READ-the real hurt of R-calf's greed.

[Kato]

The price goes up and down on speculation. Not market fundamentals. We all know how reliable speculation is. :?

Sooner or later the speculation is proven right or wrong, (more often wrong than right) and a 'correction' occurs. That's when the gloves come off and everyone starts finding a reason they are losing money. It's always someone else's fault, and never the fault of those who speculated on things that didn't come to pass.

Right now, some in Canada (not all Canadians, BTW) are sitting on high priced calves that were bought on the advice of those who are 'in the know' and assured that the border will open. Mistake.

Right now, some in America are buying high priced calves on the advice of those who are 'in the know' and are assuring them that it will stay closed. Another probable mistake.

It's speculation. All speculation. And it's wrong as often as it's right. :shock:

 

[Bull Burger]

I don't have all the "fancy" numbers you have but my sale barn owner says that when they say the border is going to open the price goes down, and when they say the border is gonna stay shut the price goes up. Now I'm not a math major but my sale barn owner told me I'll get payed more as long as the border is shut. I think he's right, what do you think Scott?

Hat, your sale barn owner (SBO) if better off with CA imports stopped. He doesn't get commission dollars on the CA live cattle or boxed beef. That's why the LMA started R-CALF. LMA members con customers into sending money to R-CALF to stop CA imports, along with constant daily preaching against imports on market reports.

What they don't tell you is the extra money per head the exports make the producer, even though it trickles back through their auctions. Japan spent $1.7 billion on US beef in 2003. Go ahead and divide that by the number of Beef cows in the US.

SBO's are like the little kid who doesn't have a friend unless he creates an emergency. LMA creates customers by creating emergencies, then screaming "We're all in this together".

All that said, I think sale barns provide a service our industry. Are they market guru's, beef industry guru's? No, they provide a service to cattle producers.