Latest / CattleUSA Daily / 249: The Week in Cattle Politics: Wolves, Worms, and Market Whiplash with John Campbell

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249: The Week in Cattle Politics: Wolves, Worms, and Market Whiplash with John Campbell · CattleUSA Daily

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  In today's episode with John Campbell, we are talking about
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  some hot topic current events that are happening in the world
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  of the cattle industry. John has three major points that
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  we're going over today and we're obviously first and foremost
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  hitting on those live cattle markets and what we're seeing in
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  our auction barns across the Midwest region and across our
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  winter livestock family. But then we are also breaking
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  down some Colorado Wolf controversy things that are
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  going on there. We talked about some lovely
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  comments that were made about New World Screw Worm.
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  And we have a few other things that we're touching on today as
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  well. Without further ado, before we
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  hop into today's podcast episode, John, if you're
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  watching on YouTube, make sure you hit that subscribe button
• 0:42
  right above here and also like this episode.
• 0:45
  And if you're watching on any of our other podcast platforms,
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  take a second to make sure you're following the show and
• 0:49
  like this go rate and review the show as well.
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  Without further ado, let's go ahead and hear from John.
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  Welcome to the Cattle USA Daily podcast, your go to source for
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  the latest livestock markets, industry insights and the
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  updates shaping agriculture today.
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  I'm your host, Lauren Moylan, a passionate advocate for
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  agriculture, here to keep you informed and connected.
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  Now let's dive into today's episode.
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  John, welcome back to the podcast.
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  I am on the road once again. I feel like this is a common
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  theme with our podcast that we do together.
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  I think it's a more rare occasion that both of us are
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  either in the office or in the studio or things like that, then
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  we are not traveling. I know we we have big cow sale
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  tomorrow here in Lahata. So I I just walked through the
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  door and looked down. I thought oh cripes, I was
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  supposed to meet with Lauren 5 minutes ago so.
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  And it was just luck because I had, I'd forgot all about it.
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  Not about you, you know I no. John, am I really that
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  forgettable? Come on.
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  No, no, absolutely. You weren't looking forward to
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  talking to me all day. You're like, oh, I can't wait
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  for 5:00 to come around. I get to talk to Lauren.
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  That's right. That's it, that's it.
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  That was my mindset this morning and then cows got in away.
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  Damn cows, I tell you what. Well, on this topic of cows, how
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  have how have the cows been doing the past?
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  You know what's what's going on the markets.
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  And and I thought they took the edge off of it a little bit this
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  week and 57125 cattle here in Lahata, everything pretty much
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  steady. I mean, you could call the
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  outside tops in almost every weight division steady, but just
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  sail barn talk when you got into the volume.
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  We didn't sell as many cattle as high as we did last week, even
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  though you know, if you were quoting it on paper you you
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  would call it steady. But I thought those kind of 450
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  to 550 weight steer cab showed a little weakness here a lot of
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  this week maybe off 5 to 10 bucks on the bulk.
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  The extreme top, like I said, I'm repeating myself, but they
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  would have been steady. Some 330 weight stairs at 6:25
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  and we still sold some 415 LB cattle up to 585.
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  I think we had some north of $6 last week.
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  But 5 weight steers, 518 be fully steady with the top.
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  But those 550607080 weight stairs across the board, maybe
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  thirty, 40-50 bucks a head and cheaper over on the heifers
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  side, some 365 LB. These were actually Red Angus
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  heifers brought 555. And we had a long time customer
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  that sold some 425 LB Hereford heifers and there was a load of
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  them. They brought 523.
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  They topped the market. And as a matter of fact, guy was
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  here from South Dakota. I bought those cattle.
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  So kind of kind of an interesting story.
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  Five way to effers up to a 454. You get into the stalker feeder
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  heifers here in Lahata. I thought pretty much steady.
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  Some Sam Angus 550 weight heifers up to 441.
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  Their Big Sisters weighed 610 at four O 5 had some replacement
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  heifers, good ones. Straight Angus effers weighs
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  660. Went back to the country at 399
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  and the best 7 weight effort to go on feed at 365 or stalker and
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  feeder steers steady, but the again a weaker tone maybe on the
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  big heavy cattle, but some you know, still had some 560 weight
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  black stairs AT4926 weights at 446, which would be every bit as
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  good as anything we did last weekend until 7 weight steer
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  cattle knocking right on that 4 dollars 397.
