Latest / CattleUSA Daily / 269: Wildfires Devastate Kansas and Oklahoma Ranch Country with John Campbell

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269: Wildfires Devastate Kansas and Oklahoma Ranch Country with John Campbell · CattleUSA Daily

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In today's podcast episode with John Campbell, we are breaking
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down everything that we are seeing in the cattle markets
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this past week across the region.
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He talks about everything that we have seen in specifically
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Lahana, but then across the winter livestock family as well.
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We are also talking about a little bit of a heavier topic
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today and that is the fires that are currently being battled in
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Southwest Kansas and the Panhandle of Oklahoma.
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John brings some great words, some great wisdom, insight, and
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also some call to action and what we can as producers to
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continue to show up for our community and for everyone else
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around us. Before we hop into this podcast
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episode, make sure that you are subscribed on YouTube and like
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this episode. And if you're watching on any of
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our other podcast platforms, make sure you take a second to
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follow the show and rate and review it 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 update
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shaping agriculture today. I'm your host, Lauren Moylan, a
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passionate advocate for agriculture here to keep you
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informed and connected. Now let's dive into today's
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episode. John, welcome back to the
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podcast once again. How are you doing today?
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Terrific, terrific. Everything.
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Well, not everything going great, but the markets are sure
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up and doing good. Yes, they definitely are.
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There's a lot of positives, but a lot of sorrow that we're kind
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of feeling today too. But you and I are here bright
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and early this morning to talk about all of things.
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So let's let's start with the markets.
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What are we seeing in the markets this past week?
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It's been a little slow, but what have we been seeing across
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in your area and then also across the region, Sean?
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Yeah, receipts, you know, a little lighter, but that's
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across the whole country. You know that's that's why we're
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where we're where we're at market wise. 15181 Cavalier in
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La Jolla. Just I thought dollars and
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dollars higher every time you think you kind of hit the
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plateau. Why there there is just no
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stopping this market as of lately. 320 lbs steers here and
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we had some good ones, $7.00 a pound. 410 LB steers.
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They were all black, all weaned, you know, had all the bells and
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whistles. 645 a pound. Their Big Brothers weighed 5 and
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brought 537 over on the heifer side here in Lajada. 3 weight
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efforts at 6:20 we had some 420 LB effers bring 555 and you
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know, it wouldn't have been that long ago.
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That had been an outstanding quote for steers. 5 weight
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heifers up to 462. I thought that we didn't have,
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you know, the quality and the depth in our stalker heifers,
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but just the packages of handy weight effers that we were
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selling. I thought they were steady.
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No loads of feeding effers but the six weight heifers up to
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425, seven weight efforts to 361 that had a just package or two.
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Eight week cattle up as high as 332 on the steer side.
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I thought on and again, no loads of stairs.
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Now we'll have a pretty good run next week, but just the you
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know, the handful of yearlings boy great demand.
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I thought they were 5 to 10 better when compared to similar
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quality and numbers that we had last week.
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Some 6 weight steers up to 461, seven weights to four O 1 and 8
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weight cattle up to 367. And last week the loads were
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kind at 360612 and these were just partials colored cattle.
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Cattle had some flesh on up there like I said to 367.
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We did have a stock cow sale in conjunction with a regular sale
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and again just kind of clean up cows and and odd in in cows.
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But they had some 3 and 4 year old cows, black cows.
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These would be spring cabin cows here in a lot of up to 4375.
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Five year old cows to 4100. Solid mouth cows, right up
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against $4000. The bulk of the run would have
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been older cows. We had some good old cows, but a
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lot of older cows, bringing the past 3000 up to as much as 3350
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on a couple loads of black and black baldy spring cabin cows.
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So awfully, awfully good. It just like I said, it just
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keeps kind of March marching on and you know, they they try to
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pull back on the commodities, but the the fat cattle deal is
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really the big driver in this deal.
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And there was some rumor $2.50 fats out and around and recorded
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sales in the north, which Colorado you can't be unless you
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know somebody you can't find out about it, but as high as 2248.
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And and my feed lot guy up there said he had heard of some $2.50
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fed cattle market. So that's awfully high.
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But again, we're coming into some really, really high-priced
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yearlings that would probably have a break even at that or a
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little better. So it sounds really good, but
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they're going to need it here through the next 60 days.
