The end is near.  All of the Texas majors are completed.  Denver, Phoenix, Tulsa, KC, Louisville and the northern fairs for 12-13 are finished and in the books.  The last big one will be over this week.  By Thursday night, OYE wether and doe show will be done and then it will be time to start again for next year.  Good luck to all.

     These dang websites tied to the goat industry are amazing.  It astounds me how many people read this blog that is packed full of so much worthwhile information.  I commonly get asked how we came up with this idea.  Here’s your answer.

     In the early 2000s, an ag teacher named Tommy Milligan, started a website called oklahomashowpigs.com.  With some promotion and the addition of a message board to stir up conversation, this site quickly grew into a staple of the okie show pig industry and then expanded to all show pig enthusiasts.  Tommy and his lovely bride Julie, were both very technology savvy.

     In 2004, another ex-ag teacher named Barclay Holt, was sitting on the sidelines, watching this goat deal take off in Oklahoma.  He had a brilliant idea (for once).  He contacted Milligan and found out how to buy a domain and build a website.  This would be his best move since conning his lovely bride, Camille, into marrying him.  Barclay hired a kid to build the site and thus the birth of oklahomashowgoats.com.   He got the site up and running and was adding some breeders pages, etc.  

     In the fall of 2005, a guy contacted me about oklahomashowgoats.com.  He wanted to buy a website that was related to this goat explosion.  I said, “Yep.  I know the owner.  I’ll call him.”  I called Barclay and asked if he wanted to sell it.  He said he would have to think about it.  A few hours later, he called me back and asked if it was for Kela?  I said  “No,  but why?”  He said, “If it’s for Kela, with your contacts in the goat world, that would be a cool project for a kid.  I would sell it to her.”  I told him that I would ask Kela and get back with him.  He said, “Let me know by this weekend.”  Okie dokie!

     Later that night, I told Kela about it.  She was a freshman in high school.  We discussed it.  I told her she had the money and it could be a good learning experience.  She wanted to think about it.  I told her Barclay needed to know by this weekend.  As it is common in an ag teacher’s schedule, my week was busy.  I took kids to the State OFU speech contest that Saturday.  I got home and was sitting on the couch with Tammy and Kela.  Duke was probably somewhere nearby eating a crayon.  It suddenly hit me that it was the weekend and we hadn’t done anything with Barclay.  I looked at Kela and said, “We need to decide about that website deal with Barclay and let him know.”  She looked at me and said, “I did.”  I asked, “What did you decide?”  She said, “I bought it.”  “Really? Hhmm.   When are you paying him?”  I already wrote the check and Mom’s mailing it to him on Monday.”  Well, I guess that takes care of that.

     Barclay brought all of the software, passwords and other crap that goes along with a website.  She contacted the Milligan’s and asked for help.  Of course, they were willing to help a kid.  They became her mentors and helped her over the next few years.  Kela contacted a few feed companies and immediately recouped her investment.  Breeders were contacted and the site began to grow.  But then, a new updated message board was added.   This was when the site exploded.  Between Fred Slater, Milligan and myself, there was always some kind of crap to read.  Throw in some Brett from Tibet,  Ishmael from Israel and of course, BOB and there was some fodder.  Unfortunately, I was the contact for people pissed about something somebody else wrote on the message board.  It always seemed like it was purebred people fighting amongst each other.  

     As Barclay had predicted, it was an excellent project for a student (dang, that hurts admitting that he was right).  Kela won two state FFA proficiency awards and was a national finalist one year.  She won the National FFA Entrepreneur award for her goats and oklahomashowgoats.com.  With the Milligan’s help, this site hosted the first online goat sale.  She built a nice bank account, learned new things and met new people.  

