I received a text the other day from a cattle customer whom I have done a lot of business with. And it had this person’s combine in the background so being a farmer seemed natural.
The text said, “Hey, Jerry, have you received any money from the program the government has that is to help for economic losses, hardships or any natural disaster?”
I replied, “I’m not for sure. My secretary has helped me fill out some things for different COVID losses but I’m not sure. I would have to ask her.” He replied that he got $50,000 and he wouldn’t be surprised if I could get $150,000 and it is a grant. He said, “Have they not contacted you yet?” Well, to me that sounded possibly a little odd. And within two minutes he said, “Have you done it yet?” I said, “You seem awfully pushy.” He said, “I just want you to get this.” So it sounded more pushy. He texted me again and I said, “I am busy.” The next day I see where the customer posted on Facebook that he had been hacked. Ridiculous! If anything sounds fishy at all it probably is.
I don’t like to concentrate on the negative but I do not like what I see in the United States today. First of all, if we don’t learn anything from COVID than it proves we don’t care. Have you tried to order anything? Perhaps like a motor for a pickup or even a new pickup? The list goes on and on. Figure it out. America needs to build as much stuff as we can in America.
You may say, “But they can build it cheaper.” That is not hard to figure out. Put a tariff on all imported stuff where it is a little higher than U.S. made items. That should not be hard for the government to figure out since they are the inventors of tax or do they not want to tax foreigners—just Americans.
A friend asked me this morning if I thought Johnson grass would hurt his cows if he turned them in to a pasture that had a lot of it. I like to tease this friend anyway so I said, “No, I do not think it will hurt. Just have your cows full when you turn them in and then be sure and put a log chain on the pack of your pickup in case they don’t want to die where you want.”
Our country is pretty screwed up when some people do not think you should have to show your ID to vote but now it is necessary to show if you have had the vaccine for COVID.
Editor’s note: Jerry Nine, Woodward, Oklahoma, is a lifetime cattleman who grew up on his family’s ranch near Slapout, Oklahoma.
