The view from the ground

[chalice]

Sadie I see a lot of what you are talking about. I think it is curing itself as in the last seven years I have seen many producers move to later calving out on stock piled pasture. Lots of room and clean ground make a big difference. Some of our grain producers are getting ready for seeding in March and April having a boo through the cows before they get in the field and checking them before dark.
I have also seen however, where some bigger producers are trying to calve out 700 head on a quarter. This is just a big corral with a lot more confusion and where I see some of the worst wrecks.
Sadie I think that you and I are very fortunate to have cattle and have jobs that allow us to visit 100-150 operations a year and see what works and what doesn't. It is like industrial espionage. Very few producers pick my brain for this type of knowledge and you have to becareful when you bring up the change management issue for fear that you are insulting them and get thrown off the farm.

[greybeard]

Some good advice all around, especially the last few.
I'd probably trade the experience to be young again. Maybe not.
The other thing that brings on a wreck is bringing in new stock. Especially young pairs. They have no immunity to the bugs your herd isn't bothered by.

[Kathy]

picture of chemtrails to southeast off our deck, east of Hanna:

[ALLFARMER]

Bought 49 heifers at auction today!!

[T.N.T.]

Open heifers?What did you pay for them,and what breed?

[tman]

In reference to Chalice's comment of "you have to becareful when you bring up the change management issue for fear that you are insulting them and get thrown off the farm.", if no one ever brings about change, then this industry will always be in the inferior state that it's in.

My dad told me the other day (when I got roped into helping him feed his cows since my brother was on vacation), that the old cows had much better feet than the young ones that he bought a few years ago. He's already had to get some feet trimmed while the old cows have never been touched. He admitted that those young cows should be culled but he bought them to keep heifers from them.

Well...at least he knows what SHOULD be done. Just imagine what kind of industry it would be if everyone did what should be done. I also wonder how these animals ever survived before drugs and vaccines and all the other crutches we use were invented.

[kato]

The crutches were invented when cattle started moving. They used to stay on the farm they were born on, with the other cattle they were born with, and just weren't exposed to the diseases and stresses they are now.

The crutches are the result of the system that's evolved over the past number of years. Without them, it would not work. Anyone who has a closed herd from which they sell finished animals will agree, I'm sure.

[chalice]

Bingo Kato. That is why my wife and I started our web business that encourages people to move and market their livestock directly. Three years ago I watched a set of calves leave a farm 4 miles south of town and go 50 miles to a auction ring. They sat there for 2 days until the sale and then moved 50 miles to an assembly yard. A day and a half later they arrived at a feedlot 7 miles west of town. The next day the feedlot was in buying cases of antibiotics to contain the wreck. This journey started with weaning on the Sunday and processing at the feedlot started 6 days later on a Friday. Apart from the welfare issue lets look at the economic issue because it is easier to measure.
$10 trucking to the ring
$20 commision and check offs
$5 buying commision
$10 trucking to assembly yard
$10 trucking to feedlot
$35 minimum on drugs
---
$90 total out of pocket
8-10% shrinkage
?? death loss and poor performance
These calves travelled 150 miles and netted 10. It cost someone $90 dollars out of pocket and this $90 dollars was not shared by the buyer and seller. As well as the seller had to pick up the tab for the poor performance and the death loss.
I wonder what the end consumer would think of this system and it's crutches? I think this is something the industry is going to have to address especially as beef becomes more expensive and the wealthier consumers who purchase it infuence the consolidated retail sector that will in turn put more demands on the producer who produces the food.

[chalice]

Tman. Don't worry I am always telling people what they don't want to hear. It comes from my German mother and I can't help it.

[tman]

Chalice and kato, you confirm what one man said, that 90% of the problems are created by us. I've learned of the many flaws with this industry from my times in it, but too few people are making the necessary changes, resulting in my frustrations, not my worries. I've found that pride is a big reason for the lack of change, but also fear of doing and learning something different, especially when it seems like you're the only one. I've felt those same feelings in certain aspects of my own life, but I push through them and in the end, I improve.

In respect to the crutches, they were invented and used so people like my dad don't have to make the management decisions that should be made, like culling those cows with poor feet. Instead he can hire the vet to trim them for him.

I highly doubt it that my grandpa would/could have done the same thing back in the '30's when my dad was born. Grandpa didn't have the money for indoor plumbing or even food at times when dad was growing up, which forced them to hunt deer and even rabbits. But now we have too much money or we can get too much money...or we're willing to go under before making the necessary changes.

Huh...maybe I have some German ethnic background in me

[tman]

Chalice, what's your web address?

My brother just recently told me about his ideas of marketing their calves directly to feedlots. My dad has religiously been using the auction mart for as far as I can recall. Maybe in the next generation of ranchers and cattlemen, auction marts will become a minority for sales. I've noticed some have been using kijiji.

[smcgrath76]

In regards to crutches, etc...
some things are crutches, and others are
good management. One man's crutch can
be good management in another herd with
different circumstances. For example, I
know some herds without neighbouring
cattle that can skip some vaccinations
and obtain a market premium. We use
this "crutch" as we have cattle all
around ours and some come from the
auction market.
Tman - we are finding it is easy and
profitable to sell direct. In a lot of
cases the same order buyers at the
market are interested. The biggest
thing is if you can put together lots of
60,000 pounds (triaxle loads).
We sold our heifers direct twice this
year. They were bought, the fellow
backed out and I booked them to the
auction. In the week preceding I posted
them on kijiji and sold them direct to
Quebec. Cost to me was 15 minutes and
brand inspection. Even a $40 Western
Producer ad or a poster on the local
community board can lead to sales. If
you have neighbours with similar
programs and marketing windows a
"selling club" can also create a big
premium. It takes a lot of calves to
fill a modern feedlot pen.

[chalice]

www.onestoplivestock.ca