    In 2009, as she prepared for college, she mulled over the idea of whether to sell the website or keep it.  Numerous people had inquired about buying it.  Several had made offers.  On one hand, it would be an easy job for a college kid to maintain this site.  On the other, she could help pay for college and open a new chapter other than goats and FFA.  I contemplated taking it over, but it was evident that I didn’t have the time, desire, personality and I was starting my new career with Western Equipment.  She decided to sell it.  Her first call was to the Milligans.  She could have gotten more money for it, but their help and friendship was more valuable.  They made a fair offer and she took it.  They have taken it and grown it way past the point of it being an “Oklahoma” site.  It is the place for all of the cool kids in the show goat industry, nationwide.  How many of you people start or end your day by clicking on oklahomashowgoats.com to see what new sales are advertised and then, most importantly, to see if there is a new “Word of the Day”?  I do.  

     Now, to finally answer the question of how did we come up with the idea for this blog.  Once Milligan’s took over, I told Julie that I wanted to update the Kelln Livestock site.  I bought the domain and she designed the site.  I wanted it to be basic, but different.  She said, “You know Kelln, you are an opinionated person that has some knowledge.  How about we add a blog and that way I won’t have to keep censoring you on the message board?”  I thought,  “She’s right!  I do have a lot of worthless crap to share with the world.  I like it!”  

     The hard part of this blog is not coming up with info.  I’ve got years of stories, BS and opinions. And people routinely bring up topics.  The hard part is censoring myself.  Anybody that has ever sat in a barn with me or been in a pickup for several hours is well aware that I am NOT opinionated.  I’m just always right.  I love to discuss a wide variety of topics, most are clean, some are not.  I’ve been known to use an array of 4 letter words when discussing animals, politics, sports, education, weather, etc. etc.  I’ll tell anybody to stick it right up their donkey to their face.  This isn’t the place.  Sometimes, people read this blog and think that I’m talking about them.  Normally, nothing is aimed at anybody, but….if the shoe fits…..

     On here, I try to be careful, as my mother and my daughter read this to see what’s up in my world and just how deranged I am.  Those that know me, can add the color and flair to the stories.  Those that don’t might even think that I’m a nice person.  However, some that haven’t yet met me in person, and I quote “wouldn’t want to be trapped in an elevator with me.”  

     This wraps up today’s lesson in the Oklahoma show goat industry.  Now you know just how all of this came to be.      

    Yes, I recently saw both of the orginal Oklahoma goat gurus.  Who? The L and the W in L&W boer goats.  Who you ask?  That would be Don Lenhart and Sonny Wagner.  

     It’s time for a bit of Okie goat history.  Back in the late nineties, these two old geezers would sit around at Don’s country store at Camp Houston (look that one up on a map).  Sonny had goats to eat weeds.  He had a pile of spanish/nubian does.  Don was always looking for the next great thing–butcher shop, raise pigs, raise parakeets, greenhouses, etc.  Well, now, he thought these boer goats were the next big thing.  So, Don talked Sonny into going with him to Texas to buy some goats.  They came home with a couple of purebred does and a common buck.  A year or two later, they went back and bought a young buck that was stilling nursing his momma.  

     These two crotchety old bastards would now show up at every county stock show and tell Jack Staats and I that, and I quote “All of you ag teachers have your heads up your asses.  You need to be buying goats for kids to show.  Goats are going to take over the country show circuit.  you better wake up!”  This would have been about 2001 & 2002.  They took that little buck prospect named Rooster and grew hiim up and showed him.  He was grand at the state fair of OK and the National Western.  They didn’t know how to show, clip or trim hooves, so they conned Barclay Holt into helping them.  He always smelled like a buck afterwards.  

