Jeramie Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 I have been keeping up with cattle prices. We are in a serious drought still. A girl that works for my wife said they had cut their 40-acres and got 10 round bales. There isnt going to be any hay this year. Im already on the lookout and am going to have to buy 20-30 rounds bales early. On that note cattle are dropping fast around here. Farmers cant afford to haul in water and hay from out of state. Prices are heading to the bottom. Estimates, right now, show that prices are going to fall about 25% lower then last year which was already much lower then previous years. Because of the conditions horses are at a low too. Last year they reached an all time low. People were literally buying a saddle broke mare for around $400. I watched a paint mare with a foal at its side sale for $300 because she was green broke.... Crazy times.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hutchies Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... Yep and as long as we don;t get any rain it is going to stay that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... Good for the consumer I guess, but I know it hurts the farmer which is a shame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted June 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... Really hurts Ranchers. A vast majority of Oklahoma is beef ranches. It will really cripple the weekend warrior cattle producers. People who usually run 10-12 (or so) head wont be able to keep the cattle. Feeding them will put the invested money way above the Sale line... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerClay Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... Eat more venison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWSmith Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... [ QUOTE ] Eat more venison [/ QUOTE ] My wife likes NY Strip Steaks....we have bought maybe 4 steaks total so far this year. Other than those...it's Veni from the freezer. BTW...Those 4 steaks cost what my hunting license cost last year ...beef prices in the retail stores are outrageous I dont blame the cattle producers...it's the cost of transporting their product all the way to the local stores that really ended up pricing me out of the market! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted June 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... At least youre pointing your finger in the right direction Gary. Think about the margin that producers are getting now. The price of everything went sky high yet cattle are dropping in price. Spraying fields in now more expensive in both fuel and the spray. Hay is scarce and expensive. Farmers are going to need it early because our grass is already burning up. Cost of feed has risen. Every aspect of the cattle industry has become more expensive.... Yet profit margins have dropped. Tough times. Im seeing people sale of large ranches because they just cant afford it anymore. Those ranches are now 5-10acre home steads. Sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanH Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... Shoot more deer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texan_Til_I_Die Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... Interesting. Prices are about $1.25 around here, depending on size. Not down too much from last year. Of course, if everyone had taken my advice 2 years ago when prices were at all time highs and sold everything except a very few prize animals, they'd be sitting pretty right now. Remember all time highs are usually followed by severe lows. And every drought is broken by a flood and every flood is ended by a drought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hutchies Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... Save a chicken..........buy cheap beef....LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... Have some calves and a cow I was planning to send to the stockyard back in April, but was hanging on waiting for the prices to go up. Prices been down for a while, but you still cannot buy replacement heifers here for any kind of reasonable money, at least not yet. They are still pretty high around here. We have a black angus steer 4-5 years old walking around in the field, that was supposed to be taking a ride to the processors about a week and a half ago. Going to cost me $300 for the processing, should get quite a bit of good meat. Lucky for him for now that the processor has had a lot of hogs to slaughter and has not been able to get to him just yet. About the only significant drop I have seen in beef prices in the stores has been the cheap ground beef. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griz Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... Yep...Your right Jeramie and I kept telling everyone that this was going to happen. I'm afraid it's going to get alot worst before it gets better to. Hay is very hard to find. We normally get most of our hay from Kansas, Nebraska and here in Oklahoma. As an average we will feed about 20,000 bales a winter and as of right now we have about 300 bales in the barn and that's it. Can't find any and what we do find, folks are holding on to it. Why...Because they know when push comes to shove there going to make alot more money for that hay. Grass hay right now is running 40 to 50 dollars a round bale and Alfalfa is running 185 to 200 dollars a bale. I was told yesterday that it's even going to get alot higher then that by August. Were already planning to sell everything but 200 head here and then replace the heard as time goes on. I haven't seen it this bad in a long, long, long time. So this is forcing all the small time cattle operations to shut down. I know several folks here that has already closed up shop and sold everything they had and moved off... It's a sad deal that's for sure...I just hope I'm not the next one in line to move... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamaTrophyHunter Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... we're the same way. we cut a field that made 210 round bales last year and this year we got 73, it would take about 30-35 minutes to get a full bale. the windrows were barely ankle deep when they are usually knee deep. we've allready fed six bales. the cattlemens association is working on givin a check to help with feed the cows this winter, a couple years ago they gave us a little but it wasn't enough. oh well beggers can't be choosy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cutter Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... Our producers went through that not long ago with the BSE scare.Prices are on the rebound here. I hope the best for your cattle people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hutchies Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... Don't know about you guys but we are getting some rain down here. I'll take all we can get.......every drop helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamaTrophyHunter Posted June 24, 2006 Report Share Posted June 24, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... [ QUOTE ] Don't know about you guys but we are getting some rain down here. I'll take all we can get.......every drop helps. [/ QUOTE ] I wish you would share some with us. it was the first of May since we've had any rain. all the ponds are gettin low and all the creeks are dried except the main one but it just has some deep spots with water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted June 24, 2006 Report Share Posted June 24, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... Round bales of just prairie hay is selling for 55 bucks a bale--last year it was selling for 25 bucks. Last year at this time I cut and baled my 160 acres and got 90 bales--this year we made 22. Luckily we didn't sell too many and have 200 in storage. todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rifleman25 Posted June 24, 2006 Report Share Posted June 24, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... As a farmer and a beef producer I know. I farm about 6500 acres and run 400 cow calf pairs. We just added on to our feedlot to accomodate about 9600 head. Now not all those feeder cattle are ours many we custom feed. We are dry too. We feed out all our grain and hay pretty quick around here and are forced to go buy it. We usually haul 1-2 loads a day of corn from ADM growmark. We also buy alot of hay. On our ground the biggest problem is fuel prices. We live in an area with real sandy ground and are forced to irrigate. I'm still paying around 2.00 for tax free died red fuel to run my pivots. This is driving the profit margins down on that forcing many small operators to choos to either raise livestock or grow row crops in my area. The falling market is making buying backgrounded feeder cattle easier but then when we sell fat cattle that same ratio comes into effect. I thank god for subsidies or most of our neighbors wouldn't be in business anymore. We have gotten a few needed rains this year when we needed them to come but we aren't even into the hot dry months yet either. We have been in this impending drought for about 5 yrs now and I guess we have made it this long I figure we can see it through. In the years we have been out here I have seen this and it is just a vicious cycle. Ya never know we might get flooded out next year. It is just a chance you take when trying to make a living off the land. I'm not complaining though the 1980's were much worse for anyone involve in any aspect of agriculture than the present. But the sale barns around here have been having more complete herd dispersal sales than I can ever remember. There are alot of factors though that go into that. There aren't alot of young people wanting to live this life anymore, there are many ranchers and farmers hitting retirement age, and land prices are at an all time high. It just makes sence for them to get out and sell the home place while someone is still willing to pay for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rifleman25 Posted June 24, 2006 Report Share Posted June 24, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... Why don't all of you that are in some sort of ag business sign up for the programs. USDA programs are federal and open to all. Not to mention the other state programs that are out there. My neighbor farms just 2,00 acres and feed about a hundred head of cattle took home a check for 75K last year. That was just from the USDA not to mention the other programs. I know that doesn't even come close to covering everything, but every little bit helps. I wish we qualified for more programs than we do, but it can't hurt to dig a little further. A good ag banker or Farm Credit Service knows how these cycles go and they are always there. They can also turn you onto some programs the ASCS and USDA wont tell you about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted June 24, 2006 Report Share Posted June 24, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... Wow, hay is/was not bad here, but it has been pretty wet. I paid $15 a bail for 6x6 rolls last year. Had a neighbor cut my back field for me this year and paid him $12 a roll on the first cutting. Hard to beat that with the current fuel prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted June 26, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... [ QUOTE ] Don't know about you guys but we are getting some rain down here. I'll take all we can get.......every drop helps. [/ QUOTE ] Nope, still dry as a bone..... They showed state rain fall totals last night. Tulsa and the surrouding area had 5.something. We had 1.2. We need rain and way bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamaTrophyHunter Posted June 26, 2006 Report Share Posted June 26, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... we got six tenths yesterday afternoon. it was strange seeing a little water in holes in the pasture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldawg Posted June 26, 2006 Report Share Posted June 26, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... Hamburger was $2.19 a pound up here yesterday. That is way up from last week. Dawg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted June 26, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2006 Re: Beef prices dropping..... [ QUOTE ] Hamburger was $2.19 a pound up here yesterday. That is way up from last week. [/ QUOTE ] I bet you ranchers are putting that difference in their pockets. They will attribute a ton of that to fuel cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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