Latestarter's ramblings/musings/gripes and grumbles.

[farmerjan]

I know I am not in TX so can't advise on the current local prices, but 4-5 wt steers here are bringing in the 1.25 to 1.50 range and 6 wts are in the 1.25 - 1.40 range. So yeah, figure you are going to have 5-700 in each. How about that local guy just running a few for this year, getting it cleaned up and giving you a little bit in exchange? Don't have any idea of what the local pasture rent prices are... here we pay in the neighborhood of 25/per acre per year for good grass and fences; but we figure on 2 acres per animal avg.. Our feeder steer prices here are a bit lower than areas that won't have as much hauling, to ship them to other areas that will run them on pasture/wheat/ other crops then to go on feedlots. It would be a better learning curve for you to maybe " rent it out " for the rest of the season and get a feel for it with none of the expense of owning them. ( we are currently renting 2 different places that are 1,000 year and they are 27 acres for one and the other is nearly 90 acres. The 27 acres has GOOD fences and the other has "wish they were there" type of fences that we just keep patching....) . This will get you in with the guy a bit so that you might be able to get a few next year that are a little cheaper on an off week...

Yep, you just don't go to the sale barn/stockyards in flip flops.....

 

[Alaskan]

I can tell you why no one replaced the dude that retired.... you get paid peanuts as an extension agent.

It is fun work.

As to what to do......

I thought wild pigs were open season? My family place, where my baby sister lives, is in Comal, and it is open season there.

What did you have questions about?

My sister right now is working with the local agent (and ODD that she has one and you don't, because Comal is all built up and almost all of the ranches are gone now and it breaks my heart. Anyway. ...achem...) and she decided to take some government money. The agent of course knows all of the current goodies that are up for grabs.

I don't think I have ever taken a good look at the area you are in....how much rain do you get? You are NE of Dallas?

I always found it interesting that the East Texas fellows had to work more with their cattle in regards to minerals and suppliments. All of that rain washes out the nutrients from your grass. Out in west Texas we might need 20 or 40 acres for one cow, but she is getting quality minerals with that grass.

 

[greybeard]

I had to go out today so decided to take a run by the sale barn

Which salebarn?
At Paris Tx last Saturday:

Saturday August 5, 2017


Current Head Count: 945

STEERS
(sold by lb)

• 300 lbs and under: $1.50 - $2.00
  
• 300-400 lbs: $1.35 - $1.95
  
• 400-500 lbs: $1.30 - $1.775
• 500-600 lbs: $1.10- $1.65

HEIFERS
(sold by lb)

• 300 lbs and under: $1.40 - $1.95
  
• 300-400 lbs: $1.30 - $2.00
• 400-500 lbs: $1.25 - $1.70
  
• 500-600 lbs: $1.05 - $2.20
  
• 600-700 lbs:
• 800-900 lbs:

SLAUGHTER
(sold by 100wt)

• Cows: $35 - $73
  
• Bulls: $75 - $102
  
• STOCKERS
• (per animal)
• Stocker: $550 - $1350
• Pairs: $1000 - $1700

OTHERS
(per animal)

• Baby Calves: $150 - $380
• Holstein Steers: 300-800lbs sold between $.60- $1.10/lb

 

[Mike CHS]

We paid $1.10 a pound for the steer we bought last fall and he was 720 lbs when we unloaded him. That was almost a year ago but it looks like GB posted similar for this year.

 

[Bruce]

Make sure you don't shoot your escaped hog
Seems like a lot more fencing would be needed to run a couple of steers. Once you get that done, maybe the local guy would "loan" you a couple to practice on.

 

[greybeard]

We paid $1.10 a pound for the steer we bought last fall and he was 720 lbs when we unloaded him. That was almost a year ago but it looks like GB posted similar for this year.

Some places, good 300-400lb beefsteers have crossed a good way over the $2/lb line. Not everywhere, and it depends on the group and what a buyer wants. I do think prices are edging up a little..slowly. I don't expect to see any more $3/lb prices again anytime soon but that's probably a good thing.
Good while it lasted for some folks, but man-- what a wretched disaster it took to make that happen!

You can usually find a market report from the weekly sales in each state on line...not every sale barn reports tho.

 

[Latestarter]

Maybe it wasn't a "legit sales barn"... It's a local business establishment: Stone Livestock Commission, that holds sales every Tuesday starting at 12:30. I got there a bit after 2 and it had just finished. There were probably 20-30 truck and trailer rigs there from folks either hauling to or from the sale. I think I'll go next Tuesday just to sit and watch. Perhaps I'll contact the gent and ask if he'd be kind enough to come by and look at the pasture(s) and guide me on carrying capacity, and if he'd like to maybe rent grazing for some of his cows... Sucks being a 60 year old beginner. Would have been so much better had I been raised around this stuff. Oh well, it is what it is. Would be nice to be like some folks here on the forum who have had neighbors just "give them" calves Wouldn't that be nice?

