From the Barns: Kicking into gear

I just saw a map of the affected drought areas of 2012 and right now and they looked awfully similar to the one for 2024. Only time will tell, but there have not been many springs with no mud to contend with, so I feel being a little nervous about the upcoming growing season is justified. Most years we deal with trying to get manure applied when we really would like to be planting corn, but we have been flying through the acreage so far this spring and will be ready to plant as soon as the soil temperature says it is time to go.

I keep reminding our crew that it could just as easily be wet for the next month — and it needs to be. We still have several ponds that are way lower than normal and have even pumped some water to refill one that we need to water cattle in one of our calving pastures. Fortunately, we do have lots of equipment designed to move huge volumes of liquid, so filling a pond is no big deal, just backwards of what we do usually.

Nate, Drew and their crew have been revaccinating and weaning calves and just about got that all wrapped up. We will not start calving for another month and a half and it looks like green grass will be abundant at least for the onset of that season.

The wheat we seeded for grazing last fall is present, but not doing much for lack of water. Hopefully, a shower or two will get it kicked into gear. We plan on turning out by mid-March and hopefully that will still occur. Grazing wheat for a few weeks in the spring really does our permanent pasture a lot of good. Resting from grazing pressure early in the growing season revitalizes the plants and they hang on in the dry season a lot longer.

I have noticed the cows heading out to pasture quicker each day as soon as the corn silage is cleaned up, so there must be a few sprigs of grass available to pique their interest. At least it is something new in their diet after a winter of corn silage and distiller’s grain.

The fat market has come back strong following the Christmas crash, and cheaper corn prices are certainly helping with cost of gain. Feeder cattle prices are just nuts, also due to the fat market and cheap feed. At the very least there is a lot more cash to deal with on all fronts. I have not seen much written about the cow herd rebuilding and with the threat of continued drought and these super high feeder prices, I doubt there will be any wholesale heifer retention. It looks like these prices may be here to stay a while, at least until something changes dramatically.

Ian is heading south in a few weeks to work on a Florida ranch. While his dad and I will miss him while he is gone, we know the experience he will gain in a different environment will be invaluable. The only thing constant is change and thus a new chapter begins.