KC Sheperd, Farm Director, is back talking with Bob Rodenberger, a Stockman Oklahoma Livestock Marketing partner, as he gives the latest on the cattle markets.
“The feeder index this morning, compared to two weeks ago, was $12 to $15 lower, as was the cash market,” Rodenberger said. “The southern index would be down in the high $2.38 – $2.39 area on an eight-weight, and your northern index would be in the low fifties.”
He advises producers who have good grass and water to stay with their programs, but those who have limited resources should sell their calves.
He expects that the market won’t change much next week, and that the fat market is still good, but it doesn’t equate to $2 feeder cattle. He said, “With all that said, yes, we have seen some $2.50 feeder cattle sell, but they are home-raised cattle with a history that everyone in the barn knows about. Everyone in the barn knows they are premium.
“Otherwise, I don’t care if you buy the very best calf that walks through the sale barn, and you put them together from one to 10 at a time, and you’ve got five hundred put together, you probably have three hundred different genetics. Versus, when you buy two straight loads off of ‘Joe Smith’ you have one set of genetics. There is a difference.”
He said that people who don’t have predictable genetics from one herd can expect their eight-weight cattle to sell in the high $2.30 – $2.40 range.
