Fuel Prices

[Denny]

Has anyone else purchased their fuel for next season.We paid $4.24 a gallon last spring for off road farm fuel this year it's $1.80 and were close to full up on fuel.We normally fill our 4x4 tractor also but it's sitting on a field all alone too close to the road and it could be empty by spring so we'll leave it empty.I'm going to load up on twine,grease and oil next.With the turmoil this world is in I think some early planning might be in order.We have most of our seed also.Fertilizer is something I won't buy when it's sky high but I may purchase some if it is resonable.We have close to 50 dump truck loads of manure to spread in the spring which should really help.
Mineral is another story we have some on hand but have'nt fed any since august.I have a friend who feeds it from Jan 1st until sept 1st and get's along just fine I'm trying that also.You can't spend your way to profit in my book.

How many guy's or gal's here don't feed mineral year round? or mix it with salt I know a guy here who mixes it 50/50 and weans 700# calves each year he has very good grass so it must work to a point.His cows are very very large 1600 to 1800#s though.

 

[feeder]

Denny, we just filled the tanks with off road for $1.59. We just heard about this guy's cheap prices and he was .25 cheaper. We found out he had been in our area delivering fuel for some time but we weren't aware.

 

[John SD]

I filled my portable 125 gal fuel tank with gasoline about a month ago for $1.69 Price has since dropped to $1.55 or so but I think it is on its way up again. I haven't needed to use any gas out of the portable but will soon.

I'm also down to about 125 gal of #1 red fuel. If everything runs out about the same time I'll probably have the fuel guy come fill everything up and take it like a man regardless of price.

Gasoline definitely does not keep like it used to. The last batch I got delivered in April '08 smells quite stale. I'm also concerned that this new ULSD does not have the shelf life it used to.

Denny, IMO even in the "off season" I'd cut the mineral with salt before I eliminated feeding it altogether. That said, my cows are out of mineral right now. It's mostly too unhandy to carry on the tractor. I know that's a poor excuse, but that's my excuse. I better get out and get on it this morning! :wink:

 

[WyomingRancher]

I don't feed mineral year-round since our cattle are on a forest permit in the summer, and it wouldn't be practical. Each year I keep some cattle home, mainly the heifers, my own cows, and any other odds and ends which aren't "forest worthy", 40-50 head, and provide them mineral, and I'd say there is absolutely no difference in the two groups of cattle.

Overall, all cattle have access to mineral October-May...for what it's worth .

 

[Anonymous]

Overall, all cattle have access to mineral October-May...for what it's worth .

Same here- they don't seem to eat it during the summer months...Just put out salt blocks with iodine...I usually put some out when I move them to fall pasture which they will start using- but after I move them onto the river to winter, can't get them to take any...I think it is because there is so much mineral and salt in the water...Since I want to make sure they are not magnesium deficient come green grass time- I now put out mineral lic tubs with magnesium starting about Feb, which they will consume some...

 

[Doug Thorson]

I am going to call the fuel man on Monday. I think I can get all the #1 out of my tanks by then and finish off the winter with my portable as needed. My problem isa I can only hold 600 gallons right now. I plan on getting my storage up to 1500 by spring, but that doesn't help right now. I checked on contracting fuel for summer delivery and that is $.45 higher than cash price.

As for mineral, when I was in partnership with my Dad, that was one expense we didn't purchase. I was able to get them pregnant and raise good calves, but my cows were wore out at 7-8-9 years old. They get mineral now.

 

[roger dodger]

hi everyone just thought i would say hello to all on ranchers net. Have been reading everyones comments for about a year now and really enjoy them. Also all the pictures of cattle and country. I almost feel like neighbors to you all.

My two bits on your comment about mineral use . The best luck I have had is last year when we fed mineral tubs with hi-mag from Febuary to July. Best conseption rate we have had in years AI and nateral when we preg checked in sept.

 

[Cal]

The misses had a tanker load of farm fuel delivered a couple weeks ago for 1.55, I think it was.

Would be nice if fertilizer would follow the price of fuel down, haven't checked on it just lately.

 

[Cal]

Welcome roger dodger.

