Page 13 - MWC 8-20-20s
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The Midwest Cattleman · August 20, 2020 · P13
         Adapt and Change                                                   By Dr. Les Anderson, Extension Beef Specialist, University of Kentucky





         Well, the last few months
      sure have been interesting!
         COVID. Social distancing.
      Life this spring reminded me
      of the summers of my youth. I
      grew up on a cattle and grain
      farm in northeast Missouri
      and social distancing was our
      way of life. My grandparents
      lived about a mile down the
      road but everyone else was
      quite a bit further. We didn’t
      go out to eat, didn’t go to the
      movies, we went to the store
      maybe every couple of weeks,
      and we stayed home and
      worked.  We raised our own
      beef, bought pigs and chick-
      ens from our neighbors, had a
      huge garden, and canned. The
      biggest difference between  13% increase in retail meats.  yards and feedlots do a super  large meat processors. Per-
      then and our situation this  This discrepancy could be ex- job of price discovery, but the  haps more marketing options
      spring  was  we  had  a  “party  plained because the packers  entire industry is subject to  could  help  producers  gener-
      line” so kids didn’t use phones  had to shut down, the feedlots  a few large beef processors  ate more income.
      hardly at all and our social  couldn’t market their cattle,  and retailers. Perhaps a little               Adapt and change. It’s the
      event was every Sunday. We  and the backlog of fat cattle  diversification would give us  story of life and it’s how we
      went to church and then my  created reduced demand for  more options and get us out  evolve.
      entire extended family (about  feeders and a reduced supply  from under the thumb of the
      60-70 people) went to our  of beef because they could not
      local park for a carry-in din- get processed so a “meat short-
      ner and to catch up. It was a  age” resulted. Beef rushed off            Genetically Yours
      great way to grow up.              the shelves and beef prices at
         I have often thought of  the retailer increased.  This
                                                                                    Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020aturday, Oct. 3, 2020
      how much I miss those days  incredibly unusual situation                      S
      but, after this spring I’m not  created a platform for the in-
                                                                                        1
      so sure! I enjoy my social in- dustry to reexamine the sup-                       11 a.m. • Springfield, Mo.1 a.m. • Springfield, Mo.
                                                                                     Sale Location: William H Darr
                                                                                     Sale Location: William H Darr
                                                                                                                       25 Service Age Bulls5 Service Age Bulls
      teractions; I missed my kids,  ply chain. Four major packers                 Agriculture Center, Springfield, MO  2
                                                                                   Agriculture Center, Springfield, MO
                                                                                                                    12 Elite Herd Bull Prospects
      mom, friends, working on  control the harvest and distri-                                                     12 Elite Herd Bull Prospects
                                                                                                                         18 Bred Heifers
                                                                                                                         18 Bred Heifers
      farms, going to meetings. As  bution of beef putting the rest                                                    15 Fall Calving Cows
                                                                                                                       15 Fall Calving Cows
      the restrictions  are lifted,  of the industry in a perilous                                                32 Spring Cow-Heifer Calf Pairs
                                                                                                                  32 Spring Cow-Heifer Calf Pairs
      our methods of interactions  situation. Congress is inves-
      are changing; masks, six feet  tigating so perhaps it’s possi-
      separation, no big crowds,  ble the industry will see real
      no handshakes, no hugs, etc.  change.
      Whether we want to or not,            I have seen already some          LL           BW   3.1 M&G  59
                                                                              LJR MSU 23DJR MSU 23DJR MSU 23D
                                                                              GNARLY 212G
      some of these changes will  change in beef production                   GNARLY 212G  WW   67    FAT  0.053
                                                                              GNARLY 212G
                                                                              A complete outcross for most

      be around for a while and we  and marketing in Kentucky.                that we believe has an exciting   YW   104 REA  0.29
                                                                              any bloodline. An exciting bull

      will adapt, and the world will  Responding to an increased              future. Grandmother and great   MM     25 MARB -0.03
                                                                               grandmother are Dam of

      change.                            demand from the market,              Distinctions.  Generations deep              BW   1.7  M&G  47
                                                                                of LJR breeding.

                                                                                                                 LJR MSUJR MSU
                                                                                                                 L
         The COVID pandemic cre- customers have been request-                                                   WILLA 433C  WW   58  FAT 0.023
                                                                                                                WILLA 433C
                                                                                                                                 86
      ated  quite  an  issue  in  the  ing locally produced beef and                                                       YW   18  REA  0.28
                                                                                                                           MM
                                                                                                                                   MARB -0.07
      beef industry. This spring, we  more producers are selling                                                An incredible daughter of LJR MSU 10W Ambush 206A, with a
      should have seen feeder cattle  freezer beef than ever. But,                                               heifer calf by LJR MSU X51 Bosch 371B. Bred to KR QR
                                                                                                                          Endure 18072.
      prices  rise  and  the  return  of  again, we are having issues
      some profitability to cow-calf  with supply chain because we                                               See this catalog online at www.reedent.com
      operations. Our industry was  just don’t have enough small,                                                        Sale Managed by:
                                                                                                        35
      at the bottom of the cattle  local meat processors to han-                LJR MSU    BW   0.3  M&G  0.033
                                                                                           WW
                                                                                                   FAT
                                                                                                54
      cycle and feeder cattle prices  dle the sharp increases in de-          WILLOW 164B  YW   76  REA  0.04      Jim and Linda Reed • P.O. Box 126
                                                                                                                      Green Ridge, MO 65332
                                                                                                                   660-527-3507 • Fax 660-527-3379
      should have begun their cycli- mand. I can’t help but think                          MM    8  MARB -0.07    reedent@iland.net • www.reedent.com
                                                                                An outstanding freckle faced daughter of C&L CT FEDERAL
      cal climb. But, brother COVID  how much stronger our indus-               485T 6Y out of the DOD dam by LJR 023R Whitmore 10W. She
      created  supply  chain  issues  try would be if we had more                has an outstanding heifer calf by NJW 113D 1010 Tough
                                                                                     126F. Bred to KR QR Endure 18072.
      and the most unusual situa- marketing options that in-                 Midwest’s Top Maternal
                                                                               Program 40 Years
      tion we have observed in the  cluded locally sourced, locally          Continuously Breeding                           Auctioneer: Eddie Burks
      beef industry. Feeder cattle  produced, locally processed               Quality Performance          A G R I C U L T U R E
      prices remained low despite a  food including beef. Our stock-           Polled Herefords
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