Friday Crop Report on a Thursday!

[Guest]

Soil temp at noon under the hurricane [ATTACH]4179[/ATTACH]

son of a bitchin wind , day after day . don't know how those southerners do it ?
froze my fingers today , is that go time ?

[jazz]

son of a bitchin wind , day after day . don't know how those southerners do it ?
froze my fingers today , is that go time ?

Most are putting in pulses - they can take colder soils and some near freezing after emergence. Some guys are so big they have to start early.

[Guest]

Woodland, I wouldn't waste time with that calf - been there, done that. It'll do fine on it's mother but when it comes time to graze for a living it'll struggle hopelessly because I bet it only has half the width of pad to chew against that it should have. We butchered ours for hamburger as a yearling but it was a money losing proposition.

Wouldn't say it's "crop friendly" conditions around here. Essentially zero moisture in March and about 2/10ths in April. Scary dry for the time of year. Will need above average rainfall to turn things around this summer. Anyone looking for alternate crops to seed should consider cattle feed as carryover inventories must be record low across a big chunk of the prairies.

I have been wondering about turning one of these leafcutter fields into bales for feed , what do you think? are we to far away ? dehy is another option , probably pay $80-$120 /ac ifn it rains at all ?
does anyone buy standing alfalfa or again are we to far away ?

[SASKFARMER]

MacDon I canceled the message by mistake.

Did read in email

Got info thanks

Pumping water god it’s cold soil will drop tonight.

[oldjim]

I feel depressed this spring. All around me the prices for everything are higher and the crops lower and I have such a small land base that its impossible to spread these cost hits over more acres. I think I will be done soon. Got Monette farms up my ass. Maybe I should walk over there and try to talk to the guy driving air drill number 9.

Cheer up jazz. Monette is the third flip on this land since locals sold out back in 2003 or so. Give it a couple more years and the Saudis will buy it all up like they're doing in Western Australia. Look at the bright side, they keep driving land prices up so a guy can retire in style. Saw one parcel go for $3,900 per acre this spring. I quit looking over the fence decades ago. If you wonder how they do it, they probably aren't.

[farmaholic]

For ****'s sake SF3.... is that your "apocalypse" soil thermometer? "Sterilze"....really?

I suggest If you want to be a modern hair splitting farmer you better get a soil thermometer with a scale of smaller increments!

How else will you know when it's the "perfect" soil temperature to start seeding! That thing is no better.than sitting on the ground bare assed and saying "yup, it's ready to go".

[fjlip]

"sitting on the ground bare assed", supposed to be a woman's test, right?

[jazz]

Peashooter is ready to go. In my next career I will custom seed for guys who cant get their 70 ft air drills into tight spots.

[farmaholic]

"sitting on the ground bare assed", supposed to be a woman's test, right?

Well, if men do it and their nuts touch the ground its warm enough to seed. I hope you can understand the test, I don't draw very well.

[iceman]

Cheer up jazz. Monette is the third flip on this land since locals sold out back in 2003 or so. Give it a couple more years and the Saudis will buy it all up like they're doing in Western Australia. Look at the bright side, they keep driving land prices up so a guy can retire in style. Saw one parcel go for $3,900 per acre this spring. I quit looking over the fence decades ago. If you wonder how they do it, they probably aren't.

How did that ever turn out for the fellas who were crop sharing that stuff?

[grassfarmer]

I have been wondering about turning one of these leafcutter fields into bales for feed , what do you think? are we to far away ? dehy is another option , probably pay $80-$120 /ac ifn it rains at all ?
does anyone buy standing alfalfa or again are we to far away ?

Don't know your area or what the market is like for feed. If you get 3 bales/acre @1500lb @4c/lb that's $180/acre, allow $20/bale to get it made custom if you don't want to touch it yourself. Potentially $120/acre if the yield and weather cooperate but not without risk either. At 4c/lb you would have had guys prepared to haul it all over the prairies last year - most here was 6-8c/lb, a lot over 10c/lb in Alberta.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Don't know your area or what the market is like for feed. If you get 3 bales/acre @1500lb @4c/lb that's $180/acre, allow $20/bale to get it made custom if you don't want to touch it yourself. Potentially $120/acre if the yield and weather cooperate but not without risk either. At 4c/lb you would have had guys prepared to haul it all over the prairies last year - most here was 6-8c/lb, a lot over 10c/lb in Alberta.

Guys are in full panic mode around here about the feed situation, and how dry it is. Just got a call from auction mart still looking for hay, 160 to 180+ per bale ( and around here, it seems that a bale is a bale, regardless if it is 4 feet tall or 6'6" and tight). Might be able to remove some of the risk from that equation, and presell a portion of your production right now, while demand is still high. Bales are being trucked hundreds of miles.

[GDR]

Guys are in full panic mode around here about the feed situation, and how dry it is. Just got a call from auction mart still looking for hay, 160 to 180+ per bale ( and around here, it seems that a bale is a bale, regardless if it is 4 feet tall or 6'6" and tight). Might be able to remove some of the risk from that equation, and presell a portion of your production right now, while demand is still high. Bales are being trucked hundreds of miles.

I wonder how long it can go on though? Had 2 years of huge feed costs, would think if its dry again this year most without feed would be better off selling out. Even a few ponies might end up at the glue factory.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

I wonder how long it can go on though? Had 2 years of huge feed costs, would think if its dry again this year most without feed would be better off selling out. Even a few ponies might end up at the glue factory.

That is what I keep hearing too. Can't pay those prices two years in a row, rather sell. Which is where you might find someone willing to hedge their bets for next year's feed at a price somewhere between long term average and today's, before the 2019 feed situation is known.

But as for the ponies, My neighbor, a well paid professional lady Took on a second job in retail driving an hour each way Just to feed her horses. Another is considering bankruptcy but still won't get rid of the ponies.

[grassfarmer]

Most seem to have squeaked through with just enough feed here. Bales being advertised now are being snapped up at 6-7c/lb. I thought it would have been 10c this spring. Grass is growing, but from a poor start given how abused most pastures were last year and how dry it continues to be. Seeding in full swing now all around.