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Yeah, absolutely. What are we seeing regionally?
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Any highlights from Dodge, Salina, anywhere else that we
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kind of need to have today? Lord Dodge City with 29117
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cattle they're seeing like they did last week, some weak cattle
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starting to show up 450 weight steers at five and a half, 530
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weights at 5:18. Not the big run, the light
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cattle of course, as you go E like we would see here.
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Most of their cattle are going to be feeder cattle, but pretty
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similar to our 6 weight steers up to 465.
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They had some 7 weight steers at $4.00 Dodge City heifers 412 on
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the heifers at five 25120 LB heifers at 462 and they had some
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6 weight heifers up to 420. Pratt, KS.
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Of course their sale will be today Thursday but last week
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38117 cattle and they had some 4 weight steer cabs up to 4
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dollars 540 weights at 528. They had some 620 LB steers up
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to 465 weighing 620 tremendous 7 weight cattle of four O 98
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weight 830 LB steers and brat the 375.
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They had some 5 weight heifers bring 490 1/2 640 LB efforts
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AT3987, weight efforts at 368 and 8 weight cattle up to 344.
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That would have been Pratt KS, Jeff Brown and company up in
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Riverton, WY. Pretty similar on the flyweight
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cabs. Not big runs there, but 4 weight
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stairs again to $6, five weights to 526 some they had some stairs
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weigh up 590 up to 490 a pound. I thought their heifer deal was
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really good, 4 weight heifers to 5:20, but they sold some 505 LB
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heifers. I talked to Jeff yesterday.
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He said outstanding condition but just commodity cattle. 5
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weight heifers to 521. That'd be a great steer price
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most places and six weight heifers.
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Pretty similar to the other locations.
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As high as 4/22 there in Riverton, WY.
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Very, very exciting market that we're dealing with right now.
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I think it's encouraging to see we haven't down that bottom yet.
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It is one of those situations that we're we're still kind of,
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I feel like I'm over here waiting for the ball to drop.
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And I know I'm probably not the only one out there.
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It's probably blasphemy to say it and everyone's probably
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listening to me in their pickup saying Lord, shut the hell up.
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But it's really encouraging to be able to see some pay off come
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in these cattle right now, especially as we continue to see
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the demand that we have behind the beef animal here in the
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United States. Yeah, for sure, for sure.
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No, it, it's and we're right in the thick of it now.
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I, I, I mean, if you're going to get your grass cattle put
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together, you've got about 30-40 days to do it.
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And again, I, I'm surprised any amount of cattle that show up,
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boy, there is lots of depth in buying power to try to get their
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hands on them. So great, great for the producer
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and and I'm I'm happy for him. Absolutely.
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Well, John, it is also a sorrowful time here in our
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industry as we are battling wildfires currently still in
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Oklahoma and Kansas, in the southwest sector of Kansas and
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in the Panhandle of Oklahoma. We have heard some just
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absolutely devastating news from some of our fellow cattlemen
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down there. It's never easy to walk through
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this valley. I've lived through it myself
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when we battled some wildfires here in North Central Kansas a
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few years ago and it is a very difficult time, but you and and
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your daughter have some things that you'd like to share about
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that if you'd like to go ahead, John.
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Well, it is, you're right. If you know you've ever been
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through it, it it's, it's something that is just etched in
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your your mind forever. It's estimated over 200,000
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acres have been burned in southern Kansas and and the
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Oklahoma Panhandle here in the last couple days.
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And like I said it, if you've ever been involved in one of
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these huge fires, it's, it's overwhelming that the
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devastation and I mean, from just seeing something one day
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and then coming back the next and it just looks like the moon,
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but it's overwhelming and really an emotional nightmare.
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Even if you consider yourself impregnable emotion wise,
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you'll, you'll be over, you'll be overtaken with, with the,
10:17
with the situation. And my daughter and son-in-law
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went through the through one of those fires and they were
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consumed back in 2000 and 17 around Roston, Oklahoma.
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They had a pretty sizable ranch there and, and they managed to
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save their home and save, you know, their cattle.
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They had some circles that they could move their cattle on to
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that was green, but lost pretty much all of their grass.
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And then it it dominoes into so many other things.
