Friday Crop Report on a Thursday!

[pourfarmer]

Why don't you post more often???? ....we could all use the "serenity now" more often....

Agree, nice to have a change of pace on here once in a while!

[Sheepwheat]

Why don't you post more often???? ....we could all use the "serenity now" more often....

I dont post a lot because I feel a misfit. I feel misunderstood. Things that interest others just doesn’t interest me much. I am not a typical farmer.

For over 20 years, I fought against wealthy neighbors to get more land to become more efficient, I plowed the inputs into the soil. For a few years, I made some progress. I was growing 50 bushel canola long before it became vogue. Neighbors used to ask me for tips, what did I put on that crop, etc..

Then the brutal wet years hit. Very nearly finished me. High inputs, high yield expectations. From zero seeded acres a couple of years, to 6 bushel canola and 4 bushel canaryseed yields, I had to make a change to survive. Trying to compete with others grandparents land equity, while buying land with little equity, was not possible. Took me too long to see it.

So I dropped a third of my land base. Most of my rented land. Kept some that is owned by the kindest person I know. Dropped the stuff with the more belligerent types. Was fortunate to have bought 7 ewes to see what I thought of animal farming. In the poor years, I was growing my flock, started seeding down land.

The end result has been a calmer me. A less stressed me. A me who finds so little interest in growing something I can’t control. The weather, the markets, the timing of sales, it all has kicked me in the groin too much.

So I find that though I peruse this site daily, multi daily in fact, there is little here that I find very interesting anymore. The bad years tore my heart out, frustrated me, set me back a decade or more, but set me on a happier pathway in life. So I am thankful for those rough years. They taught me before it was too late that the path I was on was one of stress and unforgiving disaster.

The new me can take a few hours to go for a hike with the girls, to tap maples and cook down the sap. To screw around with egg layers, turkeys, bees. The old me would not have done so, it was too stressed and wound up like a fiddle string.

It has allowed me to really live. To REALLY live.

I encourage anyone who is wound tight as I was, to realize life can be more than that. Farming has more than one model. Bucking the trend is doable and rewarding. That it doesn’t matter what the neighbors think. One of the best part is being back in control of my destiny, by raising something madly wanted. To set my own prices, to time my own deliveries. If I screw it all up, I will blame myself, not govt, not the railways, nutrien, voters, Richardson, jay dee.

I am simply free now. The little I still grain farm is just more fun, little pressure. I have way too much equipment per acre now and I love it! Lol I can afford the moderate inputs on my own dime, graze the sheep after harvest for weed control and fertility reasons.

I don’t fit in, do I?

[farmaholic]

Sheepwheat, there's more than one way to skin a cat, do what works best for you and don't worry about what other people think. Money isn't the only measure of success! We haven't grown our base since 2004, alot of other people are forging ahead even by just renting more acres, I don't have to and don't care what the "progressives" think. In my "simplemindedness" I "think" I'm doing "ok".

[Marusko]

I think bucket may have been sarcastic, but I do like to see posts from folks like you, sheepwheat, who are doing things differently. I don't know why everything has to be such a sh**-throwing fest on here. People are allowed to have different opinions and different business methods, which will create some debate, but doesn't have to be a fight. Peace and love man!

We're just a commercial grain operation, and smallish, though in a high-producing area. All involved in our operation work off the farm. I've been trying to think of something that could diversify and add to my income to replace my job some day. Sheep is an option. Not sure on the economics of it and I know nothing about them but we had cattle when I was a kid so not completely new to livestock. Just hard to justify getting into such a labour-intensive sector while also grain farming and holding down the day job. I can't see sheep replacing my off-farm income. But I like learning about the options.

FWIW I like seeing your weekly reports too, SF3. I'm not friends with the BTOs around here so it's interesting to see what's going on inside your head. Interesting, and maybe a bit scary, too! haha!

I would ask you, SF3 with all that's going on, you're not eager to pick up land far out, but are you still wanting to expand close by? Will you buy land within 10-20 miles at current market prices? I heard 2nd hand that one BTO has a philosophy of push more than ever to pick up new land to cover the smaller margins going forward, rather than easing back to try to limit potential losses. Not sure what makes more sense. I guess he's optimistic that it won't get to the point where we're all losing money.

[woodland]

Sheepwheat you are definitely not alone in your situation. We tried scaling back the cows here and pushing more grain acres ( also with wealthy neighbors and a coal mine next door) and Mother Nature showed her ugly side for a few years and took all the fun and money out of it. We’re similar to you with growing barley, corn, and alfalfa for cow chow. If the only super b’s that show up here from now on deliver fert I’m fine with that as soon as last years green ugly canola finds a home. We spent $30k on tools to make fencing easier (hoe-pac, page wire unroller, and a cordless staple gun) this winter and dad just finished a 1/4 mile with his buddy and they actually enjoyed it.

Just got a little rain here and the grass is shooting up like crazy. Got two calves in 6 hours so now there’s five and I guess we’re calving even if they’re 9 days early.



Latest arrival out of a heifer.



Corner office view today.

Most guys count down to seeding but I prefer the countdown to grass time. 45 days hopefully and that’s the best sight for me is seeing them heading out to pasture.

If the weather holds we’ll be making dust in a week or two possibly after plowing some pasture water line in first.

Good luck everyone this year🍀

[SASKFARMER3]

I’m thinking why travel to make .25 cents just stay home do a good job and make .25 cents.

It’s not easy being a farmer and some days you ask why.

[woodland]

It’s not easy being a farmer and some days you ask why.

I was telling my wife that “ I don’t get paid enough” as I’m reaching inside a cow with retained placenta after she aborted a few days earlier just to make sure there weren’t any “surprises “ inside. Then the cow sneezed and covered me in a nice spray pattern of very stinky, bloody “juice” from head to toe. She then said “you definitely aren’t getting enough for today” to which we both laughed.

Things can always be worse but at least we’re still on the right side of the grass🍀

[SASKFARMER]

Yes I agree.

I still believe family is one of the most important things you can have and good friends.

Good hamburger and a pop today just tire kicking. They are definitely dryer on the south side of the valley.

[jazz]

Sit back someday and work out how many people your farm feeds every day. Use wheat to bread ratio if you farm grains mostly, assume as family eats a loaf a day as staple diet. 8 bushels of wheat will make bread for one yr for a family of 4. So a 60 bu HRS crop feeds 7 families per yr per acre. Think about the massive number of people farms are feeding in this country and around the world. How many deserve it? How many would rather think about Kim Kardashian than where their next meal is coming from.

[SASKFARMER]

A guy ripping pasture at white city. Cloud of dust.