Cattle For Sale

[TexasBred]

FREDERICKSBURG — The weekly cattle auction at Gillespie Livestock Co. stretched into the wee hours one day recently as desperate ranchers, unable to sustain their animals due to drought, continued culling their herds.

“People are selling off the older cows and hanging onto the younger ones,” said Patsy Brandenberger, the firm's office manager.

“If we don't have rain soon, people will disperse their whole herds.”

Out-of-state ranchers and meat-packing firms bought many of the 2,725 head sold in the sale that began at noon and wrapped up at 1:45 a.m.

That's two hours shorter than the previous week, when a record 3,610 cattle changed hands here in rapid-fire bidding that takes as little as 10 seconds per animal.

A similar run is occurring on goats and sheep, with 5,070 sold Tuesday, as receding stock tanks and high feed costs leave many ranchers little choice but to go to market.

Wayne Geistweidt, the auction house owner, fears the selloff of cattle will result in a shortage of domestic beef, driving up retail meat prices in the short term, and handicapping long-term cattle production in Texas.

“This could affect us for the next 10 years,” he said. “A lot of these ranchers are pretty old and won't get back into the business, and there's nobody young behind them to take over.”

Carmen Fenton of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association is confident the industry will survive the current drought, as it has prior ones.

“It's definitely a harder time and it is going to change the industry in the short term, but I don't think the lights are going off on the Texas beef industry,” she said.

Local rancher Lyndon Wahrmund, who's sold about 20 cattle so far, predicted auction houses will remain jammed until the area receives significant rain.

“It's getting pretty rough,” said Wahrmund, 67. “Everybody's running out of water. The tanks and creeks are drying up.”

Nebraska rancher Tom Witt bought 220 cows Wednesday, pushing his total purchases past 8,000 head at Texas auctions in the past month.

“I sure feel for them down there, but it's an opportunity for us guys in the north,” Witt said Thursday from his ranch in Falls City, Neb., where the pastures are lush because of recent heavy rains.

“We might be able to restock them from up here when they do get rain,” he said. “It's going to take a lot of cows to restock Texas.”

Many of the cattle being sold are underweight and stressed, said Amy Jo Pilmer, a veterinarian who inspects the auction livestock.

“It's scary for these ranchers who have been doing this for generations,” she said. “All of a sudden, their livelihood's gone.”

Pilmer fears the selloff of ranch animals will cause such a hit to her clientele that she may be forced to — heaven forbid — treat housecats.

The drought also is causing repercussions for affiliated businesses.

“We're continuing to lose customers because there's no forage for the livestock to eat, and you can't feed ranch cattle everything they need out of a bag,” said Scott Crenwelge of Lochte Feed & General Store, beside the auction house.

“With the diminishing supply of hay and the increasing cost of roughage, it's going to be difficult for ranchers to not continue decreasing their herd size,” he said.

One silver lining is that despite the glut of cows and calves, prices thus far have remained good for sellers, Geistweidt said.

If and when regular rains return, he said: “To replace these herds now being sold is going to cost a whole lot more, because the supply won't be out there.”

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_ ... z1TnmAeJjX

 

[SV Bar]

In Woodward Ok 2 weeks ago they sold 14,000 head with 6,000 being cows... Even the old timers are starting to say this is as bad as they've seen it

 

[Brute 23]

Man on the radio said he wouldbn't be surprised to see cattle go for $1800-2000 when we get out of this. :shock:

 

[cross_7]

i heard our local banker(stories like this are always "the banker")
is buying lots good young cows and heifers figuring to be in the drivers seat when the drought breaks and people are needing replacements

 

[Caustic Burno]

I am stuffing the 24 foot gooseneck with some mighty fine cattle to go to Crockett tomorrow.
I have went to less than a third carrying capacity normal here. If it doesn't rain in the next two weeks plan on culling all the grown cows except one, hanging on to eight heifers and my bull and feeding hay until winter rains and winter pasture.

 

[JSCATTLE]

Im getting a little rain and picked up a 80 acre field to bale with good grass on it .. I have about 50 good hiefer s I'm going to hold until spring ... maybe I can make.a dollar instead of losing 2.

 

[kenny thomas]

Two tractor trailer loads of cows arrived here yesterday from somewhere in TX. They went through them, turned a lot of them out on grass to sell later, sent some to slaughter, and about a dozen was at our sale today. Crazy cows for the most part at the sale. Sold very high though as the seller was also the buyer charging them to another slaughter plant. They will end up being slaughtered in Georgia. Talk about a trip around the US to get killed.

 

[BC]

Two tractor trailer loads of cows arrived here yesterday from somewhere in TX. They went through them, turned a lot of them out on grass to sell later, sent some to slaughter, and about a dozen was at our sale today. Crazy cows for the most part at the sale. Sold very high though as the seller was also the buyer charging them to another slaughter plant. They will end up being slaughtered in Georgia. Talk about a trip around the US to get killed.

If it wasn't for out of state packers like O&S, Taylor Pack, FPL, Martin Meat and Central Beef we would be in a world of hurt here in East Texas.

 

[kenny thomas]

Martin Meat is east and south of me so they do travel a long way.

