HORACE MCQUEEN: Hay is a High Priced Feed
Raising cattle is not an easy business. The cost of feed, fuel, labor, taxes, fencing, etc. means it costs around $600 a head to get a calf to market weight. Some folks do it for less—some more. One of the more costly inputs is hay—whether raised on the farm or purchased. Dr. Larry Redmon, Texas A &M state forage specialist, is a believer in making sure that hay is stored properly. He says with a cost of around $60 a bale—or $120 a ton—preserving hay quality is a must.
A hay barn can pay for itself in four to six years. If you don’t have a barn, using a tarp as a cover can be helpful. Stack the hay in a pyramid on well drained ground before adding the tarp. Speaking at the recent O.D. Butler Field Day at Camp Cooley Ranch, Redmon pulled back several layers of hay from a bale that was stored outside for several months. He noted that cows know where the “good stuff” is and they will eat the center of the bale leaving the spoiled outer layers uneaten.
Grassburs have become a major problem for many cattle and hay farmers. One of the topics discussed at the field day was chemicals for grassbur control. Applied properly, at the right time and using the right amount of chemical, grassburs can be suppressed in pastures and hay meadows. Chemicals available for control include Esplanade, Esplanade plus Pastora, Esplanade and Cimarron Plus and Prowl H20. Cost of grassbur control is not cheap, but done properly results are good.
Wal-Mart is trying a new concept in getting online orders to customers. Rather than depending on Fed-ex, UPS or other delivery services, Wal-Mart is experimenting with using employees to deliver the orders on their way home. It’s being tried in three stores now—and employees are delivering up to ten packages to customers. No word from the big box outfit as to how much the “Associates” will be paid to deliver the packages.
Some days are better than others! A fellow was sitting in a bar staring at his drink when a burly biker stepped up, grabbed the drink and downed it. The man who lost his drink started crying—and said, “This is the worst day of my life. I am a complete failure. I was late to a meeting and my boss fired me. When I went to the parking lot, I found my car had been stolen—and I don’t have insurance. I left my wallet in the cab I took home. When I got home, I found my wife with another man. Then my dog bit me. So, I came to this bar to work up the courage to end it all. I buy a drink, drop a capsule in it and watch the poison dissolve. Then you, you jackass, show up and drink the whole thing. But enough about me, how is your day going?”