Peddling pigs
This week I finally made it to the livestock market. I’ve been wanting to go for a while but something always comes up. I’m amazed at how low prices have gotten. I can’t figure if it’s because it’s close to Christmas or the price of feed that has the price low. I had only planned to buy 2 or 3 pigs and a calf. My budget allowed $800 for this purchase. A few months ago that’s what it would have cost to buy what I was looking for. With prices surpressed like they are my $800 got me 13 40-50 lb pigs and 3 calves that weighed a respectable 250#, 515#, and 550#. The guys at work were kind of making fun of me for buying all those pigs, but I just couldn’t pass up such a deal. I only want 4, so I’ll need to unload some on somebody. I talked with my grandfather Delbert Gay at the sale for a while. I’m amazed at how well he gets around for his age. He made me promise that I’d be bringing those children to see him soon. Madison and Garett were very disappointed that they didn’t get to go. Garett made me promise next time he can go to try and find some rabbits. Madison says next time she gets a new billygoat. This time they had to settle for a bushel of apples.
Tonight I worked until after dark getting everything situated. I almost always give the cattle that I buy at a sale a shot of penicillin and worm them. It’s a lot easier to deal with cattle since we built a pen to work them in. I’ll worm the pigs tomorrow and get some turpentine so we can castrate the males. Then I’ll set out some more rolls for the horses with the 6000. It’s time to worm the goats again too. Of course with all this needing to be done, it will be turning bitter cold. Forecasts for tonight show lows of teens and snow tomorrow. Today’s high was 54. I still have not managed to get my wood splitter back together, but I do have the parts. I have so much to do and the days are short, that I have been thinking of switching shifts to swing shift or nights so I would have more daylight hours to work on the farm. I’d hate to though, I finally have the seniority to have a decent job on day shift.
Today I did a little comparison shopping. I was already in Somerset for a meeting with some union guys on a problem we are experiencing so I stopped at the John Deere dealer. I am particularly interested in a 70 to 80 hp cab tractor. I’ve driven the Mahindra 7010 Cab around the parking lot, and had been told by other folks that the Deere cab was pretty nice, so I thought I’d see. I looked at 2 different cab models and I can’t see how they are any nicer than the Mahindra. I did not get a price on the Deere models, but have seen comparable used tractors with 1000 hours in that lineup priced at more than a new Mahindra 7010 Cab. That’s with no warranty. Throw in the fact that I’ve done business with my Mahindra Dealer for about 10 years… and the reliabilty of my 6000 4wd… I just could not justify going green.
Well tons to do so I better scoot………… Check back I’ll be adding some more soon.
