Farmerjan's journal - Weather

Saturday morning... DS wound up taking the calves early this morning... he went and got the 28 steer from snyder's, and took the 4 reds and the 2 big black steers that were too big for the other groups we had sold... For all his problems, the 28 steer weighed in the 425 range... and one of the big black steers was mine and he weighed near 900.... the other one of his weighed over 8 and the 4 red steers were in the 750+ range. He didn't have the tickets in front of him.
He got his truck stuck in the deep manure/dirt/ around the hay when he was putting it out so I had to take my truck and pull him out this morning after he got back.
He did not take the crazy big hereford heifer... thinking someone might want a beef... she is so high strung that she probably will not make good beef but that is his deal.... I would have taken her and been done.
But he has the old red cow that we will make burger when she is done with raising her calf... There is a guy who will come shoot her and they will gut her and split into 2 halves... and there is a place that will take her in halves... we have never used this place so a good way to get a feel for how they do their beef... can't do much screwup on mostly burger and a few steaks and stuff from the tenderloin/filet area.... so he can do whatever he wants. I would have made that hereford heifer into a check of about $2500 + .... and quit feeding her.

I have to go out and get the poly carbonate panels stood up where I want them between the house and the carport... I took them off the truck to use it... had to get some scrub bush cut down that was growing there and now can get them into that space and they should be pretty much protected from the sun and all until I can get them made into a greenhouse and maybe cut one to make 1/2 the roof on the small moveable poultry pen and then put some type of tin on the other side of the roof...so it is not so dark inside the "house part" of the pen..... put some pressure treated plywood on the sides..... get that pen usable again...would work for the langshan pair for breeding now, and then for a broody hen raising some chicks, or just some chicks to be able to move around on the grass.

I also want to see about maybe getting the putty out and fix the glass windows where the panes have fallen out from the old putty drying up... Got the putty a few weeks ago and the glazing points... weather is about as good as it gets to get them fixed in the next few days with the warmth and the dry.

Got some stuff in the cart/ branches etc, that i have been picking up... need to finish that and get them on the pile for whenever we get some rain and wet and I can burn that pile. Then get some more grass mowed and weed eating especially around the chicken pens so I can open and close the doors easier.

Going up to let the jerseys in with the calves... feed them grain... then open the creep gate so the calves will be able to go out and in... and then Jess's calf, will have some buddies to play with too...

Back has been giving me a fit... on top of that, I spent nearly 2 hrs with coughing and nose blowing... guessing it is just normal spring pollen??? Who knows anymore with this whole AGS tick crap.... I hadn't been outside yet, it started when I got up... yesterday I had some of that then it stopped... :somad:rant:barnie
 
Sunday morning... it got down to 46 but is already into the mid 50's at 8... Going to be warmer than yesterday and that was short sleeve shirt weather all day.

Yesterday did not go as planned... OF COURSE..... but I will get on stuff today that I wanted to do yesterday.

There was another calf out yesterday... AFTER DS had fed them 2 rolls of hay... so it is not that they are hungry... they want grass and this miserable high tensile fence has enough stretch in it that they will just put their heads through and then push enough to get out.
He called me when I had just come in and ate a chicken salad sandwich... said he would come up, and help me get it in, then we would go get the corral panels and bring them back and put them along the fence to try to keep these guys from going through... that as soon as he gets back from the trip to VT and taking the dump truck to the friend, and looking at his calves... we will move this group to the farm.... They need to be preg checked, and he says now that he is thinking it would be SMART to pull off the bigger calves and get them sold now... not wean and wait for fall like he has been doing...
WHAT... WHO is this person... that actually is believing that selling smaller is smarter with the prices... he saw what some of them were bringing on Friday, and smaller 3-400 lb stuff hit over $7.00 / pound... TOTALLY insane prices... and that most under 500 lbs were in the 5.50-6.50 range. He sold the 2 small calves that were off the 2 prolapse cows... they did not bring that much... but the one was still a bull calf because it had been small and he had said he would make it a steer before we took them to pasture and then of course we decided to sell them because neither was making alot of milk and the calves were just not growing as well.... and the cull cow market was high so get rid of them now.... they still brought well over 4.00 lb... and the heifer brought near as much as the bull calf. I think in the neighbor hood of 1500 each... I did not see the ticket and he did not get the check yet.

