Coffee anyone ?

[Blue Sky]

Indigo bunting.

 

[SageHill]

I saw two male indigo buntings squabbling. They were so beautiful. I am blessed. I need to remind myself of that sometimes.

It's the small things to remember to give thanks for. Bigger things follow.

 

[fuzzi]

Indigo bunting.

I've seen one, once I think.

 

[RR Homestead]

Make absolute sure the jersey is open before you do a synch... blood tests are not always a perfect indicator... you need an experienced vet to do an ultrasound or literally to do a palpation. Feeling the actual calf is about the only real true preg test I believe, when there is a question; especially later stage.....Have had a few blood tests and even the urine tests wind up false reading...

I personally probably would not bring the beef heifers clear across country. It is looking like prices are off a bit, and if the drought conditions keep up, there will be more selling... Big article on Cattle Today? or maybe I saw it on just a news item..... about some massive sell off of beef cattle, due to the drought, already....In Wyoming I think.... Maybe some favorite ones, but not a great number. Especially with the difference in climates... I would've moved them in the colder weather before the heat and humidity of Missouri summers commences... or replace them with animals that are already well acclimated to the climate there.

How many are you planning to synch and breed and take? Right now breeding size/age heifers are worth $2,000 and up.... breds are worth 2500-3500.... if the drought conditions keep up... it will drop even though there is a "shortage of cattle" in this country. You've gotta be able to feed them....

You do realize the amount of time that you are taking with the many trips back and forth....??? Those trips and the wear and tear on YOU and the vehicles could be spent in ONE trip and be done once you get there..?
If it was an hour or so away, I would agree, but you are spending a LOT of money on the vehicles,tires etc... as well as GAS/DIESEL.... add in your time and all the different stresses of getting things set up to go... that could be spent in one big final push to get there and be done... energy spent there to get things set up and get some good night's sleep.

If you haven't put your place on the market yet, how are you going to deal with it being empty???? That is the dilemma @Ridgetop and her family are dealing with... along with the beautification of it... and the additional repairs they are having to do....but they cannot/will not leave it empty... If you had it listed, and people interested, you might be more pushed to get this done and get moved.

I am NOT criticizing... I am trying to bring up some points that maybe you are not seeing because you are so close to the situation...
I did not make any comments on the taking vs selling discussion of the cattle because they are your cattle... and you made that decision in one day.... BUT.... with all this synching and then moving them, and then the change in climate; you could be looking at some major adjustments and not so good results.

JUST MY THOUGHTS....

Thanks as always @farmerjan. I palpated her. That's how I knew she was open. I only use blood when testing 30 days post AI then palpate around 90 days or beyond to be sure they are still bred. I did however pull blood and test her just to see if it showed positive meaning she lost it within 30 days or less. It was as negative as negative can be.
We've been going back and forth on the beef heifers. I honestly am in complete agreement with you on all you said. I wasn't aware of the sell off's though. I do know the market here is dropping. Started last week and continued on this week. I tell ya the way the heifers came in tonight and acted in the chute I had a thought of loading them all up for next weeks sale. I'll discuss it with DH again this weekend. They are all being synchronized as I'm typing this though and semen has been ordered. The humidity is a huge concern for us with them. Especially being black hided. I just don't know how I'm going to replace them there with docile easily AI'able cattle. We've made mistakes in the past and bought groups of "great" cattle and every set we've ended up very sorry we did it so stuck with home bred for the most part from there on out. I guess I got a lot of thinking to do. Maybe I'll continue to breed these heifers since I'm already in it cost wise now and then sell them as bred when we are ready to leave. Let them continue to grow on the overgrown pastures we have right now from cutting back so hard. Feed there is plentiful right now. There's been no cattle on the pastures for almost a year now. They've grown well this season.
My in laws live on the other side of the property. MIL will be taking care of the yard and they will be stopping in daily at the least when we are out. It is a concern we will be discussing with the realtor. We also hope she will let us keep the exterior camera's up while it's listed. We do intend to list it before we are completely out. We are in the process right now of getting all the paperwork in order to get it listed.
I absolutely do not feel like you are criticizing. I appreciate every bit of advice. I will be discussing it again with DH this weekend.

