From the Gate Post
By Bruce Holmquist General Manager, Canadian Simmental Association
F
A Lot to be Thankful For!
all is always an exciting time of year as we go through the hectic harvest season. Roundup and weaning, harvesting the grain crop and hauling in the bales; it is a busy time that requires many hands to get all the work completed. The 2013 growing season gave us variable amounts of both moisture and heat however very good conditions were seen in most areas of North America. Through the first half of September, harvest conditions have been excellent and the long range forecast shows the potential for that to continue. As a result, feed grain prices throughout North America have declined and with that calf prices are once again very strong. The “icing on the cake” is that most parts of Canada have an abundant supply of hay and silage which is a welcome sight after last year’s excessively long winter and depleted hay yards. Early reports from the 2013 fall calf run have shown strong prices although in light volumes and producers selling those early born 800-900 pound calves are being paid very well. Talk at the coffee shops are reporting some prices in excess of $1000 per calf and it is clear that heavy, top quality calves are in strong demand.This is a result of more moderately priced feed grain combined with a smaller amount of available feeder cattle. Cowherd numbers reported by CanFax as of January 1 showed a decline in the Canadian cowherd of 1% to 3.95 million head which was a small decrease compared to the US cowherd which declined by 2.9% giving a 2013 American cowherd size of 29 million beef cows. Heifer retention was not as large as some had anticipated and it would
be quite surprising if a large amount of heifers were retained this fall with the hot feeder calf market we are seeing. With the strong cull cow market many producers are receiving over $1000 per cow so it is likely that the heifers that are retained for breeding will be replacing some of the aged cows. With the current strong cattle prices there are many opportunities for Simmental breeders to capitalize on the breed’s strong acceptance. The first task should be to position for another strong bull sale season. We are on a roll as a breed but it is necessary to do a hard cull on our bull pens and move those bottom end bulls into the feedlot and not the breeding pasture; doing this will save on the feed bill and create more demand for the rest of your bull pen. Top quality Simmental bulls will once again bring a premium in 2014 however there will be a limit to how many that can be marketed as there is a smaller commercial cowherd to breed and therefore fewer bulls will be required. Simmental females are always in demand and will be especially sought after to begin rebuilding commercial cow numbers. This is a great time for Simmental breeders to replace their less productive females with some top notch heifers that will be available at one of several fall sales or by private treaty. As we work our way through our fall activities and Thanksgiving this year, be sure to take time to be thankful for being involved in Agriculture and especially for being fortunate to be in the Simmental business.
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9/24/2013 11:04:28 AM