What a great market we have at the moment! Despite very little rain in some places, drought in others, high priced fuel, and record high retail prices, it sure seems like the cattle market is holding well. The summer months aren’t always the best for cattle trade until late, but fat cattle are still selling fairly well and probably $20.00 better than the last decade!
It would sure be nice to predict the weather accurately! The droughts around the country in the last 10 or 20 years have hit the south fairly hard, but areas of Missouri, Washington and the south east are not immune. If the dry weather continues it will be interesting to see where the slack will be picked up like it was last year by some northern states.
The numbers game works as well in agriculture as it does in government. Reducing kills, increasing tonnage, smaller cow numbers, increasing population all have an effect on the price of beef and these are just a few factors. News stories seem to spin the information to where it will sell ads or papers and not just give the facts.
The prices of most everything will continue to go higher until they reach a breaking point. The sad fact is that American farmers and ranchers are vastly outnumbered by city people. When more folks complain about the price of their food than the price of their water or gas, it doesn’t look good. For the most part, it seems like the biggest culprit is information and communication.
It seems easy for people in agriculture to understand how the price of gas affects their bottom line, but for some reason, city folks can’t understand how it should affect their cost of food. We have a great country to live in, but it sure seems like many people forgot that it’s a country of millions, not a country of a few.
There are going to be many opportunities coming up! The last couple of years have been very good to folks in agriculture, with record prices for cattle and a great harvest this year. Along with oil lease money, there have been many debts paid off and new machinery bought. If Mother Nature cooperates, we still have the chance to produce a lot of good food for America, either by planting or grazing.
Just because someone says something does not make it true and the same can be said for stories in the news. Yes, beef and food prices might go higher, and our gas and utilites will probably go higher, but as a whole, aren’t we the ones that go out a pay money for bottled water that could be had for free?
Having a choice is a great privilege we have! Take advantage of the opportunities that gives us! There are plenty of cows and calves in dry areas that need a home and plenty of unused pastures around to graze them. If the city folks want to complain about the price of food, maybe we should give them the opportunity to feed them and put their money where their mouth is.
Get involved! Raise some beef! Go the auction!
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