Stocker Steve
Well-known member
Small green squares hit U$S 9 at a recent hay auction, and then two horse women got in a fight... :deadhorse:
This could be a good time to buy in Aaron!
This could be a good time to buy in Aaron!
snoopdog said:I guess this thread kinda makes me feel good, and I really need that today. We've sold out more than once, sold hay and made money, bought stockers and lost money. Planted and Fertilized and then no rain and took it on the chin, all the while working a full time job. I've never had a new pickup or a new piece of equipment. Spent all day clearing more ground, and my 54 year old body is sore, gonna take a bath in linomint tonight. Tomorrow, I'm gonna vaccinate, probably by myself. "be nice the torpedos, full ahead". You just gotta make your mind up, use good common sense, but the only thing that can hold you back is you.
Lucky said:It's been a bad year to be in the cattle business especially if you are just getting started.
Hay and calf prices are going to vary year to year until the end of time so better get used to it. Every year I hear people talk about selling out because feed prices go up or calf prices go down and just wonder where the planning is. I guess the goal is for the cattle account to hit zero before the calves are sold every year?? Business requires long term planning and cattle are a business.
I know it was mentioned earlier but I don't feel like the hay guys are gouging as bad as people think. My neighbor bales his own hay and does enough side hay to make equipment payments, this year was so bad he was making less than half of what he usually does. Same fuel and time but he made half the money. He felt bad about charging more so ended up working for free or at a loss.
You say you calve in the fall? Might look at spring calving. It takes about half the inputs to carry a dry cow through the winter as a wet cow. Might be an area thing on that though, just a thought.
Only other thing I'll add is you kept talking about having old equipment. Cows could care less what kind of equipment you have. New or old it doesn't matter. New equipment comes with being successful and making money at whatever it is you do and then spending it on things you want.
Bcompton53 said:Dave said:In 1997 I sold my equipment and bought my hay ever since. At least 4 out of 5 years I bought hay cheaper than I can make it. But I never bought hay in February. Buying hay this late in the year is almost guaranteed to cost too much. I always bought the hay in the summer and bought more than I figured I would use. I would feed the left over hay first the next year. Droughts are rare in Western Washington but we had one which forced me to start feeding hay 2 1/2 months early. By November I was counting bales and could see well in advance that I would run short. I got in a semi load of hay the first of December. Come February people were begging for hay and there simply was't any available at any price. How does the saying go, bad planning on your part does not constitute a panic on my part.
Yeah, I'm to blame. Excuse the 30 year old trying to build a herd, who doesn't have any family in the business, who lives 3 hours from his herd. Farm changed from dairy to beef 3 years ago, and been building the herd since then. My only two "normal" sources for hay had none. Zero, zilch. So I'm piecing together the orders I can find. I've bought two people out so far. But yeah, It's my God aweful planning. Thanks for the encouragement.
callmefence said:Bcompton53 said:Dave said:In 1997 I sold my equipment and bought my hay ever since. At least 4 out of 5 years I bought hay cheaper than I can make it. But I never bought hay in February. Buying hay this late in the year is almost guaranteed to cost too much. I always bought the hay in the summer and bought more than I figured I would use. I would feed the left over hay first the next year. Droughts are rare in Western Washington but we had one which forced me to start feeding hay 2 1/2 months early. By November I was counting bales and could see well in advance that I would run short. I got in a semi load of hay the first of December. Come February people were begging for hay and there simply was't any available at any price. How does the saying go, bad planning on your part does not constitute a panic on my part.
Yeah, I'm to blame. Excuse the 30 year old trying to build a herd, who doesn't have any family in the business, who lives 3 hours from his herd. Farm changed from dairy to beef 3 years ago, and been building the herd since then. My only two "normal" sources for hay had none. Zero, zilch. So I'm piecing together the orders I can find. I've bought two people out so far. But yeah, It's my God aweful planning. Thanks for the encouragement.
Wow... should be in Webster as the definition of millenial crybaby....
Bcompton53 said:callmefence said:Bcompton53 said:Yeah, I'm to blame. Excuse the 30 year old trying to build a herd, who doesn't have any family in the business, who lives 3 hours from his herd. Farm changed from dairy to beef 3 years ago, and been building the herd since then. My only two "normal" sources for hay had none. Zero, zilch. So I'm piecing together the orders I can find. I've bought two people out so far. But yeah, It's my God aweful planning. Thanks for the encouragement.
Wow... should be in Webster as the definition of millenial crybaby....
Yeah, and I'll still be here long after you're gone.
callmefence said:Bcompton53 said:callmefence said:Wow... should be in Webster as the definition of millenial crybaby....
Yeah, and I'll still be here long after you're gone.
Probably..but you won't catch me whining about lack of encouragement
LMAO....... you go get em scout.. I'm gonna buy you a trophy just for trying.
Everyone gets to be a winner.
I am surprised also, we are running our bull year round to get our fall calvers turned around, gonna take a little while, but with limited acreage its the only way we can come out. That will also let us graze the hayfields with the calves in the winter. We turned our weaners out on the first cutting, instead of baling last year and got some impressive gains, but now we're buying hay, I haven't got the numbers actually crunched, but I think we came out. I don't want to go through it again, And we didn't get the vaxxing done today, rainy and cold and I just wasn't up to it. May sell em green.Lucky said:Maybe I was off on the equipment, it's just that equipment cost are always brought up.
I'm really surprised there isn't more talk about fall vs. spring calving on this board. Could be most just run bulls year round now days. It's definitely an interesting topic that could go on forever. Good luck I know it's frustrating feeling like you've been had but it's just part of it. I paid an extra $40 a ton yhis year and was just happy I found enough hay.