A long distance move is pretty tough!! Even with just furniture & clothes. A farm? Yeah - disaster. A couple horses in a trailer ain't nothing like a "herd" of whatever's! Hard when we have "heart strings" attached -- you get that with milkers

I didn't get the hot wire done. Other things happened & just felt I needed more time and concentration -- both of those were already used up . I work today, then home for 3 so will get the fence up Friday, gives me time to watch for any that want to test me & move them outta there. Always a couple!

Already checking next week -- work days/farm days. There's bank account & winter hay looming No clear costs & that's a touch scary. We're all facing that if we buy it. Mowing & no grass eaters would cost way less

Yeah it's close to a disaster. The milkers aren't negotiable. The beef cattle absolutely are. It's a decision we keep going back and forth on. Our biggest concern is being able to find a new herd worth a salt there. Part of why we went back and decided to get them bred and keep them. However how they acted tonight sure makes me rethink that decision. I am not attached to any of the beef cattle that are left.

When things got frustrating during our build and move I'd tell myself - Next year this time it'll be done and behind me. Yeah - not great but it could take the frustration edge off a little.

I keep trying to tell myself that and look towards this all being over. It feels like it will never end.

 

[farmerjan]

@RR Homestead ; There are as many black hided cattle in MO as anywhere else... That is not a problem... they do fine.. The thing is going from a dry climate to a more humid climate that might be a bit difficult.

I would NOT buy heifers in the new place, if you sold yours there. I would buy some older cows with calves by their side, keep the good heifers and raise them up so you have animals that fit your way of doing things. I do not trust most of the bred heifers in general... cows with calves already on the ground, or even heavy bred older cows. They are older and bred because they know how to get the job done. Heifers out of these type cows are usually decent... build the herd from them. Know their dispositions and they are used to your way of doing things. We often have bought some hodgepodge mix of cows, kept some heifers, and gotten some real good animals to keep along the way.
If you want something that is uniform, then buying a like minded group of heifers is the way to go... if you want to just get something to produce a calf, and then give you some flexibility to pick and choose the replacements and raise up your way... then older cows can do that and not at the higher price of heifers. The salvage value on the cows makes the cost of the kept heifers alot more palatable. Plus, most older cows are there because farmers cull at certain ages and replace with their own heifers... regardless, most older cows have proven their worth... BECAUSE they are older and still producing calves....
Sure you get some bad attitudes, and a few that don't milk good or something... but if you know how to "see" cattle, you can pick up some mediocre animals that will give you a calf worth much more than the cow...
A 1,000 lb cull cow is worth 1.50 / lb or more.. so say 1500 round figures. Most of what we have sold in the past year have brought in the 1.50-1.85 range... 1100 lbs more the average, so 18-1900 per cull. If she raises even an average calf, it is worth 1500 plus... so paying 3000 for a pair in today's market is not bad... most around here are in the 3500-4500 range. Real nice ones will bring 5-6,000 which is alot. Still at the prices we're getting, the calves are worth 2-2500... so that is half the cow/pair paid for...
If the market drops off alot, then it will take longer to pay for her... but the salvage value of cows is not going to drop below 1.00 / lb because people will eat hamburger.

If the drought conditions continue, the price of cows will drop because people will need to cull... no pasture and hay ground will be poor and hay costs will skyrocket. Triggering more sell off of cows.

Prices here softened a bit this past week... Steers off more than heifers... cull cows holding steady. Most culls are in the 1.70's and up... Prices always drop some around mid-May... most have what they want to graze... If we start getting some rain, they will tick up a bit. Usually after mid June they will stabilize and sometimes even go up a bit...

