Thoughts from the Middle of Nowhere

I have a question that cropped up today in my life that I wanted to posit here. I asked My Darling Wife, which is better, do die quickly and unexpectedly after living a full life or having something that is slow, so that people can get used to the idea they are dying and mentally prepare themselves? She told me that "it depended on whose viewpoint you were looking from. For the family having the opportunity to mentally prepare for the event is easier. For your dad though, he went just the way he wanted too. Riding a horse, roping cattle, and quickly. No lingering pain and suffering."

I know she's right but the suddenness of the thing is really hard. I was in no way mentally prepared for his passing away. I don't know how much I will be here for a while. A lot to do.

This is why I do not allow so called cowboys to use a pistol filled with shot when handling bulls. Too many of them think they need it to handle the critters but if they were smarter than the average bull they wouldn't need it.

Everybody that reads here knows I am seriously concerned about turning our food into fuel as we presently are in the US with corn to ethanol. I just wanted to clarify my position on this. I have no problem with bio-fuels. I just don't think the government should be mandating ethanol use or subsidizing its use. If we are turning our food into fuel it should stand on our own without the government getting involved. I see the Gazette has couple of opinion pieces on this issue this morning.

Guest Opinion: Corn fuel subsidies rip off taxpayers, raise food prices, greenhouse gases

Guest Opinion: Many factors raise food costs; ethanol boosts energy independence

I'm not going to beat a dead horse with my opinion on this issue as compared to those given. Both pieces give some accurate information and over blow or ignore other things to prove their point. Take them as you will. I know where I stand.

I've had quite a few people here on the net tell me the way I should be going to make money is to raise natural beef or organic beef. I always say I have looked into the issue and don't see how I would make any money that way. In fact, I see that I would lose more money. Here's some interesting information on that.

Costs, Considerations Of Switching To Natural Or Organic Agricultural Methods

They found that a producer would have to make about $120 more per head on naturally finished cattle to make the same profit as they would have on conventionally finished ones. For organically finished cattle, that increases to about $400 more per head.

Now I admit these numbers are for finished product while I sell calves so the numbers aren't completely applicable to me but they do indicate some of the increased costs of these production methods. What I found interesting is the market you would be chasing.

What's more, Wileman said, is that research done at K-State shows that beef producers are competing for a mere 2 percent of a consumer's income. He said another thing to keep in mind is research showing that most growth in organic and natural food items has come from the same shoppers buying more products, not from an increase in the numbers of like-minded consumers.

So if you were to do this it would be to increase what people buy, not get new consumers. Maybe I'm just too comfortable with what I do or maybe I am just too good at what I do, but why change horse in mid stream. It looks like a little too much risk for me. There are people doing it and making money at it and more power too them. Not me.

Spent the day yesterday and I will spend the day today moving cattle up to Rosie's place for the branding on Sunday. The cattle always hate to travel up to that pasture for some reason and it's always a battle to get them their. I will get it accomplished though.

I had a neighbor bring up a good point about the moisture I keep griping about us not getting. He said, "the moisture won't do us any good if it doesn't warm up." That's true. There is a little moisture in the ground but we aren't using it because it has stayed so cool that the grass isn't growing well. Hell, the trees and brush have yet to bud it has been so cold. So we need both warmer weather and moisture to get things going. I have to believe it will happen eventually.

This is all the moisture that Mother Nature could manage out of the latest "storm." Less than an inch of snow. Boy, we could really use some significant moisture around here. Taken 4/21/2008.

Did you know that as corn prices go up, feedlots don't buy as many calves? Duh, no shit.

Record corn prices affect calf purchases

U.S. feedlots slashed purchases of young cattle 11 percent last month, more than expected, as costs for corn-based feed surged and losses widened.

Feedlots bought 1.736 million young animals in March, down from 1.96 million a year earlier, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Friday in a report. The average estimate of 10 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg was for a 7.6 percent drop.

I find this as no surprise. What the hell do you expect them to do. This really worries me since I sell calves but there is nothing I can do about it except weather the storm. Like I've said before it wouldn't surprise me if you see cow-calf producers like me having to hold on to the calf longer and put more weight on it with grass so the feedlots don't have to put so much corn through them. I am looking at working that way in my operation. Time will tell.

