Show you ag. appraisal superiority.

[ALLFARMER]

Yikes bred heifers on TEAM were passed. $1280
and $1250 aaaaa if only I had the bales.

[grassfarmer]

So I'm confused - if you are keen to be in the cattle
business and want to expand how come you talk of
investing all your surplus cash on feed mixers, discs,
mower conditioners, land, stock portfolios but you
can't pencil buying hay to feed to breeding stock you
think are under-valued?

[ALLFARMER]

Because hay landed in this yard is 80$/bale. The
disc will turn a half section of rotten roots into
mulch and then hayland seed bed. More
connected land is always a plus. Trading stocks
gives me something to do.....as usual the Indian's
are screwing up logging. Some chiefs son drove
into a log truck 4 or 5 years ago and has been
pissed ever since.

[grassfarmer]

Oops, maybe you choice of location wasn't so good?
Who says you need to feed cattle north of the artic
circle? Plenty of hay at $55-$60 a ton in this area.
Lots of empty corrals to feed in, lots of guys no
longer have cattle but still have the ability to feed
them. Lots of options out there if you are creative.

[ALLFARMER]

Ya it's a little ways up here....-35 already tonight.

Been up north 10 years and have not regretted it
one bit. Everyone I know who went farming
around Westlock / Legal has quit already. They
farmed beside the multi million dollar old money
farmers. These guys looked over the fence saw
the new fancy equipment, the land base old guys
have and gave up.

Did you get your cows preg checked?
What's 1200 acres of connected land worth in
your area?

[forage]

Wish this is all I had to worry about/ the price of a mixer mill. Read bill 2 and then give your head a shake.

[grassfarmer]

forage, I get your point but remember also you
should only worry about things you can control. Try
to influence the outcome to a positive result on
things you dislike yes - but don't put life on hold and
set aside making decisions you are responsible for
and in complete control of.

Allfarmer, I have enough equity tied up in the land I
own, renting additional land in my area is a much
better deal. We rent 1200 that is in close proximity,
some adjoining. The AB average land appreciation
rate of 4% is a rather poor investment when compared
to stock market potential. I like to separate out in my
mind what is the investment value of owning land
versus how much the cost of running cows on the
land is. If you don't it's too easy to fudge the figures
and excuse low cow herd profitability by saying "my
land is appreciating" so it's OK. A leading cause of
farmers being asset rich/cash poor.

I don't pay the vet to preg check cows, it's easy
enough to identify them once they are weaned - by
the time i've confirmed them they are coming off
grass in good shape in late January when the market
is always higher. I usually fail to identify 1 per year
that's open likely because it's not cycling but the cost
of wintering her (and selling her into a higher market
still) is substantially less than paying the vet/running
the cows through the chute.

[ASRG]

grassfarmer: Agree 100% with you on the preg check thing. If you are feeding cows/checking cows daily not too hard to pick up the opens.
I like your take on land appreciation.....too bad more people don't do their homework!

[ALLFARMER]

The key with land and everything else is to buy it
for the right amount. Called Kello Bilt in Red Deer
today they wanted 24k for the disk but said I could
have it for 22, bought it at the dealer in town on
the lot for 20 I buy my own Christmas gifts

[grassfarmer]

How do you know what the "right amount" for
land is if you have no idea of what it is capable
of producing, what you are going to do with it
and what the economics of what you are going
to do with it are?
Buying cheap and saying you are rich because
neighbouring land sells higher 6 months later
isn't real - its purely speculative - until you sell
your land and cash the cheque the enhanced
valuation isn't real money.