Home for a few minutes.... Did calves this morning. Wind is drying out ground fast ...
Oh, dumped the rain gauges.... 1.9 inches in both of them..... WOW..... more than I would have believed.
Went and set up at the farm, for this afternoon.... Then had to go get the 2 things that got left at a farm last month... haven't been in that direction to just run by to get them... and I need 24 meters for tomorrow's herd so needed the pieces. PITA again. Got the 2 pieces, then stopped at TSC.... DS gave me a gift card for there and I wanted to see if they had another calf bottle; the kind I like; and treated myself to a bird feeder that they had marked down a couple dollars and I saw back awhile ago and liked. So I got it, found a "bottle brush" to help try to get to the bottom of the calf bottles, to clean them, but no calf bottle like I want. So, spent part of the gift card, and then came on home.
Called the herd for tomorrow to see how they made out with the past weather, and if they still wanted to test, and they said yes, let's go on and do it, as long as it works for me. I just decided that I would like to get it done and it will be a push tomorrow but I will do it.
Got all the meters in the car for tomorrow, and the hoses. Then came in and got the bottles all into trays, for this afternoon and for tomorrow's herd. Unloaded bird feeder and bag of bird seed, and the extra bag of milk replacer I had gotten when I was at the feed store last week.
So, I am in, ate some lunch and going to sit for a few minutes before I have to leave at 4 to go to farm to test. Will go back there in the morning, test, do the computer stuff, get the meters out of the parlor, come home, go feed calves, and then go to test the 240 cow herd for Thursday afternoon. Going to be a push...
@Mini Horses sent me a link to an article in Beef Magazine... regarding the beef cow inventory, the lack of cattle numbers to go on feed so that the buyers are going to have to pay more for the available cattle. Also, the beef cow inventory will be coming out the end of the month... and with the weather conditions in the mid-west and expected % loss of calves ( it is figured into most cattleman's numbers since calving in the winter, to get calves bigger to go out on grass, you have to allow for a % of loss) on top of the decreased breeding cattle from sell off's this past year (and some from previous years) due to the drought.... there are going to be less and less available calves this spring....
What it is getting at is that the cattle prices ought to be quite good this year... which I have been saying for the last 2 years... I don't have as much faith in the prices holding all year and into next year as some do... but this spring the prices ought to be real good.
Since DS said that he wanted to sell a group next month, then sell most all the weaned calves we have this spring, and I said I agreed.... we ought to be able to keep some pastures around the barn empty and let the grasses grow and even go to seed this year. Give them a break and them have grass to bring cattle home from summer pastures .... preferably in Nov like we used to do...
Plus, with expected higher calf prices, maybe get some bills caught up/paid off and get some things done that need doing...
Thanks
@Mini Horses for the reference link..... yes, I try to keep up on some of this stuff besides just using long time experiences... but I always read any and everything I can find to get other's opinions.... just to know.. which way the winds are b lowing in other cattle areas.
Some good comments on the way other countries are trending too... especially with grain production....grain should be a little cheaper, so feed should stay the same at worst, and a little cheaper at best. Corn here in the US is down from the over $7 a bushel highs, down to the more "usual" $5 a bushel. Used to be corn was $3-$4 a bushel, but with the increased costs of producing it, $5 is still not bad... I know people with buying feed in small amounts feel it, and even with us buying by the ton we feel the increased prices.... but it is better than it was. Plus, nitrogen for fertilizer has dropped down from nearly $1.00 to about $.55... I think that is by the pound... but regardless... it is alot better than it was.
Got to get bottles in the car and get something to drink and get ready to go test. Temps got up to 44 but it has been sooooo windy all day... down to 38 already this afternoon....Not but a peek of sun all day... not much better tomorrow, then rain coming in again on Friday.
Also, vet preg check confirmed for Monday so whatever we can get moved to the barn for this trip.... doubt we will get the ones out of the nurse cow pasture... it is pretty wet up there where we have to back into the gate at the barn there. We'll see...
