Welcome to the Friday edition of the HOT BARN REPORT
Heard ONLY on American radio stations across the nation and online at hotbarnreport.com!
Karina Jones, Field Director for R-Calf USA joins us each Friday from her ranch in the heart of Nebraska covering what’s new and important to the family farm and ranch.
Fighting to Survive
Welcome back to this Friday edition of Hot Barn Report. If you live anywhere in the middle part of America congratulations on surviving this week, we have almost made it. For me this week felt like a microcosm of the bigger picture in the cattle industry.
Mother Nature has all the leverage and we are forced to be “takers”. This wind beat us up pretty bad. Judging by the amount of Dakota soil that flew through our place I’m guessing Mother Earth was pretty battered by it too.
Cattle states continue to purge cattle to the market. This unrelenting drought is making the choice for us in light of feed costs that just cannot cash flow and a shortage of grass, if this grass ever gets enough moisture to get a start. We took another load of weigh cows to town this week. As so many that work these sale barns have told us, “this country is gonna run out of cows!”
It is my belief that USDA cattle inventory data is over exaggerated. I think our domestic cow herd has shrunk faster than they can compute. Industry experts keep giving us the ole “hopes and prayers” pep talk telling us how much our calves are going to be worth this fall with this shrinking herd, but really, the beef supply chain holds the leverage, just like Mother Nature this week. Without mandatory country of origin labeling in place, the beef supply chain will look outside of US borders to fill demand. They won’t have to compete for American sourced cattle. Because in that meat cooler, beef is beef.
And let me remind you that some who tout “Truth in Labeling” it is just a curtain for the “Product of the USA” label. But every curtain has to drop and the truth gets exposed. That label will always be voluntary and that label will never have to address imports. EVER! Same goes for those who want to compromise! Why would we compromise with the side of supply chain that already has all of the power and leverage?!?! They are not offering us any charity. It is not DC’s job to lobby to us. They are there to represent the people and they need to be politely reminded of that often.
Continue to stand together to take back our power! Call the capital switchboard 202-224-3121 and talk to your Senators and Representatives. It is exciting to have so much momentum behind MCOOL while DC is focusing on consumer issues. The American Beef Labeling Act is S. 2716 and in just in the House it is H.R. 7291. Also remind those lawmakers you elected them NOT to compromise any more on behalf of the American cattle industry. That has been done for decades. You can win a lot in life just by being the last one to give up.
Regular cattle sale today at Crawford Livestock with all classes of cattle. Monte James will be back on Monday to tell you about the big sales next week at Presho, Mobridge, Stockman’s Livestock, Lemmon, Basset, Platte, Creighton and North Platte sale barns .. buy safely online at CattleUSA.com
The HOTTEST sale barns in America
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Creighton Livestock Market
Lemmon Livestock, INC.
Presho Livestock Auction
Mobridge Livestock
Platte Livestock Market
Stockmen’s Livestock
Crawford Livestock Market
North Platte Stockyards
Bassett Livestock Auction
