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The small local hobby guys like to cherry pick a couple heifers each year. They don't worry about feed prices unless as long as they or a neighbor has enough. The thing that has changed here is a number of these small operators are aged and using this market rally to do a total dispersal. The...

Record 2023 fat prices have not resulted in record feeder prices. Scott Brown just published an article for The Farmer explaining how it is different this time. Corn dropped from U$S 7.04 in early 2013 to $ 3.65 by end of 2014. So feedlots were able to pay more for feeders in 2014, compared to...

Greg Halich just published another well-written stocker economics update in Beef. It contained some annual encouragement to know your costs and manage risk, and there is a great one paragraph explanation of LRP at the end. The big local difference is our grazing season length is only about 60%...

The low interest rates and government stimulus check experiments have ended. It is not clear how the resulting high inflation will end. What adjustments are you making to prepare for what is coming?

Do you have any tips for no tilling into sprayed out sod? The planter will have spiked closing wheels and pneumatic down pressure.

Four of the local six large animal vets have retired within the last several years. Only one did any small animal. None have been able to sell their practices. Are you seeing a trend like this?

Minor cold snap here down to -19 F, but as low as -38 a little way north. Indicator alarm came on for Low DEF but gauge said I was fine. Added some warm DEF and gauge went up but alarm stayed on.... Alarm cleared after we had a warmup. Is this a sensor thing or a heater thing or something else?

Fewer cows in US and Canada, again, but we can always import more grind. Talking heads are busy analyzing the slope of the line, but I think cost of gain is a bigger issue. I don't see any big change in the cattle market till feed costs come down. How long till U$S 3.00 to 4.00 corn?

Not many local bred cows available are here. Traders are trucking cows in from the SW. Our prices were up $100 to $150 since November: Better Bred Heifers: U$S 1850 to 2000 Too high for me. Bigger Black Cows: U$S 1350 to 1450 Could work till hay prices go up. Small Cows: U$S 1000 to...

Have had problems getting them to work. Ended up using a die grinder last time to peel the bolt out. Read the directions out of desperation and noted that they recommend using a LH drill bit. It that, or some other tip, key to making them work? OR are they a POS?

Steers - - 469# sold for U$S 1074 and 520# sold for $ 1165. So, 51# more sold for $ 91 or value of gain of $1.78 per lb.. Results will vary but you should be able to put weight on for less than that. Most of these calves were purchased as bulls so both groups worked well. Heifers - - 429# sold...

Bred prices are all over here. Seems like the BTOs are loading up because they believe the cattle futures will make them rich, but the hobby guys are holding back because they think chasing cattle profits is too much work. Fleshy black bred heifers are about U$S 1850. Big fat black cows bring...

What would you recommend for long life?

Machinery Pete delved into why "this time it is different" in podcast #51. Basically, he said OEM were behind on orders AND there was very little inventory on the dealer lots - - so used equipment prices would not drop (much) when commodity price cycle turns down. His suggestion was to plan...

Conventional wisdom is that fall calving cows here require a lot more stored feed and lose money. Probably true for most. We are doing a better job grazing, which in recent years has stretched into December. So the August calves would be 4 months old before they went on 100% cow hay along with...

Calf prices are nothing special here but bred heifer pricing is way up over last year. Spoke to two guys who sell quite a few - - one is at U$S 2000 for bull bred heifers and one at $ 2100 for AIed heifers. What are you seeing?

Made a pile of SS baleage with an older baler that did not have a roto cutter., and just started feeding it. Color and smell are good but it is pretty course. Weaned calves just pick around the stalks. Will that change as they get used to it, or is it much better for feeding cows?

Had a slow evening and looked up some things in a JD tractor manual. They recommend draining the fuel tank every 500 hours. Have you been doing this, and what did you find? Did you filter and use the fuel or dump it?

Pairs are now on corn fields. What type of hay and protein level would be ideal as a free choice supplement?

I have a 4 wt. bull that started limping 3 days after purchase. Thought it was an injury at first. He was going downhill so I treated him with Draxin on day 5. On day 6 he had noisy lungs but they cleared after several days. He is now eating better now but still has a significant limp and his...