Food Rationing Confronts Breadbasket of the World

Many parts of America, long considered the breadbasket of the world, are now confronting a once unthinkable phenomenon: food rationing. Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply. There are also anecdotal reports that some consumers are hoarding grain stocks.

At a Costco Warehouse in Mountain View, Calif., yesterday, shoppers grew frustrated and occasionally uttered expletives as they searched in vain for the large sacks of rice they usually buy.

Starting to see some problems all ready with food even here in the US. I guess I wonder if there is an actual shortage of rice or if the perceived shortage of rice have people hoarding it, causing the shortages? I guess either way there isn't as much rice out there as people want causing problems.

Somewhere I heard the other day that between food and fuel, prices were up dramatically in the US and we were seeing inflationary pressures. Stuff like this doesn't help. Towards the end of the story the one person is complaining that 25 pounds of rice is costing $30 dollars. Pretty steep for sure, but here about a month ago I bought My Darling Wife a 25 pound bag of the special flour she uses and had to pay $25 for it. I've heard it's went up more since then. I see in the grocery store the other day that the same flour is $15 for a 10 pound bag.

I guess we are seeing the market reacting to shortages, real or imagined. America needs to get its act together so it can feed itself.

Well, it's been a very busy week but I'm getting things done. Got all the renovating done and got all the cattle worked out to the hills so that is all a plus. I say that like there is a minus, I guess there is, moisture. There is a chance today and the rest of the week but I am not holding my breath. It's to the point I don't think it is ever going to rain again.

I plan on branding a little bunch of calves next Sunday so this week will be taken for getting ready for that. In truth it should only take a couple of days to get ready but I like to cushion myself just a little with a couple of extra days.

I ran down to Sheridan yesterday and was amazed at the number of acres I saw getting plowed up out of alfalfa and grass. I don't know if they are planning on planting wheat or what but it really seemed strange. Me, I am trying to maximize my hay production so I don't have to buy any. With this lack of moisture I don't know how much hay I will get this year but I do have quite a bit sitting in the stacks so I am looking pretty good for now.

Gotta get going now. See how things are doing.

South Korea relaxes U.S. beef import rules

This news has been trumpeted all over the agricultural sites. South Korea will accept US Beef again and its great. I'm going to throw a little cold water on this news though. I don't beleive it will happen. Check this out.

South Korea on Friday agreed to open up to U.S. beef imports after Washington pledged to raise safety standards, boosting prospects for a sweeping trade deal ahead of a summit between leaders of the allies later in the day.

Beef from cattle older than 30 months can come in once U.S. safety standards are improved.

The US has to improve "safety standards" for this to happen. What "safety standards" aren't up to par for South Korea? What a way for South Korea to weasel out of this agreement. They still don't have to let any beef in until these nebulous "safety standards" are met.

US beef producers need to get their heads out of their asses and see this for what it really is. A political move that won't help the beef markets at all. Just a way of advancing the US/South Korea free trade agreement.

For the past couple of days I have had the joy of sitting on a tractor renovating the alfalfa. I think I would feel better if My Darling Wife beat me with a stick. I don't know what it is about farming but it cripples me up ever time I have to sit on a tractor for a long time. I could barely walk last night. How farmers sit on tractors for days on end is beyond me. I still have about a half day to go to finish the job but I'm not doing it today. I think I will move some cows around instead. Anything to get away from the damn tractor.

One lady wrote me and told me how she wants to see me get beat up and near death and that kind of stuff. George Eads

Beef is out; wheat is in: farmers

Financially beleaguered cattle producers in Manitoba are selling off their herds and switching to wheat, capitalizing on soaring grain prices.

Martin Unrau, president of the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association, is just one of hundreds of ranchers expected to sell off their animals this year and put their fields to work raising grain.

"Here we are growing grain for sale again, which is kind of hard to believe, I guess. But we're doing it," said Unrau, who has made his living raising cattle for more than 40 years.

"We've torn up some hay land and we're going to put in about 400 acres of salable grain this year, something we haven't done for about 10 or 11 years," he told CBC News.

Unrau's operation near MacGregor, Man., has been losing money — a common affliction in the industry, which has been struggling with soaring feed costs, low livestock prices and a high Canadian dollar.

