OddBits

[fjlip]

My first car that I ever owned was a 1960 Buick Electra which I paid $600 for in 1966. Totally loaded, electric everything. 34 gallon gas tank but gas was only 22 cents an Imp Gal, ins cost me 35 dollars and plates were 15 bucks. It was about then inflation started to kick in. My dad gave me 35 acres to farm which paid my University tuition, books and rent - not much else. A totally different world now, wouldn't you say?

Way better than my 64 Acadian in 1968, only $400, bare bones only option was the AM radio! Ya the gas was 45 cents a gallon by then, 10 cents a liter. Five bucks usually filled it up. When was your university year? I went in 71, $3200 for all costs for the year including room and board. I have OLD receipts from grandfather in boxes in shop, could dig up lots of prices.
Saw diesel at 5 cents a liter! The JD 730 used 1 gallon per hour on a 16' drill at 5.5mph, maybe 60 acres in 12 hours for $3.00 of fuel! Try beat that with 600 HP! Think the GROSS income from 800 acres was $25000.

[farming101]

These days you don't even have to start the tractor up and it costs way more than that!

[parsley]

Can't read or reply or even grunt until UFC is over. ... Pars.

[LEP]

My grandfather told me a story about selling a couple yearling steers in the late twenties. I think he loaded them on rail to Winnipeg and after selling them they sent a bill for freight because the proceeds didn't cover it.

Despite some difficult times I think none of us have never seen it that tough.

[RD414]

LEP, you don't have to reach back into last century to get cattle prices like that, my dad got a cheque for a good butcher cow July 14, 2004 for 3 dollars. Kept the cheque and framed it.

[LEP]

I sold cull cows cheap too but never that cheap.

Luck of the draw I guess.

[parsley]

CBC 's "Happy Gang" was a noon variety show that ran from 1937-1959 with approx 2M listeners a day The show was filed with happy swing music and corny jokes, a moral support for those endless disheartening wartime days.

Hugh Bartlet announcer
Barry Wood announcer
Herb May announcer
Eddie Allen
Bobby Gimby
Blain Mathe
Joe Niosi
Lou Snider
Jimmy Namaro
Cliff Mckay
Terry McKay
Kathleen Stokes
Bert Pearl was the smooth "pappy"
Les Foster accordion
Bert Niosi saxophone-clarinet pars

[parsley]

Interesting, farm. Hope you keep the bill-books. Real time Saskatchewan history. pars.

[farmaholic]

off topic... we were culling our way out of the cattle industry for years and when BSE hit we had few left. We had two cull cows that we kept away from the bull, fed up over months, slaughtered and had boned out. We(me and my siblings) ate them. It was alot of hamburger meat but I wasn't going to let them steal them from me. If my memory serves me, meat across the counter never went down much if at all...

[burnt]

"If my memory serves me, meat across the counter never went down much if at all... "

Your memory serves you correctly. It was the worst ripoff of both producers and consumers this country has EVER seen.

And now that cattle/beef prices are finally closer to where they should be, I remind consumers of that fact when they begin to complain with the admonition to put the pressure where it belongs, not on me as a cattle producer.

Yesterday a "relative" told me that she can't afford to buy ground beef anymore at $6 or $7 /lb.

However, when she comes to our house to visit, she is always carrying a large cup of coffee from Tim Hortons. She doesn't seem to mind paying around $150 for the equivalent of one jar or can of instant or perk coffee...