[AT] was Ralph's rotary mower(now fuel price)

[Cecil Bearden]

This is just a small musing about the real cost of these fuel prices I do 
not want to start a bitch session, just discussion.  If I knew the answer to 
these questions......

We used to use about 50 gallons of diesel a weekend building up things 
around the place, and no telling how much gasoline.  We were always 
diverting runoff to prevent erosion, hauling some broke concrete to fill in 
a ditch, moving some shale for a roadbed to prevent rutting, mowing the 
borrow ditch, grinding a little feed, burying a water line or putting in a 
culvert, etc.

Now after being hit with a dollar more for fuel from last year and it up 
$0.60 from the year before, we just do not do anything unless it is 
absolutely necessary.  The 4 wheelers are used for all transportation and 
most work and the pickup and truck only if we have to haul something really 
heavy that we can't drag with the 4 wheeler or we have to get out on the 
road (more than a mile).  I used to haul tractors and equipment in from all 
over the state, but now, I just can't justify the fuel cost.  I hauled off 
14 head of sheep last month, and after the fleecing I got from the sale barn 
($175) , I got one at the fuel pump($110).  Net result $65 for 14 head....

Not to mention that I just do not build anything unless it is also 
absolutely necessary due to the high iron prices.  I was going to open up a 
fabrication shop upon retirement, but that is now out of the question. 
Retirement may also be since my monthly gas bill went up about $300.  Trips 
into town are planned much better now, but it still costs way too much..

My question I am posing is: what is the real cost of these high fuel prices? 
If we forego conservation practices or maintenance due to it just being too 
expensive, how long will it take until our farms are run down and if left 
long enough, just erode away.  Western OK is a prime example.  There is land 
out there being taken over by Cedar trees and canyons.  The new crop is 
hunting leases, but the land is now just one canyon after another.  The high 
cost of fuel and equipment is the biggest reason landowners cannot afford to 
clear and repair.

Of course the snowball effect of all this is going to be one great big 
recession.  Our economy is being driven by mortgage monies.  Folks have sold 
homes on the coasts and moving here where housing is lower cost and 
mortgages are low enough, they have some cashed out equity.  What is gonna 
happen when that equity gets totally used up??  Again, recession, or 
depression.  I think the difference is just who is out of a job.

Does anyone want to go out on a limb and predict when this will happen.  Or 
is there some way it won't happen...   I would like to hear some opinions, 
because this will cause our old tractors to either become too expensive to 
restore, or to own..  At $3.00 per gallon my old LA case is worth about $250 
across the scales.  That is 2 tankfuls of gas... These tractors will get 
very rare, but who is going to buy them or afford to keep them.

This is too long, but you guys have a lot of experience and knowledge, I 
just thought you might have some opinions.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ralph Goff" <alfg at sasktel.net>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2006 1:20 PM
Subject: Re: [AT] Ralph's rotary mower(now fuel price)


>
> Cecil
> Gas at the pump in town at the Co-op is around the $1.14 per litre now 
> which to translate is about 5.13 a Canadian gallon or probably closer to 
> $4.50 a U.S. gallon.
> Farm diesel last time I checked, maybe a couple of weeks ago was $3.61 a 
> canadian gallon. I'd guess road diesel is well over the $4 mark by now. 
> Expect to see the trucking charges on our grain going up again. No doubt 
> the price we get for our  grain will increase accordingly (just kidding).
>
> Ralph in Sask.
> http://lgoff.sasktelwebsite.net/
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Cecil Bearden" <crbearden at copper.net>
> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" 
> <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2006 4:29 AM
> Subject: Re: [AT] Ralph's rotary mower
>
>
>> Ralph:
>> I gotta deviate from this subject a little.  What is the price of gas and 
>> diesel in your part of the country now.  We just hit $3.. for road diesel 
>> and $2.89 for gas here....
>>
>> Cecil in Okla
>
> _______________________________________________
> AT mailing list
> Remembering Our Friend Cecil Monson 11-4-2005
> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at