Jena, I felt the same as you, we raise our cattle the same way you do and we've always marketed them as "naturally raised". I figured that if nothing else, when things got tough, we could sell them as sides to folks that were looking for a good safe alternative to supermarket beef. Be damned if the feedlot guys didn't beat us all to the punch. They were selling pounds of hamburger for $1/lb and pick your steer and we'll have it buchered for you at $0.35/lb. Calves we sold last year for $600/weanling (longhorn or longhorn cross), sold this year for $300 and we were darned happy to get it. The only saving grace was that the older stock, sitting in feedlots were looking like they might be moved. I can tell you that your markets are going to swing radically, up sky high one week and down the tubes the next and each week depends on what hope we got from the ag department. I pray that all of you suffer far less than so many here have.
amelia, as a producer, I have to agree with you about selling down cattle. They should never have to suffer through transport and everything else, some do it to try and recover what little they can on the cow, most of us, accept it and write it off. I guess in saying that, it would only mean that BSE would be in your country and you wouldn't be aware of it. When an animal is down, it's in final stages and it could just as easily be an animal in the early stages showing now physical signs and the problem would be just as real.
KY Guest, I can see your point and I suppose a lot of people share responsability for this but I'd like to add one more group. Vets have become businessmen and so many are quick to move phone diagnosis and even when asked to make an on site visit, will usually avoid, put you off or flat out refuse possibly because they're busy, I know we have a shortage. I can think of a couple cases, a neighbor called the vet to see why his cattle were suddenly dying, he needed a necropsy. Vet advised the rancher that it was because of drought conditions and the grass could be toxic, move the herd. A total of 13 animals died in rapid sucession before the vet found the time to come and and make a proper diagnosis, anthrax and 16 carcasses to dispose of, according to federal regulations. In most places, if someone calls the vet with a down cow, they'll be told that it's milk fever, slam her with some cal mag and that should do it. Cow dies, rancher believes that he just didn't get her treated in time or she was too far gone. Rancher calls vet on monday with a cow down and the vet offers some general help, rancher calls a week or so later with another situation and gets general help, this will continue forever and the vet will make no connection or anything but general recomendations so the next time a cow starts showing early symptoms of the same thing, maybe some ranchers would sell the cow. Each of the situations that I've cited have come from long standing relationships with various vet clinics, not just people that pick a number out of the phone book in times of trouble.