Hello All:

Sale info. is up at both https://www.icecattle.com/ and https://www.dvauction.com/events/207050 The bulls and heifers are grazing a pivot quarter of stockpiled sorghum sudan (1/2 pivot) and cornstalks (other ½). You are welcome to come see them at any time but at the moment we would need to provide you with an ATV to get around. We, thankfully, have the most soil moisture at this time of year as we’ve had the past 5. Sometime soon we plan to move them home where, again, they will have access to stockpiled cover crops and cornstalks. We find more ringneck pheasants in cover crops than anywhere.

Sale Catalogs: If you want a hard copy of a sale catalog before the sale please contact us and let us know. We aim to mail catalogs to anyone who has requested them in the past or who has purchased an animal, but we make mistakes.

Different ‘Round Here: So sings Riley Green…and Ichthys so does! I mentioned above that our bulls and bred heifers are currently grazing. That’s not just what they are currently doing; that’s what they’ve always done. They are never fed protein supplements or grain. They do get grain when grazing cornstalks. Several years ago we supplied some of our culls to a grassfed operation. I explained the “corn in the cornstalks” situation and they said that still qualified under grass fed protocols. I don’t know if that has changed. Regardless, our seedstock is and always has been developed with grazing forage, water, salt and mineral. We provide hay in a snow/ice emergency, during AI, and on work days. Our hay is generally prairie hay or sorghum sudan or some other type of grass. We don’t feed alfalfa because that is simply another form of protein supplementation. Look at our cattle. Do you think they need any of those props? Who else does that? Please ask your seedstock producer how they develop their cattle…and you’ll learn why they don’t last in your herd.

Another Different ‘Round Here: If you’re not yet convinced of my insanity here is more evidence: Our bulls and bred heifers will look the WORST on sale day of any day you will own them. Here’s why: Winter is, by far, our toughest season to provide good quality grazing forage. The crop residues or stockpiled cover crops have endured several months of degradation by the elements; moisture, sunlight and wind. You will take our cattle home and they will likely receive better forage (in the form of hay) than what they’ve been getting for months at our place. Sale day also comes after the most brutal season of temperatures in which an animal must burn calories to stay warm. There are several reasons no one else develops animals like we do, but a poor sale day “look” ranks right up there. I’m asking you to be as insane as I am buying animals that look like ours’ will. REMEMBER: I don’t raise cattle for a sale day, I raise them for a long life of efficient and pleasant production. Many years ago I went to a herd dispersal sale to buy cows. They were all incredibly fat. I inquired and found out they had been in a FEEDLOT!!!! for a few months prior to the sale. Unfortunately, that’s not much different than normal seedstock sale day preparation.

Freedom: “Free is how you feel, not what you pay.”, Riley Green. I’ve heard the Chinese Flu showed us how easily our freedoms can be taken from us. I would suggest our freedoms were mostly surrendered, not taken. I wore a mask (under my nose) for several months after the fakedemic started when required at a venue…I don’t ever plan to do that again. I don’t believe freedoms will be so quickly given away “next time”. It’s immoral that liquor stores were open and churches were closed. It is immoral that some were forced to quit their job because they wouldn’t take a vaccine that isn’t. Did anyone get an apology? That’s too much power in the wrong hands. The woke left demands no freedom whatsoever. It’s their way or death to you. They want, and even say this out loud, communism. You can vote yourself into socialism once (then comes communism), I’m not aware of any civilization that shot its way out of oppression…because they surrendered their guns somewhere along the way.

Another Freedom: There is another freedom I’m concerned may be taken away. Primarily because of the wacko woke liberal left, there is an all-out assault on agriculture across the globe. Have you seen the protests in Europe? Wokeism exists in politics, education, media, corporations, athletics and even churches; it is epidemic in America. They don’t want cattle or tractors or pickups (unless they are electric) or corn or soybeans here. Billionaire$, and I expect there to be trillionaire$ in my children’s lifetime, could buy all the land in America that is sold for agriculture and forward the woke agenda. If that happens, you will get to buy all your food from a giant concrete box called “Savemart”, who is also woke. They will decide what you can buy to eat. Your fakeburger will help save the planet (while causing you cancer). What have you “saved”?

As I consider current land prices I just can’t imagine how the next generation is going to be able to buy land to produce food. Recently, dryland just 20 miles east of our place sold for $6600+/acre, nearly a 7-fold increase in less than 20 years. This land would rent for maybe $200/acre. Currently interest rates are around 9%. JUST interest on that land for a year would be close to $600/acre. I recently saw a friend who is an implement salesman. I had just driven through their lot and saw a John Deere X9 combine. I had to ask. He said that one was cheap because it had 400 hours on it…$740,000. Small, organic/natural production farms are excellent, great and I love the concept…and the food. We produced food like that at one time or another (eggs, milk and vegetables) and even now produce our own beef, pork and lamb. However, there’s no getting around the fact that big farms and ranches are necessary too.

Who can afford to be in production agriculture? My petition: Though this is probably choir preaching, I urge you to buy food directly from food producers, farmer’s markets, etc. We should want people on the land raising food in a regenerative, improving way, we certainly don’t need bigger cities. Producers need customers to stay on the land. Once we don’t have food freedom what kind of freedom do we have?

https://www.facebook.com/reel/959601375729975?fs=e&s=cl&mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6

Yet Another Freedom: I have taken the freedom the United States has procured and defended (individuals serving and dying for said freedom) for centuries, for granted. This current assault on freedom brings about an appreciation for American freedom mixed with a lament it is slipping away. America is a never-before-seen example of freedom and blessing. Who is the author of that? The universe didn’t come into existence by chance and neither did America. Things don’t evolve to better, (well, with microevolution cattle can!) they devolve to worse. Intelligent design should be evident. There is a freedom that is even more important than American freedom.  Galatians 5:1 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Apart from Christ we are slaves to sin. If you don’t realize this, ask God to help you. Pharoah was hardening his heart AND God was hardening his heart. He didn’t know that was happening; he just did what he thought was right in his own eyes. Ask that you might not be hardened…and that you would be free…and keep asking.