Justin Angell

Market reports at times like these are easy to do. Cattle are high!

The fed cattle market has paused to catch a breath and has ticked lower from $2.12 to $2.02. Imagine that, a $10 lower fed market that’s still a record high! Heading into spring grass season saying our calf and yearling markets are good would be an understatement.

The sales that we have been having were wonderful and fun. My earliest childhood memories are from the back of the barn at the Columbia Livestock Auction in Columbia, Mo. I have always loved being in and around sale barns. I love cattle, I love the action, but mostly I love the people who visit livestock markets.

In February, while at the livestock auction in Palmyra, it’s been especially fun because of the people I am seeing. I have had several pleasant surprises that walked in the sale barn door; old customers and friends that have come up and visited with me and, of course, see the sale. For those of you who I haven’t seen in a while… Tuesday in Palmyra is a good time to catch me. For those of you who have come up to F&T to either visit, do business or both: thanks! Thanks for making the effort to call or come see me, I really appreciate it.

Speaking of surprises, it’s 2° below zero, but today I was surprised to see a cornfield full of snow geese, so I know that spring is just right around the corner. It’s hard to imagine spring when it is 2° below zero here, but it’s true. Anytime the weather gets a little rough here, to put things in perspective, I call my daughter or son-in-law in South Dakota.

Centralia Schools canceled classes today, but my grandkids going to Lake Preston grade school are in session today even though the temperature is about 18° below zero with the windchill gusting up 41° below zero.

Although frozen ground, the poor cowboy’s concrete, is a blessing compared to deep mud and cold rain while we’re calving, I know many of you are struggling this week, but look on the bright side. We’ve all survived calving weather wrecks in the past, but at least this time the calves you save will be worth way over $1000 when you sell them. Hang in there, we are only 40 days to grass green up. Who knows we might be only 40 days to turn out! I can picture it now… Pairs are turned out on the grass, gently blowing in the wind, the new mommas grazing in the sunshine with the calves running and bucking. When this happens this spring for the first time if you think of this article, send me a picture.

Lasting impressions of Bali. By far the most enduring memory of Bali is how incredibly happy the people are. From hours of conversation while traveling to visit Hindu temples, Merta, our Balinese guide, explained to us at length the belief system of Hinduism. The core belief of Hinduism is reincarnation. The next life being higher and better or worse depending on how you live this life. The dogs lying in the road never get run over because the drivers break and drive around, believing that dog might be a reincarnated relative who had passed being downgraded to dog status after having lived a less than immaculate life. Maybe that’s where the saying, “Karma is a bitch” comes from. I’ve never personally known any Hindus, but most of us are familiar with the most famous Hindu, Mahatma Gandhi. Known for leading his nonviolent resistance movement as India was gaining independence from Britain. Gandhi was the quintessential Hindu, patient, especially with people, and living a life full of good karma, with the understanding that our life today is only one step in the achieving the goal of finding svarga (heaven).

The second impression of Bali is the absolute insane traffic. The roads are mostly two lanes and narrow. To describe roads there as crowded would be an understatement and to be honest, words cannot describe the chaos.

Besides all kinds of Toyota half-ton pickups and full-size flatbed straight trucks hauling a cornucopia of goods of the 4 million people that live on that island, I’d bet 3 million have scooters. Imagine narrow city streets with cars and trucks traveling on the left side of the road while both meeting traffic and simultaneously being passed on the centerline and the shoulder by hundreds, if not thousands, of scooters every hour. Now imagine a city with traffic like that with almost no stop signs or stoplights. The intersections are perpetually filled with bumper-to-bumper scooter to scooter traffic going straight, right or left in no seemingly organized fashion.

I think the only reason for travel success without severe road rage is because the joy of Hinduism prevents road rage and facilitates incredibly polite driving.

At the risk of seeming to over-emphasize the importance of Hinduism in Bali, another lasting impression was the artistry expressed in the architecture of homes, public buildings, and the huge temples found in some of the most scenic places in the country. Hindu prayer and the temples make up a very high percentage of what people think about, act on and devote personal resources to. Merta told me that families probably spend a third of their income on offerings, temple maintenance, priest offerings and other religious expenditures.

Besides nine beautiful, massive, national temples, every city, every village and every single family have temples — most staffed by priests that are compensated by the community and local families.

The rest of what I was impressed with would include the food. Being outside our country, I notice that you can taste food as opposed to much of the diet here or you taste either salt or sugar. Oddly most of the men in Bali smoke cigarettes, however culturally women smoking is distained and discouraged.

Being in the southern hemisphere, January is summer and even though it was the rainy season, our weather was beautiful. We had temperatures from 70° to 82° and what rain we had was transitory.

While in Perth, Australia, I visited the largest covered livestock market in the southern hemisphere. While in Bali, I think I passed the smallest livestock sale pavilion. Roadside markets were the preferred method of livestock sales by farmers. Perspective buyers apparently drive out of the city until they find some calves staked out or housed next to the road. Obviously, there would be a negotiation and bartering by the buyer and the farmer, but eventually most of the time negotiations lead to a sale.

Bali was a wonderful place to visit and I’m glad I went and had a wonderful time. However, I’m pretty sure I don’t have to ever go back there.

Thanks for reading. Come see me Tuesday at the auction!