light weight calves

[Oldtimer]

Calf prices weren't too bad at Miles City yesterday- except it looks like they're down about $20 or more across the boards from last year...Almost $50 on the lightweights...

STEER CALF
GUINNANE RANCH , ALDER 4 BLK-STRCF 351 $125.00 /Cwt
MICKIE OR MICHELE COLE , MILES CITY 15 BLK-STRCF 380 $124.00 /Cwt
GUINNANE RANCH , ALDER 19 RD/BK-STRCF 436 $117.50 /Cwt
WILLIE MURNION , BILLINGS 5 BLK-STRCF 453 $114.00 /Cwt
MICKIE OR MICHELE COLE , MILES CITY 41 RD/BK-STRCF 463 $112.50 /Cwt
WILLIE MURNION , BILLINGS 44 BLK-STRCF 525 $110.00 /Cwt
CASEY OR KLASNA , FALLON 5 BLK-STRCF 517 $109.00 /Cwt
C GUS & KAREN L GLASSCOCK , COHAGEN 40 BLK-STRCF 560 $105.00 /Cwt
GUINNANE RANCH , ALDER 64 BK/BWF-STRCF 559 $105.00 /Cwt
JERRY TWITCHELL , WINNETT 9 BLK-STRCF 550 $104.50 /Cwt
WILLIE MURNION , BILLINGS 9 BLK-STRCF 599 $104.00 /Cwt
C GUS & KAREN L GLASSCOCK , COHAGEN 10 BLK-STRCF 593 $102.75 /Cwt
STEVE KEMBEL , HUNTLEY 9 BLK-STRCF 604 $102.00 /Cwt
GUINNANE RANCH , ALDER 17 BLK-STRCF 614 $98.75 /Cwt
CHARLOTTE MILLER , BROADUS, 4 BLK-STRCF 674 $94.25 /Cwt

============================
HEIFER CALF

JERRY TWITCHELL , WINNETT 2 BLK-HFRCF 388 $112.00 /Cwt
MICKIE OR MICHELE COLE , MILES CITY 8 BLK-HFRCF 343 $111.00 /Cwt
TAMMY (BURK) WARD , FALLON 7 BLK-HFRCF 508 $108.00 /Cwt
GUINNANE RANCH , ALDER 20 BK/BWF-HFRCF 403 $104.50 /Cwt
MICKIE OR MICHELE COLE , MILES CITY 21 BLK-HFRCF 416 $104.50 /Cwt
WILLIE MURNION , BILLINGS 70 BLK-HFRCF 504 $101.00 /Cwt
GUINNANE RANCH , ALDER 49 BLK-HFRCF 492 $100.75 /Cwt
C GUS & KAREN L GLASSCOCK , COHAGEN 25 BLK-HFRCF 517 $100.25 /Cwt
WILLIE MURNION , BILLINGS 5 BLK-HFRCF 534 $100.00 /Cwt
GUINNANE RANCH , ALDER 11 BLK-HFRCF 539 $98.75 /Cwt

 

[fourstates]

Sold a slaughter cow, got .50, weighed 1545. Sold her poor doing calf, weight 345 got .31. This was this last Saturday in Texarkana.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Sold a slaughter cow, got .50, weighed 1545. Sold her poor doing calf, weight 345 got .31. This was this last Saturday in Texarkana.

was the cow dried up and old.the reason the calf was a poor doer?i alway wonder when people say poor doer was it that the animal actually is?...was it circumstances out of their control

 

[Oldtimer]

Cattle ranchers feel pinch of credit crunch



By Jerry Bieszk - Analysis

Reuters

Wed Oct 1, 2008



CHICAGO (Reuters) - Tight credit and high wheat prices are preventing ranchers and farmers from placing their cattle at feedlots and from grazing them on wheat pastures, which could continue to weaken prices for the animals.



The credit crisis has made it tough for ranchers and farmers to place their "feeder" cattle at feedlots to be fattened on corn and other feed before slaughter, with deposit requirements doubling in some cases to 40 percent of the cost.



Feeder cattle weighing at least 800 pounds are usually sent to feedlots to be bulked up, while those weighing less normally graze on wheat pastures to gain weight on a lower-cost budget.



As a result, producers of cows and calves are finding less demand for feeder cattle, which is weighing on prices as supplies build. There has also been reduced interest from feedlots, which also need bank loans to run their operations.



"Bankers are showing reluctance to finance cattle that in the end have shown losses. With credit tightening, they have backed off," said Lane Broadbent, livestock analyst at KIS/OKC Trading in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a center for livestock auctions.



At the Oklahoma City feeder auction on Monday, feeder steers and heifers under 800 lbs sold $2 to $3 per cwt lower than the previous week and those over 800 lbs were $4 to $5 lower. Steer and heifer calves sold $4 lower, with instances of $8 lower.



Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures for delivery from October through January fell to contract lows in electronic trading on Monday before bouncing back on Tuesday. Futures prices fell again on Wednesday.



