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Just a scoop full(Sept. 2)--Some of our area has started drilling wheat and rye, while some still need more moisture to get started. With wheat prices hitting those higher levels last year, it turned a lot of ordinary farmers into dedicated wheat farmers. Along with that dedication came the idea for some that they did not want to pasture their wheat for fear it would hurt their yield. As I have said before, it is hard for me to think like a farmer, as I farm strictly for that first sign of green, hoping to put some weight on cattle. It seems with the wheat prices falling back to a $4 to $5 cwt. level, it has taken that dedication away from some. I hear a lot more talk of wheat pasture calves. I talked to one cattleman this morning. I asked him what he had been doing. He said, "I am simply trying to figure how to keep my kids fed." That is an item, if you have teenage boys. My oldest two boys have birthdays close together. So I let them take a couple of friends each to the city last weekend. We went to a water park, the mall and then finished the day with a carnival. If you don't think five boys can eat aplenty in one day, you are mistaken. At the mall, three of them said, "We are hungry"--so they got pizza and a Coke. Within a few minutes, we left and the first thing one of them said was, "Dad, where are we going to eat?" We had a lot of fun. But after looking at my billfold, I would say another cow just died. The fat cattle market showed some improvement a week ago, hitting $85 per cwt. October and December futures were a lot higher than cash; but it seems they are selling off and getting more in line to the present market. However, in the process, we may lose a little extra steam. Several cattle feeders have said for the past two or three weeks that they felt cash might get to where it leads the futures in price. I liked that idea because I thought fats would definitely go higher. I guess I didn't remember that futures could get cheaper. This married couple was driving around in the country just enjoying the day. They drove by this herd of donkeys. The wife looked at her husband and said, "Are they relatives of yours?" He replied, "Yes. They are my in-laws."
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