In today’s society, if a person is not doing their job properly or they have a problem attending work, you can’t just fire them.  The burden is on the employer to prove that they were a worthless employee and needed firing.  Documentation is the key word.  You give verbal warnings and then document it.  You give written warnings as to why the employee is late again and his work sucks and then have the employee sign it and date it.  You utilize the time clock to show that from Jan. 1 to April 4, said employee was late or didn’t show up at all 43 different days.  Once you have proper documentation and you feel like you have your proverbial “ass” covered, you let them go and bid them farewell.  

     Then they file for unemployment.  So, now you provide documentation that proves that you were in the right to let them go.  The unemployment commission reviews both sides documents and then make a ruling.  They ruled on behalf of the employer.  But, NO, wait, hold on…the lazy SOB now gets a chance to appeal and brings new info to light that the reason he was always clocked in late was that the computer to clock in didn’t work very often or their was a line to clock in.  So, now he gets an appeal hearing which consists of a conference call between somebody on the companies behalf, a judge and the former employee.  Our company has HR people to handle this kind of crap, but one was on vacation and the other was tied up, so I took it on.  This was a good thing, as I was personally involved and I knew when he was lying to the judge.  My problem with this procedure, he didn’t have to provide proof, all he had to do was make accusations.  I had to have proof and admit it into evidence.

      At the end of the hearing, I didn’t feel very good about the outcome.  One, I was warned several times by the judge, to keep from being “overly aggressive”, please be more “passive” in my tone of questioning and “Please refrain from making noises while the other party is speaking.”   Beings how I am a little bit opinionated and quite argumenative, I would have preferred a face to face meeting instead of a conference call with all parties.  We were told that he would rule within 14 days of the hearing.  

     In the end, we did win the case as I pointed at that he was an employee paid by the hour.  If he was having problems clocking in, how come he never complained about not getting paid for all of those late days if he was actually at work earlier than when it showed he was clocked in.  I had evidence of times worked, pay stubs, written warnings from myself and the service manager.  He argued that I fired him because he wasn’t a productive mechanic, not because of his attendance.  No shit!!  If you don’t come to work, it’s hard to be productive.  

     No matter.  We won.  However, I lost hours of my life taking care of this hearing, not to mention the piles of paperwork and the proper documentation that was done before I canned him.  Due to the oilfield, this part of the world has a sign hung up on almost every business, “Help Wanted” but he can’t find a job.  Amazing.  I wonder who he voted for in the last election?  Or if he even voted at all?

     We got almost an inch of rain last night.  That is a good thing.  But when you raise goats, guess what, something will have the shits today.  It rains–a goat shits itself.  It is just a matter of fact.

     We photoed, clipped, and wormed a pile of wethers yesterday.  Actually, we only photoed two for the Champions Choice online sale.  But we had a good crew here helping.  I think everything in life would be more fun if you always have Bob Seelke in the background doing commentary.  

     Helms’ buck sale starts today.  It should get kind of wild.  There are several outstanding prospects in that sale.  A couple of them are much better in real life than in the pics.  If you haven’t seen them, drive your happy ass out there today and look at them.  You will be impressed. 

     Regardless of species, structure should be a priority when sorting livestock.  Structural correctness, adequate bone, etc.  Some genetics/farms, you know that they may or may not have enough bone.  Other genetics have hind wheel issues, while others need to be leveler hipped or better in their chest floor.  No matter where, structure should be the first sort factor.  Square on their feet and legs, clean chested, smooth fronted, level hipped while tracking out properly on all four feet and legs along with adequate bone.

     The current fad is to have as much bone as possible.  I like the looks of a heavy boned animal, but it will also bring other problems.  Anytime you start adding bone and squareness of hip, then you start making them wider skulled, bolder ribbed, wider shouldered and in turn you start having problems at birth.  You will start pulling more kids and having more c-sections done.  We’ve seen it in cattle and hogs, and we will see it in the goats as more and more breeders are searching for more bone and base width.

     Some genetics seem to gain bone as they mature.  If they have enough at 3 months, they will have plenty at market weight.  Some breeders want them to hit the ground with sequoyah type trunks and then hope they gain more bone as they mature.  What is the answer?  As always, a happy medium.  Keep your females in the middle of the road and add bone, base width and power with the bucks.  

     Braden and I headed out on an adventure Wednesday afternoon.  We ended up buying wethers and a doe kid.  It’s a good thing we took a trailer.  We then stopped and looked at buck kids that are selling next week.  Yes, I’ve seen them several times, but I like looking at good animals.  We made it back late last night, unloaded and did chores.  

     We got up this morning and caught goats, vaccinated and burned horns.  I used the daylight to examine yesterday’s purchases.   Upon further examination, I realize that I bought a wether that is a paint, with the shits, from a Mexican.  I like an animal with a story.  We’ll just have to see how this story ends.  I hope it is a happy story and not a shitty Mexican paint goat.  

