Whats the plan?

[ALLFARMER]

Just wondering what cattle producers on here
have up their sleeve? What is the big plan, the
big push, the goal for next year?

For me it's finish my new shop...insulate, lights,
tin the inside and finish the outside. Also work on
cutting and piling my new acres and fencing it.

[15444]

I'm looking to get funding for an entire new corral system through the LATI program. Hopefully the auction markets haven't gobbled up all the cash yet.

I've got a new agreement to rent another 160 acres from a neighbour and another 160 I rent is possibly going up for sale this year, so I'll have to see what is being asked for that.

Looking forward to shipping all of my spring-born 2012 purebred Hereford calves to Kazakhstan in the fall.

Hopefully can get my tiling and drainage project (about 1 mile worth) completed this spring and get some new water sources. This lack of snowfall has me a little worried about pasture situations this year as all our dugouts were record low.

Otherwise the usual replacing of old fences and making enough hay for an ever-increasing cowherd.

[ASRG]

Breaking more land. Kept the heifers and am feeding them to either sell for breeding or maybe run them in the summer with a bull and sell this fall. Probably should let the cows go but with the wet year never got enough land broke so will need to keep them until next fall.
Looking forward to the Carribean.

[kato]

Surviving.

That's the facts of life in Manitoba.

[Kathy]

I'm with Kato, just hoping to survive! And as for the last six years, hoping my hubby will get around to finishing my kitchen cupboards.... As for the farm, keep on keeping on. Not going to change what has worked so far for us...Wishing the best of the best for the new year - to everyone.

[ALLFARMER]

No surviving a fact of life here. The company I
am working for is short 5 or 6 log truck drivers
$27/$28/hr. 12 to 16hr days, easy work....guys
sitting on the 2 way radia bullshitting all day. Not
huge money but compared to what caterpillar is
offering its locked out employees fairly good.

[kato]

There's lots of employment here too, but it's processing hogs for $11.50 an hour.

Makes feeding cows look pretty good.

[smcgrath76]

We were planning to wait a few years,
but it appears we may be still in
expansion mode as some opportunities
come up. Marketing program is coming,
we are going to further pursue the grass
finished beef thing, working on a couple
of other projects and spec'ing out the
cost to move off-the-grid.
We have to replace more of our chute
system this summer, and are looking at
retained ownership options for our
calves. A couple of bull purchases to
make this year (1 is done, 1 to go).
Hoping to get my kijiji door on the
front of our barn and finally get a
heatable workshop out of the deal.
Lot's of exciting beef industry work on
the professional side lined up, research
projects, teaching AI class, producer
presentation work, etc.

[forage]

Being working 2 weeks on 1 off at Ft.Mac. Take most of Feb. off to calve out my cows. Hope the weather is as good then as it is now. Just trying to save a big bucket of cash so I can donate it ABP. Right.

[ALLFARMER]

Ya SMC power rates are getting crazy. I am
thinking of replacing my electric hot water tank
with a new natural gas model. With a large family
we use it allot, payback shouldn't take that long.
Love our new high efficiency furnace...very cheap
to run.

Insulating & getting heat into my new shop are a
Major priority.....stay out of house next winter!!!

[Kathy]

Allfarmer, something my hubby did when building our shop, involves putting thick ie: 4 inch solid insulation on the outside of the concrete wall (four foot high walls with arch rib on top). He got some insulation really cheap, and used it along the walls of shop and then along the ground outwards from the walls (about four feet). Then he buried the insulation under dirt, making a sloped mass of dirt up on the sides, and one end of the shop. This has made a dramatic difference in the costs of heating the shop. I do recommend, however, that you make the slope low enough to mow the grass which you need to seed on it (to hold it down).

[ALLFARMER]

Thanks Kathy

Guys are doing that here now too....a good plan.