January Feeders

[Stocker Steve]

Feeder market has softened here since corn started going up, again. Sold 718# May born steers for U$S 1084 today.

They came of cereal pasture on 12/17, and they were weaned onto hay and an oats based mix. Selling price was OK, but the group size was way down from last year. Half were sold as pairs back in June and July due to drought.

 

[Dave]

Last Wednesday they had a huge run of feeder cattle and the buyers were there. 5 weight steers were $1.80 to $2.00. This week a much smaller sale and some important buyers were missing. Those same 5 weight steers were $1.50-$1.60.
They start selling at noon. They sell feeders first, then bred cows, and finish with kill cows. I am buying bred cows. Last week at 10:00 I walked out on the cat walk to see if bred cows were getting close. There wasn't a bred any where near the ring but hundreds of feeders yet to go. I gave up and went home. I found out that they sold the last kill cow at 5:43 in the morning. This week I was loaded up and pulling out of the yard at 5:22. I was told that the kill market was off about 15-20 cents last week. But I can imagine those buyer weren't real enthusiastic at 3 or 4 in the morning. Everyone was beginning to drag when I left at 10.
B called over to the cow kill plant to see about getting a date for 50 head of open cows. He was told that the next available date was in late March. With the feed price and availability there is no way to hold open cows that long. So he took his beating to hauled them to the sale.

 

[KAstocker]

Not bad weight gain. There are a few light 7 weights that will get in the 160s here, but most 7s and all 8s tend to be in the low to mid 150s.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Not bad weight gain. There are a few light 7 weights that will get in the 160s here, but most 7s and all 8s tend to be in the low to mid 150s.

I was hoping for mid fifties but they sold the reds and the blacks together...