    Upon further reflection, a 20 or 30 thousand dollar wether may be cheaper than trying to raise good goats.  High priced bucks, destructive does, expensive hay & feed, limping babies, bad mothers, sore mouth, etc, etc.  

     Just go find the one or two that you really think are great ones, buy them then feed and show them right.  Takes less feed, facilities, fence, time, etc, than trying to raise goats.  If anybody needs a great one for less than $20k, give me a call I’ve got several and they will look seem like bargains.

Good morning and have a nice day.

     I stayed home this weekend.  I didn’t go to any other goat farms and I didn’t go to any sales down south.  I stayed home and saved my $s.  I actually collected money instead of spending it.  

     The reports from the Texas sales were that the good ones brought a pile of cash, the common ones had troubles finding new homes.  A wether sold for $32,000.  That doesn’t suprise me.  Some will say that he was sold before hand.  Some say it is legit.  It doesn’t matter.  I’m sure he was a good one and for that kind of cash, I hope he went to a really good home.

      All I know is that it takes some $s to play this game.  

     As all of you loyal readers are well aware, we moved last year.  Moving the goats was a big undertaking as there were miles of fence and panels that had to be put up in order to contain/protect these beasts.  I like to have things done right.  No loose ends.  I spent thousands upon thousands for posts, wire, panels, etc. There are pens all around this piece of paradise.  From east to west, on the south side and in the barns.  

    I put a new gate going into the east pen several months ago.  I needed a taller gate, not for me, but other visitors.  In order to make the gate fit, I needed to add a 2′ piece of panel between the shed and the gate.  I had a piece of panel that was about 20″.  I wired it up but it left a gap of 4″.  I normally would cut a panel to fit snuggly.  But, I was sick of cutting up panels and this was close.  I decided that I would just stack some bricks in the crack in order to fill the gap.  4 or 5 bricks stacked one on top of the other.  This worked for months.  Numerous does with kids in this pen and no escapees.  As far as I was concerned it had become a permanent fix.  But then somebody jinxed it.  

     Last Sunday, we had several visitors throughout the day.  One of the visitors walked through the gate and noticed the brick part of the fence.  Kennedy points at the brick barrier, looks at me and says, “Nice bricks.”  Nobody else had ever commented on the bricks, but now it was out there.  I was soon to be jinxed.  

    This week, I had an escaped kid out of the east pen.  Guess where the doe kid got out?  Yep, the brick barrier was down and she was out.  I caught her, put her back in the containment unit and re-stacked the bricks.  Next day, nothing was out, but there were signs.  The bricks were down again.  So, I removed all of the bricks and wired in a 4×4 post that fills the gap permanently.

     I always wondered what secrets Bryan used to make his goats so successful.  I now know that he is obviously a goat whisperer.  They listen to him.  My goats had been hanging on his words and when he pointed to the bricks and said, “Nice bricks.”  They saw him, listened to him and followed his instructions.  They had been shown the way out.  The bricks were forevermore jinxed.  Thanks.

     When traveling, looking for the next great goat, we stop at a lot of quick stops.  Gas is usually the driving force as to when we stop.  In Texas, when you stop at a quick stop, the odds are high that it will be at an Allsups.  They are everywhere.  It doesn’t matter the size of the town, they will have an Allsups.  They are a pretty good chain that is consistent in the products they sell and the setup of the stores.  All of that and the fact that the bathrooms normally aren’t the cleanest and there is a high probability that the lock is broke.

     They have as wide an array of “edible” items in the hotbox.  The other night, there was an Allsups and the only other option was to continue to starve.  I opted for the chimichanga that was fresh out of the cooker.  Forty minutes later when it cooled enough that I only slightly burnt my taste buds off of my tongue, I ate it.  Not bad.  

Earilier in the day, we stopped at an Allsups.  Bill asked for a hot link out of the hotbox.  He asked for a bun to go with it.  You should have seen the look on the cashier girls face.  I mean complete lock down.  She looked at Bill, looked down, looked at the weiner, looked back at Bill and asked, “Buns?”  

“Yeah, a bun.” he replied.  She stared at him, and then asked, “Like a hamburger bun?”  Bill said, “Well, I was thinking more like a Hot Dog bun, but a hamburger bun, hhmm, yeah, maybe even just a piece of bread would work.”

Blank store, then, “Buns?  We only have a hamburger bun.”  That will work!  

Amazing.  She had the look that you would expect to see working at 3 am, not 4 in the afternoon.  Nonetheless, Bill got bread with his weiner at an Allsups.  

     I have made it into the house on this windy evening after moving goats inside.  Tyke tells me that it is going to storm tonight, so I moved does and babies inside.  Had several people here tonight looking at goats.  They were probably more willing buyers than I was a willing seller.  Too many irons in the fire.  Give me a week or two and I will get half-pissed and be in a selling mood.

