Jeep Fire, Beef Prices, Christian Armor

We could use some rain. We could’ve used some rain on Monday afternoon as Hallie, Wren, and I helplessly watched our Jeep go up in flames. I’m not real sure what caused it. We could smell something burning, so I pulled into a field and turned the motor off. Smoke started coming up from the transmission area, so I got the girls out, and we backed away. Moments later, we saw flames. Moments after that, the Jeep was engulfed by them. It shook Hallie up the most. Wren said afterwards, “They can fix it, right Dad?” The old Jeep has been a part of the farm as long as we’ve been farming. I’ve often said that I didn’t know if our farm would make it without the Jeep. I guess now we’ll find out. 

We had a break from processing chickens this week. We’ll be killing chickens every week in July. Instead of cutting up chickens, I spent an afternoon at Anderson & Sons Meats and Processing watching them cut up and package the beef we brought to them a couple weeks ago. When people ask about our farm and our farming practices, we often tell them to come out to farm and see what we do. Instead of chasing bogus and bureaucratic certifications, we want to be certified transparent. “Come see for for yourself,” we often say. 

Anderson & Sons is also certified transparent. When talking about butchering and packaging options, they encouraged me to “come see for yourself.” They even handed me a knife and allowed me to help cut up the beef. I wasn’t much help, but I was impressed by their cleanliness and their desire to do it the way we wanted. We pour our lives into rising quality beef. And we want it processed and packaged to the same quality standard. I’ve been around beef cattle my whole life. But this side of the beef processing cycle I am relatively unfamiliar with. It was a learning experience for me. I’d like to grow more familiar with it. We haven’t sorted through the meat we got back from them yet, but we’re anxious for you to try it and give us your feedback.

Amy and I continue to wrestle with pricing, beef pricing in particular. Our chicken and pork prices have gradually gone up as our cost of producing chicken and pork has gradually gone up. The problem with beef is that our cost of production is not gradually going up. It is astronomically going up. Calves that were worth $1200 or less a couple years ago are worth $2000 or more today. This week we finalized the purchase of 62 steers from my dad. Their genetics are top notch. We’re grateful for the chance to purchase high quality calves that are locally sourced. He certainly could’ve made more on these calves by selling them to the feedlots. Even with the family discount, these steers cost us $1900 each. We’ll grow them out for at least another 12-18 months before harvesting them. The processing cost of last six beeves we harvested averaged $1100 each. The purchasing and processing are only two pieces of the puzzle. There are many more costs that come with producing beef and getting it to you. 

Just know moving forward as our prices will necessarily rise, we are not price gouging, we are trying to stay in business. We can’t stay in business by selling something for less than it costs us to produce it. I can assure you, our price increases are not keeping up with the increases in our costs. In other words, though our prices are higher, our margins are smaller. We’re doing the best we can. We appreciate you all hanging in there with us. 

We do, however, have a plan that will help us control our costs and further remove us from the ebbs and flows of the commodity market. We recently purchased 45 momma cows. This fall we plan to purchase more momma cows (if we have enough access to funds and enough hay to winter them). This is a long term investment with the hope of eventually not needing to purchase any calves. Speaking of calves, we have our first newborn calf on the ground. Hallie and Hasten were especially excited. Having a momma cow herd means more mouths to feed through the winter and another group to manage through the growing season. 

My dad and brother finished baling our hay, so this week in between everything else, I hauled about 250 rolls out of the field. This is a good start on our winter feed, but we’re going to need a lot more than that. Especially if we don’t get some rain. 

My brother John and nephew Samuel continued to help with predator patrol, taking out more skunks and possums at our chicken shelters. I took out a few more myself. 

We’re behind on our freezer work. I wish that was the only thing we were behind on. Busy time of year. It’s not unusual to be eating dinner between 9:00-10:00 this time of year. Twice this week it was 10:30 before we gave thanks and even started eating dinner. Seasons change. Seasons come and go. God designed the seasons and gives us longer days at certain times for a reason. It’s an overwhelming season, but it’s just a season. It won’t always be like this. 

Hauling hay this week on the tractor, I’ve been listening to “The Christian in Complete Armor” by William Gurnall, an English author who lived in the 1600’s. This book was highly recommended in “Letters to My Students” by Charles Spurgeon. Gurnall knows how to pack a whole lot of truth into a single sentence. Here’s a few quotes from what I’ve listened to so far:

“The great care which Christ took for his disciples when he left the world was not to leave them a quiet world to live in but to arm them against a troublesome world.”

“All the pieces (of God’s armor) are to defend the Christian from sin, none to secure him from suffering.” 

“Fear not what you can suffer, only be careful for what you suffer.”

“None sink so far into hell as those that come nearest heaven because they fall from the greatest height. None will have such a sad parting from Christ as those that went half way with him and then left him.” 

“Preach the truth. Take heed of giving thy own dreams and fancies in God’s name. All is chaff except the pure word of God. Oh, stamp not God’s image on thine own coin.”

“Exercise thy faith if thou meanest to preserve thy faith. We live by faith, and faith lives by exercise.”

“True faith is prayerful. Prayer is the child of faith. As the creature cannot pray without faith, so with faith he cannot but pray.” 

Have a good week.

Will