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  So you know, yeah, good run, but maybe the weather in the market
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  pushed some volume forward. Looks like we might be a little
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  lighter on receipts the next couple weeks, but good run,
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  yeah? Absolutely.
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  What are we seeing on a regional level across to the Midwest and
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  our other winter livestock family?
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  Sail barns. I I meant to watch Pratt sale
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  today but busy with this cow sale of Dodge City with 41170
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  cattle there yesterday, Wednesday the 420 weight stairs
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  at 557 and a half, 520 weights at 495.
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  They didn't have quite as many light cattle as we did.
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  Bulk of their receipts would have been feeder weight cattle,
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  6 weight cattle. The best in Dodge City was 434
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  and had similar to ours you know 7 weight steers up to 394. 5
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  weight heifers at four 52600 LB heifers at four O 8.
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  So real similar to what we got done in La Hana. 7 weight
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  heifers up to 346. Pratt as I mentioned now this
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  would have been last Thursday, but real active. 5 weight stairs
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  at 5 dollars, 6:30 at 436. You know, same thing that we're
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  we're seeing this week kind of happened last Thursday in Pratt.
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  Riverton, WY with 3200 at a nice run. 4 weight steers up to six O
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  7. They had some 5 weight steers at
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  5:27, 6 weights at 446 and they did get four O 7 for some pretty
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  green cattle going back to grass.
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  The weighing 7 heifer side of things at Riverton, WY 4 weights
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  at 5:17. They sold some 5 weight heifers
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  up as high as 490 and 6 weight heifers at at 4:11.
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  So All in all, you know, pretty active market, I think
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  everywhere that had some volume and and you know, you kind of
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  look and most of the government reporters even kind of called
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  it, you know, maybe the edge was off of it just just a little
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  bit. You could get it, but it was
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  harder to get. Yeah, for sure.
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  It's encouraging to see the cash market and the like the live
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  market didn't really get affected as much as we saw on
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  the board over the past week with just some volatility that
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  we saw there and some things like that.
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  So it's encouraging that at the sale barn level, we are still
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  running the cattle market that we know and letting it do what
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  it's going to do. And it's treating us right right
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  now, even though we got some weather coming up and I know
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  we're start, we're getting ready to hunker down here in Kansas
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  because I'm pretty sure the weather man is telling me that
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  I'm either going to get anywhere from 1/2 inch to 23 inches and
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  he can't make up his mind. So we're just we're hunkering
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  down, ready for anything. We're actually going to dodge
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  the bullet this time in Lahata. We're supposed to be cold, which
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  I'm thankful for. We've got a cow sale tomorrow,
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  but I think really you have to get about 200 miles east here
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  before you get into much weather.
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  So I'm making a blood for we've got about 2500 stock cows here
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  tomorrow. And I know central Oklahoma and
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  Central Texas will be out of Commission.
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  But inside of that which that's where the bulk of our trade is,
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  we are here in a lot of just supposed to be cold and not, not
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  talking about any snow. So yeah.
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  Yes, winter has finally started to come around, I guess, and we
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  have gotten spoiled for the past few months with some warmer
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  weather and I'm just in denial over here.
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  I'm not ready for it. I was like snow.
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  We're we're actually going to no, I'm I don't want any of
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  this. I don't want to be cold like
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  it's going to be negative wind chill this weekend in like the
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  negative 30s and things like that.
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  I'm like, no, I'm good guys. I think I'm going to stay inside
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  on this one. If you really need me call
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  someone else please because I I don't want to be out in that but
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  what tells? Me you're you're not a cold
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  weather, cold weather fan. John no, I really don't like
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  being cold. And you know what?
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  No one's really a fan of cold weather around Lord, because I
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  also get mean I'm I'm not the nicest person to be around when
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  I'm cold. The second I can't start, feel
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  like I can't feel my toes anymore.
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  It just goes downhill real quick and.
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  No plans to be relocating in Colorado soon.
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  I'm kind of reading that into your narrative there.
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  You know, political climate aside, no.
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  OK. Yeah, OK.
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  Yeah, not so much. And political we got a lot of.
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  Political climate included. Hell no.
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  Right? So right.
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  Yeah. I don't think that's in my
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  future, John. Yeah, we'll dive into some of
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  that too here. Oh, I love it.
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  Well, what you got for us today? Well, one thing got a lot of
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  response from friends in Canada and around it and it the word
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  from Canada and in this relation to last weeks they have placed a
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  pause on the new regulations in Canada concerning the animal ID.
