The sale catalog for our 10th Ichthys Cattle Enterprise Seedstock Sale to be held March 14 at our headquarters near Guide Rock, NE is now available online at icecattle.com and at dvauction.com. Kristin mailed the hard copies last week so they should be arriving soon. Kristin, Rachel, James and Lydia were the catalog building team. I notice the list of kids to be credited keeps getting shorter. I’d better start looking for ways to not need that labor so much! Since the catalog and videos are online…and since I file every seedstock catalog I get in the trash…I’m thinking we will probably just do away with print sale catalogs in the future. I’m thinking some sort of lot listing, with individual information, on an 8 ½ x 11” cardstock sheet could do the trick for people who want a hard copy. My intention is never to make it harder or more uncomfortable for people to buy our cattle. And frankly, I’m not concerned about the expense of printing catalogs. My biggest issue is efficiency. I can’t bring myself to spend the money for catalogs that only a handful of people really need/use. I sense that most operations are trying to push their cattle. I want our cattle, operation and philosophies to pull people. I want people to desperately WANT our cattle, because they know their value and because they can’t get them anywhere else. I WANT TO RUN OUT OF CATTLE TO SELL! (We’ve done this every year for the past 8 years in our beef business.) I believe what we are doing is right and how many/most cattle operations ought to manage their herds. I just can’t help but think most guys don’t pamper/feed/supplement their cattle and would want seedstock from a source that does the same, perhaps much more severely so. I cannot fathom buying bulls that were developed in a feedlot type of situation. If God gives us another year in this business, we’ll see what we decide!

Last update I made a comment that land is never cheap. I heard someone speak regarding this, and it changed my perspective: Land is almost always cheap…10 years ago.

The bulls and bred heifers are grazing cornstalks and cover crops on two quarters that adjoin our place. You are welcome to come walk or drive through them. Winter finally hit last week so we did put out a bid of hayy (see, it is a 4-letter word!). We purchased some sorghum sudan, some rye and some oat hay last spring once the prices went down. To my surprise, which shouldn’t be a surprise because I’ve seen it over and over again, this morning I went out and there was hay in the feeders but the cattle were out grazing cornstalks. Man was created (in part) to walk, and we all know the consequences of the couch. Cattle were made to graze, not to be fed. You feed cattle to get them fat, not to efficiently produce as seedstock.

Kristin just let me know that the sire page is nearly done and will have links to the catalog.

Don’t take criticism from someone you wouldn’t take advice from.

The mediocre is always at war with the excellent.

You either forgive and build with a busy man or babysit a broke one. Choose wisely.

Samson and Solomon, the strongest and wisest men in the Bible, were defeated by lust…be on guard.

You will never out-exercise a poor diet. Do you want to live long and well through discipline or poorly through ease?  “This tastes great” and “I’m tired” can be seen watching elderly people move and listening to them talk about their physical problems.

He may have not been the dad I wanted at the time but he was the dad I needed as a little kid. No kid wants to be disciplined, told no, made to work…he was the dad God gave me to make me the man God wanted me to be.