From the Pastures: Got to live and learn

Hello from Graze-N-Grow. We must have had a brief Indian summer, with temperatures in the 70s for a couple of days. It’s been a good fall season for all farmwork, especially since there’ve been few rain interruptions. Here at home we’ve had a couple showers this past month, totaling less than an inch, which means my broadcasted rye has not made an appearance yet. I’m told it can grow even on a bald head, but since I have not personally tested that claim I can only hope that come spring it will show up.

The wheat we drilled mid-October is looking good; the pastures not so much. Since hay feeding has begun already, it’s going to be a long feeding season. Thankfully hay prices are lower than the last few years — for me, at least — and my supply should be adequate. That’s if I can count on grazing rye by mid-April. I have never tried grazing wheat in the spring, but I’m told as long as the animals are off before it starts to get a hollow stem it can still yield well. Hopefully I won’t have to, though.

The lamb market prices have improved lately, tempting me to sell some off the farm. Usually we sell most of the ram lambs for slaughter on the farm and most ewe lambs are sold as breeding stock. But since the market price is almost matching my on-farm price I may reward the market and reduce some hay consumption.

I had been hoping we could see some even better prices if we could get some tariff relief by reducing foreign imports. But with President Donald Trump’s recent focus on lowering beef prices by importing more Argentine and Brazilian beef, I doubt we’ll see anything happening now to curtail Australian imports. I still consider beef and lamb prices a bargain compared to most store items on most shoppers’ grocery list. Think potato chips, pop, candy, cereal, doughnuts, fast food — oh, and all those candy coffee drinks. And that good red meat is building health, not destroying it.

We recently replaced about 800 feet of woven wire fence after a semi went through it last summer. It was built by the state when I-80 was built back in the early ‘60s, so I decided to do more than the semi damaged. Since it was on the farm side of the access road, the Illinois Department of Transportation said it was my fence. They would only do the one on their right of way, which they did. It only took them four months.

If the weather continues to cooperate I hope to get a few more projects done, like putting in at least one more energy-free waterer and replacing a couple hydrants that went bad. My mistake years ago was putting in cheap hydrants instead of the good Rockford ones that last a lifetime and not using 4-inch PVC over them to eliminate the need to dig them out if they ever did fail. Live and learn, they say.

Even after all these years this recent time-change thing has got me thinking I should be in bed by 8 p.m. lately. Is that just me getting older or does it have the same effect on you? At least we have the long nights to get some much-needed rest to prepare for next spring when we can do it all over again — I can hardly wait!

Have a joyful Thanksgiving. We all have much to be thankful for. Happy trails.