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  So somewhat buddy with a brain either step forward or hopefully
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  the cattlemen's mafia up there stole all the remaining tags.
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  There is some people of reason and rationale have stepped in
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  when they had the Reg's seminar and everything come to a
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  screaming halt because as we talked about in detail and
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  length last week, it just couldn't be done the way they
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  the way they wrote it. Also, I talked about a pause
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  here in Colorado, your favorite state, Lauren has paused the
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  wolf action. So they they are not going to be
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  able to turn anymore wolves loose here in and through the
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  winter. And that's going to foul up the
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  breeding habit and program and Oh my gosh, everybody's going
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  wild. But the problem was the Fish and
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  Wildlife, the United States Fish and Wildlife said that they were
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  going to revoke Colorado's authority to manage the
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  reintroduction of wolves because they're coming out of British
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  Columbia and not the northern states.
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  And when it was originally set up where they were supposed to
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  be more of a domestic northern wolf.
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  And also the Fish and Wildlife was wanting just a small
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  explanation over why over half the 25 wolves that they turned
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  out have already died. And so did you know that popped
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  up in the discussion and the United States Fish and Wildlife
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  has issued A cease and desist letter to the Colorado Parks and
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  Wildlife. And of course, knowing our
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  politics, why we've already sent British Columbia 400,000 for
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  another shipment of wolf. So good luck in getting that
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  back Colorado. And also they've paid over
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  500,000 to producers for cattle that the remaining I think they
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  ended up shooting two of them because they were habitual
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  cattle killers and who knows what happened to the other 11 or
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  12. But anyway, little 25 wolf
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  project that already cost them over over a million and we're
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  just kind of getting started. None of the northern states.
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  Interestingly enough, they had to go to British Columbia
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  because nobody N here would sell them any wolves and they kind of
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  little sharper than Colorado because of the potential
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  liability of coming back to the states for selling these wolves
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  that are killing all the cattle. And I also think you got states
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  like Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, why they probably enjoy the
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  revenue from selling the hunting licenses.
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  So now why get rid of them? But to make matters worse, the
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  liberal wolf howlers here in Colorado, why they've got both
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  nuts and advised because Colorado Representative Bobert
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  also got a bill passed in the House that takes wolves off the
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  endangered species list. So they're going to have to deal
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  with with that too. So the wolf lovers here are
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  having a a little tough time. And so you want to get your cry
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  towel out and, and, and sympathize with all of them.
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  Another big concern going on cattle sellers and I can get you
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  the address may want to send a flower arrangement and maybe a
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  sympathy card to the Texas AG commissioner Sid Miller because
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  the last Friday he single handedly wrecked the commodities
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  future market stating that the screw worm is already here.
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  So, you know, grab your ass and because it's just though we're,
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  we're we're in a lot of trouble. And even though none have yet
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  been confirmed, but the Texas guy is sure.
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  And I, I'm not sure if he broke out the white X Beaver hat and
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  his Western warehouse leather vest because either he's short
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  the feeder board or he's trying to give those Texas cattle
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  feeders a sob story. So they'll ease up on the
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  chokehold they got him in. Or maybe he just thinks Rollins
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  will concede the border because we're already warming.
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  So anyway, that that's kind of new news that's come up.
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  The dairy boys also getting a little more mailbox money with
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  the dairy margin coverage and it just happened this week.
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  You can enroll for milk price support and allows the milk
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  maids to lock in a price for the next six years.
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  Buy a little milk insurance and earlier the rumor was around
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  that they wanted to sell cold cows and keep the money.
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  The record high prices for cold cows plus have the government
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  kind of sweeten the deal by another 16 to $1800 a head
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  thinking that it would ease up on the meat price if we just
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  somehow put a little more product into the Packers hand.
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  So that's a short synopsis of what what's happened out, out
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  and around. But I, but I am glad and I heard
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  from several people from from Canada that said they've got a
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  woe on that deal till they can kind of work the the bugs out.
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  And, and I was aware that they've been idea in them for a
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  long time. But then they came down with all
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  of these PowerPoint specs that needed to accompany the ID
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  program. And good to see some rational
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  people stop up and say, you know what, you guys are writing
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  checks your ass can't cash here. So good news there.
