calf prices?

[cowman]

Sold some steers this week and while the price was nothing to write home about, they weighed up really well. On an average brought a bit more than $700/each. Not great but then consider in reality your dollar is actually worth close to 25% more than it was last year, so that should mean it was a fairly decent price?
Still intend to move a few more about the same size.
Heres how I look at it: I've always kept my heifers and any tail enders that never weighed up anyway so in reality I'll be selling approximately 50 calves this fall. Now the government is going to give me $200/per calf on 40 calves that I would be keeping anyway?
If I average $700 on the 50 I do sell this fall...and I add the $8000 from the government to their price...then I'm getting $860/calf this fall? Which I can live with! The Alberta set aside program is just bringing the price up to close to where it should be?
On top of that feed is really a bargain this year? Lots of cheap hay and light barley just perfect for bringing calves over the winter? I suspect a lot of people are going to make a killing feeding calves this year!

[grassfarmer]

I agree with you Cowman, if you are farming the programs as well as the cows the total returns could be quite a bit better than we guessed a few months ago. If the CAIS pays out what my accountant reckons I'm due and the calf set-aside scheme on top there should be @$220 per cow coming to me.(Not counting the earlier program payouts)
I realise everyone will be in different circumstances and some may get less but it still worries me that we can get by on that income for now, Government has footed the bill and let our customers (the meat buyers)get their inputs for a fraction of what they can afford to pay. I hope we don't get the European experience of the packers realising this and never upping their prices as they know the Government will pay up if farmers protest enough. It makes the farmer look like a beggar and soon consumers resent us for getting all this Government aid while beef is dearer than ever in the stores. Also with this level of support can we say we are unsubsidized any longer?