Anyway... so I went down the dirt road... it was grazing along the bank on the green growing grass... I hazed it back... he was there, got the gate to the pasture partially opened and we got it back in with the cows. Different one than who was out the other night when I got them in, I did notice the eartags on 3 of the 4....
So he went back to the barn, got the tractor and bushhog... took it and headed for the pasture he wants to cut off the last years junk growth... they are particular about "looks" ......
I picked him up and we went down the road a little further and got the fence panels from where we had loaded out the last group of cows this winter.... came back and put up 4 or 5 panels.... will see if that stops the escapees.... have 5 more panels still on the truck for now... will use if I have to.
So he said that he was wanted to go back to the barn, he needed me to take him since we left the tractor and bushhog at the farm to do that, and we could leave to go to the stockyard as they sell these "graded cattle", starting at 6 pm. We got to the farm and then got in the truck/trailer and left. He wanted to go by and get the 4 wheeler that he had taken to a friend to get some work done on it... it was done... so stopped, got it, and then went on. Got there about 5:15 and he ate... and then we watched the graded cattle... Over 800 were in the graded pens... different sizes. They did okay... but I just do not see the "great benefit" of selling them in the graded pens, money wise... I don't think it justifies the added cost of being graded... and they sell in bigger groups usually... so the buyers are actually limited to ones that ship alot of cattle... but he felt that the red ones would do better that way.
They did okay... but they weighed heavy and so the price per pound is less... They actually did not bring anymore total....than the smaller ones we sold several weeks ago. But the 6 big ones, brought in the 27-2900 range and the #28 calf of mine weighed 465 and brought about 1400... with the leg/foot that he was a little lame on. I am glad he is gone and even more glad that I managed to save him when he got it caught in the round bale feeder back several months ago that I had to pry it to get him out. Could have lost him. My black calf was the biggest at just under 900 lbs... the other 5 were DS's... 4 reds and the other black one.... they all went in the graded pens. 4 weighed just under 800 lbs and one weighed 700... they went with other cattle of similar size and weights.
But with the commissions of nearly $87 / PER HEAD.... it is ridiculous what it is costing to sell these calves... and with the lesser amount per pound ... it DOES NOT PAY to keep them past the 600 lb weights; and even better to sell in the 450-550 range. they are not long off the cows so have the least amount of "extra feed" inputs in them.

We stayed for a bit to watch some cow calf pairs sell... and then came on home... Got here about 9 or so.

So, today will try to get back to the list of what I was going to try to do yesterday. I have another load of clothes in the washer to get hung here shortly.

DS said his dr appt got changed from Monday... so we won't be going to that... I already texted 2 farms and one wants to test Tuesday... need to get a few more scheduled for this week. Have the follow up appt with the dr on the Alpha Gal syndrome on Wed and that is an all day thing being 3 + hours away...

I will open the creep gate so the calves can go out with the jerseys... there is no rain in the forecast basically for at least 7-10 days... keep moving it back... 30 % chance now on sunday... was 30% on both friday and saturday... not going to haul water for them with the 28 calf sold... they can go to the water trough down the hill. I have seen both jersey nurse cows down there so I know they know where it is...

Need to get out and get somethings done...
 
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farmerjan said:
I would have made that hereford heifer into a check of about $2500 + .... and quit feeding her.
Click to expand...
You can buy lot of steak (even at today's prices) for $250.
farmerjan said:
WHAT... WHO is this person... that actually is believing that selling smaller is smarter with the prices... he saw what some of them were bringing on Friday, and smaller 3-400 lb stuff hit over $7.00 / pound... TOTALLY insane prices... and that most under 500 lbs were in the 5.50-6.50 range.
Click to expand...
Maybe he is finally listening to his mama. LOL More probably (as I have found with most men) another guy said what you have been saying and he listened to him. At last he is seeing the light and selling before putting too much feed $$ into them. (I know you make your own hay and sileage but I see any kind of feed including pasture as $$$)
 
Back in... was ready to eat some breakfast and got a phone call... got cattle out... So down the dirt road I go... there is 1 cow and 4 calves... 3 that I KNOW were out the other night... get the car turned around.. get them headed up the dirt road... and they went in the catch lot gate and I shut it. They headed right for the catch pen... which I have the gate shut... so they knew right where to go to go back out in the field through the broken boards.... but couldn't since I had that gate shut...
So, I called DS and said that they were getting moved today... to the barn, since it is the same calves out again... and I think I saw a spot in the fence where there was some wire that was looser... maybe the cow got out there... so we will get the other 3 cows in to match their calves, and the 4 pairs will get moved to the barn with the other one we moved a couple weeks ago that the calf was out nearly every day. At least this might stop the problems for the next week until DS goes north and comes home and we get them moved... Unless he decides to move them all today... which means fixing the catch pen and getting them all in this lot... but I think that moving the couple of problems will suffice for another week or 2... since these calves have been out before... and not other ones... hopefully.

So I went to snyder's put the jerseys in with the calves... opened the creep gate... will go let them out later. There is a little water in there that I hauled for the 28 calf we sold yesterday... and there is silage in the silage wagon that the cows can go back out to eat in a bit too... I will continue to call them to come in for grain....and I think that at least Maggie will come in for it... the heifer is not so set on eating grain... But until we are done calving, I need to keep them milking in case I need to graft a calf over on them.

I am NOW going to try to eat some breakfast... a little late... but oh well.....then start on the list I have of stuff to do today. :th :th 🙄🙄🙄🙄
 
Just green grass fever.... but sometimes I swear they have goat blood hidden somewhere...

