Full-Service Cattle Sales & Marketing serving the Fallon, Nevada and Outlying Areas.
Where is theMarket Headed?
| We know it’s going to get much better. Record numbers of momma cows have gone away. Hundreds of thousands of replacement heifers were let go and went to be finished. We are going to get paid more for these calves and yearlings the longer we hold onto them, but will they bring enough more to justify the extra feed? Can you even find extra feed? That’s another huge issue. At Nevada Livestock Marketing we are already getting calls for extremely early consignments for late summer and early fall. Most folks aren’t talking about weaning either. They just want to get the calves off the cow, get the cow kicked back on the desert and the calf gone. With calves coming in September that normally are marketed in November through February, look out if California gets normal fall precipitation. If you have a source for affordable feed, consider buying bawlers early fall. If you have them lined out for January delivery, you could own a rare commodity. Catch the market coming your way due to tightening supplies and increased demand. Speaking of feed, it could take a couple years, but I look for feed costs to drop drastically because folks are selling out… goats, horses, cattle, anything that eats hay is being dumped, especially by the folks with a job in town. They don’t want to give away their paychecks to feed hobby cattle. I have made it pretty clear that Nevada Livestock Marketing supports Grassley and Fischer’s Cattle Market Transparency Act. I just got a call this morning from one of the feedlots in Kansas where we have fat cattle on the show list. I was told they had not been able to get any live bids on the cattle and we would have to sell them on the grid. I firmly believe TCMTA would bring back competition in the fat cattle arena and could save our industry as we know it. I have received several calls, emails, and text messages from Washington D.C. lately asking me why, of all states, the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association would be pressuring Nevada Senators and Congressmen to oppose TCMTA. Ask yourself, why does NCA care so much about protecting the billion dollar packing industry? I don’t believe they do care about the packers, but I know they care greatly about staying tight with packer controlled National Cattleman’s Beef Association. The nearest packing facility to Nevada that would be affected by TCMTA is Greeley Colorado. So why would a state with zero fat cattle plants, mostly cow/calf operations and a few yearling guys sell out the industry to stay in good graces of the NCBA? It’s called politics, cronyism, scratch by back and I’ll scratch yours. Look at who has the big ranches leased from the foreign owned mining companies. When it comes to decisions on federal grazing policy, NCBA carries a big stick. That’s just one of many reasons NCA wants to stay in good graces with NCBA. I think the NCA members that are against competition in the fat cattle arena should pull their calves off the summer videos or other free markets that encourage competition. They should call up the corporate feedlots that are partners with JBS, Tyson, National and Cargill and offer them your cattle. They don’t think that we fat cattle sellers should be able to decline a lowball bid without facing retaliation from the big four. So, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Call them up and take what’s offered. Don’t try to negotiate for more. Just take what you can get and be happy. If it isn’t enough to pay the bills, then tighten your belt because that’s what you expect us to do. When you drop your calves off at the local sale barn, you pressure us to make them bring top dollar but when we go to sell them you are supporting the packer instead of the yearling buyer that market supported your calves. Maybe it’s time we all do some soul-searching and research for ourselves what this transparency act is all about. Don’t take someone else’s word for it. After all, we have to decide if we want to look in the mirror at the person who did what’s right for the industry and future generations or if we just did what the highly paid NCBA lobbyist told us to do. For me it’s been an easy decision, but I don’t owe NCBA any favors. The association that is fighting for this much needed market reform in Washington D.C. is the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association. I’m proud to serve as a board member, representing California and Nevada. You can learn more about the group for yourself at www.uscattlemen.org. |
| Mr. Jack Payne currently serves as the regional director for California and Nevada at the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association. He owns and operates Nevada Livestock Marketing in Fallon, Nevada. |
Beginning in May, Feeder Sales will be held in conjunction with the regular sales on the 3rd Wednesday of the month until the fall run starts again.
Our sales can be seen live at www.DVauction.com