Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[greybeard]

Ouch!
The hazards of private treaty sales...
I'd have them all at the sale next Thursday. Tell your friend...."nothing personal, it's just business"

I still think April is going to be the month to sell here, but that's still 60 days away.

 

[Baymule]

Why do so many people feel entitled to put others through a LOT of extra work and then flake out? Obviously this pompous jerk has an overly high opinion of himself and expects everyone else to kow-tow down to him. I would give him ONE phone call, letting him know that you couldn't hold them past XX day, then I'd do just as greybeard said and take them to the sale.

 

[RollingAcres]

Really hope the buyer doesn't change his mind.

 

[farmerjan]

It's Wednesday about 10:30 a.m.. Getting ready to head to town for the eye dr. appt. in a few minutes. WINDY and cold as all get out with the wind chill. 28 on the thermometer, wind chill says it is about 15.... BRRRRRRRR.
As for the heifers, haven't heard any more. If they stay we will keep them for a few weeks, back with the rest that we had "picked through" since they were used to being together. There is a new buyer that will be starting to buy here here at the local sale in Feb. He isn't a "new buyer" just new to our sale barn. The owner told my son to wait til the first of Feb at least, as he thinks the prices will pick up with this new buyer there too. That will give the heifers time to eat, catch back up on any weight loss, and will sell a little better if they are sold as "weaned" for 30 days, bunk broke, and on feed. We will bring that last group of cows and steer calves home in about 2 weeks. All according to the weather. There are already a couple of seasonal buyers starting to buy for this coming grass season. By mid Feb they are getting serious and then by the time the "grass" buyers start to get going, they have the majority of their buying done. Usually things get good for about 2 weeks in early April, then falls off as everyone looks towards haymaking, and corn planting and such here.

After these next 2-3 days of cold and wind, the forecast is saying it might get up to the 60's by Mon and Tues..... CRAZY!!!!!! Wind is blowing like a banshee right now.

 

[Bruce]

Good luck with the cattle!

 

[farmerjan]

It is "colder than a witches T" NO JOKE. The wind has been wicked. Got up to 32 today on the thermometer, against the house, but wind chill said 22 at the warmest and it sure didn't feel like any 22.... maybe more like MINUS 22. Of course it wasn't as cold as they were getting in the upper midwest....
Back down to 16 and dropping more. Still windy. Just plain cold for here. Say it'll be single digits tonight.

Eye Dr appt went well. Says nothing much changed from last year, pressure good, everything status quo... didn't even change my glasses prescription. Have what he calls "baby cataracts" but they are very small, on the outside edge not like most that get them in the center, and I may never have to worry about them. Had them last year. Have a very minor floater that is the same as last year.
So that's all good.
But boy, the drops that cause them to dilate took 'til like all afternoon to go back to normal. Just now seeing like I should!!!! But done for another year .

Feel for all those that are getting it worse than us... it sure is cold enough here.

 

[farmerjan]

There should be a little cold shivering icon!!!! It is cold, again, not as cold as some in the upper midwest, by a long shot. But still pretty darn cold for here.... especially after temps were in the 40's and near 50's a few days ago. That's what is so hard to deal with.
Got down to 9* on the recording thermometer, wind chills they said were down to 0* or a little below. Sun is out and it is up to a whopping 13* already Might hit 30 by the afternoon, then not as cold tonight in the 20's, and up to near 60* by Sunday. Totally unbelieveable crazy temp swings. We lost a calf yesterday, thinking the cold was just too much with the wind chill and all. Not real small, but it may have had a touch of pneumonia. Hard to pick up on that when there are 25 all laying in the hay and looking like they are just hunkered down out of the wind. Heard that a friend has lost several cows and it seems they had some parasite, don't know much about it yet. Not something that was even considered until they lost several and had one posted from what I heard third hand. Will have to try to chase down the info to see if it could possibly be why we lost a couple when it was all wet and rainy. Just been a tough year. Cattle prices don't look any better this year.

Tested a farm that I am pretty sure is going to be selling out in the next few months. Heard through the grapevine they are just getting deeper in the hole because milk prices are not supporting monthly operating costs. Wonder about a couple of others too. Heard also that there were several 4,000 cow dairies selling out in the midwest and a 10,000 cow herd going out in either Oregon or Wash state.. And supposedly the milk prices for March and April are going to be less than now. Wonder where all these milk companies think they are going to get milk from if there are no dairies.... if the big ones are saying "DONE" that is an indication that it is really getting bad because they have the numbers to spread costs out over.

 

[Baymule]

We are supposed to get up to 70* on Sunday. Then it is not supposed to get to freezing again for at least a week or two. We still have February to go. I have 6 more ewes to lamb, 4 are FF and will probably pick the rainiest coldest night they can find to go drop their lambs. I talk to them daily about that. LOL

Jan I am sorry for the calf that you lost. Yes it must be hard to tell if one is a little off when they are all huddled up, laying on the hay to keep warm. I know you and your son keep a close, seasoned eye on your livestock.

Dairy. In their zeal to squeeze as much as they can out of both the farmer and the consumer, the milk companies are literally running farmers out of business. Go big or go home, and they went big, now they are going home.

There is a small dairy near us, in the next town, that is the only certified all Guernsey dairy in Texas. They have registered Guernseys, beautiful cows. They sell raw milk for $12 a gallon. We used to buy from them at $10 a gallon. Our last trip to their store, we were discussing that it was expensive to make that special trip and pay that much. When he rang up our purchase we were a little dumbfounded at the raise in prices. That was our last purchase. They have people who drive from Tyler and all over to buy their raw milk. It's nuts what people will pay. But they have not only found their niche, but have built it and added on other products like yogurt, butter, cheese and buttermilk.

Farther away is a Jersey dairy who sells milk at $6 a gallon. But it is too far for us to make that trip. @Devonviolet and @Latestarter both live close enough that it is worth it to them when their goats are not milking.

 

[Latestarter]

To establish real "market prices" you must have a true free market environment. With all the govt subsidies and mandates and price restrictions, and rules/regs, tampering, it's a wonder the whole thing hasn't already collapsed. I'm pretty sure the Guernseys dairy is NOT selling any raw milk to the dairy industry (at anywhere near $12/gal). I believe the Jersey owner told me he sells raw milk to dairy at ~$1.50/gallon. He sells to customers @ $6/gal. Milk at wally world is $3/gal for their value brand, which is the cheapest.

I'm sure there is a market for $12 milk or they would be forced to lower prices or go out of business. I'm not a part of that market, and it seems you no longer are either Bay. So as they continue to raise the price and the market shrinks, so will they have to. Or they will have to lower their price to expand their market and expand their operation. Fine lines to draw. Have to walk narrow and balance accordingly. Price fixing and supports systems "hurt" some to "help" others. I wouldn't expect someone in Alaska to be paying the same price per pound for alligator tail as someone living in south Louisiana...

Sorry you lost a calf Jan and hope whatever it is that killed the heiefer/cows on your friend's place can be identified and doesn't become another factor for you to deal with. I'm happy that you're so close to retirement and will be able to get out before the crash and hopefully move fwd relatively "unscathed".

 

[Bruce]

There should be a little cold shivering icon!!!!