The Cattle Market
Me and the cattle market need to get in synch
This terminal poverty is a bunch of bull
When the market goes up, I won’t own but three
When it’s down, my pastures are full
Now I’m not one for gripin’
And I dearly love this life
But fifty- cent calves and ten dollar feed
Is hard to explain to my wife
But she wouldn’t trade it for a job in town
The new babies, she names ‘em all
And she’ll be mad for two months runnin’
When I sell ‘em off in the fall
I’ve read and studied genetics
I think my breeding program is keen
But I have an idea I’m missin’ something
Cause my calves all looks Holstein
Blacks and baldies are the packer’s choice
I thought I’d have ‘er made last fall
But calving time proved disappointing
The neighbor’s longhorn had sired ‘em all
This year’s crop is a sight to behold
I’ve been assured they’re some of the best
But my banker will get almost all they bring
And Ivomec will get the rest
My fences are in need of major repairs
And I’m just nearly out of hay
But if the market stays up, I won’t own but three cows
And I won’t need fences anyway
Forty- percent cubes are the best you can buy
To hear the man at the Co-op tell it
But I buy the cheap twenty- percent kind
So my cows can have more than one pellet
My banker agrees that I need some help
But that ranchin’sure ain’t my callin’
He allows I ought to sell off my cows
Cause the darned market’s started fallin’
If the bottom falls out of the market now
I’ll have way too many again
So I’ll sell ‘em off and cut my loss
But now I’m right back where I’ve been
When spring grass comes, I’ll buy some back
Cause without ‘em I’d sooner die
I’ll bet a hundred the market will be up
And they’ll be too darned high to buy
So I’ll patiently wait till the market goes down
And I can buy ‘em real cheap you see
Then I’ll keep ‘em and feed ‘em till the market goes up
Or till my banker takes all but ‘bout three© 2000, Jay Snider, All rights reserved
These words may not be reprinted or reposted without the author's written permission.