Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Just a few places to look up some of what is going on. I don't know how to cut and paste and all that but here are some references. NFU.org.... Defends Family Beef producers against meat packers aggressive control.
Thefencepost.com .....US producers wary of Brazil's growing control.
R-Calf ... Any of their articles on lawsuits against the meat packers.
Drovers .... Cattle slaughter up 9,000 head even with the recent fire at the Finney County Ks. Tyson plant
Yahoo Finance.... how 4 companies control nearly all the meat in this country
JBS ... Harvest publications.... talking about some of the corruption in that company..
Ag Talk has different articles.
Tri-State Livestock news has an article on the recent proposed changes to the Packers and Stockyard Act....

 

[farmerjan]

The USDA processor near us pays $80 PER HOUR for the inspector to "inspect". There is no upcharge for USDA versus custom processing. I can presell the live animal, take it to slaughter, pick up and deliver the meat as a courtesy to the customer. To sell meat by the pound or package, it must be USDA inspected.

Yes, we can also sell the "live animal" and deliver it to our state inspected processing plant. BY LAW, the buyer of the animal is supposed to PAY THE PROCESSOR for the slaughter and packaging of their meat. I can deliver it as a courtesy.... it can get dicey if you do not know who you are selling to. TECHNICALLY I can sell 2 people the animal and they have to each pay half the costs... and they have to determine how they each want their half cut up and packaged.
Here the USDA plant charges more than our state inspected plant. The USDA approved plant has to cover the costs of what they are paying the USDA inspector.

 

[Baymule]

This place charges $1.05 per pound, hanging weight, for vacuum sealed slaughter, plus a kill fee. For a hog, it is $65. Lambs are a flat $85. There is no upcharge for pan sausage.

There is a custom slaughter place, run by Mennonites, they do a more thorough job. They will cure the bacon and hams, smoke meat and pan sausage. There is an upcharge for those services.

So far, those are the only two we have used.

 

[farmerjan]

Just a few things. We had PICTURE PERFECT weather on Sunday and Monday. Sunday was in the 80's clear, clean, no humidity, just absolutely beautiful. Such a nice break from all the heat and humidity. It was cloudy yesterday with some little showers, sprinkles but not alot. 70-72 tops. Today is supposed to be a bit warmer, some possible showers this morning, then clearing off for 3 days of sun, but temps back up in the mid-upper 80's . Still better than mid 90's.

Tested Tuesday morning, got one scheduled for Sat afternoon and one Sunday morning then a friends and family annual Labor day get together about 2 hours from here Sunday afternoon. May have another farm on Friday, but at this point I am probably going to put them off til next week. Got to do the one that I go up and stay over the night before, up in the Winchester area, 125 miles north, sometime next week it looks like.

Might be making some hay the next few days, but my son is talking about making the trip up to see his grandparents in NH. With Monday being a holiday, he is off so might be a good time to just take off an extra day and go. He is going to decide today he said.

We are getting our first few fall calves being born. Going to start watching the group of heifers closer as they will be starting here soon too.

Cattle markets are getting a little straightened out, prices on feeders still not where we can make a living, but better than they were 10 days ago. For anyone who might be interested, although it will probably be "over your head" in some ways... even I have some trouble following some of the more involved talk.... DV Auctions is on youtube and Corbitt Wall does a daily thing called "Feeder Flash".. If you go back to the earlier posts from about Aug 15th or so, he talks about the Tyson fire in Ks and how the packers have screwed over both the producer and the wholesale buyers on the prices.... and how this whole thing has really gotten out of hand. I do like to listen to his thoughts on it though as he has alot of contacts in the beef world. I have gone and followed his daily reports and have been a little surprised at how vocal he has gotten over the absolute "BS taking advantage of the public" that he has expressed.

On @Pastor Dave 's posts about feeling the need to get more self sufficient, prepared..... I am in agreement here lately. I have a feeling that I cannot quite suppress about things "going south" here in the next couple of years. It is just a niggling, nagging feeling, that we are going to need to be much more prepared for some kind of a serious downturn and that we will be needing to be able to be much more self sufficient. Not sure where that is going to play into my looking for my own place.... I am concerned about taking on much of a mortgage ...... may wind up rethinking that...... although I sure do not want to stay here. And the payments would be basically a trade off from rent to mortgage. Might wind up in my son's house on the farm and helping him pay that mortgage although I cannot pay as much as he has been getting for rent. I think he has someone wanting it so will be rented by Oct I hope for now. Don't know why it has just been there in the back of my mind. I have been looking at a 10,000 watt generator that is dual fuel....propane and gas.... but am going to check into what a solar one costs etc. Propane can be stored in large tanks for long term, and would be a good alternative to "liquid" fuels, but still at some point it would run out. I am not a real doom and gloom person, but I just keep getting this feeling that I need to get my "life in order".

