Let The Grass Grow

      For those fortunate to have received some rain last weekend, it was a real gift from God.  We hope everyone around the country received some much needed rain as it’s that time again to take a short breather and head to Cheyenne for the 2013 Wyoming Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show on June 5-8.

As usual, another well-planned convention has been created for your information and entertainment. You can listen to and visit with our state leaders, top managers of the state and regional public lands, National Cattlemen and CattleWomen Presidents and our Congressional staff, Senators and Representative.  You can express your concerns at committee and business meetings, take a tour of the National Center for Atmospheric Research Supercomputer and the new Stock Growers offices that we are so proud of.  The evenings are filled with receptions, one at the old Cheyenne Train Depot and another with Baxter Black, the great cowboy humorist, and attendees will also have a chance to will some great prizes from raffles.  

If you are interested in having Baxter’s column in the Roundup, please let him know. We’ve been trying for years to get his column in the Roundup, but he has felt obligated to other regional papers. If you want to see him in our paper, please help us out.

So clean the mud off your boots, let the grass grow and come to Cheyenne. The whole family needs to be involved in the industry. Turn your complaints and praise into comments and have your voices heard. You will never have a better opportunity.

As we talk about opportunity, the stage has been set for a strong summer beef season. Some say that around Memorial Day sets the tone for beef demand for the summer.  Last weekend, beef demand drove Choice boxed beef prices to record highs despite cattle prices that were steady to weaker nationally.  Choice boxed beef finished a couple weeks ago at a record weekly average of $207.49 per hundredweight, up four dollars per hundredweight from the week before – and that was up $17 per hundredweight from the recent lows last month.  

Drovers CattleNetwork says, “Though this market may be near a peak, the strength and duration of the recent run has been impressive and sets the stage for a stronger summer beef market.  If the follow-through from the Memorial Day holiday is good, the boxed beef cutout may be set to hold at stronger levels through the summer.  From the current highs, Choice boxed beef could hold near the $200 per hundredweight for seasonal summer lows before moving higher again into the fourth quarter.”

We always get a little nervous that the high beef prices might drive the consumer away from the meat counter buying beef and that with the low numbers of cattle, we can’t meet demand.  It’s ok if they pick up a package of lamb – just stay out of the chicken section.

Drovers said, “The net increase in feedlot placements so far this year is interesting, especially considering that the net imports of feeder cattle from Mexico and Canada are down by 192,000 head and raise the question of the source of cattle placements in the feedlots.”  

One hopes that we are not sending all our heifers to slaughter. If conditions are improved, we are going to need some cattle to be bred.