# Fixing The Current Beef Industry Model - Bill Helming



## prairie (Jun 20, 2008)

Fixing The Current Beef Industry Model - Bill Helming 




He hit the nail on the head! Still true even with $4.00 corn.


----------



## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Thats so true. Who the hell wants to pay $10 a lb for steak when they can buy burger for $2.50-3 a lb. They stores and packers have to stop being so greedy.


----------



## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

I have been saying this same thing for a long time. Not only in beef but also for pork here in Canada. With pork the focus was the high end Japan market which priced us out of most other markets. And they only took a small amount anyways.


----------



## Chessiedog (Jul 24, 2009)

One large problem to many high paying jobs have left . So of course people are going to look for the cheaper food , trying to make ends meets . Everything has gone up , except middle class jobs and pay . Like 50 some thing thousand dollar pickups ,crazy . I just don't see how a pickup can be worth that .


----------



## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Chessiedog said:


> One large problem to many high paying jobs have left . So of course people are going to look for the cheaper food , trying to make ends meets . Everything has gone up , except middle class jobs and pay . Like 50 some thing thousand dollar pickups ,crazy . I just don't see how a pickup can be worth that .


Ya and they are not built to last like the ones from 30 or 40 years ago. I just priced a new ram 3500 quad cab diesel 4x4 long box dually because my 03 exact same thing is getting older. They want over 65k and want to give me 5k for mine. I asked the guy if that was just for my motor and he just stared at me like duh. How could I afford 65k for a new truck. No chance. Now I would have to go buy a used one that who knows who drove and how they deove and oh by the way when it breaks down in 2 weeks like my last one you get sorry about your luck.


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I am concerned as to where beef prices are headed. All the cattle owners I know are either buying more or selling out.

We know there is a beef shortage here in the U.S. That alone can not predict the future prices of cattle we sell. There has to be supply and demand. The demand is what has me a little concerned. If John Q. Public can not afford to buy what we produce then cattle farmers/ranchers could easily have something people want but can not afford.

The retail market and the packer operations buy at a price that guarantees them a profit. We as producers do not have that luxury.

If sales slow, slaughter numbers decline and the price paid to the farmer goes down.


----------



## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

We market most of ours privately to people cut and wrapped. We make alot more and they save alot more. Cuts out all the middle gangsters. Everybody is happy.


----------



## ETXhayman (Jul 19, 2012)

One thing that Bill touched on is the efficiency of the poultry industry. Literally within 60-80 days the main poultry producers can ramp down production due to unfavorable market conditions and wait for the market to rebound (it usually rebounds rather quickly due to less chicken produced) before resuming full on production. The beef industry simply can't do this and many times they get left out to dry.


----------



## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

ontario hay man said:


> We market most of ours privately to people cut and wrapped. We make alot more and they save alot more. Cuts out all the middle gangsters. Everybody is happy.


I do some of this too, not all my beef but some. I find it better to be a price setter than a price taker. Going to auction a lot of the time I have been doing really good. But than there are always a few head than just bomb and you think to yourself why? I should have just left them home. Or they were just as good as the last group. But selling them on a rail price I set is nice. But sometime dealing with picky people is not so fun but Iam getting good at that since some are picky when they want hay too


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

We tried raising finished beef to those who wanted farm raised. The problem here is that people expect it at give away prices.

Also got tired of trying to explain yield and shrink.

With the current prices it is easier to sell them as weaned calves.


----------

