Feed barley?

[blackjack]

...lol...cowman...i knew you would not be able to resist that one...like you say the govt is going to roll on this bio thing ...even if it takes a few taxpayers to pay the freight...i guess i never worried about selling export feed barley when our own operation uses what we grow...so the cwb has never been a concern since we quit with the bs of the malt market a long time ago...and as for growing a high grade wheat in these parts (red deer area)was always a little tricky...

[cowman]

blackjack: Do you know Tony Overwater? He is a partner in Parkland Ag...they are some kind of combination joint venture thing with Agrium(Cargill)in Penhold, Delburne, Stettler,Didsbury, Three Hills etc.?
Anyway here goes: At the Parkland Christmas party he gave quite a speech on the future possibilities of bio fuel and what it might mean for this area. He claimed that the barley growers group was doing research into producing a barley that would actually out perform wheat in an ethanol plant!
I know what you mean about growing wheat in this area...very little hard red spring and often it is a struggle because of frost. There is a fair bit of CPS wheat grown, but without a doubt barley and canola work very well here!
This whole "biofuel" thing has a lot of people wondering? If grain prices hold this year(and the cattle/hog businesses remain in the doldrums)I would suspect we will see a lot of grass land sprayed out this fall?
I think a lot of cow/calf producers are tired of poor returns, and the fact is most cow/calf outfits in this area grow grain as well? Not really difficult to increase grain acres and reduce forage acres? Might be as easy as not cutting silage but take it off as grain?
How many backgrounders are getting sick of making unacceptable returns feeding cattle? It isn't the nicest job...treating sick calves, out in the rottenest weather and slop, increasing costs for almost everything, new environmental rules...and a poor return for your labor, management, time, and money!
I suspect a whole lot of people are watching where this biofuel thing is going!
At the same time, I would suggest this scenario unfolding has to be good for the person who is intent on remaining in cattle? The supply is about to shrink in a big way...and sooner or later demand will catch up!
Innisfail auction mart has 600 bred cows in the Friday sale? I cannot remember those kind of numbers in January, before? I would think a lot of cow/calf men have come to a decision?...By the way I sure wouldn't want to be in the purebred business, with what is coming down the pipes!

[Horse]

I think whereever this ethanol thing lands there will be a feeding operation close to use the distillers grain and I dont know if that will help anyone but the feeder.
There is a cow sale in drayton and they quoted 850/1050$/hd boy I sure cant see what people are thinking unless its to keep the cheques coming off crown land [welfare cows].
Big sale in westlock 6/800hd and nielsons are talking the same ,kind of wonder where they all go.

[cowman]

I wonder where they all go too?
I thought maybe they were going to cheap land in Saskatchewan, but in fact Saskatchewans cow herd shrank last year! Some brave souls must be optomistic?

[blackjack]

...cowman...our family does use tony's business for a part of the farm...the rumor is definitely out that the bio plant will be just down the road from tony's business...so i can imagine he is excited about that...

...as for cows our business has been buying some...and selling the old girls as culls...the last four years has had to been hard on the fellows that bred heifers...one of the problems i see in the auction mart this fall...there seems to be more calves of poorer quality which would make you think people are trying to cut costs by buying cheaper bulls...

[cowman]

blackjack: I wonder too if a lot of guys who normally background, did not buy calves this fall and have all this silage/hay that they have to do something with?
I know what you mean about the bred heifer thing? Some of those guys have to be taking a bath this year! I would suggest that is not a good thing for the heifer calf market? How many will say to hell with this?
I remember one year when I backgrounded a bunch of first cross Char/Hereford heifers(we didn't keep them then). Now these girls were good! I sold them in the spring right around that 1000 lb. mark and they out sold every steer at the sale! The guy who bought them was a "heifer "guy and I saw them sell that fall...at the top of the sale. He made some money, for sure!
The next year I figured if other people thought they were so good, maybe I should be keeping them! Never regretted it.