April 26, 2016
Thursday evening, I lost my Mom. She was ninety-eight and sharp right up to the end. I want everyone to know that both my Mom and Dad were an important part of making this sale what it is today. When Monty and I started here almost forty-one years ago, they came every week and spent long hours physically working. Even more importantly, they gave us the kind of advice that made this place work. It was that advice that allowed us to move forward with a minimum of mistakes. There is no way to replace your parents, and we will always miss them both.
Now I don't want anyone to think we didn't make mistakes. In forty-one years we have made plenty, but keep in mind when we started we had no market experience. However, in forty-one years we have always put the customer first. We have never traded in this market. We have always used it to get the very best prices for our customers. We brought in buyers from all over the Western and Midwestern states. We have put every cent of profit right back into this market so it would run more safely for our employees, more efficiently so cattle don't shrink, and more thoughtfully so cattle travel through this facility more humanely than any facility in the West.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association selects one company or person nationally from a pool of 750,000 that has done more for beef quality, food safety, and the humane handling of their cattle. In 2010, 101 Livestock won that award. It was amazing to be so honored. However, we have done even more since the award than before it. Our efforts on animal identification, beef quality, food safety, and improvements in the physical yard make 101 Livestock Market the most modern and futuristic of all markets.
Now about the market...
This week was our first bred cow special.
The top selling bred heifers were from Coyote Creek Land & Cattle at $2400.
Joey Azevedo was right behind them with 32 bred heifers for $2250.
The pairs sold pretty consistent with the bred heifers.
The feeder cattle were in short supply so it was hard to get a handle on the price but we called them a little lower.
Last week the futures were lower almost every day. It is my opinion the futures are a big part of the recent drop in our markets. The drop was due, but the speed which it took place can be directed directly at the futures. In the cattle business we are dealing with a perishable commodity. In 140 days an 850# steer is going directly to processing. That fact alone makes trading cattle on the board not in our best interest. In the last forty-one years, the futures have done more to take money out of this business than add to it. Last year was a prime example of what has been going on. The cost of the cattle was so high you couldn't use the board to hedge in profit. So most couldn't use the futures like they say you can to hedge in a profit. You could only hedge in a loss. So most just had no contract on the cattle they were buying last year and millions were lost. I think we will see these cattle rebound because they always go too low to start with then move off their bottoms to something realistic.
Next week is our first feeder special, and it should be a great sale. We have some outstanding cattle already consigned. Our next feeder sale will be two weeks after that, May 17th. We added that because a lot of people requested it. So have a great week, and we'll be talking the market next week.
We appreciate your support,