Low feed costs

[cowman]

While shooting the breeze with the neighbor last night, he mentioned that he was trying to sell some tough barley and had contacted a local buyer. He was quoted $1.50/bu at the bin! Now that is pretty darned cheap barley?
The week before, on coffee row, a local feedlot owner told me he was getting fairly empty because he thought calf prices in relation to fats was way out of whack and hadn't been buying any! Now without a doubt this guy is a pretty smart operator and probably has the situation right?
I wonder if there are a lot of cattle feeders doing the same thing...sitting this one out? I know this guy bought a lot of local barley over the years and this year he hasn't bought any!
I'm not sure what the cattle on feed situation is right now but I would assume with the winter we've been having feed conversion should be pretty good? And hey with $1.50 barley the feeder should be able to make some money, shouldn't he?

[wd40]

He, us and alot of other feeders are sitting this one out. Fats are way too low for the price the americano's are forcing us to pay for our replacments right now.

[mb_rancher]

48 lb barley here in this neck of the woods has dropped a fair bit from a high of $2 per bushel to where it sits at now $1.35-$1.45

[cowman]

So where is it moving? I would think with prices like that the hog barns should be jumping all over it? Should pretty well put the subsidized corn debate to bed?

[PureCountry]

I spoke with a Galloway breeder on the weekend who has a good sized commercial herd of Angus X Galloway cows. He bought one of Randy's Welsh herd bulls a couple years ago, and told me he's had some of the best crossbred calves ever off of that cross. He said they're on feed right now at a neighbour's feedlot, and when I go over there for a visit next weekend we're gonna take a look.

If you want, I can let ya know how they look. Or, just call the guy. E-mail me if you'd like his number:

pcstockfarm@yahoo.ca

[ALLFARMER]

I see Richie Bros has a sale Wed June 7TH Camrose 45 Welsh Black cows rbauction.com

[rkaiser]

Went out and sorted throught them on Saturday Allfarmer. It's an opportunity of a lifetime. Excellent set of dispersal purebred and fullblood young cows.

Anybody interested, let me know.

rpkaiser@telusplanet.net

[cowman]

Randy: I see you said purebred and fullblood? Does that mean the Welsh Black herdbooks are still open?

[rkaiser]

You bet cowman, but homsteader bulls don't work, only upbreeding on heifers.

[cowman]

So my next question would be when does that welsh black bull suddenly get over being a scrub and become a purebred? 7/8, 15/16, 31/32? At what percentage does he miraculously become a real "purebred" and not just another "homesteader"? Also at what point does that heifer become a "purebred"?
Every breed started out this way in Canada...yep even the Hereford breed!
Consider this: Too qualify for "certified Angus beef" the sire has to be a registered Black Angus bull? In other words the momma could have been anything, from an Angus to a Jersey! Now without a doubt that was a very smart move on the part of the angus association...it has sold one hell of a lot of bulls!
All breed associations are set up to maximize the members income? And the only reason we have breed associations is in reality to sell bulls! I'm not condemning the welsh black association for an open herd book, they are just doing the same thing every other breed did. But don't ever confuse yourself in believing that a piece of paper in anyway is an indication of quality or better genetics...because it isn't.

[rkaiser]

Oh I'm not confused cowman, just have to admit though that if you are going to breed any consistency at all into a herd of cows, you might just like to know where that bovine came from.

I think that the Welsh Black book says 15/16th on the heifers and 31/32nd on the bulls. I am one of those mentaly handicapped purests who only has fullblood cattle in my herd. Lied a bit there, maybe a couple of purebreds left. Galloways have a closed book and were the first purebred breed of cattle in Canada.

When I mentioned yer homesteader bulls cowman, I just wanted to set you straight. Weslh Black guys will not allow you to use that genotypically superior beast of yours to breed purebred heifers and call them half bloods. Even though you may think that would change the world for the whole cattle industry.

The angus beef thing,,, well I don't have a smart assed or any other assed comment to add.

[cswilson]

Those Angus tags are a big joke-if i run ten hfd bulls on a bunch of black cows I can't tag them as halfblood calves-but if I flip the program they are all eligible-I get lots of cattle go CAB on the grid and I've never supported the little association money grab.

[cowman]

Now I'm not sure(would have to look) but I think the RA bull calf we kept this year is 31/32 Angus! All from AI, all from ABS bulls. I know the original old momma was a Silver Standard Hereford cow. Guess I could consider him a purebred?
Now the other one is definitely a mutt! Only 3/4 Sim/Flec other 1/4 a purebred hereford cow. But he is fairly solid red other than that white face. Trying to keep a bit of Sim size in a herd that is getting too darned Angussy for my taste!
Going to maybe try some Gelvieh semen this year after about a 15 year break. Really like how the Gelvieh breed has gone forward! Would like to buy one of the neighbors "mutts"(M4 beefbooster) but he won't sell calves!
Come fall I have all these mutts running around, but the beauty of a presort is...it just doesn't matter anymore! Now at my local mart they have started yearling presorts and it seems to be really catching on?
In "commodity" beef it sure is an exciting time! No longer are cow/calf men restricted to one breed. They can experiment and see what works for them? I know this is sacriledge to the purebred industry, but the times are a changing.

[cswilson]

WEll of course they are mutts -you been buying your semen from the wrong company all along lol.

[cowman]

Please elaborate cswilson? Is ABS not a good outfit? It seems to me they have good numbers and reasonable prices?