It is cool to finish a scripture lesson and shoot a whiskey;)

Jimmy, you do that…I’ll pull a draft ;o)

Tom

I think you’re on to something… ;o)

Tom

I think that beef producers now have the genetics available to market acceptable beef with minimal grain feeding. Beef feeders will bid away the byproducts from ethanol plants.

The last time grains took a bounding leap into the stratusphere, as they have in the past year, was in the early 70′s when the Russian market opened up to US grain. High grain prices were a significant factor when I graduated from the U of Arkansas in ’76. When the Russians invaded Afghanistan and Jimmy Carter cut off the flow of US produced grain to the Soviets…well, that was the beginning of the “farm crisis” of the ’80s and the first phase of global deflation which continues into the 90′s.

Though in the past we produced a few feeder calves, our bread and butter was feeder pig and early weaned pig production. We grazed our 200+ sow herd on pasture, but even the best of pasture will only substitute for about 25% of the energy/protein that is normally consumed in corn/soy rations. Pasture is nearly worthless as an energy/protein source for growing/finishing hogs. (There is little of that “best of pasture” in NW Arkansas…and absolutely NO grain production.)

I certainly enjoy learning from your insightful treatment of the topics you deal with. Pastors thinking in terms of “bi-vocational” would certainly be a good starting point. I just don’t have the time to wait around till they “get it”. We’ve stepped out of the old game entirely. We’ve done all the other stuff, now we’re coming home to the basics.

Tom