From the Barns — Beasley: Farmers still farming

Creal Springs, Ill.

What a month! Everybody’s world has been turned upside down. But the world of caring for livestock doesn’t stop even for a pandemic. We are staying closer to home more than ever, being cautious and practicing the recommended measures to keep everyone healthy. It doesn’t seem like we have been any less busy than we normally would be. Bruce recently retired from working here, but with school out of session, we have had both my boy, Wyatt, and my nephew, David, here every day working on the farm, and they have been great assets in getting chores and projects accomplished, so that has been about the only plus during this crisis.

Feeder cattle numbers have remained almost steady. We have shipped out no cattle this past month, and we only brought in one load of cattle to place on feed. With the markets and weather still not being very cooperative, it is just such a time of uncertainty that we are standing pat for the most part. I am in the process of transitioning 200 upper nine-weight steers that I had hoped to sell to a finishing diet. We are hoping that our chance of coming out ahead is better down the road as fats than taking the money now. We just re-implanted them and are planning on doing the same to about 400 head of seven-weight heifers over the next two to three weeks.

In late February, we sold a load of good black home-raised steers that we had on feed in Kansas. We sent them out there because we wanted to sell on the U.S. Premium Beef grid. These cattle are out of Gardiner Angus Ranch genetics, and we were able to secure USBP kill slots from the Gardiner’s. We were fortunate they sold on a pretty good market, because the week after, the market took its first big downturn. All the steers graded choice or higher, with a good number of prime. With the grid premiums, we were able to net over $5 per hundredweight more than the base price, so that turned out to be a pretty nice deal. We got all our carcass data back and shared that with the Gardiner Ranch. Next week, we are shipping another load out there, steers that were born last spring and probably weighing in the mid 800s.

Spring calving has been going well, with the exception of one stillborn calf and another that came breech that required a trip to the vet clinic late at night. The cows have been calving out on the rye pasture, and we have finally strung together several nice days to make it a better environment. A few days ago, we went ahead and weaned our fall born calves. Takes some pressure off the cows and having to feed hay. They can get by now with just grazing rye until it plays out, and then it will be time to preg check them. In the last week or so, we have also picked up some local calves that producers are pulling off their cows. All vaccinated and off to a good start on the grower feed.

Hoping that the next month goes well and that things can somehow get back to a sense of normalcy.