I wanna again welcome you to The 405 Coffee Break. Guys, grab a cup of coffee, glass iced tea, or bottled water, find a shady spot, and let's see what's happening. Spring wheat $5.64 a bushel, 550lb steer calf. I'm gonna give you a range because all steer calves are not created equal. $5 to $5.65 a pound, and a 100lb fat lamb in Billings $3.08 a pound on the top end. But guys, there's more, much more.
You know what? I love a thunderstorm. You ever like to go out there and watch the lightning and see the rainfall? I thought I'd share about this fascinating feature of life. We all need the rain. It happens everywhere. Some places more than others. We understand that. But we all see a thunderstorm sometime. So bible verse from Leviticus 26 verse 4. I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crop and the trees their fruit. Leviticus 26 verse 4.
Oh, yeah. We're thankful for the rain. Let's focus on it today. Let's look at the value of a thunderstorm. Long before there were weather apps, radar maps, and television forecasts, people learned to respect the thunderstorm. They could hear it coming, a distant rumble, a darkening sky, a sudden cool breeze racing across the hot field, and then nature would put on one of the greatest shows on earth.
A thunderstorm is far more than noise and rain. It's one of the planet's most powerful natural engines. Listen to this, guys. At any given moment, there are roughly 2,000 thunderstorms occurring somewhere on Earth. At any moment, scientists estimate that there are about 16,000,000 thunderstorms developed around the globe every year. 16,000,000.
And every one of them begins with something simple, warm air rising. As that air rises, moisture condenses into clouds, tiny droplets become larger droplets, ice crystals form high above, electric charges separate, positive and negative charges build until nature can no longer contain them, then comes the lightning.
A single lightning bolt can heat the air around it to nearly 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Their expanse so rapidly that it creates a shock wave. We call that shock wave thunder. And while lightning gets the attention, rain may be the real hero. Thunderstorms provide much of the rainfall that replenishes rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and waters the crops.
Farmers have depended upon thunderstorms for generations. Without them, well, many regions would struggle to produce even a small amount of food, but thunderstorms do something else. They remind us how small we are.
A person can build a skyscraper. A person can launch satellites into space or send information around the world in a fraction of a second. Yet one thunderstorm rolling across the prairie still commands respect. I can't do that, but I can watch it. People step onto their porches and watch.
Children, count the seconds between lightning and thunder. Neighbors pause over conversations and look towards the horizon. That storm demands our attention, and there is beauty in it. The towering clouds can rise more than 10 miles into the sky. Lightning may flash across entire counties.
Rain can transform a dusty landscape into one filled with life again. And, guys, even the smell after a storm is remarkable. It's a smell that many people recognize instantly, and that smell often brings back memories of their childhood. Perhaps that's why thunderstorms remain fascinating. They are powerful yet beneficial.
They're dangerous yet beautiful. They're ancient yet new every time we see one appear. And when the storm finally moves away, leaving only a few distant rumbles beyond the horizon, well, the world seems refreshed somehow. The grass is greener. The air is cleaner.
The sky is brighter. And we're reminded once again that some of nature's greatest lessons arrive with a flash of light, a clap of thunder, and a little bit of rain. Oh, yes. We are thankful for the rain, especially at this time of the year. Have a good weekend, guys. So until next time, as you go out there, remember now, don't be bitter.