I am a poor farmer

We got our check from the sale of the cattle on Monday. I eagerly tore open the envelope to see what our winnings would be. needless to say I was shocked by the outcome of the sale.

We had sold seven of the 13 cows that were remaining. The check for those seven cows was less than the check that I received when I sold the four cows last year.

The average cattle price for Holsteins that went at the sale that day was just under a dollar a pound. The price I got for our cows was about $.50 per pound. I guess I learned a very important lesson this year. One, look at the cows before you buy them. Two, don't buy a jersey cross breed. The Jersey cows do not sell well in this area.

Now I just need to decide what to do with the remaining six calves. Is it worth it to take them to the sale and cut our losses and run? Or do we hang onto them longer to fatten them up and hope to recoup some of our costs.

Once again I am grateful that my family's livelihood is not dependent on my ever fallible agricultural skills!