     In 2003, Kela, Danielle Litzenberger and Kourtney Childers talked me into getting wether goats to go to Phoenix.  Great.  We bought two wethers for each girl.  This was the first year that they had a show at Tulsa.  So we went.  And won a bunch of classes.  We didn’t go to Phoenix as we all had the flu.  In 2004, Kela and Danielle wanted goats again.  We ended up buying some more wethers from Don & Sonny.  We take 3 wethers to Tulsa.  All 3 were a set of triplets.  They won 3 classes and Danielle was reserve grand.  One of these won the state fair of OK.  Now, fast forward to the spring of 2005 and they have the first ever wether goat show at Woodward district.  Kela was grand and Danielle was reserve grand.  The next year, we move to Fairview and have to show at Enid.  Kela has grand and Danielle has grand at Woodward, both with wethers from these two genetic giants.  Kela then ends up reserve grand at 2006 OYE.  

     In the fall of 2006, Kela, Milligan and I had the first online goat sale on oklahomashowgoats.com.  L&W goats were the featured items.  Fred Slater and I washed, sheared, sorted, showed and promoted these wethers for them with NO pay or commission.  Milligan took the photos and this first online sale produced an OYE premium sale wether for Chance Greenroyd.  Don didn’t like this damn “video” sale on the computer.  “I can sell wethers off the farm for $1,000”, he said, although he never had before that sale or since.  

     I made a trip to Mike Kelly’s in the fall of 2005 and saw what wether goats were supposed to look like.  I told Don that there was a buck or two called “900 and Out Of Bounds” and he needed to look at these genetics.  “No papers? They can’t be very damn good.”  He told me that just because we had done some winning didn’t mean that I knew what a good goat should look like.  

    The next year, Don called wanting to know when we were going to have another “video” sale.  I told him I wasn’t doing his work for him unless he could ask nicely.  They never sold another goat online.  Poe Cat kept dealing with him and managed to find a class winner at 2010 OYE for Danielle.  

      They don’t raise any goats now, but in true prophetic form they saw what was coming.  Staats pulled his head out of his ass (kind of) and managed to win Tulsa with his daughter.  I’m still messing with these dang animals.  The jury is still out if my head is in or out.  These two prophets were right about the rest of the country wanting goats.  They had the best herd in Oklahoma.  Period.

     I once offered Sonny $150 for a wether goat that was loaded in a gooseneck trailer bound for the Dodge City sale barn.  He said that  “I was a dumb shit to pay that much for a goat.  If I didn’t know better I would think that you were drunk.  But hurry up and write the check before you forget and back out.”  I paid him.  Took the goat to a student.  It was reserve grand at Woodward in 2005 and won a class at OYE that year.  Yep, I’m the dumb one.

     Sonny was at the Woodward goat show.  He came up to me after the grand drive and handed me two quarters to “go buy a shave because I looked like crap and still didn’t know anything.”  He then gave the Dragon Lady a big hug.  He’s good about that.  Sonny has always been fun to be around.  He still wears his tape measure suspenders.  And he likes to tell stories about myself, Fat Fred and Milligan looking at goats, drinking beverages and looking at the brahma bull.  Don’t ask.  

     Don was at the heifer show today, watching his grandkids show cows.  I got to see him for a minute…or two.  I’m still a dumb bastard and he doesn’t mind reminding me.  He sold the last of his does to Brandon Morgan a year or two ago.  Don yelled at the cattle judge after the show.  “Kennedy, just because you like to hear yourself talk reaons doesn’t mean that I want to listen to you.  I’ve got places to go.  Hurry up and quit talking them three times.”   Classic.  

     Just look at the names mentioned in this blog.  Sonny and Don had an influence on all of the Oklahoma show goat industry.  Still do.  I’d bet if you talked to Kela, some of her favorite memories are of going to the Camp Houston Country Store.  Have Rhea heat up a sandwich for her while listening to Don, Sonny & I argue.  Then go look at little goats.  She just happened to win Woodward, Enid, the State Fair of OK and reserve grand at OYE with goats that Don and Sonny gave to her.  Yes, gave to her.  Why?  Because,  and I quote “You’re dad is a dumb ass and you work hard.  Make us famous.”  I still take that as a compliment.

