Sure no fun to be outdoors

I can’t believe how many people I spoke with who said we should expect this type of weather for our long weekend and opening of fishing season!
I had big fencing plans for the weekend, but it certainly hasn’t been the most enjoyable time to be outside.
The good part is I don’t need to worry about seeing a snake!
We really did need the rain, but we don’t need the strong winds and rain for multiple days on end.
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I have a beaver that moved in across the road in a pond that normally dries up in the summer (the pond looks like a little lake and is encroaching on my yard more and more every hour).
The cows, meanwhile, are feeling very miserable with the weather.
But now if we get some sun and heat, we should really see our grass grow and that will be a good feeling with very little hay left!
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I enjoyed the Clover Valley Farmers’ Market on Saturday and I think the sheep did, too. They had lots of visitors both young and old.
I think everyone enjoyed seeing the lambs and I certainly heard how cute they were many times throughout the day.
The weather did hold off for the most part and it certainly makes it worth your while just seeing how many people enjoyed seeing them.
Marlee was pleased to show off the lambs for the most part (sometimes the girls don’t like sharing their animals).
It sounds like I will be bringing a trailer load of animals back to Fort Frances near the end of June for some Mall Day festivities.
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Here are some interesting facts I really wanted to share with people.
It’s been 10 years since the discovery of BSE in Canada but prices have risen for cull cows ($65.23 today compared to $55.60), stocker steers ($122.57 today compared to $107.05), and stocker heifers ($110 today compared to $100.37).
Doesn’t that just look all great!
But when you compare some of our input costs, it isn’t so great.
Corn prices in 2003 were $4.15 and $6.30 today, beef supplement was $276.50/tonne in 2003 and today it is $463.25, and gas in 2003 was 67.4 cents per litre compared to $1.39 these days.
Another big factor is the Canadian dollar. In 2003, it was at 68.87 cents (U.S.) and today it is 98.18 (U.S.)
Our cattle exports have dropped drastically and the total cattle owned in Ontario has dropped from 1,307,000 head to 988,900.
We really need to stop and think about this industry—and where your food will come from!