Be patient on the roads

The weather is looking good for this week so I’m expecting you will see many farmers rushing around with planting and spreading fertilizer.
Be patient on the roads as moving this equipment around from field to field often is slow-going.
Take your time and enjoy the scenery for those few minutes.
Seeding down new crops on a farm is necessary to keep your land productive. And depending on what you are planting, it is safe to say this will cost around $300 per acre.
This is an expensive time of the year for farmers.
• • •
We sold 1,008 animals at the Stratton sales barn on Saturday for $1,750,889.73.
It’s pretty safe to say that most of that money will be spent right here in Rainy River District. Another great thing is that nearly $300,000 of those animals stayed right here, as well.
Producers were buying grass cattle while some were purchasing heifers for herd expansion, so this is great for agriculture in our district.
It also was great to see some of our young producers buying some heifers and looking to grow our herd numbers.
I took a cow that I was expecting to calve but didn’t (she weighed more than 2,000 pounds and I got $1.17/lb. for her). And to think that just a few short years ago, cull cows only were worth $100 and some people even ended up owing money since the prices they got didn’t even cover shipping costs.
Even though I was sad to see this cow go, it certainly will help towards my new bull purchase.
That’s one thing about farming—we spend our money as quickly as we get it.
• • •
The Rainy River Feeder & Breeder Finance Association held their annual meetings last week.
Congratulations to them for running quick, smooth elections and filling their boards so easily.
It’s obvious there is a great need and value to both of these boards. We are lucky to have them in our district and, once again, it is important to young producers to have access to these lending dollars.
Even though you often hear that we are lacking youth in agriculture, I think that in our district, we are doing a great job of encouraging and seeing young producers become active and involved in this exciting industry.
• • •
I was able to attend a “Science Night” at S.C.A.P. last week and I focused a bit more on crops than beef or sheep like I have done in the past.
It was a great night for the students and their families, and I was happy that they invited agriculture to be a part of their night.
• • •
We have a barn full of sheep now but still are waiting on our last ewe to lamb. She (“Saltee”) is the momma that had quads last year, so we’re anxiously waiting what she is planning for this year.
We are hoping to have them all sheared next week. And with the mild temperatures forecast for this week, the sheep likely are more excited about their hair cuts than us!
Have a great week—and get out and enjoy the sun!