From the Barns: The great ride

The weather here in western Illinois has been a wild ride as of late. We have been under a tornado watch or warning numerous times in the month of April. My weather radio has almost vibrated off the shelf from all of it. The one good thing is some of the rains that accompanied the storms have added pond water, although we still have a ways to go to feel safe for the heat and dry of summer.

My friend, Debbie Daniels, had the Colmar elevator destroyed right across the street from her house and pastures littered with tin. Fortunately her property was mostly spared from any extensive damage. We are hoping things calm a bit in May. The row crop guys need some time to work, having only been afforded a couple of small windows to plant.

The good news here at River Oak is that we were spared from the storm damage except for trees on fences. The feeder calves seem to have weathered things good, as well, and the 44 dry cows on spring pasture are already working quickly in a daily rotation.

Carson has worked through the muddy lots pretty well and sunshine and frequent winds change the footing in a hurry. His open feeding yard has worked well except for the really windy days which blow ground hay and shucklage where we don’t want it.

The bad news for us here is that Ameren has chosen the route for the new Central Illinois Grid Transformation Program and it will cut across our entire 400 acres from north to south. A timeline is not yet known, but it will be very disruptive to our intensely managed grazing system and will probably affect us for several months of construction, as well as the easement that affords 150 feet of space for service and maintenance.

At least 11 fence lines will be crossed, so during construction it will be a real management nightmare. Damage and disruption payments don’t look to me like they will help solve those problems. I have a lot of unanswered questions at this point. It seems to me when it comes to a construction phase that I will spend hours on watch to prevent problems. This is not the scenario that I want to leave for my daughters and as Carson becomes the new owner of River Oak. I have not been sleeping very well.

As we continue the great ride with cattle prices we still must do some things well to be as profitable as possible: keep costs in check, be a true low budget operation, cut transportation where possible, manage animal health with extra care, keep equipment costs low, become a true regenerative grazer, and look constantly for ways to be more efficient.

Enjoy the spring and stay safe and sane!