Happy New Year to all of you and I hope all your holiday events went well! What a way to start off 2024 with freezing temperatures covering pretty much all of Texas, the Midwest and beyond and not only cold winds but also some ice and snow in some areas. I laughed the other day when the polar air hit Texas, immediately people jumped on Facebook and started complaining about the cold and commented about how they would rather endure the 105-108 degree July and August heat we just survived this past summer than this latest cold front that’s going to last maybe three days. I’m guessing these are the same people that will be complaining about the heat wave when we once again reach summertime. Come on people! The summer heat lasted nearly 90 days and this cold front will last only 3-4 days…I’ll take the short-term cold over day after day of heat anytime. 

While we are on the subject of weather….my good friend Tommy Brandenberger, recently sent me a text message with a picture of an onion and a yellow page from a legal pad with a written list of the twelve months for 2024. For most of you this would not make any sense, but knowing Tommy the way I do, what he was showing me was an old fashion onion forecast which is a German custom handed down through the years. Let me explain to you how this scientific weather forecasting miracle works and maybe next Jan. 1st   you will be able to try it. First, you take a nice round, well-formed onion, cut it in half lengthwise and peel apart the layers in each half. One side is indicative of the first six months of the year and the other represents the last six months. Then you put a teaspoon of salt in each of the cups between 11 p.m. and 12 a.m. on New Year’s Eve. Let it sit on a windowsill overnight. On New Year’s morning there will be a certain amount of moisture in each of the onion cups. This indicates how much moisture will be in the atmosphere during each month of the year. 

Now that you understand the process, I’m sure most of you are curious to know what did the onion reveal? January-Wet +; February-Wet +; March-Wet; April-Dry; May-Wet; June-Dry; July-Wet; August-Dry; September-Wet+; October-Wet; November-Wet; December-Dry. Now, remember this test was for Lavaca County and does not necessarily indicate other Texas regions. Also, let’s emphasize that Tommy was not actually the tester only the reporter. If you want to complain that this forecast didn’t work or to congratulate him if it does…you can let me know and I will help you contact him. 

Just a quick mention…the 2024 San Antonio All Breed Sale is fast approaching and let me tell you the cattle are super good this year! We have added some new consignors, and this actually might be the best set of bulls and females we’ve ever presented. And now that you have an accurate, up to date wet weather forecast, I’m thinking that this is the year to start building back your herd with some quality cattle. Let’s face it, the calf market seems to be holding strong and there’s never been a better time to start rebuilding. We will be featuring most of the consignments coming the San Antonio All Breed Sale in our next issue of Southern Livestock. I know that a lot of people look forward to this issue and spend a lot of time studying the cattle and we look forward for you to see them. 

Remember if you have any questions about the cattle consigned to the sale or how to attend the sale, please contact us and we will be more than happy to help you the best we can.