"We work every day...not just sale day!"

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

ARE WE WORTH OUR SALT?

At BILL PELTON Livestock its easy for us to get excited about our committment to the livestock industry and our mission of giving back to a way of life that has served us over the years. The redesign and rebirth of our web site is in line with our goals and objectives of helping livestock and allied industry folks across the country continue to grow and prosper. Your comments and suggestions are important to us so we hope you'll take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with its workings and let us know what you think. Our team is looking forward to the new sale season and ask that you contact us to see how we might best earn your business. Again, thanks for taking a look and remember, "We work for our clients every day...not just sale day!"

Thursday, August 25, 2011

NILE Merit Hefier

NILE Merit Heifer applications are due to the NILE office (postmarked) on or before September 15th. Each year 25 quality heifers are awarded to deserving young people who are the future of the livestock business. Any 4-H and/or FFA member from Montana and surrounding states between the ages of 13 and 17 is elligeble to apply. Applications are available on line at www.meritheifer.com. To see photos and complete blog details click on the icon.

Monday, August 22, 2011

HOW TO NAVIGATE THE SALE CALENDAR

First, click on the SALE CALENDAR tab, then find the sale date in one of two ways. Click on the named sale on a specific date via the calendar or go to the list below the calendar and click to open the sale data page.

If the sale has video, an icon will apprear along with a list of the lots and lot pages. Click on the lot number to view the video and see the pedigree data. In addidion to the individual video, a PDF of the catalog is available plus the ad is hot linked to the breeder's web site.

For sales without individual videos the catalog is available as well as a hot link on the ad that will lead to the breeder's web site if they have one.

At the bottom of the page, you'll find additional information regarding the sale as well as breeder contact information.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

LABOR DAY, ANGUS TOUR & NILE

Back to School and Labor Day are just aroung the corner. Summer's almost over!

Mark your calendar for September 21-23 to attend the Montana Angus tour hosted by the North Central Montana Angus Association. As usual they will kick off on Wednesday with a golf scramble. Then on Thursday and Friday you'll see a number of Montana's finest Angus operations and recieve the best of hospitality. You won't want to miss this one! Contact Lori Swanson of Shipwheel Cattle Co. at shipwheelcattle@itstriangle.com for complete details and registration information.

NILE will be a week later than normal this year. The date is October 19-22 just a short month after the Angus tour and followed by the fall sale season. Time flies when you're having fun, right?





Saturday, August 13, 2011

When you're hot you're hot!

A few weeks ago I was getting calls from Idaho looking for Montana hay since a good amount of Idaho hay was going to California dairys as a result of less than ideal conditions in that region. Then last week it was calls from Texas and Oklahoma seeking Montana pasture to run cows over until the drought breaks and grass supplies come back. Now this week I am getting calls from local producers asking about wintering cost for replacement heifers. Today I talked with a local feeder who said he could build on because of all the calls he is getting from breeders wanting to retain and develop replacements. In the midst of it all, even with the Dow Jones makeing unprecedented fluctuations, the cattle market has continued to strengthen. Don't you wish those who have gone before us were here to experience the prices we are seeing for livestock. How about the price of lambs? Well over two dollars a pound live. Hard to believe! Now more than ever, quality assurance plays a vital role in how we raise and produce our product. How fortunate are we to have such strong world demand for a product we have all taken for granted? What ever we do, we must take any and all measures to make certian that our product's quality stays high so it's acceptance continues to remain strong. Let me leave you with a pearl of Scottish wisdom.
Money cannot buy happiness, but somehow it is more comfortable to cry in a Mercedes Benz than it is on a bycycle.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

This site powered by White Knuckle Design

Why would an old codger like me decide to redesign and launch a new web site when I know from past experience building a web site can put even the best of technical minds to the test and maybe even in the nut house? This is my third time thru this gruelling exercise in the past fifteen years. You'd think I'd learn. It only took one divorce so why does it take three web sites? And who knows, maybe a fourth in the future! At any rate, I figured it'd take most of the summer not thinking it'd take the whole damn summer. I know, summer's not complete but neither is the web site, however, both are becoming a lot closer to reality. The good news is I think I made the right decision in choosing a web development company. One that employees know how and responsive people who seem to understand my country mentality. Sometimes we have to discuss it a couple times and in a couple of different ways and languages but we finally get it figured out to my satisfaction and most likely not to theirs. Anxious to give it a test run to see where all the weak spots are and can't wait to unveil the new baby to the rest of my cowboy friends. You can bet some of them will let me know where the holes are. That's what friends are for, right? Stay tuned we're making hay :)

Friday, August 5, 2011

Who wants to go on the Rollercoaster?

Doesn't seem to matter if its at the State Fair or the Dow Jones these days, both will give you the ride of your life with only the State Fair advertising thrills and chills. The last couple of days of stock market girations is enough to cause diahrrea at a constipation convention. Over the years I've been instructed to take the Rip VanWinkle approach and sleep thru the ups and downs but quite honestly I'm finding it hard to do the closer I get to that age where napping a couple times a day might be a reality. Makes me wonder why I didn't have it invested in cows the whole time. Think about it though, if cows had been allowed in 401ks, all the wannabes on Wall Street would have been in the cow business and the cattle market would be in the tank too!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Who turned up the heat?

Glad I'm not living in Texas! Right here in Billings Montana its been hovering around 100 degrees for the last couple of weeks and I'm not used to it. However, relief may be in sight.I talked to a ranch wife in Western Montana on Monday who told me their furnace kicked on that morning and she and the kids were wearing sweatshirts around the house to keep warm. Wish their cold front would work its way East and give us some relief. The good news is it never gets too hot to ride a good horse, fish, or play golf. I don't own the good horse so I walked eighteen holes today with a friend from out of town and I'm headed to Great Falls with my boat for a weekend of fishing with a former co-worker and his family. Oh yes, I will take in the State Fair while in Great Falls so I may get the chance to bet on the good horse too.