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Lauren, like you mentioned, you know, the smoke damage to cattle
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and you'll have a lot of cattle that that don't die, but they're
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in a sense unmurchable much, much like a Blizzard, only only
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worse Blizzard. It'll melt off.
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You got something to come back to.
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But anyway, all their fences gone and it doesn't matter if
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you got steel boasts or wood boast because the tinsels gone
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all out of that wire and it just needs to be ripped out.
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And the amount of work that once they get it put out from that
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point on is unbelievable, unbelievable the damage and and
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it affects so many things that just the onlooker doesn't even
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appreciate unless you're there. But I wanted to share a little
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bit about what my what my daughter wrote yesterday.
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And this is coming and they weren't involved in it.
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This time. Our my son-in-law is down there
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helping with the effort, but somebody that has just been
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through it and she states that this would have been yesterday.
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It's Ash Wednesday and our Great Plains are covered in ash.
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I know words can seem small in a time where the smell of smoke
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still fills the air. For so many, the ashes aren't
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just a symbol on their forehead. They're also on their boots,
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their land, and in their lungs. To the firefighters standing in
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the heat and the ranchers looking over the scorched earth,
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the fire may have the moment, but God has the victory.
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In the Bible, ashes represent mourning, but they also
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represent the starting point for a miracle.
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Isaiah 61, verse 3 promises beauty instead of ashes.
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Just as the season turn, what is burnt today will be fertile
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ground for tomorrow's growth. I saw it in 2017 and I know I
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will see it again. Lord, we pray for the weary,
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that strength would defy their exhaustion, for the grieving a
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peace that surpasses understanding, and for the land,
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a healing rain and a green resurrection.
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The cross is a reminder that even after the darkest Friday,
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Sunday is coming, the fire may take the grass and the smoke may
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hide the sun, but it cannot touch the spirit of community of
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our farmers and ranchers. Hold the line, keep the faith
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and you know, ask yourself really how blessed and how
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fortunate all of us are really. And I make a plea to all of you.
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If you have one ounce of compassion and and there's no
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way the media, Facebook or whatever you're looking at can
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replicate what's really going on down there.
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If you've ever been in it. And I hope that all of you would
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would join me in contributing to help these ranching families.
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These are people that are out working, are contributing to
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commerce, to society and everything and just have
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everything taken away from them. And I just would urge everybody
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to show some kind of support and, and I know a lot of people
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have in 17, you know, our kids were overwhelmed with with help
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and all of it was appreciated. You can go to the Oklahoma
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Cattlemen's Association and my daughter said they were really
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good back in 17 and they distribute 100% of the funds
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that they take in. And Lauren, I, I, I should have
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mentioned this before, but if we can put some kind of a flyer or
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tab or, or, or something with, with our podcast, because I know
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people don't write, write these down.
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You can play it back, but it's box 82395 and that's at Oklahoma
14:37
City 73148. You need to reference or memo
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fire relief or you can go to okcattlemen.org and make sure
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you do that in all caps. Okay, cattlemen.org and and
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they'll give you a detailed analysis of where you can go.
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I know Ashland Feed and Seed is accepting hay feed and fencing
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and so is the Shaw feed yard down there in Ashland, KS as
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well. If any one of the winter
15:10
livestock family, it's not that far north to Dodge City or or to
15:15
Pratt there. If any of these locations can be
15:18
of any assistance to anybody involved in that fire.
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If you need a place to house and to feed some animals.
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Any of you local ranchers that are impacted by the fire, our
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facility is 100% available to you.
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So, and, and that goes for any location, especially Pratt and
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Dodge. But here in La Hana or in
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Salina, we're there for you as well.
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And don't don't worry about it. We'll, we want to help any, any
15:45
way that we can. So again, I, I just a plea to
15:49
just take a second out and if it's 20 bucks, if it's 200
15:53
bucks, if it's $2000 a year from now, you will have forgotten all
15:58
about even how much it was. So sat down, write a check,
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awesome hay drive down, volunteer, do what you're
16:06
capable of doing. It's really in our lives.
16:09
It it's a small portion of what we do.
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What whatever the amount that, that you can give and you can
16:14
help with them. And unlike a lot of things, this
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money is put out into the community and it will do some
16:21
good. So thank you in advance for your
16:23
support. Yeah, for sure.
16:25
And I just want to share a few more resources on that and just
16:28
some thoughts too, because we're obviously battling it in Kansas.
