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Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

By Rayford Pullen | rcpullen@yahoo.com
Seems like yesterday we were hoping spring would arrive as soon as possible and now, we are turning the page and heading into winter this month. If you have been keeping up with me the last few months, I have been doing a few exercises to see what it is going to cost us to get our cattle through the winter. The last one I used had hay costing 10 cents per pound and our cows consuming 20 pounds per day. I have also assumed a 30 percent loss of hay when fed in round bale feeders, which now makes our daily cost per cow for hay at $2.60 per day.
Now for those of us feeding a protein supplement, it appears our daily cost will be 85 cents to one dollar per day plus the cost associated with putting all this out. We now have approximate cost of $3.50 to four dollars per day. If winter is 120 days long, we are now looking at $450 per cow. If we figure in our pasture lease, equipment necessary to feed and labor, $500 may be closer. If you figure you wean a 90 percent calf crop, you then jump to $550 per weaned calf sold. I just had to get this off my chest because the drought along with feed and hay prices has put many of us in a bind to the point of throwing up our hands. The good news is that cattle prices are supposed to be great in the not-so-distant future but they need to be if we are going to survive our current predicament.
To read more, pick up a copy of the December issue of NTFR Magazine. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
Attractions
Dixie House Cafe: Home of the Big Buns

By Donna Long
If you are hankerin’ for home cooking just like grandma used to make with fresh ingredients, then look no further than Dixie House Cafe with locations in Fort Worth, Saginaw, and Euless. Dixie House, which was originally named Theresa’s Cafe after its owner, opened its first restaurant in 1983.
In the early days, it was just Theresa and one employee that ran the cafe. Between the two of them, they created mouth-watering meals from scratch using tried and true recipes. Dixie House is where the nostalgic vibe of a 60’s diner meets the charm of Southern hospitality and cooking. The portions are substantial, and the flavor is reminiscent of a time when meals were slow-cooked with families gathered in the kitchen and not hurriedly microwaved.
To read more, pick up a copy of the March issue of NTFR Magazine. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
Equine
No Winter Blues in Rodeo

By Phillip Kitts
With most of America fighting off the winter blues and setting their sights on the warmth of spring, the rodeo world is already heating up. It is often common chatter about how the rodeo world really does not have an off season. In October when the regular season wraps up, it is not even a week before rodeo athletes start running to fall rodeos so they can start building up money toward the next year’s finals. It is true that fall rodeos do not have big payouts, but many athletes take the every dollar counts approach and throw several of them on the calendar.
November and December may be the slowest months of the rodeo year, but believe it or not, there are still plenty of places rodeo athletes can go and earn a small check. Traditionally the number of rodeos in the winter months is lower, but the few events that do happen tend to have big payouts. Pretty much every rodeo fan knows all about places like Denver, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Rapid City. These are all big scale events with huge payouts.
To read more, pick up a copy of the March issue of NTFR Magazine. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
Farm & Ranch
Ag Elsewhere: Montana

By Lindsey Monk
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