From the Barns: A life well lived

It has been a little rough getting cow work done with the heat and excessive rain we have been experiencing. We managed to find a cool morning last week and got through a big set of cows, leaving us down to only one bunch to work before all our help heads back to school. Our final set is the toughest to gather; hence, they seem to always be last. Rough country, lots of brush and old, cagey cows yield a tough gather worthy of some extra help and a good portion of luck to be successful. Lately the monster mosquitoes have been on the rampage out in the pastures, so a huge dose of repellant will also be required.

We have been hammering on the dry cows this season and getting them sorted and moved to market as soon as we have a load ready. The huge prices being paid for culls have made it much easier to say goodbye to these old girls. A wet July seems a bit out of context, but it sure makes a lot of feed. Our corn planted after wheat was a little challenging to get planted because it was too wet — in July? Who would have thought that would be an issue? A couple of inches of rain after planting can make you look pretty smart and fix a lot of ills.

Extra hay appears to be the norm this year, and the corn crop looks to be enormous. No cow should be hungry this winter. Feed costs for the feeding cattle aren’t hardly a discussion point, but feeder cattle values are still over the moon. Risking a huge pile of cash to reload on feeders is now normal, but wrapping your head around $2,500 in cost is impossible to comprehend, but it appears this situation will be around for some time. The “cattle cycle” seems to be bent pretty bad, if not downright broken. Whatever it seems, it is for sure historical.

We were blessed to celebrate the life of Linda’s dad last week. Gene went to be with the Lord at 92 years of age. My father-in-law had farmed in Stark County his whole life and for many years worked at the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service office out measuring bins and acres for the various government programs. The many, many folks he had met in those pursuits must explain the surprisingly large gathering at the funeral home for such an old soul who had been out of circulation for several years.

Gene had struggled with “old-timers disease,” as he called it, for several years. The great gathering of family and friends at his passing gave testament that while his memory might have dimmed the folks that knew and loved him remembered him well and celebrated a life well lived. Gene was well remembered and will be missed.

Steve Foglesong

Astoria, Ill.