Tuesday, April 19, 2011

CATTLE MARKET DAY

Early rising today to begin this Passover Tuesday with a prayer.
Hubbie left early to get a haircut and buy more nails for the roof they put on yesterday.
After I finished the chores and had a bowl of cereal for breakfast I packed a lunch for our trip to the cattle market.
We go to a market just across the S.C. line ,it takes almost an hour to get there and today it took 1 1/2 hours due to getting stopped in road construction. We were empty and I was glad as I watched a trailer full of cattle in line behind us rocking and the cows sticking their noses out the sides of the trailer while we were sitting still in line. Hauling cattle is easy as long as you are moving, they don't move around much but when you stop they can easily hurt themselves jostling for position in a crowded trailer.Finally arriving 30 minutes after the sale started, we were surprised at the number of cattle that filled the pens.And standing room only in the arena area was definitely a bad sign.

If you were selling cattle today ,congratulations , I know you are happy tonight.

If you were buying cattle today, you may have went home with an empty trailer as we did.
I've never seen prices go as high as they did today. Some 200-300 lb calves brought a whopping $1.70 per pound !
I didn't see any way to make a profit spending that much for the calves and then adding the high cost of feed right now. But lucky for the sellers someone saw a way to make a profit !!!
I have no confidence in the cattle market anymore, it is about as fickle as the stock market, any little problem can send prices crashing to historic lows as fast as it has gotten to the historic highs we saw today.These Long Horn cattle are so pretty and docile but those long horns scare me,especially when they stick straight out like these.

We left at 3:00 long before the sale finished ,it was evident we weren't going to buy anything today.
We took a new way home to avoid the road construction delay and I found a fruit stand along the new route selling the same strawberries we always stop and get when we come to the cattle market from a place called Strawberry Hill,USA also in Chesnee,S.C.

After we got home and parked and covered the trailer we started yard work. Hubbie mowed and I ran the weed eater around the house, then I tied up my blackberry plants to a trellis Hubbie made for me.
It was 86 degrees in S.C. while we were there today and is still very warm here.
I took all the plastic off my hen house windows and removed the heat light from the chick house and cleaned it. I think I have another sitter,this time a white Silkie. If she is then all my brooding houses will be full until I can sell or move the older chicks.

I got to put my feet up for about an hour before it was time to bake cakes. Normally on this Easter week I would have many orders but so far I only have 1 for a pound cake on Saturday. I made 12 caramel, 3 coconut cakes tonight and crossed my fingers.

Thinking tonight of the great sacrifice our Father in Heaven was about to make for us.
Good Night and God Bless.

1 comment:

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Sorry about the cattle prices.. Honestly, the price of all foods are just going sky-high. We went to the grocery today (like we do every Wed) --and I am continually shocked at the prices of things (especially when compared to a year ago). I feel sorry for young families trying to make it these days and feed the basics (like milk and eggs and meats) to their growing children..

Hope you do well at the market tomorrow. I'd love one of those Caramel Cakes --but I'm dieting now, so will just have to 'dream' about one!!!! ha

Have a good Wed.
Hugs,
Betsy