[AT] Got stomped then got a bargain...

[robinson at svs.net]

	I had a small trailer load of hay bales (40) sitting in one barn and decided to take it 
to the sale barn just to get it out of the way. It is nothing special, just some old 
pasture grass I baled. I have been selling it along at $2 a bale and the folks that have 
been buying it acted happy to get it. One fellow commented that he knew a lot of people 
that were running out of hay. I really debated about taking this load to the auction but 
the time of year was right and we wanted an excuse to get out for the day. I have gotten 
close to $3 a bale for the same stuff there before and 40 bales was not going to make me 
or break me anyway. We usually stop and eat out somewhere (cheap, Ponderosa's Grand 
Buffet at lunch is only $4.99 with senior discount) on such little trips. In better 
weather there are usually a lot of yard sale stops on the way home.
	Good grief...!!! I have never seen that much hay at that auction... The lot was more 
than full and there were a number of loads double parked on the streets to be sold by the 
time the hay part of the auction (livestock auction) started. We were down toward the end 
and while we waited I walked up the hill to watch some of the other stuff sell. The first 
several loads were really nice looking stuff and I guessed about $3 a bale. Yikes!!! The 
first several loads only brought around $1.25 a bale. I turned around and smiled at Diana 
and said "we are in deeeeep doo-doo"... (well that is pretty close)   :-)   Sure enough, 
by the time they got through all of those thousands of bales and down to us our little 
dab sold for .75 cents a bale.
	On the up side, they did have a few cattle panels and gates in a small batch over in one 
corner of the lot and I did do quite well there. I bought five 4'x8' panels of high 
security wire mesh on frames. There was also a 6th panel about 6'x7' that was a rolling 
door of the same stuff. This is the stuff like "tool cribbing" that is made with hardened 
steel wire/rods (extremely stiff) that is crimped and woven in such a way that you cannot 
slide the wires to force even a small opening and it is  resistant to sawing. It is made 
up with smallish channel iron frames. I bought the lot for $65. I think a couple of guys 
saw it as pen fencing, one guy was thinking it would make corn crib walls and a few saw 
it as animal cages. I saw it as becoming the horse stall aisle doors in the inside of the 
stable... A 3/4" plywood door with some wood framing cost me about $45 and I still have 
to build it. I have less than $11 apiece in these and they will require very little labor 
to install them. They will look very nice and will allow very good ventilation through 
the stable when the outside doors are open in the summer. If I feel the need or desire I 
can easily cut 1/2" plywood to fit on the horse side of the mesh on the bottom half of 
the door especially in winter.
	It was certainly worth the bath I took on the little load of hay.

-- 
"farmer", Esquire
At Hewick Midwest
      Wealth beyond belief, just no money...

Paternal Robinson's here by way of Norway (Clan Gunn), Scottish Highlands,
Cleasby Yorkshire England, Virginia, Kentucky then Indiana.


Francis Robinson
Central Indiana USA
robinson at svs.net