EPISODE 167 DETAILS

We are constantly working to highlight unique and innovative programs that bring you the very best genetics within their prospective breeds.  Today, we introduce you to Clear Springs Cattle Company and the philosophy behind the Bred For Balance Sale featuring quality Simmental and SimAngus Genetics.  

Many parts of the country are being hit by winter weather conditions.  But that has not slowed down the feeder cattle market!  Is there no limit to where these feeder cattle prices can go?  Be bring you a market report from Faith Livestock Auction in Faith, South Dakota; Torrington Livestock in Torrington, Wyoming; and the Joplin Regional Stockyards in Joplin, Missouri.

CLEAR SPRINGS CATTLE COMPANY & THE BRED FOR BALANCE SALE

The Wulf Family

In 1949, Leonard Wulf moved to Minnesota when he married the love of his life, Vi. There they raised their family and lots of sheep and cattle. Jim was one of 11 children and learned to love cattle from his Dad, which he passed down to his sons. In 2011, Jim, Twyla, Travis and Brady moved south of Starbuck to start their ranch, Clear Springs Cattle Company. This is when the family transitioned from Limousin to Simmental. They then teamed up with Hook Farms to start marketing genetics under the Bred For Balance brand.

The Ranch

Located on the Glacial Ridge, surrounded by rolling prairie and oak savannas, Clear Springs has a unique landscape for Minnesota. The namesake is the many natural springs they have captured to water the cattle, providing them with some of the cleanest water in the world. Every acre is managed with soil health in mind, from intensive rotation on the pastureland to no till and cover crops practiced on the farmland. The vacation rental house on the ranch allows us to share our beautiful views and rural lifestyle with others.

The Herd

Grown mainly from the Hook Farms herd, the current CLRS cowherd is “bred for balance”. Balance between genotype and physical traits, balance throughout their EPD profiles, and balance within the offering having both maternal and terminal oriented bulls. The latest tools and technology are used to further advance the genetics of the herd as well as good ol’ cowboy logic. They strive to graze as long as possible each year and develop seedstock with longevity in mind. The Wulf family, along with their affiliates Highland Acres, Anderson Cattle and Trails End market yearling bulls and select females through the Bred for Balance sale held each February.

BEEF ANTITRUST LITIGATION GETS MORE ENTRIES

According to Meating Place, The Big Four beef packing companies face yet another four lawsuits accusing them of conspiring to “fix, raise, stabilize and/or maintain the price of beef” sold to retailers since 2015, according to the documents in filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York last week.

The New York cases mirror allegations leveled in lawsuits filed over the last few months in North Carolina and Illinois, and a case filed in 2022 by several quick-service restaurant chains. The Illinois case and those that were filed earlier have been transferred to the Minnesota District Court to be consolidated with other, similar antitrust cases in Multidistrict Litigation.

All of those lawsuits resemble previous litigation against beef packers that garnered settlements in the tens of millions of dollars, at the same time that the Department of Justice and Congress scrutinized their practices. 

In the most recent New York-based cases, BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc., Gordon Food Service Inc. and Glazer Foods Co.,  Quality Supply Chain Co-Op Inc. (QSCC) and Target Corp., all accused Cargill Inc., JBS S.A., National Beef Packing Co. and Tyson Foods Inc. of coordinating or manipulating beef prices to levels they would not have reached without the alleged actions, according to court documents. The separate filings also accuse several operating affiliates of the four processors of participating in the alleged violations of the Sherman Act through “anticompetitive means” concerning the price of boxed and case-ready meat. The four defendants sold approximately 80% of the more than 25 million pounds of fresh and frozen beef sold in the U.S. market in 2018 alone, each of the similar suits claim.

The latest lawsuits also all cite efforts by the U.S. Department of Justice and USDA in 2020 to investigate allegations of beef pricing practices among the current defendants going back to at least the beginning of 2015.

SALE BARN REPORTS

Faith Livestock Auction, Faith, South Dakota

https://www.faithlivestock.com/

@faithlivestock.livestock1

For the complete sale report, click HERE

Torrington Livestock, Torrington, Wyoming

https://www.torringtonlivestock.com/

@TorringtonLivestock

For the complete market report, click HERE

Joplin Regional Stockyards, Joplin, Wyoming

https://www.joplinstockyards.com/index.php

@JoplinStockyards

For the complete market report, click HERE

FEATURING

Travis Wulf, Clear Springs Cattle Company

https://www.bredforbalance.com/

@twulf09

Kirk Donsbach: Stone X Financial

https://www.stonex.com/  

@StoneXGroupInc   

Mark Van Zee 

Livestock Market, Equine Market, Auction Time

https://www.auctiontime.com/

https://www.livestockmarket.com/

https://www.equinemarket.com/

@LivestockMkt

@EquineMkt

@AuctionTime

Shaye Koester

Casual Cattle Conversation

https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/

@cattleconvos

Questions & Concerns From The Field?

Call or Text your questions, or comments to 707-RANCH20 or 707-726-2420

Or email [email protected]

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SUBSCRIBE to the Ranch It Up YouTube Channel: @ranchitup

Website: RanchItUpShow.com

https://ranchitupshow.com/

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Rural America is center-stage on this outfit.

AND how is that? Because of Tigger & BEC… Live This Western Lifestyle.

Tigger & BEC represent the Working Ranch world by providing the cowboys, cowgirls, beef cattle producers & successful farmers the knowledge and education needed to bring high-quality beef & meat to your table for dinner.

Learn more about Jeff ‘Tigger’ Erhardt & Rebecca Wanner aka BEC here: TiggerandBEC.com

https://tiggerandbec.com/

#RanchItUp #StayRanchy #TiggerApproved #tiggerandbec #rodeo #ranching #farming

References

https://www.stonex.com/

https://www.livestockmarket.com/

https://www.equinemarket.com/

https://www.auctiontime.com/

https://gelbvieh.org/

https://www.imogeneingredients.com/

https://alliedgeneticresources.com/

https://westwayfeed.com/

https://medoraboot.com/

https://www.bek.news/dakotacowboy

http://www.gostockmens.com/

https://www.lucky7angus.com/

https://www.bredforbalance.com/

https://www.wasemredangus.com/

https://ranchchannel.com/

https://www.faithlivestock.com/

https://www.faithlivestock.com/uploads/20240108Mon1.pdf

https://www.joplinstockyards.com/index.php

https://www.joplinstockyards.com/monday_thursday_weighted_averages.php

https://www.cattleusa.com/

https://www.torringtonlivestock.com/

https://www.torringtonlivestock.com/sale%20results/January3_2024Market.pdf

https://www.meatingplace.com/Industry/News/Details/112846