Sunday, it's past lunch time. Got up at 3:30. left for testing at 4... we got done testing... and it turns out they were milking 6 more cows than they had on the board... the guy that milks full time cannot get his sh!t together when they dry off cows and bring other cows back in fresh. They have been dealing with him not being as "good/attentive" as he used to be...it seems that he does not pay attention like he used to... one of the reasons that they had been considering the robots for awhile... and why they committed to putting them in. They are converting an existing "pack barn" that the cows "lounge in".... to the robot barn, adding on to the end of it for the robots... and all the electrical and water and bulk milk tank, and things needed to get it all "put together...
The plans are to be into it in the fall....
So when we were down to the last couple groups (6 on a side )... I kept thinking that I must not have brought as many bottles as I thought.... and when I thought they were on the last "side" there were still 6 more cows out there... I thought okay, I just didn't put as many in the rack as I thought... But when I finished the computer stuff, and the farmer looked at the average, and he said, why are they only averaging 78 lbs... we have them figured at about 84-85... and I said well, I am at 102% of the tank weights so right within the allowable variation... and that is on 112 cows... and he said WHAT, there's 106 in the barn... so I looked at the pad I write all the milk weights on, then checked it against the milk weights in the computer... and there were 112 that went through... SOOO.. he said well, that is why they seemed to be eating so much... because there were more eating than they thought...
Because the full time milker is in there most of the time, they do not keep as close tabs on the numbers, and when the milker says there are xyz number of cows, they say, ok... and feed accordingly... They only milk every other weekend when the milker is off... plus, the cold and iced over snow has made feeding a nightmare and water freezing problems... so they were taking his word for how many were in the barn... and he was wrong.... they were running hard for a couple days with the snow and then the ice... so they just relied on the milker... that is his job as it is....
Plus, they have 2 tractors that are leased to the state highway dept for snow plowing... and so for several days were going nearly 24/7...between feeding water problems and the road plowing.....the cows were the responsibility of the full time milker...
So, left there and came on home... It had started to rain lightly about 7-8 a.m.... so I got home, got the samples in the house, changed to my boots, and went out and took the 4x4 truck up to snyder's to feed the cow... figured if it got even wetter, I might have some major problems getting around up there...
DS had taken the silage wagons in to snyder's and grants yesterday morning early while it was still hard ground......they were heaping full... and took Maggie silage too... fed out extra hay too... knowing if it got real wet, he would not be getting around today or even tomorrow..... so he would only have to feed grain at the barn, and silage in the bunks there... which he can do with the skid loader and not get into mud...
He must've hit an especially GOOD spot in the silage as Maggie, and the black steer....had eaten all her silage in the tubs... and the silage wagon outside was way down... They still have hay so not like they are going to "starve"... but it is funny... sometimes they do not eat it near as fast. Plus, on the warmer days they slow way down in eating it... cold raw days like today, they eat it faster...
I fed her grain and gave her another square bale in the bunk feeder in the barn. Dumped several of the water tubs that I could flip over so they will catch run off and will be clean water...
And I did slip a bit on the flat ground at the barn area... trying to not tear up the grass/ground... then came back towards the house.
Noticed that there was a calf in the "catch lot" there at grants.. and the gate was shut... It was the same sorry SOB steer that had been getting out awhile back... and DS had fixed the couple spots along the dirt road... don't know where he got out...or who put him in and shut the gate... which I am thankful for.... so I stopped there and was able to walk him down along the dividing fence between the catch lot and the pasture, I had opened a gate a little bit... and he finally went around the round bale DS had in the catch lot and back out in the field with the rest. There was a cow hollering for him... but when he went in and went on the cow... it is NOT his mother... and his mother was there and totally unconcerned... and she has been sucked... and this other one has not been sucked... so they are playing "musical chairs" and the cows are again co-mothering these calves...
So, I talked to DS a little later... and told him about it... and that if this steer keeps being a royal PITA.... he is getting pulled off the cow (who ever he claims as momma) and getting sold.... That he is worth 2 grand and better to not have an accident/car wreck hitting him/law suit, because the sorry s.o.b. won't stay in the field...
DS agrees... prices are too good... and we thought that we had fixed the problem... and for awhile he had stayed in... but if he is going to start this nonsense again... he is leaving...
So then we talked about the prices... This past Friday, there were some smaller sized calves that went through the stockyard that weighed 385 lbs... that brought $6.05 / lb... That's just shy of $2400 for one calf.... UNBELIEVABLE ..... so DS said that we need to sell some of these calves that are weaned and on feed sooner rather than later... (DUH, I told him last week when we went to the cow sale... that I was getting a little uneasy with the way things were going... and that I would rather sell sooner... while they are on the "uphill" side... and maybe not get the very top of the market price... rather than to have them peak and then start to drop off on the downhill side.) And maybe this market will hold for another year... BUT.... back in 2016 or there abouts, when the prices were way up there... not as high as now, but high for the times..... the spring time prices were high... and in 6 months, the prices had fallen off A LOT.... I think that they lost $1.00 / lb in 6 months... That's A HUGE AMOUNT.... I don't want to see that happen this year... or not at all... so that is why I am pushing DS to get these steers sold to that guy. He did text him.... they said they had not bought any cattle in 3 plus weeks because of the cold, water problems, iced over snow... and that he would let DS know in a week or so.... I want him to push it now...
A neighbor we have helped make hay for etc... took steers in on Thursday to the graded sale that DS was maybe going to go to, to take the red ones to, but decided not to..... friend's steers were black... and said they weighed 628 lbs average and brought 4.28/lb.... That's over $2675/per head... That prompted DS to want to sell, and then seeing where these 385 lb ones brought that much.... he said that he wants them to be gone SOON....
We can feed the heifers for a bit if we want to.......
There will be about 40-50 that will weigh in the 525 lb average... some maybe 475-485...some pushing 600.... plus they are long weaned and bunk broke and used to a waterer... not like they are coming off a field with a creek to drink from and never saw a barn or feed bunk or a human up close.......so they are worth a bit more because they are less likely to just get sick from the changes....
That was DS's goal... to have 50 to sell to this buyer this year... There are about 35 or 40 that are from our cows, and about 15 or more that he has bought bull calves and worked, and/or bought a few steers at odd times...
Anything that does not meet the buyer's requirements, will go to a stockyard sale, and they will bring plenty there... The thing with this buyer, we do not pay commission so that is $50/a piece or more, that we will put in our pocket.
There is also the speckled longhorn cross steer that will go to the stockyard... he won't make a fortune, but will do decent with the markets the way they are... and Jess is getting "rounder" so I am pretty sure she got bred when the bull was in there... which is great... and I think there are 3 of my steers in these groups... I have 3 or 4 heifers also... but I have shipped alot of older/open/cull cows in the past year-18 months... Have 3 or 4 first calf heifers that had calves this past year coming along though.
The lame steer with Maggie is mine also... trying to get him "sound" on that foot/leg... He is the one that got his foot stuck inbetween the bars on the hay feeder.... while DS was gone those few days... it could have been broken so thankful it was not... Been a long time healing but it is still seeming to be healing from the inside out... Might start him on a 2nd round of anti-biotics for 2 more weeks....
So the saga continues
