Never before

[kenny thomas]

What are some things you are seeing that you have never seen before?
A couple months ago someone ask on CT if calves would be higher in October. Of course i said no, i had never in 50 years + of owning cattle seen calves get higher in October.
Well guess what, they are getting higher. The normal October slump came in August this year. Calves are up 5 to 8 cents or more this week.

 

[kenny thomas]

I am almost 600 miles from where Hurricane Helene came ashore in Perry FL and for the last 2 days i have been cutting trees and repairing fence from Hurricane damage. Still dont have power back on my fence.

 

[jltrent]

I am almost 600 miles from where Hurricane Helene came ashore in Perry FL and for the last 2 days i have been cutting trees and repairing fence from Hurricane damage. Still dont have power back on my fence.

Do you want me to come and help this morning as it took me about two days to get mine back going. I had three big trees the top landed on the fence, and I had to cut every limb to free the wire.

 

[kenny thomas]

Do you want me to come and help this morning as it took me about two days to get mine back going. I had three big trees the top landed on the fence, and I had to cut every limb to free the wire.

I appreciate the offer but I have switches in the fence to cut off a lot of the paddock fences. I wont be using those until after Christmas so i have plenty of time.
Gotta go get a load of feed first.

 

[moses388]

Keep up the good work and be safe out there!

 

[Ky hills]

Yeah, it’s hard to imagine that the damage from Helene hit us as hard as it did here too. Several thousand people in our county were without power for several days some over a week.
We have several trees uprooted. Been working to try to get the ones off the fences. Will deal with what’s out in the fields as we can.
Tore the roof, frame and all off a hay shed, and pulled the barn posts out of the ground in the process.
Got hay stored two high in there, Hoping it will be ok to leave like that and feed out without having to move it again to single layer.
We sold some heifer calves back in the slump, and were afraid we messed up by not selling the steers, sold steers a couple weeks ago and we’re glad we kept them.

 

[BC]

Location, location, location. Our markets are steady but showing some weakness on fleshy, unweaned calves. Just over 90 degrees daytime and mid 50's at night is a recipe for disaster and is the reason October is known as National Dead Calf Month. Besides that we are getting dry. We have plenty of dry grass, but wheat, oats and ryegrass need a rain to germinate.

 

[Brute 23]

Location, location, location. Our markets are steady but showing some weakness on fleshy, unweaned calves. Just over 90 degrees daytime and mid 50's at night is a recipe for disaster and is the reason October is known as National Dead Calf Month. Besides that we are getting dry. We have plenty of dry grass, but wheat, oats and ryegrass need a rain to germinate.

That's what they were saying on the radio this morning. The temp swings and fleshy calves were pushing prices down on those new, unweaned calves. Yearlings, cows, bulls, etc were steady if not up a tad.

A lit of people started dumping when we got that first little cool breeze in Sept. A lot of people are burned up and there is not rain in the forecast. Hope they get it while the getting is good.

 

[gcreekrch]

What are some things you are seeing that you have never seen before?
A couple months ago someone ask on CT if calves would be higher in October. Of course i said no, i had never in 50 years + of owning cattle seen calves get higher in October.
Well guess what, they are getting higher. The normal October slump came in August this year. Calves are up 5 to 8 cents or more this week.

They were softer here this week.

 

[chaded]

I took mine in last week and I thought they did pretty good.

 

[Dave]

Location, location, location. Our markets are steady but showing some weakness on fleshy, unweaned calves. Just over 90 degrees daytime and mid 50's at night is a recipe for disaster and is the reason October is known as National Dead Calf Month. Besides that we are getting dry. We have plenty of dry grass, but wheat, oats and ryegrass need a rain to germinate.

There is a big price difference between unweaned calves with no vaccination and weaned vaccinated calves here. National Dead Calf Month is a lot tougher on those trailer weaned calves with no vaccinations.