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And I have some friends with the Kansas Livestock Association and
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they do the exact same thing that Oklahoma is doing.
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If you want to give to them, 100% of that relief goes to our
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individuals that are impacted by the fires throughout the state
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as well. I know that Oklahoma does the
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same thing, but here in Kansas and we also have some drop off
16:50
locations scattered throughout the state so that if you have,
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hey, if you have fencing supplies, if you have things
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like that, that you want to donate but you do not know how
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to get it to the Panhandle or to southwest Kansas, just get a
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hold of your state livestock association and they will get
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you in touch with a drop off location.
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My friend Justine and David Johns, they have a drop off
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location in Minneapolis, Kansas. We have some people in southeast
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Kansas, central Kansas, all of those things where you can go
17:16
and take this and drop it off. I know one of the biggest needs
17:20
across both states right now is not just hay and supplies, but
17:24
it's also people willing and able to haul all of that hay and
17:28
supplies. So if you have a semi, if you
17:31
have a pickup that has a flatbed or just anything like that, that
17:34
you have the ability and are willing to take this weekend to
17:38
go spend some time just driving across the country a little bit
17:40
to deliver some of this hay, deliver some of these supplies,
17:43
or just donate gas and fuel to these people that are willing to
17:47
do it. I know that that is a really big
17:48
deed right now because donations are starting to pile up and
17:52
there's just not enough people to start taking them down there.
17:55
So definitely get a hold of either Oklahoma's Cattlemen's
17:58
Association or the Kansas Livestock Association, and they
18:02
will be able to send you in the right direction on whatever that
18:05
looks like. And as John said, I will have
18:07
every single one of those possible resources where you can
18:10
give donate information, all of those things down in the show
18:14
notes for you guys. So whatever platform you're
18:15
listening on, whether it be YouTube or just on any of our
18:18
other podcast platforms, make sure you check out those show
18:21
notes. And like John said, if it's $20,
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that's amazing. Because guess what, If every
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single person that listened to this episode John gave $20, we'd
18:30
be able to rebuild a ranch. Yeah, right.
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But I think the most, and I am guilty of this, but take the
18:38
next step. You know, it's not that hard,
18:40
but we all think I need to do that.
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God Dang it. I remember.
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And while it's fresh on your mind, but just boy, dedicate
18:46
yourself and, and, and it's not that hard to find who to call,
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where to send the money to, what to do.
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And you think, oh, there's so many.
18:53
I don't know what to do or where to go.
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We'll try to make that available.
18:57
But whether it's the KL idea or the Oklahoma Cattlemen's
19:00
Association, and those are just a couple, but just to reinforce
19:05
it, just take take the next step, boy.
19:08
Just write the check and send it.
19:10
You'll feel better about yourself.
19:12
And like I said during this time of Lent, why, you know, let's
19:15
help some people that need some help.
19:17
Yeah, absolutely. I think everything that your
19:20
daughter stated and said and her write up just worded it so
19:24
perfectly. And I think that this is a
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situation that is impossible to put into words until you've
19:30
lived it and until you've driven through it, until you've seen it
19:33
and until you've experienced it. And if you're a person listening
19:37
to this that has experienced that, John and I's hearts go out
19:40
to you and our prayers go out to you.
19:41
And that if you haven't experienced it, I pray that you
19:44
would have some empathy for the people that are and that you
19:48
would take some time to try and put yourself in their shoes and
19:51
then really understand what this disaster is doing to our
19:55
cattlemen across the country right now.
19:57
It is absolutely devastating, I think from a financial
20:00
standpoint. But then.
20:01
Also from a mental health standpoint, and so if you or
20:04
anyone that you know is also struggling with any demons that
20:08
come alongside this, I will also have some resources down below
20:11
for that. And I encourage people that if
20:13
you're not battling with that, don't be afraid to ask people
20:17
that might be looking someone in the eye and asking them, are you
20:20
OK? And meaning it, really meaning
20:22
it because right now is a very trial filled time in our
20:26
industry. And I think that more than
20:28
anything, this is going to show that we are here for each other.
20:30
But like John said, don't just talk about it, actually do it.
