We have had some drier than normal conditions this year. 1st cutting hay was 60-80% of normal. Then no real appreciative rain to get any regrowth. We have just started 2nd cutting when we should have been 2/3 done with it or even done, with maybe some real late 3rd cutting orchard grass that we can get on good years. We will have enough my son says, but we also have 16 acres of corn ready to chop for silage which is more than the 10-11 acres we had last year. We fed about 200ft of a 9ft bag, and sold about 100 ft of another bag. Have about another 100 ft left over... They figure 1 to 1 1/4th ton to the foot in a 9 ft bag. I want to put most of this into silage again this year... but might shell some if it is good enough ears. I would rather have an extra bag going into next year than be short.
We also cut about 50 brood cows...nearly all through culling for age and being open... we had alot of cows that came up open and then when we looked at their mouths, realized many were way older than we had thought. Time gets away from you and many were in pretty good condition even with calves still on them ready to wean. The old ones that were open got shipped. Sent 7 one trip and it hurt to "lose" a couple of the "good old cows" , but if not bred, not waiting another year for possible breeding. We had kept more heifers and put them out to be bred this summer and might sell a few as breds. But the thing to do is if you have any that are "iffy or mediocre" type cows, sell now before the fall pregnancy checks, cause farmers to cull heavier...
Prices here are still holding better than I thought they would, and we are shipping another load of some kept back calves, some that were treated for pinkeye, a few one and done cows we just brought home from pasture this week and their calves that are okay but not anything special. Got a real nice nearly year old heifer that was in with some "trader cattle" and we sold the nutcase, bat shyte crazy heifer in that group... but this heifer took up with her and will not calm down so she is going on the truck next week too. Went through and culled out 2 more heifers we were going to hold for replacements, they are nice but not "real nice".... getting more picky. Have all the spring cows still out to pasture to come home later this fall and will have plenty of heifers to pick through from them to keep as future replacements.
We have had grass okay all summer. Have had some good grass, but they are not overstocked and most all the places we can rotate. Had some low water issues and was going to maybe have to haul a little one place where the spring always gets low if it gets dry, but we got a couple rains just in time that revived it enough to get through. Plus I pulled 8 head out of there, and it took the pressure off. Just took some calves needing weaning out, got 2 more that I didn't get caught up, then some pregnancy checks. These are all 1st calf heifers, some with calves from last fall, and some with spring calves this year. I try to calve out all the first calf heifers here. Some will be here to calve out 2nd calf this fall since I will be out with the knee replacements end of Oct....but had to get the big calves off. I needed the 2 big steers so didn't mess with the last 2 heifer calves once the steers were in... one has been a PITA to get in... Will get last heifers in this week. Cows aren't due until Nov.... and they are in good shape so won't get quite as long a rest as usual but you do what you can.
We are feeding a little hay to a group that is in a 2-3 acre field to calve.... just to make checking and tagging calves easier. They will go out once they have calved out, to some stockpiled grass/fescue/mix out back for the winter. They will get fed hay out there once the grass gets short. Then the spring calving group will come home from pastures, and get rotated around after preg checking and weaning calves. Most calves will go in the barn, weaned and on silage/hay/grain until we decide to sell. Used to sell right off the cows, but now try to "play" the market a little better and sell when things are better and not when everyone elses calves are ready to sell off the cows in the fall. Plus there are times when the weaned ones will do better. If the best market is right off the cows we have no problem with selling. The fall calving group we usually sell the calves directly off them in the spring when feeder prices are good.
Right now we are trying to get enough sq bales to supply the regular customers we have had for years. It is going to be tight.