     If you ever get the chance to get near Freedom, Ok.  Stop in and ask for Don or Sonny.  They won’t be far away and it is well worth your time.  If you want more stories, call Fred, Kennedy, Poe, Milligan or Staats.  They all have a story or two about these clowns.

     Oh yeah!!  Speaking of seeing them both.  I saw a picture of Tyke holding fresh delivered twin babies this morning.  Tyke and Mandy have twins on the ground–a boy and a girl.  Congrats to them.  Big Bill and I look forward to helping the Greer’s manage these offspring from young children to adulthood.  These children will have lots of positive influences.  Yes!!!

     He strikes again.  Who?  Well, quite possibly the best wether buck in Oklahoma.  No, I don’t have a picture of Joe Dirt wearing a Chive On t-shirt, but I do have pictures of more winners sired by the dirty dude himself.  Joe Dirt sired the reserve grand at Enid last week.  This week…the reserve grand wether at Woodward District.  Dirt’s deeds just keep stacking up. Now remember, he is owned and used by just a couple of low rent guys named Tyke and Kelln.  One of these days we are going to get serious about this deal.  Then look out.  What could Dirt do when actually used in a progressive breeding system that utilizes AI & flushes?

      Now, for those of you not familiar with OK shows, this was a ton son-of-a-female dog kind of show.  I mean it was STACKED!!!  Way tough, top 5 in a class stop a judge in his tracks kind of good.  This was the kind of deal that you would judge for free kind of fun.  About the judge, I have opinions.

      Woodward and Enid districts both try to get top notch judges for their shows.  Both shows hired the same dang texan to judge the goats.  I liked their choice as he has judged majors and will do more.  However, two weeks ago, he backed out of both shows.  Oh crap!!! Now what.  Well, neither show had much time to spare so they scrambled and both hit home runs.  Enid hired Phil Stacy.  Woodward hired Bryan Kennedy, who was already hired to judge the cattle show on Wednesday.  I mentioned last week that I thought Phil did a phenomenal job at Enid, even though I didn’t always agree with him.  You know what?  Same thing today.  Anytime, I get a chance to take animals and kids to show to Phil or Bryan…lets go.  I’m all in.  I don’t have to agree with a judge if I can follow them.  We’ll probably get beat, but we will know why and the judging will be consistent.  They are two different kind of guys, but I like them as judges and more importantly as people.  They both know goats.  Excuse me!!  They both know good livestock.  It isn’t every day that you get to upgrade a judge on such short notice, at two different shows.  If Texas is supposed to be where all of the good majors are, then you better be hiring either of these men to line your goats up.  How good were these judges?  My son didn’t win either show.  However….obviously, I think they can line up stock.  Phil will line them up and kind of aw shucks, just a poor boy doing his thing on his way into a good line up of animals and everybody will feel pretty good about it at the end.  Bryan, well, he probably moves quicker and with a very determined attitue of “this is what I see and how I am going to line them up” kind of way.  What does either guy like?  GOOD ONES!!  Phil, a little smoother made, complete, balanced animal with enough muscle.  Bryan, big rib, wide based, with enough smoothness and soundness to make the package. Enough of this judge talk crap. 

     Duke had two reserve divisions today.  Red Tuxedo, a Gallagher goat, was res. div. 3 behind Ally Riley with her Robert Ashley wether.  Duke and Brick, a Helms wether, was also res. div. 2 behind Bree Taylor with a Helms goat.  Darcy Peach was res. div. 1 with an online purchase from Roy Sanders.  She stood behind Kory Dietz with his KELLN bred Joe Dirt wether.  Bree was grand, followed by Kory.  Look at that list of names, great kids.  In the grand drive, Duke got lucky enough to have Lora Riley show one of his wethers for him.   It isn’t often that Lora isn’t in the grand drive herself, but she was only one place out.  Not to mention, she is fresh off a state basketball runner-up showing this past weekend.  If you can’t tell, I like watching good kids in action.  That is what this whole program is about.  Our tribe of toads had to hustle today as the classes broke where a pile of our goats were in the same classes. YES, I am sore.  Tomorrow will be worse.