"We have been concerned and cautious here for a few months just because of the input costs that all of our customers have seen increase dramatically," said Robert York, president of National Livestock Credit Corporation. "The cattle feeders have been losing money for several months now.



National Livestock Credit Corp, located in Oklahoma City, finances the cattle industry, all the way from cow-calf operations to feedlots.



LENDERS CAUTIOUS



"But with the current situation in the financial markets, everybody is definitely taking a stance that they (lenders) are going to be a lot more cautious," York added.



York noted that although longer-term financing is being interrupted, short-term financing has been continuing.



"We're a small institution and I think that in some of the bigger institutions there may be more emotion in some of these credit decisions because of other things the banks have to contend with other than their agricultural clients," he said.



Broadbent said feeder cattle prices had fallen $15 per cwt in the last four to five months. He noted that feeders weighing 800-850 lbs and graded Medium and Large 1 traded at $100.80 at the closely watched Oklahoma City feeder auction, down from $115.25 per cwt last year at this time.



Light-weight feeders, weighing 500-550 lbs, were trading at $110.15, down from $121.20 per cwt last year, he said.



"It's (financing) been a lot of trouble," said Jim Sauter, CME feeder cattle futures trader. "I know one individual who feeds (cattle at feedlots) regularly told me he used to be able to put 20 percent down for feeders and now they want him to put down 40 percent -- and he's a good customer.



"It's dragging prices down and left a lot of players out of the market on the sidelines. So it's also taking some volume and liquidity away from the pit," said Sauter.



Apart from the credit crunch, ranchers and farmers are finding it difficult to graze their cattle on wheat pastures.



Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures hit a record high of $13.34-1/2 per bushel on February 27, and even though they were trading below $7 on Wednesday, prices are more than double those at the end of 2005 of $3.39-1/4.



CBOT corn futures rose to a record high of $7.65 on June 27, but have fallen to below $5, which is still more than double the $2.15-3/4 at the end of 2005.



"A lot of these farmers are not wanting to graze their wheat as hard because they see these wheat prices high. When you put cattle on wheat it will damage the wheat three to five bushels or even seven bushels an acre, and at $8 wheat they don't want to put cattle on wheat," Broadbent said.



But with the drop in prices for light-weight feeder cattle, traders were expecting a pickup in demand.



"We're finally getting these (light-weight) feeders down to where they are getting to be property to own. These light calves, 300 to 500 lb steers and heifers, have been the best value they have had in the last three to four years," Broadbent said.



It may be some time before the economy and financing improve enough to increase demand for all types of feeders.



Demand for relatively high-priced beef tends to wane in tough economic times as consumers cut back on spending.



(Reporting by Jerry Bieszk, editing by Matthew Lewis)



reuters.com

 

[fourstates]

Sold a slaughter cow, got .50, weighed 1545. Sold her poor doing calf, weight 345 got .31. This was this last Saturday in Texarkana.

was the cow dried up and old.the reason the calf was a poor doer?i alway wonder when people say poor doer was it that the animal actually is?...was it circumstances out of their control

The mother had severe mastitis, and became a poor milker, the calf had many health problems. Lost money on the deal, but got what I deserved.

 

[fit2btied]

We sold a few steers yesterday. Had 6 Simm and Simm/Red Angus. All were solid red and averaged 538, all vaccinated and wormed, no creep, weaned on the way to town. They brought .97/lb. Had one black, best muscled calf we sold, 420 lbs, brought .90/lb. The only lot in the 5-600 weights that sold higher was a group of 35 Char/Angus crosses averaging 580 lbs that brought $1.00 even.

 

[Oldtimer]

Calf prices didn't do any better at Miles City yesterday...

STEER CALF
RHINEHART CLARK D AND JAN , BIG HORN 14 BLK-STRCF 285 $119.50 /Cwt
RHINEHART CLARK D AND JAN , BIG HORN 2 BLK-STRCF 355 $116.25 /Cwt
DARREL OR TAMMY LUTHER , FORSYTH 20 RD/BK-STRCF 379 $115.00 /Cwt
DARREL OR TAMMY LUTHER , FORSYTH 49 BK/BWF-STRCF 450 $114.25 /Cwt
WARD JOEL JACKSON , GLENDIVE 10 HERE-STRCF 347 $112.50 /Cwt
CHARLES OR PEGGY STEADMAN , MILES CITY 28 BLK-STRCF 361 $111.00 /Cwt
WARD JOEL JACKSON , GLENDIVE 28 HERE-STRCF 409 $109.00 /Cwt
CHARLES OR PEGGY STEADMAN , MILES CITY 106 BLK-STRCF 460 $106.50 /Cwt
AARON HELM , MILES CITY 39 BWF-STRCF 465 $105.50 /Cwt
ADRIAN OR E.I. NEWMAN , BALLANTINE 3 BLK-STRCF 503 $100.00 /Cwt
DARREL OR TAMMY LUTHER , FORSYTH 38 BLK-STRCF 538 $99.25 /Cwt
JOSH MURPHY , CIRCLE 23 BLK-STRCF 519 $97.75 /Cwt
JOSH MURPHY , CIRCLE 20 BLK-STRCF 587 $97.25 /Cwt
VIRGINIA RONNING , MILES CITY 14 BLK-STRCF 582 $95.50 /Cwt