If I were to see my escaped hog I would shoot her in an instant, and enjoy every bite of her. Hogs ARE open season but unless you're hunting on your own land, you still need a hunting license to hunt them (even with a land owner's permission). I had hoped the DOW could point me in the direction of ranchers who had hog issues that might allow me to hunt their property. I've been here just shy of a year and haven't seen any fresh hog sign on my property. Doesn't mean they aren't there, but they aren't making their presence known. Just spoke with the DOW officer and he said he didn't know of anywhere we could hunt hogs for free but gave me the names and #s of 3 hunting ranches.

As to what questions I have, well, I'm so new to this pasture and hay management stuff, I don't hardly know what questions to ask... I have weed issues, so the PH is obviously off. I'm not sure of what grasses and edibles are there or what to do to eliminate the weeds and what to plant to make for a good hay field/pasture.

 

[greybeard]

If it's Stone in Mt Pleasant, they've been around quite a while. They're listed on Tx Dept of Ag's market report page, but they don't have a link to recent sales results.

http://www.texasagriculture.gov/Home/ProductionAgriculture/MarketNews/TexasLivestockAuctions.aspx

 

[Alaskan]

Ok....here is a crash course.


First, find yourself on a soils map.

Knowing what soil type you have, gives you the possible AU (animal units, or carrying capacity) that the soil type is capable of.

The first soil map that popped up. Not the best, since it doesn't give a general carrying capacity for the soil types. But maybe you can find your place.

https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth130336/m1/1/

Now don't laugh....I know the book below is old. But dude, soil is soil. This is a proper soil survey, and it gives a great description of the various soil types and what used to be grown on them, and what the soils grew well. Unfortunately, it doesn't include information about livestock, since that area was mostly just farmed, but still great information.

https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth19832/m1/

And here is a more modern version of the above. I linked to the page that lists the Animal Units for each soil type. Interesting how there isn't a column for rangeland ...you live in one crazy part of the state! It just lists the probable production for three common pasture grasses, for each soil type. This is actually very informative, and will give you an idea of what you can aim for.

https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth130261/m1/136/?q=Animal unit

Below is a link to the book in full, lots of pages. It will teach you lots if you decide to read through it. It does have lists of the grasses found in each soil type. Look under the woodland table area. These lists will be very helpful.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...ggcMAA&usg=AFQjCNFWJJXe7VQaewUjSDbS1BrbWVRwuA

(the above looks horrid...if it doesnt work, tell me, and I will try again)

OK.... now your head is swimming with stuff.....

Write down the soil types that are on your property, and go back and read the info in the soil books about those soils. Copy down the list of plants that it says should grow on your soil type.

Now you know what plants you might have, and might want. You can Google those, and learn to identify them...and see if they are out there on your property.

The super scientific method to determine what you have out there, is to do a step count.

pick an area/field/pasture and walk across it. Every time your right foot hits the ground, write down what plant the tip of your boot is pointing at. (or your big toe is pointing at if you are wearing flip flops??? ) Don't know the plant? Take your phone and take a couple of photos. You want a photo of how the leaf attaches to the stem, if it has seeds or flowers, that too.

When you get back home... play with the link below...it is a great plant id key. You don't have to answer all of the questions. Just hit the boxes that you know are correct, and it will give you whatever matches. You can then look at the linked pictures and figure it out. Read through the key before you do your step count and look up words you do not know. That way you will better understand what kind of photos you need to take.

https://plants.usda.gov/plantkeys/texas_grasses/TEXAS_GRASSES.html

OK. now you KNOW what is out there.

hurrah!

now it gets easier.

All plants are tossed into three groups, Increasers, Decreasers, and Invaders. (I think I remember that you know that...if you don't, then speak up and tell me, and I will explain).

Pick 1 or 2 Decreasers(if you have no Decreasers, pick 1 or 2 Increasers) and 1 or 2 Invaders, that grow on your place, and learn them.

in general, just remember what those 2 to 4 plants look like, and your management will be golden.

Every so often you walk across your land... if all of the Decreasers have been grazed short, move the livestock off.

If you see more invaders, figure out why they are moving in, and find a way to stop them.

Thats it.

Other than that you do different tricks to get the animals to walk farther, or whatnot to try to reduce the wasteland that all animals like to create around the water.

So, put the mineral feeder in one far spot, a shade shelter in another. That helps to spread out the grazing pressure.

 

[Alaskan]

oh hay, HAY!

Blah.

Well, the above info will also go over the common weeds in each soil type, and basic management of them, as well as the amendments usually needed in each soil type.

What soil types do you have?