     Now, for the Paul Harvey part of this story.  Poe Cat showed up at our piece of paradise west of Fairview last summer.  He looked through the babies and asked about a skinny, not-quite healthy little bastard of a wether that was a triplet.  I told him that it was a Dirt out of a Starbuck bottle baby that Thompson and I had gotten from Mike Kelly.  Poe Cat asked what I wanted for him.  I said, “Poe, you and I are the only two people that would look at that skinny goat and think that he has a chance.  Where’s he going?”  He said, “Dietz”.  I said, “What do you have in mind?”  He then said the magic words—-CASH!  Five benjamins.  Like, Milligan’s word-of-TOday, you have to get goats into the hands of good feeders and showmen. Sure, we could have kept him.  Glad we didn’t.  I will take a show ring beating at the hands of a kid like Kory Dietz every dang day of the week.  Why?  That is why we are all in this program.  To see good kids excel.   If that is not why you are raising show animals, get out and go find something else to screw up.  

      As smart as I supposedly am, lets do a quick recap of today’s show.  I sold the reserve grand for $500, Duke’s highest $ wether that we have on feed was 3rd in class behind one that I bought for Lexi Vanderwork for less $ and a Joe Dirt sired wether of our cousin Madison Tomlinson’s.  Rainman, Fade2Black and Joe Dirt along with a buck named 191 took up a HUGE percentage of the premium sale slots today.  Oh, yeah, I about forgot that Newt Sweet had the reserve grand overall doe with a doe kid that I bought from Helms but wasn’t smart enough to keep.  Maybe, we need to get this flush deal going.  I asked Rumour what he thought.  He says that he kind of likes that live breeding action.  Two at a time.   

     There comes a time when you realize that you have been caught.  I don’t mean being caught in a foot race.  Heck, I don’t like running unless I am being chased.  But, I can tell that I have been caught.  I have been ran down from behind from Father Time.  I have been caught by time.  Things don’t fit like they used to.  Activities hurt now that didn’t before.  You can tell that you aren’t as good at something as you used to be.  Well, I have came to understand that I am old.  Too many miles, some of them kind of hard, some self-inflicted and now things are starting to creak, squeak and it just isn’t supposed to feel like that.

      I don’t know what real pain is like.  I haven’t lost a brother, parent or child.  I haven’t had to undergo chemotherapy or something similar.  I’ve led a real good life.  I don’t want to compare my problems with anybody else’s.  My problems are simple.  But they are my problems.  

      I have clipped thousands of goats, cattle, hogs (even a damn sheep or two) and a few other species.  Throw in trimming hooves on cattle and goats and the numbers get high.  However, it is becoming very apparent that I am not going to clip thousands more.  I can’t.  I am fatter than I used to be, but not by much.  My regular playing weight for the past 20 years is 186.  Right now, I weigh 192 or 3, depending on whose scales.  I have worn the same size pants for the past 5 years.  But these things just hurt.  I was born with horribly flat feet that are incredibly narrow.  Nobody makes a shoe that fits these feet properly.  Add in a right knee that isn’t worth two squirts of duck $h!t and things start to hurt.  Every now and then, after numerous days of doing this non-paying job, a cold beer feels reel good.  Just kind of takes the edge off the hurt.  Okay, I can shear one more.  That works in my barn when I don’t have to drive home.  But…

     It’s time to find somebody else to do this stuff.  I had the thought earlier, that if Duke says “Dad, I want to show a steer.”  Then I am going to make it part of the deal that whomever, I buy a steer from, also does the clipping/fitting.  I like clipping and fitting, but it is a young persons’ game.  I go to shows and realize that other people, that aren’t as good, get paid for their services.  This used to amaze me.  Not anymore.    