I have given myself a stern talking to and am starting to get things a little bit cleaned up and organized. At least the outside of the house here is looking a bit better. Got some lists and starting to get my books packed and cataloged so I know what I have. Making a few boxes designated as sell..... want to get some stuff cleaned out.
Trying to get a little canning done in my spare time. Fruits mostly right now. They will keep "forever" so to speak whether we have electricity or not. But I am thinking about the food in the freezers, and the chickens that I get. Going to get my feed bins filled for the winter months in the next month or so. I'd like to get some of these cattle gone too, and get some small bills paid off so I have some cash reserve. Plus I have been investing in silver a little at a time as it is at least something that will be useable in a difficult situation. One thing that hit me was looking at some pictures of Venezula.... pictures of MONEY just laying in the streets like trash because their economy has gone to he// and it isn't worth anything with the inflation.... beyond my comprehension. So thinking that some tangible thing like silver will be alot safer than paper money. I mean, look at what happened in the "civil war"..... Southern paper money was worth nothing when the "south fell". BARTER is always a good thing.
I don't think this is going to happen overnight. I think that we have a few "good" years and if Trump gets re-elected, then we might have even more time because some of what he is doing is really good for our businesses..... but we cannot sustain this constant "deficit" economy and we are going to fall sometime. The debt is just not going to go away. I just think that being positioned for it is wise. And everyone on here is trying in their own way to be a little less dependent on the "outside". But there are even things like the feed store trips and such that we need to think about. Even if there is "feed available" it might be too expensive for the average person to afford. We (as in us here on our farms) depend on the feed store.... we buy grain and such for our animals so believe me, I am not thinking we are any better off than anyone. We do have the equipment to grow some of the basic stuff though.
But what I am saying, and thinking, is that there may be a trend/turn to being more of a subsistence farming type. And my thoughts are don't just try to get enough stuff to do you for a year. If you have 90 pints of applesauce canned, as I do from a friends' extra from making apple butter 2 yrs ago.....okay..... I sure won't eat that in a year or two.... but as long as the seals last it won't go bad..... so do any extra you have and just store it for the future. SICK of turkey.... as the post @Baymule made.... but you don't have to eat it all now.... Gotta figure out the best way to provide for my own electricity to keep the freezers going, but there is also pressure canning the meat..... Just some thoughts I have been having. Yeah, I get the "sick of it" thoughts when there seems to be too much of something and it gets monotonous..... But what if there just isn't anything.....

Got to go get a few things done and get on the tractor to do some more bush hogging and get this one place done.

It's still cloudy and grey skies, but low 70's. If it clears off it will get warm fast.

 

[Bruce]

How does a solar generator work? Solar panels, a big battery and an inverter?

 

[farmerjan]

@Bruce you would probably know or understand more about a solar generator than I would. Just looked a little bit and they are more expensive, then you need the inverter, battery bank, and the panels. It seems like you would be better set up for one than most people. I like the idea, but think a dual fuel one would be better for what I would want.... unless/until I were in my own place. I would like to go into some solar, and also add wind if I could.... but for pure just portable generator, a dual fuel one seems to be the best route. After the problems when we had that derecchio wind and were without power for 5 days, I always worry about "what if....". A large propane tank would be easy to do and still have some gasoline available.
A future thought....

Had a real nice day after the cloudiness burned off. Not much humidity after it cleared off either. Got up to 88 but wasn't unbearable due to the drier air.

Finished the bush hogging at the one big pasture. My son has to do a smaller one where there are alot of rock outcroppings. I refuse to do it and be responsible for hitting all the rocks!!!!! Then need to take it to another one that I probably will do part of, but I won't get on the real steep hill with it. Used to , but I always hated it and now just tell him nope, not me. We used to make hay on more of it, but now make less hay and graze more of it.

