'Tis past the season but as we were calculating some bills for freezer beef I started to wonder about a scale.
We don't have one for the beef cattle. When DH and customers and the butcher work out a date, he and Grandpa (me, too, sometimes) pick out the heaviest ones. With the last two, Grandpa guessed they would both dress out at 800 pounds, hanging weight, or about 1,330 to 1,335 pounds. One steer's sides weighed 378 and the other's weighed 438. So the sides averaged about 400 to 410.
I wonder if we had a scale we could sell in a more timely fashion and tighten up on the feed costs.
I'd put a scale on my wish list.
Also ... a new roof on Grandpa and Grandma's barn. It's a several-thousand dollar job. I don't know, though. If we talked to a few guys looking for work these days, maybe we could get a deal. I leave horse-trading like that to DH.
Would be nice to remodel our poultry facility. Now, doesn't that sound high class? In real life it was a three-sided tramp shed for cattle. It's long, tall and drafty, which would suit cattle fine. It needs to be snug but well-ventilated for the chickens. Right now, it's not. However, it gets too hot in the summer. Some re-engineering might be called for.
A few years ago we did get our wish for a newer tractor with a cab. It's made such a wonderful difference in the winter to have a heated cab. When we were milking cows through a super cold winter I added up all the calories DH consumed. At 4,000 calories a day he was losing weight. He leveled off at 6,000. I was baking something every day -- now I know why God created pie. Think of how many calories you can slug into a guy in a simple slice of pie. It's a beautiful thing.
I would love to have the kinds of flowers in summer that our Amish and Mennonite neighbors have. However, I think they go to the produce auction and buy a pallet-load at a time or something. They surround their houses and trees with impatiens and other annuals. I've often thought of doing all white annuals around the house but we end up with bright pink or red geraniums from the 4-H club. They are pretty, too, so no complaints here.
And the wish list goes on. This time of year I enjoy catalogs from poultry suppliers and seed catalogs. Each one makes spring seem a little closer
We don't have one for the beef cattle. When DH and customers and the butcher work out a date, he and Grandpa (me, too, sometimes) pick out the heaviest ones. With the last two, Grandpa guessed they would both dress out at 800 pounds, hanging weight, or about 1,330 to 1,335 pounds. One steer's sides weighed 378 and the other's weighed 438. So the sides averaged about 400 to 410.
I wonder if we had a scale we could sell in a more timely fashion and tighten up on the feed costs.
I'd put a scale on my wish list.
Also ... a new roof on Grandpa and Grandma's barn. It's a several-thousand dollar job. I don't know, though. If we talked to a few guys looking for work these days, maybe we could get a deal. I leave horse-trading like that to DH.
Would be nice to remodel our poultry facility. Now, doesn't that sound high class? In real life it was a three-sided tramp shed for cattle. It's long, tall and drafty, which would suit cattle fine. It needs to be snug but well-ventilated for the chickens. Right now, it's not. However, it gets too hot in the summer. Some re-engineering might be called for.
A few years ago we did get our wish for a newer tractor with a cab. It's made such a wonderful difference in the winter to have a heated cab. When we were milking cows through a super cold winter I added up all the calories DH consumed. At 4,000 calories a day he was losing weight. He leveled off at 6,000. I was baking something every day -- now I know why God created pie. Think of how many calories you can slug into a guy in a simple slice of pie. It's a beautiful thing.
I would love to have the kinds of flowers in summer that our Amish and Mennonite neighbors have. However, I think they go to the produce auction and buy a pallet-load at a time or something. They surround their houses and trees with impatiens and other annuals. I've often thought of doing all white annuals around the house but we end up with bright pink or red geraniums from the 4-H club. They are pretty, too, so no complaints here.
And the wish list goes on. This time of year I enjoy catalogs from poultry suppliers and seed catalogs. Each one makes spring seem a little closer
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