Still plenty to do at EARS

November has arrived and, unfortunately, so has some snow.
Things ended up getting very busy last week with the cooler temperatures.
Combines were running, manure was getting spread and some field work was accomplished.
Of course, it is never enough time and we were all hoping and wishing for “just a few more days!”
It was cold enough last week that some soybeans were harvested, but unfortunately at EARS, they were harvested by our four-legged friends, so we just chopped off the straw that remained.
I was cutting some plots with the haybine when I broke down.
Now I have stuff that needs to be cut and, of course, baled.
I am crossing my fingers that I will get to that this week.
I had to take Friday afternoon off to work at the sales barn so that left me with less time at EARS.
• • •
We sold 1,015 head at our final cattle sale of the season. The total sales were $996,059.73.
It was an okay sale, but we did see lower cull cow prices and some heavily discounted cattle.
I always find that frustrating because the farmers sees the discount but further down the chain, they don’t.
We were short-staffed because some were busy on the land and others were off hunting.
A big thank you to the staff that showed up and worked extra hard. We do appreciate this.
It looks like 2020 will be an exciting year at the sales barn with new barns to work in.
We are excited to move forward with this project over the winter months.
A big thank you to our sales barn manager, James Gibson, who does an outstanding job. I think by the end of a sale weekend, his head is just buzzing.
We really appreciate you, James, and enjoy working (teasing) with you.
• • •
I was able to get away from the sales barn for a quick bit to attend the service in honour of Joe Reynolds on Saturday.
It was a beautiful service for a very special person that left us much too soon. The impact Joe had was very evident in a packed house at the Stratton Millennium Hall.
Joe’s wife, Shari, gave a wonderful tribute; she deserves a medal for being so brave and strong.
My wish is that we continue to tell our Joe stories for many years so that his children understand what a gift their dad was.
• • •
Please take the time to attend our abattoir AGM on Thursday, Nov. 14 at the Chapple Hall.
The abattoir is such an important piece of infrastructure to our entire district–no matter if you are farming or not.
This is a step that is needed so that you can eat good, clean, local food.
If the excuse is that you don’t want to sit on the board–that is fine. You must let your name stand; no one is forced into being on the board! See you there.
• • •
Maddie was out for Sunday to farm. What a huge help she was–vaccinating and moving around our sheep, goats and alpaca.
Another job off the list.
We still have to get cattle home to do the same but the frozen mud is really hard on their feet right now so we will wait a bit.
Still wishing the weather would co-operate so that we can tackle a few more of these type of jobs.