Supposedly he decided to cut hay this afternoon, so is not going north this holiday weekend. With the traffic, probably better that he waits for a less crazy weekend to travel. The weather forecast shows the hurricane that is supposed to hit Fl and @B&B Happy goats and @CntryBoy777 is looking like it will go more west than north so our forecast is down to 20 % chance of precip on Mon & Tues... If we are in hay, then I may not be able to go to the F&F thing on Sunday.... will see how much he cuts, and what the raking schedule is. I still have the one farm scheduled for sat aft and one sun morning. Will not schedule the one that was a maybe for Friday, as I know I will be on the tractor and rake.

Got 3 of the big cornish x doing their d@#ndest to go through any & all available spots so they get out front by the road at my son's property. I have just decided that if they get hit by a car then oh well..... they are finding every spot they can in the woven wire fence in the worst of the briars and overgrown areas.... when all the rest just go out in the back part of the overgrowth and scratch around. Aggravating to say the least. The smaller ones are down to 16 and all but one look to be growing pretty good. The farmer just texted me about testing and said that chickens were coming in so if they get them by friday or before, they will be going out again in early Oct. If there are any left behinds, then I will get them and they will be big enough to get processed before I do the ankle. That will work out good. Not that I need another 20-40 in the freezer, but there might only be a few. I certainly don't "count my chickens before they are left behind"... LOL.

Time to hit the shower and bed. Tomorrow will not be a real push day as the hay won't be ready to do much. I may just go get the mineral and pay on the feed bill; need mineral at several pastures and this way I can get it put out a few places as I go check cows. Had another new calf that is on a bought bred heifer. Got one more bought one to go. Little heifer calf, but very lively so good. None of our raised bred heifers are bagging up yet so think it might be the end of Sept before we see them, but the cows are already dropping a few. Got to get the semen tank home and start breeding the 2 to the Wagyu and a couple of the other jerseys that I want to AI. Need to get some heat detector strips to put on the cows so I can monitor them instead of sitting for hours trying to catch someone riding.

 

[Baymule]

Farmerjan, that "feeling" is just the wisdom of know that nobody can keep robbing Peter to pay Paul. Not even a great country such as ours, can keep this up. Our corrupt politicians of both parties have sold us out. May they burn in a hot place.

I can chicken and chicken broth. It keeps for years. I keep a good stock of jars and lids. I am always buying lids. I also have some Tattler lids. I haven't used them, they are reusable and I have a case of regular and a case of wide mouth. Our house is all electric. We could get propane, but as you say, it will eventually run out. Could it get that bad? It has before. I am not a glom and doom person, but I think it wise to have back up in the form of supplies, food, water, tools and things that one might need if idiots took over the country and took us down the socialist road to ruin. We would need to find community, be part of community and help others in our community. No one can stand alone.

The feed store! Even during the Depression, my Daddy told me of being a small boy and his Momma sending him to the feed store for hen scratch, in a certain print fabric bag so she could finish sewing an article of clothing. Feed sack clothes and quilts.....

I chose to raise sheep for the reasons we are talking about. On good pasture, they are pretty self sustaining. Of course, I don't have good pasture, but I am working on it, LOL They are small, so don't eat a lot, lamb in 5 months and the lambs are ready for slaughter in 6 months to a year old.

Living on your son's property might be a good thing if the economy went to crap. You could take a portable building, finish it on the inside and have a nice, if small, home. Or build your own building. It might be a better choice than going into debt and y'all living miles apart.

 

[CntryBoy777]

Have ya thought about a windmill pump?....with the weather there, not sure if it would even be feesable, but remember seeing them regularly in the earlier years traveling from duty stations....may only work above freezing, but I have no idea or knowledge....just thought about it while reading the post....I don't blame ya any for not cutting the slope or around the rocks....I probably tear the blades off the bush hog and them ya would fire me on the spot....

 

[farmerjan]

Farmerjan, that "feeling" is just the wisdom of know that nobody can keep robbing Peter to pay Paul. Not even a great country such as ours, can keep this up. Our corrupt politicians of both parties have sold us out. May they burn in a hot place.

