Farming Stinks! and costs money!

[FarmerChick]

I am less than thrilled with this farming life.

money again

Tony and his Dad bought a heifer at the sale barn today.....pulled out drove a bit and a car pulled up aside of him and was waving to pull over.

Yup the cattle trailer axle broke, tire fell off and whole thing was a sled.

UGH

Tony said he didn't feel a thing while pulling it..LOL

good thing is it didn't happen far. axle is in pieces. he parked in an old cement company parking lot, called my Dad who is about 20 mins. away and Dad drove him back home to pick up the horse trailer and other truck....back to transfer the cow and home he came...WAY LATE of course...LOL

cattle trailer is allowed to stay at cement parking lot, the owner said fine.....Dad's friend Joel has a winch, pulley, type trailer thing and is going to pick up the cattle trailer for us tomorrow and bring it back to the barn.

Southern States has a nice new trailer on sale for $2495. Now Tony is pushing me even harder of course to get the new trailer. Kill me OK.....the cattle trailer is old, so if money is high to fix that axle, then I might just bite the bullet...of course look for used on in the paper first.

He has to deliver a hog to the processor tomorrow and use my gooseneck horse trailer..UGH...I despise any critter in my horse trailer other than my horses. Cattle and hogs ruin trailers in a heartbeat...but of course I have to use it right now for all that.

So, again, more money down the tubes as usual in this type of business......honestly, that cow wasn't worth it..HA HA


just griping, spewing, releasing it all ya know...feels good to rant it out.

 

[dacjohns]

All that manure. I can imagine it stinks. I know how it is when the chicken manure builds up and I've been around cattle and equines. Now horses and mules riding by you on the trail and opening up their rear ends. Yeah, stink.

You get how many eggs a day? You want to charge how much a dozen? I can get them at the store for less than that. Food, initial purchase, building the coop, upgrading. Yeah, money.

 

[Beekissed]

FC, it really is time for you to go to your library and check out every Joel Salatin book there is and get to reading. He explains in detail why all the farmers feel like its a no-win situation and that they are losing money and not making it. THEN he tells them how to make it....in detail!

My grandma always said~If you always do what you've always done, you will always have what you always had!

Maybe its time to think about a whole new perspective on farming!

 

[FarmerChick]

yea Dacs you sure added to the lineup of why farming can stink....:/

 

[FarmerChick]

you are right Bee
adapt and change or not make it.

but broken equipment costing money doesn't fit into that category. I have to have trailers to haul big animals...just a money sucker!

 

[Beekissed]

Yep, can't get around that.....unless....you barter with someone who already has big trailers. I mean, how often do you move stock? Would it be less money to rent, trade meat or the use of your other equipment to someone who has trailers?

 

[FarmerChick]

we move big stock constantly

hogs each week to processor

and move hogs for customers occasionally when purchased (which we don't sell live hogs often but usually we have to deliver then)

this is the 4th cow purchased within the last 5 weeks. Ralph is wanting some new heifers...and then we take the older cows to the sale barn. This is kinda a hobby for him the 20 cattle. These are his babies..LOL

But my horse trailer, I hate anything in it. Cows and hogs ruin trailers big time if not cleaned fast. I can't afford another horse trailer any time soon and I am trying to protect it..LOL...from Tony and his Dad. I know I have to let them use it when necessary, but UGH.

We buy feed by the ton. We use our hydraulic dump trailer for that. We are getting 3 tons on Thursday. 2 ton hog feed, 1 ton chicken feed. This is every week on hog feed......so yes our equipment is vital to us.

 

[poppycat]

Sheesh Karen, I feel for you. So frustrating when things break and cost big time to fix or replace. But you can't live without 'em.

Makes me appreciate my food more, all the blood, sweat and tears that go into it.

 

[PamsPride]

Uggh!! That does suck!! Thankfully no one was hurt!
It sucks more trying to depend on other people to borrow trailers from. But, once you do get a new one it will solve a lot of the problems and you should not have any breakdowns with it anytime soon.

 

[TanksHill]

I am sorry to hear about the axle. That cow must have been heavy. Is there any way to repair it while you keep your eyes open for a better deal?