texas drought and cattle prices

So what are cattle prices in tx doing if every one is selling off cattle?A person would think the market is flooded.

I've been thinking the same thing- hamburg should be 20 cents a pound! The ones still on the hoof don't live forever, and froze ones don't keep all that long

Well, I'm in WI, not TX, but here's what I see...
I sent a cull cow and a beef-cross calf to market last week. Slaughter cattle prices are down, but not terrible. The supply/demand relationship is tight enough to keep prices somewhat stable, for now. Calf prices are way down, as there are far fewer buyers, due to feed costs (and in some areas, feed availability). The calf brought $35, where it would have brought $125 maybe 6 months ago.
But if you think lower prices at the farm mean lower prices at the store, think again. It just means bigger margins for processors and retailers. Look at what happened 2 1/2 years ago when farm milk prices dropped 45% in a couple weeks... retail prices dropped maybe 10-15%, over a couple months. If you want cheap(er) beef, find a farmer/rancher who will sell direct by the 1/4 or 1/2.

IMHO, supply high and demand still moderate. Prices fluctuating down a little. Over the next 3-4 years supply low and demand really high. Prices go way up especially for replacement heifers and cows.

West Auction in West,Tx
MARKET REPORT OF TOTAL HEAD: 1455
Market Analysis for sale of 08/04/11:
Packer cows and bulls - steady to $3 higher. Good young bred cows and pairs - steady. #1 stocker steers and heifers - steady to $3 higher. #1 feeder steers and heifers - steady. Participating in this sale were 9 packer buying companies, 23 order buying companies, and 34 country buyers.


High Yielding Slaughter Bulls ---------------------------------------- $76.00 $79.50 per cwt.
Medium Yielding Bulls ------------------------------------------------- $69.00 $74.00 per cwt.
High Yielding Slaughter Cows --------------------------------------- $63.00 $70.00 per cwt.
Medium Yielding Slaughter Cows ----------------------------------- $57.00 $61.00 per cwt.
Low Yielding Cows ----------------------------------------------------- $44.00 $49.00 per cwt.
Fat Cows ------------------------------------------------------------------ $63.00 $68.00 per cwt.

Good Young Pair -------------------------------------------------------- $1,050.00 $1,150.00 per pair
6-8 Year Old Cows with Light Calves at Side ---------------------- $850.00 $900.00 per pair

Good Pregnancy Tested Cows --------------------------------------- $850.00 $950.00 per head
Good Pregnancy Tested Cows 6-7 Years Old ---------------------- $775.00 $900.00 per head

#1 TYPE STEERS
200# - 300# ---------------------------------------------------------------- $115.00 $212.50 per cwt.
300# - 400# ---------------------------------------------------------------- $110.00 $170.00 per cwt.
400# - 500# ---------------------------------------------------------------- $108.00 $149.00 per cwt.
500# - 600# ---------------------------------------------------------------- $105.00 $138.00 per cwt.
600# - 700# ---------------------------------------------------------------- $100.00 $127.00 per cwt.

#1 TYPE HEIFERS
200# - 300# ---------------------------------------------------------------- $110.00 $177.00 per cwt.
300# - 400# ---------------------------------------------------------------- $108.00 $166.00 per cwt.
400# - 500# ---------------------------------------------------------------- $105.00 $142.00 per cwt.
500# - 600# ---------------------------------------------------------------- $100.00 $130.00 per cwt.
600# - 700# ---------------------------------------------------------------- $100.00 $125.00 per cwt.

I got $1.84 kg for my steer . The price of dog offcuts in the Supermarket is $2.79 per kg. which indicates I should be selling my prime beef for dog food.