I can chicken and chicken broth. It keeps for years. I keep a good stock of jars and lids. I am always buying lids. I also have some Tattler lids. I haven't used them, they are reusable and I have a case of regular and a case of wide mouth. Our house is all electric. We could get propane, but as you say, it will eventually run out. Could it get that bad? It has before. I am not a glom and doom person, but I think it wise to have back up in the form of supplies, food, water, tools and things that one might need if idiots took over the country and took us down the socialist road to ruin. We would need to find community, be part of community and help others in our community. No one can stand alone.

The feed store! Even during the Depression, my Daddy told me of being a small boy and his Momma sending him to the feed store for hen scratch, in a certain print fabric bag so she could finish sewing an article of clothing. Feed sack clothes and quilts.....

I chose to raise sheep for the reasons we are talking about. On good pasture, they are pretty self sustaining. Of course, I don't have good pasture, but I am working on it, LOL They are small, so don't eat a lot, lamb in 5 months and the lambs are ready for slaughter in 6 months to a year old.

Living on your son's property might be a good thing if the economy went to crap. You could take a portable building, finish it on the inside and have a nice, if small, home. Or build your own building. It might be a better choice than going into debt and y'all living miles apart.

My son has his own house on nearly 5 acres, about 6 miles from me. I was referring to moving to the farm he bought a few years back. Bought the property, then about 1 1/2 yrs later bought the house and maybe 2 acres that the guy wouldn't sell originally, but who didn't work and couldn't keep up the payments he had for it. It was a situation where he sold the land and I guess planned to just stay in the house, but didn't work enough to even afford to keep it. My son bought it to "put the farm back together". The well is on the house side, water for the water troughs, and the drive into the farm is a right of way on the "house piece". It just made sense to have both. The house has been rented but the last ones didn't pay the rent for the last 2 months in there. He had to do some work to fix stuff after the first ones moved out, then had it rented to someone who never moved in and after 6 months gave it up, had family issues I think with her mother, then this last renter just moved out. He has to do some work but has someone I think that wants it so hopefully by the 1st of Oct., it will be rented again.
It is about 15-18 miles south of where we do the majority of our cattle operation and that much further south for me for travel for work as most of my farms are north of where I am now. Plus, it is more rent than I am paying now. So, several reasons to not want to move there. But that is a possibility of push comes to shove..... It backs up to the town's current land where the landfill is, and there has been some interest in it for expansion of the landfill. Could split off part of it for the town, keep some land and sell with the house for a small "farmette". But who knows what will happen in the future. It was a good investment as far as value of the land compared to assessment value.

Went to court again, lawsuit by the neighbor B@#@H , that was filed right after the board of supervisors approved the cell tower. Thrown out again. New judge said they did not understand why Verizon was not included in the suit. Also the lawyer said that as far as he can find out the "B" has not filed an appeal of the supervisors ruling, which they have to do in 30 days. So if it hasn't shown up in the records, and recorded as an appeal, then it gives us more credence because she is not trying to stop it. Yes she can take us back to court, but has to have a different "line of reasoning" than what she has presented. Her lawyer started interrupting the judge and he told them that he would not tolerate it. She is determined that it will destroy her property value and the judge said there is no way to tell that now, and that if after the tower is built, and she puts the house on the market and it is determined that the tower has caused it to be a negative for the selling value, she could take it back to court then and if found in her favor, then there could be some sort of settlement or they could actually make the case for the tower to be removed. Of course, it would have to be determined that the tower caused the devaluation, not if say prices in general were lower due to a poor economy, recession or something like that. But again, that would be another long expensive session with lawyer fees and all. I say to go on and push Verizon to get it started since they did not get a temp injunction. They can go after a permanent injunction.... but will have to present it from a different perspective. The Board of supervisors have approved it, planning and zoning have approved it, and there is no time limit on it..... so deciding the best course of action. If they did not file an appeal, then I think we have a good chance it will not get a temp or permanent injunction. Hard to say about the valuation for selling. The one P&Z person that voted against it was a real estate agent that felt it would be a detriment to the value of the properties.... losing the view factor....

 

[Baymule]

Mail a letter to her with no return address, with one word. MOVE.

With the land your son owns, it might be a good place to set up a homestead for you. Or what about finding a piece of land closer to your son and setting up a home there? There are so many options, you don't have to do this before your surgery, although it would be nice. Maybe in your down time, you could take the time to really look around. Go to the courthouse and ask for a list of tax properties. They get auctioned off each month in most places and there are good bargains to be had.