Hide color discrimination a joke...

[r.n.reed]

Just wanted to serve notice to the Black is beautiful crowd that there are a least a few feeders out there that are realizing the value of Shorthorns in their feedlots.I took some steers in today mostly reds but a couple spotted up deals and one real loud roan.They were not split up.After the sale I spoke with a buyer who operates one of the largest feedlots in Illinois and he told me that the price he bid on my calves today was the highest he had ever bid for cattle.Better than that,he didn't get them!

 

[r.n.reed]

I heard that Keith Lauer of Kansas just sold his Shorthorn steers for the highest price in their weight classification over all the other breeds and crosses sold at 3 Kansas sale barns owned by the same company.I do not think they were black!

 

[justintime]

I just sold a few off the bottom end yesterday. A late orphan steer ( born in September) weighed 410 and he brought $2.31 for a total of $947.10.   A roan steer that I did not think was good enough to be a bull, weighed 835 and sold for $1.4150 for a total of $1181.52.He was the only calf I treated as a baby and I think he had some serious lung damage as he just never kept up to the others.I thought both steers were on the low end of ordinary. I decided to sell them before one of them rolled over and died, especially in these market conditions...haha. The auction mart owner asked me if I had some more at home. I said I wished I had! I could see absolutely no color discrimination, which is a huge change from a few years ago.

These markets make me wonder what good bulls are going to sell for this spring?  I was at a Beef conference last week and I happened to sit at a table with several large ranchers to have lunch. The talk over lunch turned to bulls and bull prices, and several of these guys were saying they think they are going to have to spend at least $5000 for decent bulls this year. I sure hope they are right!