Now the weather is warmer, up to single digit minuses and it is starting to snow. How long before that miserable 30 below comes back? I don't want it, I want spring!
I have marked July 9 and 10 as a hoar frost rain. We will see.
On the home front, nothing is happening. I didn't start any projects when the weather was so cold. I haven't run my 7.3 L environmental polluter for almost a month. I know I have to change the fuel filter and since it has been so cold I just haven't done it. I am vertically challenged so I have to use a five-gallon pail to reach. I could have called it a 20 litre pail but it goes against my general principles of never giving any credit to a system that I didn't get a vote on and has cost me nothing but money ever since.
I have not done any seed cleaning either, as my "seed cleaner setter" son Ron has gone ice fishing with his brother Todd. Personally I think going ice fishing is a good thing and I hope they enjoy themselves. For me, seed cleaning is not a big project, More of a babysitting job. One of those jobs that is good to be done early so we don't get caught trying to clean in the spring when we have other things we need to be doing.
I am actually looking forward to this spring as my land is all worked, ready to seed. If I get this cleaning out of the way, I would feel quite a bit better. I don't like to have things hanging over my head. I will try to be organized for Tuesday.
In farming news the people who signed contracts last fall are still trying to get grain in the elevators. I knew that would happen. The elevators were trying to get everyone to sign contracts for delivery of the grain. I refused to sign a contract with a hocus pocus time for delivery. I also don't like contracts. The contracts are written for the elevator company's benefit, not the farmer. All they were trying to do was tie up the grain.
Now Statistics Canada has come out with a report that we have harvested the largest wheat crop in history. Down went the price of wheat from over six bucks to under $4.50. With friends like that who needs enemies? Who told them anyway? They didn't get the information from me. Were there some of my fellow farmers dumb enough to tell them? Where did they get the information? So now your grain has lost one third of it's value and you can't sell it either. What a kick in the head with a frozen boot!
Now we have the rest of the story! The elevators haven't seen a car for weeks. I stand corrected, the orange elevator at Marshall got a train and farmers were lined up half way to the highway to get unloaded. Three days of mad scramble in thirty below weather and then it is over. The car movement at the west coast is so poor feed mills in Abbotsford and Chilliwack, B.C. are having to close because they don't have enough grain to make feed. This is really serious as dairies and chicken farms are running out of feed for their livestock. This is a big market taking 125 to150 cars a week. The grain companies are more interested in delivering to the port as they are making more money selling at port. The price for customers is still in the $8 to $9 per bushel range. Depending on your point of view that is double what the farmers are getting or that is half of that price for farmers. In November, the railroads moved record amounts of grain. What happened, did they stop for Christmas? On Jan. 9 in the harbour waiting to load are 20 ships. Where are the grain cars?
Well, anyone who watches the news knows what the railroads are busy doing. They are blissfully hauling trainload after trainload of those black tanker cars. Every week there is another news story of tankers derailing, exploding into big fire balls, plumes of black smoke billowing as they roll and burn. They don't have time for the grain farmer.
This happens every year. I know we should be getting used to it. Come December/ January the railroads slow down the effort to move cars to a trickle. If this was France we would have guys with rakes, hoes and pitch forks. The roads and rails would be blocked and chaos would be everywhere.
Unfortunately, this is not France but it makes you feel like organizing a convoy of Super-B's to the coast. There would be no end to roadblocks to prevent this. Since the number of farmers available is small maybe we could hire the Hells Angels for a protection squad. Seems to be a lot of them when they get their convoy of bikes rolling. Awwww, just dreaming!
Joke of the week from granddaughter Tori (8): Why do fish live in salt water? 'Cause pepper makes them sneeze!
Joke of the week heard by Chris at work: This old guy of about 95 is sitting at a bus stop crying his eyes out. A young man walks up to him and asks him why he is so upset. "You see, I have this beautiful young wife of 30, she makes me breakfast every morning, brings me my coffee, and helps me get dressed. During her lunch break, she comes home and cooks me dinner and brings me the latest newspapers. In the evening, she cooks me a great supper, pours me a drink and after supper bathes me from head to toe and puts me to bed." "That's wonderful," the young man said, "but why are you crying?" The old man shook his head and with great sorrow in his voice and said "I forgot where I live!"
