the video ten minutes before sale because they whored them out-it cost them about twenty grand when the dust all settled-pimped them for a 1.08 and the same type of calves brough 1.16 on the TV. Just because your a grassroots producer doesn't endow with a heart of gold and just because you buy cattle doesn't make you a pirate.
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
i guess I should clarify that I was videoing calves when cattle were the highest they've ever been in Canada. It was an interesting couple of falls. I remember sorting and weighing up six loads of calves at one place and the whole deal just about going south because the guy tried to throw a lunger in on the deal. Luckily enough it laid down and died while the debate was going on-my boss and him were bumping chests pretty hard in the middle of the pen. One of his men came up to me and said I hope your guy stretches that ignorant S.O.B I don't think he was the easiest guy to work for lol.
 

Silver

Well-known member
But see, that's the thing. Everybody out there is trying to get as big a piece of the pie as they can get, but the pie isn't big enough. Trouble is, when push comes to shove the first one to take a loss it at the grass roots. When fuel goes up, grain goes up, traceback systems are implemented, etc. it's the producer that pays. I'm not saying it's all roses further up the chain, just saying that from my standpoint 2 cents IS a big deal. On the other hand, if I committ to someone, that's the end of it.
 

Silver

Well-known member
Northern Rancher said:
i guess I should clarify that I was videoing calves when cattle were the highest they've ever been in Canada. It was an interesting couple of falls. I remember sorting and weighing up six loads of calves at one place and the whole deal just about going south because the guy tried to throw a lunger in on the deal. Luckily enough it laid down and died while the debate was going on-my boss and him were bumping chests pretty hard in the middle of the pen. One of his men came up to me and said I hope your guy stretches that ignorant S.O.B I don't think he was the easiest guy to work for lol.

Kinda funny how when there starts to be lots of money flowing around is when you get to see a different side of people :wink:
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
I don't begrudge anybody trying to get the best price but you have to be honest with yourself as to the quality and saleability of your calves. We handled the highest dollar calves sold on satellite that fall. I told the guy next year we'll knock yours back a nickel then every stump rancher can outsell you and the world will be happier place lol. There's a big difference between sharp marketing and being a bit slippery. You have to remember when your satellite agent is sorting those cattle have to pass inspection at the other end-that's usually why we don't let you throw in the two smokes with froze off ears and the coat of many colours calf off the jersey milk cow and a longhorn bull-it's amazing how many people try and include the ringers.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
I had a chance to talk with several buyers yesterday- and discuss this weeks video sale...One historically buys a major portion of the yearlings and calves out of this area...And they don't think demand will pick up much as the year goes along...

A local ranch- which normally markets their yearlings mid August (and last year the majority of which weighed 900-1000 lbs) has been trying to get some bids on them (2000 head)- and coming up with nothing...Said they've burned the phones up looking for a feedlot for them to go- but no one really wants them now- or to make any commitments...
And these cattle are looking nice again this year....

I am beginning to believe this is going to be another one of those years when buyers will be cherry pickin every herd cutting back anything offcolor, a little white, nipped ears, or any excuse they can find...

I sure liked working calves during that period of high demand- and the buyers would take anything- and you had few or no weighbacks....
 

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