From the Fields - John Pierson

By John Pierson, Solano County rancher

The pasture conditions in this area are great. We’ve had the right amount of rain. We’ve had warm weather but on the cool side, and the grasses have grown really well. I’ve got one field that I’m going to put the cows in, and think I’m going to lose them because the grass is so deep. It’s up to about my mid body. Mother Nature has done good for us.

We’re cleaning up the weeds around areas where you don’t want tall weeds—in around the barn, in the corrals where the cows can’t get to the grass. We have to do that by hand.

We probably won’t need to irrigate until the middle of May. Almost all our fields are irrigated. The water thing has gotten to be a nightmare, as far as irrigation and the things that they’re doing on the water boards. I thought we owned water. I thought we owned our ground. Now they’re looking at the wells. Why does the government get to own our ground?

The cattle prices are up. We’re getting more per pound, and we’re getting more per animal, but we’re also paying more for everything that we use, that we have to buy. The fuel is terrible. The price of a pickup—whoever thought you’d have to spend $100,000 on a pickup? Last year, hay was $200, $300 for volunteer hay. Normally in good years, it would’ve been $80. After the summer broke in and everybody realized they had so much hay, the price dropped.

The cattle are getting along pretty good. They’re on a regular vaccination program, so ours are fairly healthy. We’ve had good luck this year. I can’t complain about that.