The thing is, you had made the decision, and have started the process, it is probably in your best interest to continue on that course now... but you might want to closely check out the heifer prices there and see if they are off that much. The bigger heifers here are holding more steady in prices, and the smaller ones have been much more steady and even a bit up compared to the steers.

They might do just fine to move them, the climate has been so wacky that it might be just the ticket for them, at the new place. Drier conditions than has been the norm, will get them acclimated. Keeping them and breeding them might be the best move you ever made. I just don't know for your individual situation.

 

[Baymule]

Coffee is ready. I was awake several hours last night, turned off alarm and got up at 7. PITA has her head stuck in the wire again. she wins the stupid prize. I've got to get Max's pen put back together today. The young ewes need to be back out on the field grazing and growing. Feed Max, feed sheep, feed Tatli, take her walking through the sheep, put her back in her pen and go work on pen. I can only work up to noon, then it is too hot. Trying to not overdo myself this summer, that is fairly easy, I run out of "go". Charles and boys are coming this morning to scoop horse poop into the back of my truck for compost. I need to set a hay bale for Max and one for @Margali sheep. Full day and I can't get my engine started,

@Blue Sky I saw an Indigo Bunting yesterday, it was beautiful. There are also Painted Buntings here and I see them from time to time.

 

[Poka_Doodle]

8 mile run done, I think I'll go have a cup of coffee in a second.
I know I keep saying this, but our winter was long, so bear with me- the weather is beautiful out. Supposed to be a little cooler today, I think, but it is beautiful out.
Ok, it's Friday. I do have to work tomorrow, but for now I'll focus on it being Friday and go enjoy it!

 

[Mini Horses]

I'm up and have been outside, fed, counted noses, checked water...back inside. There's a strong breeze, almost windy. It's dry & warm, going to be low 70s, good weather day. Would like winds to drop down from 10+ but won't stop most work I need to do here. I'll just fuss as I go along.

It's the first of 3 days at home! Have my coffee at hand and that never ending list. First I'm gonna head to town for a couple bags of chicken & cat feed, get extra can of gas for mower, ice cream for me, then I'm set for the weekend -- I hope. Need to get a chicken from the garage freezer to thaw & I'll bake that tonight -- weekend lunches, then a pot of soup.

better get off here & started.

 

[Weldman]

Winter hasn't given up here yet. Despite 96°F on Wednesday we will have snow come Monday. These 14 to 16 hour days are getting arduous combined with 6 to 7 days a week, construction season has kicked off. Time to pull back the lever and start prepping for a trip to Pennsylvania and then make a layover in Indiana to try and buy another 20 acre parcel.
Now you got to imagine this; the crazy lady up the road lives next to one of our properties which is where I need to sink some posts on one side. On the back side of her property is a ridge, and then there is another property on her other side. Welp we are going to buy that other property that borders the road coming up here, the main road and her. When I put a fence up on that property she will pretty well be fenced in. She is use to having free range for over 15 years, now I'm going to fence her in. Maybe I should do like what you see in a prison on their fences.

 

[Blue Sky]

Coffee is ready. I was awake several hours last night, turned off alarm and got up at 7. PITA has her head stuck in the wire again. she wins the stupid prize. I've got to get Max's pen put back together today. The young ewes need to be back out on the field grazing and growing. Feed Max, feed sheep, feed Tatli, take her walking through the sheep, put her back in her pen and go work on pen. I can only work up to noon, then it is too hot. Trying to not overdo myself this summer, that is fairly easy, I run out of "go". Charles and boys are coming this morning to scoop horse poop into the back of my truck for compost. I need to set a hay bale for Max and one for @Margali sheep. Full day and I can't get my engine started,

@Blue Sky I saw an Indigo Bunting yesterday, it was beautiful. There are also Painted Buntings here and I see them from time to time.

Those painted buntings are amazing.