Thing is this fence is absolutely abysmal... 7-8 strands of high tensile.. couple strands of barbed wire inbetween... all sorts of scrub brush.. sections the deer run through all the time... no way to electrify it as it wasn't built with any insulators anywhere... and over the MANY years... has been half a$$ed patched and tightened and all that... we have had it for several years.... and owner finally agreed that it needs new fence... we have several of the wire cattle panels stuck in places also... and some of these corral panels... it is where the tractor trailers that are not supposed to be on this dirt road... but their GPS routes them when they go places they are not supposed to be.... that they have taken out the corner several times on the very tight turn just below my house... and we are going to put up new fence and the BIG BOULDERS on the outside of the fence to tear up their trailers instead of our fence..... it is long over due... and seems that most just stay put... but there are a few and once they get out... they just keep finding places to get out again...
As I said... green grass fever... happens every year...

This is why I am ADAMANT about good woven wire...cattle type, or sheep and goat type.... fencing as perimeter fencing... If they can get their head through it... they can push their body through it... woven wire or field fencing... they have to break wire/stretch it out to get their heads through initially...... and with sheep and goat wire of 4 " stay wires, or the normal cattle fencing of 6 " stays... it is very hard to get their heads through... it can get bent all to he// if a tree falls on it... high tensile can stretch and bounce back and get tightened... but there is NOTHING to stop them from putting their heads between the wires... Electric is fine but when the charger goes off, the power goes off... it gets torn down by some deer going through it/under it.... and it does not stop them if they learn they only get shocked once while going through... it is not a physical barrier... Woven wire/cattle fencing is a physical barrier... and helps to deter predators like dogs and coyotes..... they have to find a way to go under or something... high tensile they can go under easily... electric they can easily go under as most only use 1-2- or most 3 strands... any dog or coyote can go under electric...
There is some woven wire fence on doug's farm that is 12" stays... and the calves get their heads through and then they lean and cows do and next thing you know there is a hole.... we are replacing it as we go.... BUT you can NOT do that on rented places... unless the owners are willing to at least spring for the cost of materials and we do the work... or they want better fencing and then the rents go up or you work out a deal of replacing fencing in exchange for rent...

Time to eat... finally... guess I will make it lunch now...
 
Good strong fencing with the right type of fencing is the most important thing when ranching.
It is the one thing I am adamant about when newbies write about what they want to do and ask what they need. The ones that ask why won't their animals stay in the nice green UNFENCED pasture make me CRAZY! and if they want/have LGDs . . . .
:barnie
 
Well, grant's escapee problems have been solved... another calf was out eating along my side of the dirt road... DS called, said he was coming with a couple boards to fix the catch pen.... and we got calf in and he said to let them in the catch lot... he came in and we worked on the catch pen... actually only used 1 new board and then used several broken ones to scab together the other that had broken... back to being fully usable... Then he wanted to try to get the cows in the catch pen...had some feed ..... but he got impatient as they wanted to eat the few blades of grass that had come up since they were locked out a week ago... and they wouldn't go in the pen and he naturally got P.O.ed... I finally said, to just go do what he was gonna do at the barn... I would come get more feed and let them eat for an hour or so... and then get them in... So, he left. I went to the barn to get feed and had a flat tire on the front of the forester.... GRRRR:barnie:barnie:duc Nothing to do but wait for him to come back to the barn... he was working on a water fountain at a place we are moving some heifers... I found the "hole" but it is along a spot that the tread is,,, and he says that it looks like the cords are separating.... so not fixable... Brought me to my house, got another tire on a rim that was good... went back and changed it and I came on home... The cows had been grazing some... and I managed to get in the catch lot without them coming out the gate... closed it... went to the catch pen and put feed in there, then called them and most were coming... I went out in the lot with the car and hazed the rest... 2 cows decided at the last minute to go the other way... but I got all the calves in and just those 2 still out... Texted DS and said that I had all but 2... said he would be there in a little bit... BUT.... then the 2 decided that they did not want to be by themselves in the bigger lot... so I managed to get them headed into the short "lane into the catch pen... put the car sideways and then got the gate open enough that they could go through in with the other cows.... AMAZING what a little patience can accomplish.

So it took 4 trips to get them all to the barn... BUT they are moved... and no longer a problem to getting out on the road... NOT what he had planned today... but one thing that needed doing and better now... they cannot get out of the big lot behind the barn... and will be easy to feed in there the few days he is gone... and they will be there for whenever we do preg checks... plus some of the bigger steer calves he is talking about selling... we have another 35+ on the hill at doug's ... that also have fall calves, some bigger ones in there too... that will get preg checked too... and he might make up a group of some "bigger steers" off the 2 bunches of cows/calves.

So, he is moving the heifers to the pasture there that we get "for nothing"... the owner is a nice guy, his wife is a fanatic about stuff... but he basically takes care of them... so DS deals with it... drives me nuts.

Then he said that he will call me, and we will work the cow/calf pair he bought last Wed.... give the cow a vaccination shot and the calf a black leg shot and if the calf is not worked, then band it...and give it a blackleg shot.... it is a bull (steer?) calf.

Heading to the barn...to do the cow/calf pair... then a good night's sleep I hope... Got farms scheduled for Mon and Tues afternoons...
 
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