20:34
Whether that be giving a shoulder to cry on, an ear to
20:37
talk to or pulling out that pocketbook and just giving $20
20:41
today. I think every single thing that
20:43
we could possibly do as a cattle industry is going to be
20:44
appreciated. Yeah, well, these, these, these
20:48
are our people. And there and many of them left,
20:50
you know, and it's a it's a struggle.
20:52
And you think about all the battles that we bring up and
20:56
that we fight and it just seems overwhelming.
21:00
And the odds are against us because we are so few.
21:03
And then just to get kicked in the head by something like this
21:07
that we know is always out there and it it's just, it's just
21:11
overwhelming. Yeah, it absolutely, absolutely
21:15
is. And I, I just play once again
21:17
that if you're listening to this, take a second out of your
21:20
day to support in any way that you possibly can, whether that
21:23
be supplies, hay hauling or financial donations.
21:27
I think everyone appreciates it because like you said, John, we
21:30
are a community and there's not a lot of us left.
21:32
And so we've got to come up and support each other in times of
21:35
need and when we are able to. So any other closing thoughts,
21:39
John? And I think that's it.
21:41
Hopefully, you know, they get things to win.
21:43
They're all supposed to die down today and they can, you know,
21:46
kind of get get things, get the fire put out.
21:49
I haven't heard much status since yesterday, but today,
21:54
hopefully a, a better day. But it's just, you know, I, I
21:57
remember when they were fighting the fire there at Roston, they
22:00
had tanker truck after tanker truck.
22:02
And those people are all volunteers, you know, and, and
22:06
it was just amazing, you know, thank, thank goodness that they
22:10
were there. But it's not like it's A and
22:12
those people are qualified, but it's not like they, they've been
22:16
through some, you know, complete training program that I, I mean
22:20
those guys that well, yeah, hell, I'll go out.
22:22
But with this fight in these fires, it is big business
22:26
meaning mentally on on how to do it and how to go about it.
22:30
And, and it was eye opening to me things that I never
22:33
appreciated, you know, back burning things.
22:36
And we had cattle there on one of these circles, but they
22:39
didn't have any water. Well, we had about four tanker
22:43
trucks, but you know, nobody was and I'm not being critical, but
22:47
nobody was authorized to really. Oh no, we can't get rid of the
22:50
water. And I finally reasoned with the
22:52
guys and say, you know, it's all about saving these cattle and
22:56
and we've got only one phase of it done.
22:58
But if we don't get them some water here, everything we have
23:01
done is in vain. Finally one of the chief, they
23:03
had guys stepped up and he said Jesus crime to go to dump in
23:07
that water. We can get some more in 30
23:08
minutes that, you know, but, but in the same sense there, there's
23:12
another side to that, you know, in case of loss of life or, or a
23:16
house or property, why those guys needed to be ready and they
23:19
were following instructions. But it just kind of brings home
23:23
the complications that are associated with, with a lot of
23:27
that. You know, there was 1 ranch
23:29
there north of Roston Bay. The smoke was so bad, they
23:33
rolled one of the fire trucks down into a Canyon.
23:36
And you know, three guys are in the hospital and, and just, it's
23:39
just, it's really, it's really just devastating.
23:42
So anyway, but enough sad and and better times are around the
23:48
corner and it's it's going to green up and but let's let's
23:52
while we can and what while it's on our mind.
23:56
Absolutely. And I think one last word of
23:58
encouragement on it is everyone is going to be talking about
24:01
this for the next two weeks. It's going to be on everyone's
24:04
mind. You're going to see it all over
24:05
Facebook. You're going to see it on all of
24:07
your media things. But remember in three weeks to
24:10
still check in on those people. Remember in four weeks, remember
24:13
in the next three months, because this is not one of those
24:15
natural national disasters. Natural disasters, excuse me,
24:18
that is going to go away quickly.
24:21
So remember those people in the coming weeks as we continue to
24:24
go forward. And if you can't help this week,
24:26
again, I know that help in a month is still going to be
24:29
greatly appreciated as well. So yes, John, thank you as
24:34
always for your time. To all of you listeners out
24:36
there, make sure you check out the show notes down below.
24:37
I'm going to have all of those links and everything that we
24:39
talked about today down there where you can find more
24:42
information on how to help, where to help, and what is truly
24:45
needed. So John, thank you for your
24:46
time. And to all of you listeners,
24:48
thank you for listening to another episode.
24:49
We'll see y'all next time.