I was thinking about our combiners last year, were having a dickens of a time with a couple outfits that had bio-blend diesel sitting in them for too long and developed algae. Anyone heard of that?

 

[feeder]

I remember talk of the algae this fall but I can't remember what the heck they said to do.

 

[NMRANCHER]

Welcome roger dodger.

I was thinking about our combiners last year, were having a dickens of a time with a couple outfits that had bio-blend diesel sitting in them for too long and developed algae. Anyone heard of that?

When I was in avaition we had the same problem with jet fuel. The simple method we used will not work for Diesel engines but there is a method.

In researching you will find that the problem will happen in any heavy fuel like diesel, jet fuel, or the new bio-diesel that may be stored long term.

You need to get a Biocide called Racor Diesel Biocide http://www.mwfi.com/Fuel-Additives/Bionical.html If you do have alge growth I would recomend getting a few extra filters to change out till you can get rid of the alge.

You may be able to get the aviation version of the pruduct at your local airport also. If I remember right it is called 'Biobor'. http://www.silmid.com/biobor/fuelbiocide.htm

 

[Jake]

We start putting mineral out about march 1 preparing for calving switch to hi-mag around april 1 and to a 12-12-12 mineral late may and pull it out of the pastures around late August. The cows get access to iodized salt year round simply because it's this that they seem to crave the most.

The calves in the backgrounding lot get it free choice or mixed in ration from wean to market.

Far as the fuel I'm planning on filling up here shortly, figure it's not gunna get much lower than this and has a lot greater chance of shooting back to $4 than dropping anymore.

 

[George]

I tried bio diesel ( 10% soy ) for about 6 months. I read the literature that they put out stating I should expect to go through about 3 filters on each piese of equipment. Thet stated that the soy diesel is a great cleaner and that it would clean the equipment totaly and make it last much longer.

On most of the equipment three seened OK but on some of the hight hour equipment I was putting on a filter every week and then we started getting algie and I had to purchase a very hi priced algicide.

I felt I was getting higher milage out of the trucks and more hours out of the loaders and excavators but not enough to offset the cost of the filters not to mention the labor and downtime for changing.

I went back to diesel and it would take some talking to get me to try it again.

 

[John SD]

I've used B5 the past 2 hay seasons in 3 tractors. I run petro fuel in the winter in the same tractors.

Can't say I've had any problem from the bio fuel. I changed filters on one tractor last fall. Meant to on another that's had the same filters on 3 yrs, but I don't normally run it in winter. Then there's the chore tractor I use almost daily that still has filters from when I bought it in 2000. I do have a set of filters on hand for it! :wink:

All my storage tanks have filters on them. My portable tanks I use for gasoline or diesel depending on the need at the time. I've heard that gasoline is very effective at killing any algae problems in diesel.

 

[NMRANCHER]

I've heard that gasoline is very effective at killing any algae problems in diesel.

It is, but it dosn't do the Diesel engine any good. For gasoline to really work on the alge (ie Kill all of it) you need at least a 50/50 mix. We put a 50/50 mix of Avgas in Jet fuel to solve our alge problem but a Jet or Turbine engine can run on the mixture where industral Diesel engins cannot. (and stay in one piece).

The thing is if you do not want alge in your heavy fuels, do not store it for very long. Exspecially where tank temps above 40*F.

 

[C Thompson]

Hey Denny if your neighbour is only weaning 700 lb calves out of 1600 to 1800 lb cows he is about one or two hundred pounds light.We can't get our cows to eat mineral unless it is incorporated in lic tubs with molasses.Our pastures and hay is too high in salt so they won't hardly even lick salt blocks unless they are on range for about 4 months in the summer.That is the only time they get mineral and that is in the salt blocks.Our cows are about 1250 lbs and wean 600lb char cross calves.A lot of our neighbours spend a lot of money on mineral every winter and so did we 15 years ago but we still have three quarters of the only tonne we bought left.All the experts said we would have a serious wreck if we didn't get lots of it in our cows over the winter but none of the problems have showed up and we just quit trying to get them to eat it.I am not saying that everyone should stop feeding mineral but it doesn't seem to be needed here and that is one more cost out of our inputs.