     I read the word of the day–tire kickers.  It made me think, and it should make every buyer think and answer the following quetion–  Am I a tire kicker?  

     I can answer this question and I think that everyone that has dealt with me will agree.  NO! I am not a tire kicker.  I know what I am looking for ahead of time.  If something surprises me, I immediately put a value on it (what that animal is worth to me), then find out the seller’s price.  If somebody is WAY high.  I simply say, I can’t do it and walk off.  If the seller is trying to price gouge me, then they immediately back up and try to make a deal.  If they get in range, we’ll talk.  If not, I’ll go down the road and find something to beat them.  It doesn’t bother me if somebody makes me an offer.  I will either say okay, or nope.  

     There are other times that I see a nice group of critters.  Maybe, or maybe not, I’m not sure if there is a great one but several damn good ones and a couple that just need a new home.  Then, you try to make a package deal.  Buy them all, sort it out later.  We’ve been known to buy a trailer load or two.  

      I’m looking for all kinds–great ones, really good ones, nice ones and some rock flippers.  My buddy, Mikey Thompson, only looks for great ones.  Another buddy named Big Bill is looking for all of the above, but at a bargain price.  Poe Cat likes to look at great ones, buy really good ones & nice ones for a bargain price and loves rock flippers.  And as for me–I will buy a great one when I see it (but usually get out-bid), buy lots of really good ones and nice ones and will work my ass off to make a rock flipper into a nice one, really good one and occasionally, even a good one.  I’ve been accused of working harder on the rock flippers.  If it has a story, I like it.  

     There are other kinds of buyers other than tire kickers.  

Gem shoppers.  They can always find the best one on any given day, but that is all that they will look at.  Even if they can’t afford it and know that they can’t afford it.  They still want that jewel.  They get “Barn Blind” by the good ones.  They usually only go to a few select sales and/or breeders.  They help sale averages.  

Limit Shoppers–They can find all of the good ones, but they have a set spending limit and will not deviate.  If their limit is $500 and the next bid to them is $525, they are done.  Won’t bid again.  They will spend time and money to try, not do, it again.  Limit shoppers will spend more in the long run.  Sometimes, $25 or $100 extra dollars is money well spent.  This is why when I set my limit at $800, I will hit it again at a $1,000.  But won’t hit it again at $1,050.  I like to have a limit, but it needs to be flexible.  

Bargain Shoppers–price can be irrelevant.  A true bargain shopper can read livestock.  That animal is a good one for a $1,000, boom I’ll bid.  Sometimes, something sells for less than it should have.  A true bargain shopper will recognize the value and pull the trigger even if it is a bit higher than their limit.  It isn’t just about the dollar but the value of the dollar.  A true bargain shopper is not afraid to make a package deal.  Bargain shoppers help a sale average because they will bid to their limit and then maybe again, until it isn’t a bargain anymore.

Rock Flippers–this term comes from my old buddy Lamle.  Follow the genetic trail and flip some rocks, look underneath and see what is there.  Rock flippers are always on the move.  Why?  Because once you feed a few that came from under the same rock, then other people find out or the rock becomes greedy.  Rock Flippers are constantly on the move, searching & looking.  Rock Flippers are an addict.  A rock flipper can find a gem at a big name breeder or find a one shot deal.  They also tend to feed animals from a wide array of breeders, but a limited genetic pool.  Rock Flippers probably have a stack of stock show magazines next to the toilet and look at breeder websites instead of porn sites.  Rock Flippers will deal in cash–low denominations.

Settlers–These kind spend time and money trying to find a gem for a bargain that fits their limit underneath a rock.  They don’t find what they need, so they just settle for something that isn’t quite right.  It is missing a leg, ear, tail, nut, eye, whatever.  Something isn’t quite right but they can settle for it, because they can justify it.

Too many people are Gem shoppers, that actually have a Limit, but truly want a Bargain, but they don’t know what Rocks to Flip.  So, they end up driving, pissing away time and money and become Tire Kickers and then they usually just Settle on something that really wasn’t what they needed.  And when the dust is cleared, they didn’t make any progress in their breeding or show program.  Sometimes, they get to their kids senior year and they get help.  Then, they go “Crap, why didn’t I do that before?” Others just continue with their heads buried…somewhere…usually up their own ass…and sometimes….buried up somebody else’s.

     Me, I am a rock flipper at heart that recognizes a bargain, whether it is at $500 or $5,000, I have my limits but will bid when I think I found a true gem. This is probably why I buy so many goats.  

What kind of buyer do we see at Kelln Livestock….all of the above.  However, the Gem shopper has to be looking for the diamond in the rough.  The limit shopper doesn’t fare well, because I don’t have a lot of patience.  Unless they tell me, “I have $800 to spend.”  Then, I can say that one and that one or Nope, don’t have anything.  Bargain shoppers do well and the true rock flippers have a field day at our little piece of paradise.  Settlers and tire kickers don’t do well anywhere.