Good Morning!!!!!!

[Bobberineyes]

Evening peoples,  been busy. Carpet was installed in part of the cave on monday,  got most of the trim in and furniture moved back yesterday with the rest of the trim work done today. Next is replacing the track lighting and then ordering a sectional,  gotta say it's looking good! Anywho, gotta run!!

[Jerkbiat]

Morning boys. had 14 when I got up at 4:30 and had 3 when we rolled into Warroad at 6:30. Rather windy yet this morning making it nippy. Otherwise just another day in the salt mines. Have a good one boys.

[mike89]

mornin all, 28 here but I think the temp will be dropping during the day..  got some things done yesterday and have a few more projects to do today..  have a good day all!!   

[LPS]

Morning boys.  Yikes that is quite a drop in temp JB.  Windy as heck here yet.  I did have some action last night with an 18 a sauger a nord and a few other bites.  Felt good to be fishing.  We did get a skiff of snow here last night.  Hopefully the wind will blow it away.  I need to make a run to town today.  May bring both of the hounds again.  They seem to do the truck thing ok together.  Well you all have a good one. 

[glenn57]

morning fellers................about it!!!!!!!! loaded some stuff in the truck for my next adventure to the northland!!!!!!!

[Gunner55]

Mornin guys, we have 20* & that's awfully close to the high for the day. I was out before bfast & the wind was howling then, Bemidji was reporting snow & 28 mph winds ~ 7. It's changed direction & went down to ~ 1/2 of what it was, started spittin here just now too. Nothin real pressing lined up for today. Will find somethin to occupy most of the mornin though. Have a good day.

[Dotch]

Mornin' gang! 26 at choretime heading for a high in the low 30's. Cool down tonite, cold tomorrow then rebound Saturday with some snow, maybe 4"-5". Isn't supposed to be windy & the snow should be should fluffy. More entertaining to fling the Ruby terds than bucket them!  Good news: bad news on the lambing front. Bad news: the buck lamb in the house didn't make it. Good news: the ewe lamb in the barn with her mom is doing great.   

[mike89]

went and got new plates and tabs for the car and just got done installing them, darn wind is raw!!  and the temp is starting to drop already..

[LPS]

So when you butcher Dotch how old of critter do you like?  Do you do a few of them at one time?

[Dotch]

For our personal use, a lot of it depends on when we can get them into the locker. Right now that can be a while. One of the beauties though of this breed, Border Cheviot, is that they're decent at a variety of ages, up to a year or more old. Other larger breeds will be over the hill by then. The earliest we're looking at is 6 - 7 months. And yes, we tend to take several in at a time for our own and for friends.

We've been trying to learn more about the ethnic markets and timing some of our commercial sales accordingly. Holidays like Easter & Passover are tougher to hit timing-wise but others like Hanukkah, Ramadan & Christmas less so. There's also a Muslim holiday the end of July called Eid al-Adha that prefers smaller lambs. We were just a few days late finding out about it this last year. We got the best price that day of anyone but not nearly what they would've gone for a week earlier. We'll try to anticipate that one better this time around. We can sell smaller lambs at a premium price and forego the feed bill to take them to normal market weight. And since we're a purebred registered flock, we're also selling breeding stock primarily in late summer & fall.   

[glenn57]

So your a sheep pimp!!!🙄 Ya make them have sex so you can make money.

Oh for the love of God... The people I converse with.

[roony]

Are you considered a sheep breeder then?

[Bobberineyes]

So your a sheep pimp!!!🙄 Ya make them have sex so you can make money.

Oh for the love of God... The people I converse with.

Yeah, hes got his fingers dipped not just in soil testing... sorry Mikey bet me a dollar to post that..

[glenn57]

So your a sheep pimp!!!🙄 Ya make them have sex so you can make money.

Oh for the love of God... The people I converse with.

Yeah, hes got his fingers dipped not just in soil testing... sorry Mikey bet me a dollar to post that..

that darn instigator Mikey!!!!!

[Dotch]

  I just knew the gutter minds would come out of the woodwork after I posted that. Think the Bugtussle post office opens at 8 tomorrow morning...

[Dotch]

Are you considered a sheep breeder then?

I like to think of it more along the lines of being a community organizer...

[glenn57]

Are you considered a sheep breeder then?

I like to think of it more along the lines of being a community organizer...

Yea the Dotch commune!!

[glenn57]

For our personal use, a lot of it depends on when we can get them into the locker. Right now that can be a while. One of the beauties though of this breed, Border Cheviot, is that they're decent at a variety of ages, up to a year or more old. Other larger breeds will be over the hill by then. The earliest we're looking at is 6 - 7 months. And yes, we tend to take several in at a time for our own and for friends.

We've been trying to learn more about the ethnic markets and timing some of our commercial sales accordingly. Holidays like Easter & Passover are tougher to hit timing-wise but others like Hanukkah, Ramadan & Christmas less so. There's also a Muslim holiday the end of July called Eid al-Adha that prefers smaller lambs. We were just a few days late finding out about it this last year. We got the best price that day of anyone but not nearly what they would've gone for a week earlier. We'll try to anticipate that one better this time around. We can sell smaller lambs at a premium price and forego the feed bill to take them to normal market weight. And since we're a purebred registered flock, we're also selling breeding stock primarily in late summer & fall.

couple of the guys I worked with raise goats for the ethnic market. Think it's the hmong group.

