Hello All:

Sale preparations continue: We recently tagged the bulls and bred heifers with lot numbers, took hip height and scrotal measurements (not on the heifers!!!) and weighed every animal. We have almost all the information we need to assemble our online and printable catalogs. We are awaiting DNA testing on a few animals and are having a challenge getting A.I. certificates on the Herefords. We have used some old (ancient like me, 1970’s?) Hereford semen the past couple of years and are in the process of trying to find out who can authorize a certificate. We may have to list some of the registration numbers as pending. When the catalog is available, we will notify you. You should be able to see the videos on our website, icecattle.com, and on DVAuction.

Bull and bred heifer update: We currently have the sale animals at our place. They are contently grazing a 90-acre cornstalk field and come into the lots for water and salt/mineral. Because of the recent cold spell, I asked the hired men to put a few bales of what I would consider high quality grass hay in the lots. I am once again surprised (but shouldn’t be) that they are mostly ignoring the grass hay and are content to be out on the stalks. There is very little, if any, corn left in the field, so they are selecting leaves, husks and stalks over high quality grass hay. Our seedstock cattle are developed to look good 12+ years from now, NOT necessarily on sale day. Now, considering their development protocols, I do think they look good on sale day but will blossom this spring on some good grass. You are welcome to come walk or drive through the bulls and heifers at any time. After they utilize the cornstalks, we have about 50 acres of stockpiled sorghum sudan/pearl millet/other mix here at home for them to graze up until sale day.

God our Father vs. Me their father: Anger is a sin that easily entangles me. When something blocks my path, I rarely wait for it to move but bulldoze it out of the way…typically crushing people, mostly my wife and kids and hired men. Stuff gets done, but at what price? The road of redemption and sanctification, traveled with the two-step of faith and repentance, has victories and failures. However, by God’s grace of salvation, true salvation, that road is walked in forgiveness not failure. God so often, through my children, reminds me of my relationship with him. My children disobey in many ways, not doing what they are supposed to do, doing what they aren’t supposed to do, etc. They are ALWAYS ultimately blessed (even if it be the blessing of discipline) though they give a curse.

Isaiah 61:1-3 states the following:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

I don’t “feel” like an oak of righteousness, but my righteousness is Christ’s, not mine; His is VERY “oaky”. I want the beauty of the crown rather than the ashes that I give to God. I’m often reminded of that when I get ashes from my kids…and give them beauty back, well, the rage monster isn’t beauty, but forgiveness and blessing are.