Cattle guys

[makar]

It's a guess whether 40 or 50% of the herd is gone here already. Get help soon, might have 40% left by Jan 1. If not, I would guess 20%.

My scenario I am working with right now is worst case: No rain, no funding, snow hits Thanksgiving and stays. Just like 1961.

Have a cousin born in 1961 september 23, that day finished straight cutting wheat, dad said he was walking before the combine rolled again.

[foragefarmer]

We never chopped a single acre this year while combining our forages, sold it to the cattle guys for the same price as last year and the past years.

They all appreciated it.

We realize cow-calf guys are in a very tough position and now is not the time to gouge these guys.

Are you grain guys getting request from the ranchers for straw?

[15444]

Won't be much of herd left , will there? Sales are fully booked...doubt guys are changing their minds .

If they remember the little support during BSE , they probably are not holding their breath.

Pretty sad for the cattle guys. Hard work in every cow sold.

It's a guess whether 40 or 50% of the herd is gone here already. Get help soon, might have 40% left by Jan 1. If not, I would guess 20%.

My scenario I am working with right now is worst case: No rain, no funding, snow hits Thanksgiving and stays. Just like 1961.

[shtferbrains]

Worst thing for a cattle operation is getting caught short of quality feed resulting in thin open cows.
Means you fed that cow and have no calf and a discounted cull.
Early sale is the best sale.
Overstocking sneaks up on you but the problem last years after the cows are gone because the pastures are abused and feedyards are empty.

[TSIPP]

I’m amazed how much ditch hay is still in the ditches, it’s usually good hay but very hard on equipment, anyway I cut 6 1/2 miles of ditches and got 4 bales but the RM mower took 5 miles of my swaths, some guys are just dickheads.

I left the ditches in great shape, the mower guy had no reason to mow over my swaths.
We aren’t really bad for moisture but things aren’t great.

If the government wants to help out feeding the cows I’ll take it, I didn’t take any covid cash but some drought cash I think is in order.

[bucket]

Email just came through a minute ago from industry rep. No AgriRecovery details until September.

Won't be much of herd left , will there? Sales are fully booked...doubt guys are changing their minds .

If they remember the little support during BSE , they probably are not holding their breath.

Pretty sad for the cattle guys. Hard work in every cow sold.

[15444]

Email just came through a minute ago from industry rep. No AgriRecovery details until September.

[Old Cowzilla]

Don't remember the general population having to supply receipts for their handouts.

And the liberals wrote off 240 million in false CERB payments.

Couldn't help but notice farmers still had to work feeding the ones that are still cashing cerb cheques.

[bucket]

Can use the reciepts for the feed you buy for the cattle you don't have.

Don't remember the general population having to supply receipts for their handouts.

And the liberals wrote off 240 million in false CERB payments.

[woodland]

Good topic Bucket

I would rather have a “decent” crop insurance program for my pasture, silage, and grazing corn than waiting for some big flashy publicity announcement to someday put cash in my pocket. My largest and most important crop is grass and all I’m covered for is lack of rain at a weather station 50km from my place. Would any grain farm be happy basing your coverage and production off what happens at a random farm in the next county over? Frost, hail, flooding, disease, weeds, insects, isn’t covered through my pasture insurance either.

And how does this “receipt based” part of the program work? We always try to carry a couple years of feed on hand which is a huge overhead cost instead of buying overpriced stuff now. Ironically I’m selling every bale of hay that I can now to try and recoup some of those costs. I will probably have more sales than purchases of feed this year. How’s that going to play out? I guess no one will know till they get around to creating an application form……….

Not holding my breath. I’ll stick with “self insurance” for now.

P.S. We’re keeping every cow as long as she passes a preg test and breeding every good heifer here. Either next year we’ll look like geniuses or fools if it’s dry again. Time will tell like always. 🍀


Fencing another quarter of hayland that we just leased the other day. Should buy a little more time before the inevitable early start of feeding season begins.