Any of that going on down your way Dotch?? I know we have a little goat dairy in Rockville that makes goat cheese.

[roony]

One of former big dairy farms by Waseca is now home to a bunch of goats for their meat. I'm not sure how they are marketed.

[Dotch]

Heard about that too. In fact the guy was in the office the other day buying seed. Sounds like over a thousand head. The guy by Bath who buys our lambs and cull ewes raises a bunch of feeder goats. I know the meat market at Geneva processes a lot of goats but not sure if they're responsible for those from the outfit in Waseca. Sounds like it's very profitable or will be at least until the market gets saturated. Price is about double per pound what the lamb price was before the New Year. There are two outfits by New Richland milking goats. Gee, shouldn't we be raising goats too? No thanks. Ever since we got kicked out of Ireland for not paying the rent during the Potato Famine a few years back, sheep have been part of the family heritage. We have plenty of headaches without raising goats.       

[roony]

Goats are escape artists annnnnnd I heard they buck a lot harder than them sheep.

[Dotch]

Been hit by enough rams to know they're all cheap shot artists. Dunno about billies but I know they sure stink. A friend and I hauled a milking goat billy to Lousiville for a lesbian couple to pick up at the NAILE one year. On the way down we stopped for gas. The people filling up on the other side of the pump were downwind. They sniffed, glared at us, then covered their mouths and ran! Dave & I got downwind & could smell it too. We looked at each other, choked and got back in the truck. Couldn't believe how vile it was. We got to Louisville & dumped it off in a pen. The lovely young couple arrived shortly afterwards to check out the goat. They lifted the tail, grabbed its ears, poked and prodded it, then had a discussion about whether or not they were going take it. We told them, hey look, we don't care if you take it or not. We're not hauling this stinky SOB back to MN! They finally decided to take it so we took off quick before they could change their minds. The goat had been riding in the trailer compartment right below where we'd put a pillow and sleeping bag we were hauling for someone else. They stunk so bad that they ended up throwing them away and buying new ones! 

[fishwidow]

There’s a Costco in northeast Minneapolis that sort of specializes in commercial business. They sell whole goat carcasses. Probably for the ethnic restaurant business, I suppose.
We spent some time in Ireland in the fall of 2019, and saw lots of sheep, some in the roads. Also, Dotch, went to the Potato Famine museum. Good trip and pretty interesting.

[delcecchi]

There’s a Costco in northeast Minneapolis that sort of specializes in commercial business. They sell whole goat carcasses. Probably for the ethnic restaurant business, I suppose.
We spent some time in Ireland in the fall of 2019, and saw lots of sheep, some in the roads. Also, Dotch, went to the Potato Famine museum. Good trip and pretty interesting.

Sure can change a guy's view of those British aristocrats....  It did mine.   

[mike89]

mornin all, -4 here and might make it to 12..  yea goats have been on the market for 10 years or more now..   many different groups want them..  we butchered many hundreds of them..  sounds like snow tomorrow..  maybe the it will will stay south of us..  have a good day all!!   

[Jerkbiat]

Morning boys. -7 here this morning and supposed to make it to 11 today. It made it down to -14 last night. Looks like another fishing weekend. Still have not got the go ahead to cut firewood yet. Good thing we got the load of wood delivered. Just another day in the salt mines. Have a good one boys.

[Gunner55]

Mornin all, we had -6* last I looked & it appears we may make 13*. The Bemidji 24/7 weather channel had -10 the 1st time I checked it today. Looks to be some in the fcast for us tomorrow too but only ~ 1.5" according to Dave Anderson last evening. Couple of things goin for early today, see how far I get. Hopin your Friday's a good 1.

[glenn57]

morning fellers.............. had -2 a bit ago!!!!!!!hopefully this will freeze up a bunch of that slush up nort!!!!!!!

[LPS]

Morning boys.  There was a guy from here that knew a butcher in the Lakeville area.  He would go down a few times a year and they would butcher a few hundred goats in a day or two.  They were real good at it.  I think a lot of it was used for chislic at bars in the area.  I have heard that if you have horses 1 goat is good to have around and will stay right with the horses.  If you have 2 goats you better have darn good fences.  I didn't get a goat.  LOL  TGIF boys.  Gotta go to town and pay some bills today and pick up a few things.  Nothing too strenuous though.  Have a good one.

[Dotch]

Mornin' gang! -2 at choretime heading for a high around 10. No newbies overnite and the little peanut ewe lamb hung in there. Wife gave her a warm bottle this a.m. and she drank it down. Ewe probably isn't milking the greatest but hopefully we can supplement her lamb thru this cold snap and they'll come out fine. Had one earlier do the same thing for a few days. Snow on the way for tomorrow afternoon & evening, 3" - 5" predicted here, 4" - 7" closer to the MN River valley. Blowing snow 7' at a time is kinda relaxing as long as nothing breaks. Sorta like snowmobiles and women that way. Temps & wind sound moderate, temps bounce around a little then it starts a warming trend into the 30's late next week into February. February looks warmer & wetter than normal. We shall see...