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  Yes, for sure. I think everyone is in agreement
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  that they wish good ol Sid would have just stayed home on last
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  Friday, that he he could have just stayed home on that one and
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  didn't have to do that interview because he really put his foot
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  in his mouth. Nothing.
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  Absolutely nothing. And I think the most frustrating
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  part about it is, is as cattle producers, we know that it's
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  probably closer than what they're saying, that there are
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  definitely some communication barriers and some things we
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  don't know. And we know that we don't need
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  Sid Miller going on a news network and telling the rest of
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  the world that and wrecking our futures market and absolutely
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  taking us for a damn roller coaster ride when we were just
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  starting to feel good about a few things.
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  And he didn't, like you said, he didn't accomplish a Dang thing
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  with it. Like nothing changed.
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  All you did was piss a bunch of people off and make people
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  trigger happy and maybe people start talking about Screwworm
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  again. And you know what?
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  Yeah, everyone's talking about it.
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  We know what's coming. But guess what?
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  We are in a better position. We finally do have a product on
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  the market that is FDA like labeled and approved to be able
• 16:34
  to treat and prevent it. And we've got some other things
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  coming. So we're in a better spot.
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  But it's still like, does someone have a sewing needle and
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  something where we can just hold them down and just zip up his
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  mouth real quick because you didn't help a damn person there.
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  No one, no one is happy with you.
• 16:53
  Yeah, yeah. No, that's that is you.
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  You are you are so, so right there and it it it it no doubt
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  is inevitable. But what he doesn't realize the
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  people in the industry, we're all up to date.
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  We know what's going on. We know the reality of the
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  situation and when and what so are the only people that it
• 17:14
  affects. And we've had this discussion
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  another time is the speculative long people that are just run
• 17:22
  from day-to-day on nothing but the rumor mill and we're left
• 17:26
  down at the bottom of the pile at the mercy when they decide to
• 17:30
  dump their position. And I, I really think it
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  reflected a little bit here. Tuesday, it really did.
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  I mean, you jerk 8 bucks out of it and yeah, then Monday's a
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  holiday and Tuesday you put a buck or two back on it.
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  I I think it'll recoup all of it, but we, our government
• 17:47
  didn't learn much from the last fiasco.
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  Fortunately, so that is for sure.
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  I'm glad that the wolf situation in Colorado is maybe starting to
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  get itself figured out and that maybe some people with their
• 18:00
  heads screwed on right are finally starting to see that,
• 18:03
  hey, like maybe this was a really dumb idea and we're kind
• 18:07
  of eating it on this with and also their success rate, very
• 18:12
  questionable, very questionable success rate.
• 18:14
  I think that needs to be studied.
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  Just throwing that out there that we could have, could have
• 18:21
  maybe approached that in a better way.
• 18:23
  I'm sorry to say that British Columbia is now $400,000 richer
• 18:27
  and Colorado is $400,000 poorer. And your Interstate still suck.
• 18:33
  Apologies there for all Colorado residents.
• 18:35
  I'll be avoiding that stay as much as possible.
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  Thank you very much and have a great day.
• 18:39
  Fangs out there today. Lord I it would it would be bad,
• 18:43
  but I have no rebuttal. My gosh.
• 18:45
  Well, I get to tour packing plant tomorrow, so I got my
• 18:48
  fangs ready. I tell you what.
• 18:53
  Geez. Anything else John?
• 18:54
  Before we wrap it up today, I. Think we've got it covered.
• 18:58
  I'm I'm sure they'll be a more pressing events to cover next
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  week. But anyway, we touched, we
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  highlighted the big points that are out there.
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  We absolutely did. Well, John, as always, thank you
• 19:09
  for your time to all of our listeners out there.
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  Thanks for listening to another episode of the Cattle USA Daily
• 19:14
  Podcast. If you'll have any questions for
• 19:16
  John, there are certain things that you want him to discuss or
• 19:19
  talk about or things like that, make sure you throw those down
• 19:21
  in the comments down below. John and I do tend to sometimes
• 19:24
  read through those comments every once in a while if we're
• 19:27
  feeling real bored or things like that.
• 19:30
  So make sure you leave those down below and we'll see what we
• 19:32
  can get to in the future weeks if y'all have any questions for
• 19:35
  John. But as always, thank you for
• 19:36
  your time, John. Thank you for your time and to
• 19:39
  all of our listeners. We'll see y'all next time.
• 19:40
  Have a great weekend and try to stay warm out there folks.