     I won’t be able to find anybody to do these jobs for me because I will be picky, want things done right, not half-assed and well, dang it, give me those clippers, I will show you how to do it right.  Then, I will walk with a limp tomorrow after I have done a pile more.  I’ve only got about 25 wethers to get ready tomorrow morning for Woodward district.  I bet they will look good.  I will bet, that they will look real damn good!  I will also bet that I am one sore son-of-a-gun come monday evening.  Sometimes, pride hurts.

     Got a really nice rain yesterday morning.  Got a smooth 1 1/2″.  Hadn’t had a rain like that in a long time.  Coupled with all of the snow melt, we are plum muddy around here.  Not complaining.  Starting to see some life to wheat scattered around the area.  

     We’ve got Dozer the Duroc showing at Woodward District today.  Then he has an appointment Tuesday morning for his final show–at the Gage Locker.  Goats show tomorrow.  This should be a way, wicked wether show.  Lots of good goats in this area.  

     I sheared a couple of wethers yesterday, with several to do today.  I look at a lot of sheared wethers and wonder how can somebody screw up shearing a goat?  But most do.  They leave skips, lines, hair in their arm pits, crotch, back of heads, etc.  Some of them look like they used a hatchet to clip their goats.  It’s like mowing the lawn, back and forth, don’t leave any skips.  If you need to get out a weedeater to get in to tighter places, then use a smaller set of clippers.  Pick a leg up and make places more accessible.  Go over them numerous times to make sure that you blend lines and don’t leave skips.  Have a light shining so that you can see what you are doing.  

     Made it to the Enid show.  This has routinely been one of the toughest shows in the state–does and wethers.  Phil Stacy did the judging.  I won’t say that I agreed with every placing, but he ended up with top notch goats that patterned up extremely well.  Structurally correct, balance, with a good look and enough muscle.  His three division champion wethers matched type and kind very well.  You can always count on Phil to be consistent with the type that he likes.  Very complete.  

     The top end of the wether show was very good.  However, I don’t think there was that magical, OMG, look at that one.  Of course, that one may be sitting at home waiting to go to OYE.  Schovanec’s had grand and reserve with the Lough boy from Hennessey getting bronze.

      The doe show, on the other hand, had pile of good ones.  That deal was stacked.  There was 10 or 12 does that one could justify using to win a show.  There was some really tough classes and divisions.  Karissa Pfeiffer wins it, followed by Tanner Miller and then Tori Sessions was bronze.  I personally would have juggled some of the top 5, but I’m not arguing because they were all extremely high quality and I would have been proud to raise or show any one of them.  

     Joe Dirt had a good day as he sired a couple of class winning does including Braden Schovanec’s res. div. 2 that ended up being 5th overall.  In the wether show, he sired several 4 of the 13 class winners and a couple of 2nd place wethers.  The Reserve grand wether and the reserve div. 3 champion were sired by Joe Dirt.  

     Some states have showmanship rules of showing on the chain, while others allow bracing.  There was a lot of debate for several years, here in Oklahoma, about which way it should be.  It didn’t bother me to show on the chain when Kela was showing as I knew that she had a competitive advantage over 99% of the field.  But I was fine with it when they decided to allow bracing.

     Showing on the chain is harder as you have to have all four feet set properly, top level, neck straight, head level, hold animal still while providing tension on the chain in order to get a partial brace when the judge is handling all while using one hand to control all of it.  When bracing, a showman has two hands and their legs to control the animal.

     I would actually argue that there was a deeper set of top flight showmen when Oklahoma was still showing on the chain.  Kela, Tyler Boles, Chance Greenroyd and Kent Stacy were the top tier showmen anywhere.  Not only did those kids win numerous major showmanship awards, but other super succesfull showmen copied their style.