He expects the switch to earn him about $80,000 in profits this year.

I wish them luck. I can't imagine trying to switch from cattle to wheat. The price of iron and seed and fertilizer, it would be cost prohibitive to do.

Brining some cows up to kick out to the spring pasture. it was a beautiful day for such a ride. Taken 4/14/2008.

A little more interesting information about the Plum Island animal research facility.

Accidents at Disease Lab Revealed

The only U.S. facility allowed to research the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease experienced several accidents with the feared virus, the Bush administration acknowledged Friday.

A 1978 release of the virus into cattle holding pens on Plum Island, N.Y., triggered new safety procedures. While that incident was previously known, the Homeland Security Department told a House committee there were other accidents inside the government's laboratory.

The accidents are significant because the administration is likely to move foot-and-mouth research from the remote island to one of five sites on the U.S. mainland near livestock herds. This has raised concerns about the risks of a catastrophic outbreak of the disease, which does not sicken humans but can devastate the livestock industry.

Yea, I'm sure the better procedures will stop an accidental release from the facility when it's relocated to Kansas. Isn't the better question, would an accidental release of foot and mouth disease affect nearby animals?

One government report, produced last year and already provided to lawmakers by the Homeland Security Department, combined commercial satellite images and federal farm data to show the proximity to livestock herds of locations that have been considered for the new lab.

"Would an accidental laboratory release at these locations have the potential to affect nearby livestock?" asked the nine-page document. It did not directly answer the question.

So, they are not willing to answer that. It must mean that there might be a problem. What do people that have worked there think?

Some experts, including the former director at the aging Plum Island lab, say research ought to be kept away from cattle populations — and, ideally placed where the public already has accepted dangerous research.

The former director, Dr. Roger Breeze, suggested the facility could be safely located at the Atlanta campus of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md., home of The United States Army Medical Research Institute for infectious diseases.

Another possibility, Breeze said, is on Long Island, where there is no commercial livestock industry. That would allow retention of most of the current Plum Island employees.

So what would be the problem with upgrading the Plum Island research facility and keeping this off the mainland.

A new facility at Plum Island is technically a possibility. Signs point to a mainland site, however, after the administration spent considerable time and money scouting new locations. Also, there are financial concerns about operating from a location accessible only by ferry or helicopter.

So a new facility at Plum Island is possible. Just embarrassing to the administration after they spent all the money scouting out new locations. So, it would be too hard to swallow their pride and do the right thing here? Then they mention financial concerns. What about the financial concerns of diseases escaping in say Kansas, and infecting the heart of cattle country. Wouldn't the financial concerns there out weigh any about transport to an Island facility? It sure seems like tit would to me.

I guess it's time to make some noise and contact my Congress Critters. I'm doomed to lose if I do that. Any time I contact my Congress Critters on a subject you can almost bet the thing is going to go against what I think would be the smart thing to do. That's a Representative Republic for you.

One of those interesting days today. To start with the hired hand doesn't show up for work. Still don't know what the situation is. I could walk over and knock on the door and ask but I figure he could let me know if there is a problem instead of me hunting him up. Common courtesy type thing if you ask me. Him not being there kind of put a hole in what I had scheduled today. I was going to try to get the rest of the pairs out to the hills but without help I knew that wasn't happening.

So I head on over to get started and when I get to the other place, there are half my horses where they belong, and half in another pasture beside them. This was really confusing to me. I start hunting around and find a brace post broke and a gate hanging about half way down. I study the tracks for awhile and figure out the horses came running down to the gate thinking it was open and when they discovered it was shut they jumped over it. The damn gate hasn't been open for months, why did they do this?

I get the horses all in and look the jumpers over and I found some very small punctures and scrapes low on their legs but no major damage to any of them. Later in the day I noticed one of them favoring a leg a little but I can't spot a problem with it. I will keep an eye on the situation and see. Patched the fence up for now. I will have to get to it and fix it shortly but the patch is as good as some peoples new gates so I figure it will do.

I went ahead and rode and got a bunch of the pairs out to the hills. Not all like I wanted to, but quite a chunk of them. I will have to try to finish in a day or two. The horses jumping the fence like that really made it a head scratching kind of day. What would posses them to do that? Sometimes it would be nice to figure these things out.