 

[GoWyo]

We preconditioned vaccinations end of August. Trailer weaned and sold all the steers and non-replacement heifers Oct 7. Steers averaged 513# brought $3.28 and a 4 wt brought $3.45. Heifers averaged 543# and brought $2.78 with 3 lighter heifers selling separately at $3.00 something. The steers topped the sale in their weight range. Heifers were mostly replacement quality and were toward the top for their weight range as well. Other than one cow that aborted mid-winter we had a 100% calf crop from 70 cows which is a first in probably 15 years. We usually lose 3-5 a year. Now just have to keep the replacements and the bull calves rolling along. Replacements look great and weighed mid 5's to low 6's.

 

[kenny thomas]

That's very impressive. There are very very few $3 calves here and those are lightweights.

 

[GoWyo]

Being on the edge of cattle feeding country is definitely a benefit and calves coming off higher elevation rangeland bring the money. There was something like 4200 calves and yearlings, mostly calves, went through the ring Monday.

 

[kenny thomas]

Being on the edge of cattle feeding country is definitely a benefit and calves coming off higher elevation rangeland bring the money. There was something like 4200 calves and yearlings, mostly calves, went through the ring Monday.

Tell me about calves from higher elevation. Do they have less condition on them or just grow out better?

 

[gcreekrch]

There is a big price difference between unweaned calves with no vaccination and weaned vaccinated calves here. National Dead Calf Month is a lot tougher on those trailer weaned calves with no vaccinations.

Interesting how different areas have different ideas. For years, Canada’s largest ranch, Douglas Lake Cattle Co. weaned and preconditioned all their calves and sold them a month later. They quit the program 4 years ago because it wasn’t paying enough to cover costs. Calves are weaned and sold as they come off the range other than the 1000 steers they grass for yearlings and the replacement heifers. An operation with 12000 mother cows that makes this sort of decision solidifies my opinion. You need a 2 lb a day gain and 25 cent premium over selling off the cow to break even. Not many can do that with their calves.

 

[GoWyo]

Tell me about calves from higher elevation. Do they have less condition on them or just grow out better?

The sale toppers will be framed up, haired up and green as a gourd. They are ready to gain on feed. Bigger calves will usually go on as calf feds and the smaller ones aimed toward being 6-700# by March-April to go to grass in May.

 

[fnfarms1]

We are dry here in NE OK. Just triggered for LRP through FSAthursday(wife works there). Seen alot of calves sold early here due to drought. Prices gradually coming up. Last month unweaned calves getting hit hard. Salebarn guys say they cant keep em alive. Calves coming in stressed and lacking nutrition as is with drought, has them dropping like flies.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

and 25 cent premium over selling off the cow to break even. Not many can do that with their calves.

Helped load two groups of calves onto a truck 2 weeks ago headed to Iowa. 5wt steers that when co-mingled you couldn't tell apart except for the ear tag.
1st group was weaned 45 days, 2 rounds of shots.
2nd group was weaned on the truck that morning.

Trailer weaned brought .87 less, and experienced 3.3% more shrink than the weaned group..... that's a double kick to the shorts.

 

[GoWyo]

I didn't see much price difference between weaned and unweaned calves this week. There was a small difference on calves that did not receive preconditioning vaccinations. After getting burned a few years ago with a September pneumonia outbreak we hit them with InForce 3, BoviShield Gold One Shot and Ultrabac 7 by the first week of September every year. It pays off in less calves treated or dead and auction price. Our bull calves we weaned 9/21 were doing really well until 13 days post weaning. Had a couple looking just a bit off, no droopy ear or anything, so we ran them all through the chute and several had 104* temp and got a shot of Draxxin and they all got another booster of BoviShield Gold, but not the One Shot version. This was on vet's advice as some neighbors had pneumonia outbreaks with calves still on the cow that week. He thought it was mannheimia. They look fine one day and dead the next if you don't catch it and get on top of it.