===========================================
HEIFER CALF
DARREL OR TAMMY LUTHER , FORSYTH 4 BLK-HFRCF 329 $104.00 /Cwt
CHARLES OR PEGGY STEADMAN , MILES CITY 19 BLK-HFRCF 360 $101.00 /Cwt
LORIN & JILL KRASS , HOGELAND 7 BK/BWF-HFRCF 402 $97.00 /Cwt
CHARLES OR PEGGY STEADMAN , MILES CITY 80 BLK-HFRCF 417 $96.75 /Cwt
JOSH MURPHY , CIRCLE 9 BLK-HFRCF 434 $94.00 /Cwt
AARON HELM , MILES CITY 13 BWF-HFRCF 378 $94.00 /Cwt
CHARLES OR PEGGY STEADMAN , MILES CITY 53 BLK-HFRCF 488 $93.75 /Cwt
JOSH MURPHY , CIRCLE 40 BLK-HFRCF 509 $92.50 /Cwt
AARON HELM , MILES CITY 21 BWF-HFRCF 469 $91.50 /Cwt
AARON HELM , MILES CITY 14 BWF-HFRCF 505 $90.00 /Cwt

 

[Oldtimer]

I just spent the morning at the local stockyards-- everything down- cows, calves, bulls...Not much for calves to get a good idea except for sad...Some of the normal calf buyers weren't even bidding on them...

I talked with one buyer who said there are just more calves than there is cash right now....He said he was in Three Forks yesterday and the tops was a real good load of 630# black steers that brought $80...

Problem is-there is no extra hay or feed out there in our area anyway-so when folks run out of grass, they're probably going to have to go with them....

And on top of it they are predicting snow for our area this weekend- and a winter storm watch for central and southern Montana and Wyoming....And talk of a FOOT or TWO of snow.... :shock:

RAIN IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING...AND CHANGE
TO OR MIX WITH SNOW BY LATE EVENING OR OVERNIGHT. PRECIPITATION
WILL TURN TO ALL SNOW BY FRIDAY. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TONIGHT WILL
LIKELY RANGE FROM NO ACCUMULATION TO 3 INCHES...WITH GREATEST
AMOUNTS OVER THE HIGHER RIDGES. A PROLONGED PERIOD OF OCCASIONALLY
HEAVY SNOW IS THEN POSSIBLE FROM FRIDAY THROUGH THE UPCOMING
WEEKEND. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR UP TO A FOOT OF SNOW ACROSS MUCH
OF THE AREA BY THE TIME THE SNOW TAPERS OFF SUNDAY NIGHT. ONE TO
TWO FEET OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE ALONG THE EASTERN FOOTHILLS OF THE
BIG HORN MOUNTAINS AND NEAR THE PRYOR MOUNTAINS.

 

[BRG]

Today at Mobridge Livestock watched a good load of 546 lbs steers sell for $107 and a load of 638 lbs steers sell for $106.75. Another load of steers sold weighing 611 lbs of 84 head for $107.75. Their heifers were 70 head weighing 557 lbs sold for $101.

We got a load of 518 lbs steers for $112.50 from a good bull customer. Their heavy group weighed 607 lbs and they had 99 head of them and they sold for more than the group we got. They brought $112.75. Then their heifers came through and they had 83 head weighing 567 lbs and they brought $123.00/cwt. These are the top of the line cattle and they were souse and age with the Red Angus tag as well.

Nearly all calves under 500 lbs were $110 or higher. But they really wanted the six weight or higher calves.

 

[Oldtimer]

Heres PAYS, Billings yesterday (Wed) for comparison...They were higher than here today- but are also 300 miles closer to the feedlot areas too....

For comparison--550-580 calves were around $130 last year and the 580-620 weights were around $120...The 300-400 lb calves last year were $140 to $175

Feeder Steers Medium and Large 1
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
11 389 389 113.00 113.00
40 417-449 422 109.00-110.75 110.47
38 456-477 462 97.00-106.50 103.66
17 543-544 544 94.00 94.00
14 568-580 574 90.50-93.00 91.88
18 621-626 624 91.00-92.00 91.50 Calves
23 652-692 666 87.50-89.00 88.04 Calves
--------------

Feeder Heifers Medium and Large 1
Head Wt Range Avg Wt Price Range Avg Price
18 327 327 95.00 95.00
26 376-395 382 88.00-89.00 88.84
51 413-449 418 88.50-94.50 93.62
7 471 471 89.00 89.00
8 490 490 85.50 85.50 Fleshy
29 517-541 527 87.50-91.00 88.83
35 554-592 564 84.50-87.50 86.71
20 615 615 85.00 85.00 Calves
13 652 652 84.00 84.00 Calves

 

[Oldtimer]

For the second time this week- Fat cattle LIMIT DOWN- Feeder cattle LIMIT DOWN...
Fats trading below $90- Feeders trading well below $100 with the rest of the year at $95......