I sure didn't want to do it,but it was desperation time. I haven't done any field work in over two months. Some of the silage corn is still in the field and about all of the grain corn with no hope in sight. We never sold any feeders before,always finished everything out,but on November 1 we sold 20 feeder steers.
We hit phase two and started selling cows last week. I've always had about 75 mama cows with half on each side of the road. I just finished hauling and got down to 43. We moved all of them left on the south side to the north side. Hopefully it'll save me two round bales a day so I can get through the winter. It about put me in tears to cull some of the cows we sold,but I'm a big boy,I guess I'll get over it. The silage will be pretty much gone by spring,so I'll turn this years calves out on the south side and pasture them so I don't have to feed up next winters feed to them in the feedlot all summer.
We'll see what happens. I'll be 66 and 2 months in 20 months and can get all my SS without any penalty. I can bring ten cows back across the road and breed some heifers if I have to and get built back up if I can ever get back to having a surplus of feed. I guess it'll be fewer chores to do next summer if they're all on pasture,that's one good thing,but so far,it's about the only good to come of it.
We hit phase two and started selling cows last week. I've always had about 75 mama cows with half on each side of the road. I just finished hauling and got down to 43. We moved all of them left on the south side to the north side. Hopefully it'll save me two round bales a day so I can get through the winter. It about put me in tears to cull some of the cows we sold,but I'm a big boy,I guess I'll get over it. The silage will be pretty much gone by spring,so I'll turn this years calves out on the south side and pasture them so I don't have to feed up next winters feed to them in the feedlot all summer.
We'll see what happens. I'll be 66 and 2 months in 20 months and can get all my SS without any penalty. I can bring ten cows back across the road and breed some heifers if I have to and get built back up if I can ever get back to having a surplus of feed. I guess it'll be fewer chores to do next summer if they're all on pasture,that's one good thing,but so far,it's about the only good to come of it.