 

[hurleyjd]

I am stuffing the 24 foot gooseneck with some mighty fine cattle to go to Crockett tomorrow.
I have went to less than a third carrying capacity normal here. If it doesn't rain in the next two weeks plan on culling all the grown cows except one, hanging on to eight heifers and my bull and feeding hay until winter rains and winter pasture.

I am selling cattle each week and have plans to sell all them. I have baled enough hay to get through Sept. Cattle cubes and feed are close to $16 a hundred. Feeding and keeping will not work. Yes cattle may be high if I want to get back in. But If I buy all of the feed to keep the herd these cattle will also be high. I am close to 71 years old and I think I can get by without any cows. Just glad I do not have to totally depend on cows for my and my wife's lively hood.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I pulled into Crockett at 9 am they already had 1900 head unloaded in the barn.
Went and walked the catwalk man there was some mighty fine girls in there that normally wouldn't have been.
Made me plumb sick when they opened the gate on the trailer and let those cow/calf pairs out .
Today was another first for me I have sold a lot of cows in my lifetime, this was the first time I ever carried that kind of quality to the salebarn. I am now down to a forth the normal carrying capicity here after this morning, few more weeks of this and I guess the only thing left in the pasture will be Ellie(the donkey).

I watched twenty plus years of breeding and genetics disappear in a second.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

man that is sad,, i held on to mine during our last drought.. cattle suffered pretty good because of it the bright side, '''if there is one now'' is the money their bringing

 

[Caustic Burno]

man that is sad,, i held on to mine during our last drought.. cattle suffered pretty good because of it the bright side, '''if there is one now'' is the money their bringing

It is a 90 mile drive for me one way to Crockett, used to always enjoy admiring the pastures and cattle on the way there. You could drive by places and see the hard work and pride people had put into their places and animals.
Today was a virtual wasteland void of livestock where there used to be beautiful green pastures and hayfields.
The truely amazing part is they look better than we do and I live in what used to be a subtropical rainforest that recieved 60 inches or better a year in rainfall. Heard the weatherman say we were 25 inches behind last year and we are up to 40 inches behind this year. Scary part is Sept. is usually our driest month on the bright side it can't get any drier than nothing.

 

[Flying G]

Caustic did you stick around long enough to see what those good cattle were bringing. I sent a high headed girl to the barn on Saturday and I am looking forward to seeing what she brought. She was the right kind but had some bad habits. I have two more open cows and some calves to ship here in the next week or two and I kinda used this girl to test the market, she was a real nice 1100lb brangus cow.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Caustic did you stick around long enough to see what those good cattle were bringing. I sent a high headed girl to the barn on Saturday and I am looking forward to seeing what she brought. She was the right kind but had some bad habits. I have two more open cows and some calves to ship here in the next week or two and I kinda used this girl to test the market, she was a real nice 1100lb brangus cow.

Cows went to slaughter for 60 cents a pound and these where fat good cows. Averaged 1.34 on 3 wt's baldie heifers.
These were cows I wouldn't have taken less than a thousand for this spring. How quickly times change.

 

[novatech]

Sure wish some of those out of state buyers would bring hay with them when they pick up their cattle for some of the locals holding on.

 

[1982vett]

I've seen prices fall far enough that I've started supplementing the pastures with hay...from 2007...
Gambling a little in hopes that August and September do bring some rain as they have in past years when things were bad... Always had supplemented pastures about this time of year when pushing production...economics were different, rainfall was predictable, a different situation for sure...but it's a roll of the dice I'm willing to take at this point (uncle sam is pitching in 25 cents on the dollar expense wise at this point). . . Deal is to only waste hay on good cows and maybe a few good heifers...

Still don't know about winter pastures....not planting anything till I see the rain which hurts the ability to keep the cows. At least this year the ground is ready to plant - just add water.

 

[baleflipper]

I also am following this strategy. Only thing I am doing differently is I am plowing my wheat land and pushing over mesquite trees so cows can reach the leaves. Kept what wheat I made for seed.Plan on planting on second good rain.
I plan on going to Lockhart Auction Thursday and Gonzales on Sat to see what market is doing.
Had a geologist come by the farm and try to find a spot to drill a water well.My luck still holding ,My place is in middle of a big hole in the Carrizo/ Wilcox aquifer.@2 miles east or west can get water,but not my place.
Dont know about any program for Govt help. Just using what hay I still have.

 

[Brute 23]

Weather man on the radio said there were some chances in Sept, Oct but any significant rain will come from tropical storms. He also said not to look for any kind of normal rainfall until April, May.... next year. Slightly warmer than usual winter.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Weather man on the radio said there were some chances in Sept, Oct but any significant rain will come from tropical storms. He also said not to look for any kind of normal rainfall until April, May.... next year. Slightly warmer than usual winter.

Well part of that is good news as the rye grass will grow better if it is a little warmer and if any cows are left won't need as much hay. If we get enough rain to get the rye grass up. If this high pressure doesn't move we don't have a prayer, dang thing has homesteaded on top of my place. Having north winds here you are not supposed to have north wind here. Wind is supposed be from the south off the gulf bringing rain.