     Duke’s first year of showing was on the chain, then they let them drive the goats.  With him and several others in his age range, I have recently noticed that their showmanship skills are detoriating.  They just want to square up and push.  Likewise, those that are coaching the kids are more interested in handling the animal to see if they are bracing, instead of making sure that they look their best, while handling hard.  The kids need to be able to utilize showing on the chain to really get a feel for how to properly control the animal and build a better bond with that particular goat.  The best compliment that I ever heard of Kela’s showing was that “she shows each goat differently.”  Which is because each animal is different–different faults, different positives, different attitudes.  

     Showmanship is accenuating the positives while hiding the flaws in order to present an animal to its utmost potential.  In order to accomplish this, a showman must know their animal.  Showing on the chain-properly-forces one to know their animal.  My point is, a lot of showmen need to go back to the basics and teach theirselves and their wethers how to show on the chain and then transistion into bracing.  It is way easier to teach one to brace, then it is how to properly show.  There is a difference.  Just because a goat is driving, does not mean it is being showed to its highest potential.  

     Hadn’t been on the internet much the past couple of days.  Clicked on an upcoming online auction that is offering some doe kids.  Hummel’s are offering an impressive set of photos for this sale.  Whoever did the hair care, fitting and clipping did an amazing job.  The hair are on these things is out of this world.  You look at these pictures and it makes you want to make a quick trip up north to look at these things.  Luckily, I don’t have time right now, so I will be able to leave my checkbook alone.  

     I respect when somebody can fit one like this and get a photo of any species of animal that looks the way these do. They are untouched photos.  There was a pile of time, effort and skill that went into gettting these does presented like that. They will bring a pile of cash.  Lary Duncan has always set the benchmark for clipping, fitting and shooting photos of goats.  It takes time, skill and patience.  That time thing, not to mention a lack of patience, is what keeps me from doing it.  When it’s time to sell, I just want them gone and to a good home.  I know I leave money on the table, but sometimes, a guy just has too many irons in the fire.  

     Now, the question remains as to what is under the hair and how well these things will feed out.  I’m not questioning it, that is for the buyers and bidders to decide.  Whoever masters the presentation, such as these, combined with animals that will win majors is going to corner the market.  This may be the set to do just that.  If it is, then it is going to make every other breeder step up their game in order to sell high dollar goats.

     It looks like it will be an interesting week for online sales.  I bet that they go well.  Real well.

     I’ve been known to stock pile hay.  I don’t like the thought of running out.  I buy hay even when I don’t need it if it is good hay and priced right.  Which is recently the case.  I bought some really good oat hay round bales that Brandon Bruce hooked me up with and Tim Dunkin delivered it. They also brought several loads of good grass hay for dad.  Good service with a smile. 

     I deal with a lot of round balers and we sell a lot of net wrap and baler twine.  It is interesting to hear different versions of why some people like one versus the other.  Baling with wrap is faster.  Twine is cheaper.  My favorite is that they don’t like cutting net wrap off of a bale when there is ice on it.  I personally think this is a pile of crap.  I despise trying to cut all of the dang individual twines off a twine bale when it is dry and sunny out and it is absolutely miserable when there is snow and ice on it.  I can get the wrap off–ice and all–in no time, then I just drag the pile of wrap to the dumpster–done.  Not with the twine, cut the visible twines, dig through some hay to find other twines, pull it off, then realize there is more, cut it, pull it, now try to get it all folded up into a manageable bundle so I can get it to the dumpster.  Nope, it catches on something.  Gate latch, my feet, tractor shifter lever, you name it.  I hate messing with baler twine.

     This hay has reminded me why I hadn’t bought any hay with twine on it in the past 5 years. The great thing is that once I was done wrestling the twine, it is really good hay and the does love it.  And the price was right.  Plus, my stock pile of net wrapped alfalfa from Schoovy remains until nursing does will need it.  

     What I have realized from this twine experience is that if I ever jump out of an airplane, I don’t want a parachute.  Just give me a big wad of used baler twine.  It will hang up on something on the way down and I will be fine.  

Stay warm.  Keep the animals dry.  Make sure they are all getting fresh water.  Have a good day.