# Local Hay Market might take a hit



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Pretty sad state of affairs all the way around.

https://twosparrowsfarm.com/the-end-of-the-road/


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

mlappin said:


> Pretty sad state of affairs all the way around.
> 
> https://twosparrowsfarm.com/the-end-of-the-road/


 Nothing Gold Can Stay

Robert Frost, 1874 - 1963

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Regards, Mike


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Vol said:


> Nothing Gold Can Stay
> 
> Robert Frost, 1874 - 1963
> 
> ...


I've always enjoyed that poem. I tried to have my son memorize it for school for an assignment. He didn't want to and chose to remorize a "poem" from the Garfleld comic strip. I warned him the teacher probably wouldn't appreciate at it though it did meet all the criteria as a poem. True to my expectations we got an e-mail from the teacher about my sons's inappropriate poem selection. So he memorized Nothing Gold can Stay after that to make the teacher happy.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Farming isn't the only business that is in trouble. Thirty years ago, there was over 300 tool and die makers in the Chicago area. Now there is thirteen.

Small businesses are the anathema of both big business and government. Both want small businesses done away with. Small businesses are harder to control, harder to compete with, harder to manipulate. Big businesses don't like small businesses because they can produce cheaper and are more agile.

Welcome to 1984.

Ralph


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## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

The $1.50 at Aldi's is a loss leader to get you in the store to buy more than just milk. Maybe buying more loss leaders would help with offloading surplus milk.

Still the cycle is getting shorter and as the wheel of time progresses, the binds of debt get tighter. Yet because of stubborn optimism, we will squeeze ourselves of every penny to remain beholden to the dirt.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Milk is still 3.89 a gallon here.Hasnt dropped much,maybe .40 a gal.

11.6 gallons per 100 wt

3.89 x 11.6 = $45.12 per 100 wt

Farm price 14

41.12 for processing and middle man profit.plus they take some of the cream out for higher priced cheese and butter.


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## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

mlappin said:


> Pretty sad state of affairs all the way around.
> https://twosparrowsfarm.com/the-end-of-the-road/


I work with a guy that use to have a small family farm in southern Kentucky. Very interesting fellow to chat with. He was dairy, and diversified beyond that. As farms got bigger around him or were exchanged for subdivisions, pressures mounted for higher volume, lower margin farming. It became an impossible situation and he had to sell the family farm. I wonder sometimes when talking about it, if he goes home and has nightmares. Clearly a painful experience.


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

swmnhay said:


> Milk is still 3.89 a gallon here.Hasnt dropped much,maybe .40 a gal.
> 
> 11.6 gallons per 100 wt
> 
> ...


Don't forget the protein powder. Whey concentrate. Last I was quoted for an approved replacer for veal calves was $88 dollars per bag. The price keeps going up too. Fluid milk is up in the store too. Still bringing in Michigan milk but dumping NY milk because there is too much?


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Farmers can be their worst enemies also.Watching US Farm Report this morning and milk production is up in Feb and 1000 more head of cows milking also.

Oversupply.No one wants to produce less.If there was 10% less milk the price would skyrocket.


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## skyrydr2 (Oct 25, 2015)

Yup it is quite sad and thinking about it makes my head hurt and my stomach turn.
But allas I to have to go to work at 3am and come home to do chores... and then you get the people at the farm stand that complain the prices are to high? I say to them "If you weed a row of corn you can have it for free"!(rows are only 100'long) Do you think I get any takers .. no way! Some are so insulted that they put back what they picked up and leave mad. I smile as they go away and think why even bother? 
This last year I didn't bother.. and just made hay.. even that was a struggle, but only in logistics. 
This year I want to grow my crops again but rather than waste what doesn't sell I will preserve it for winter as I always try to do, but this time it will not be for fun, But a serious attempt at being self sufficient. 
I hate Wally World and try to avoid them at all cost...


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

swmnhay said:


> Farmers can be their worst enemies also.Watching US Farm Report this morning and milk production is up in Feb and 1000 more head of cows milking also.
> 
> Oversupply.No one wants to produce less.If there was 10% less milk the price would skyrocket.


Local farm was milking around 500. With the low milk prices and cheap cattle he bought 200 more head and is milking 700. Somehow he fit them in his existing buildings. His thoughts are with low milk prices he needs more cattle to cover his fixed overhead...


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

PaMike said:


> Local farm was milking around 500. With the low milk prices and cheap cattle he bought 200 more head and is milking 700. Somehow he fit them in his existing buildings. His thoughts are with low milk prices he needs more cattle to cover his fixed overhead...


Like the car dealership--"We lose money on every sale, but we make it in volume."

Ralph


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## Jay in WA (Mar 21, 2015)

Dairy farmers have one solution for every problem. More cows.

Cheap milk. Add cows for more volume

High milk prices. Add more cows to avoid taxs


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Jay in WA said:


> Dairy farmers have one solution for every problem. More cows.
> 
> Cheap milk. Add cows for more volume
> 
> High milk prices. Add more cows to avoid taxs


Pretty much all farming has some that do that.If not cows its new paint.


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

PaMike said:


> Local farm was milking around 500. With the low milk prices and cheap cattle he bought 200 more head and is milking 700. Somehow he fit them in his existing buildings. His thoughts are with low milk prices he needs more cattle to cover his fixed overhead...


That is exactly what my cousin does.


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

Just talked with my cousin yesterday and he told me he is debating on a new to him SP chopper and he will be buying another hundred cows putting him on the fast track to approx. 650 according to latest DHIA report.

To understand the state of his current SP chopper. Last fall while helping him, if the pickup head hit a bump nd bounced a bit it would disengage from the chopper, requiring you to stop and reattach head and drive shaft back to the chopper and he had to borrow a shaft when is disengaged and screwed up the grooves. That was just during the 4 days of chopping in the mud in Nov. That is how everyday is at that farm. Now where would that money be better spent??


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

IH 1586 said:


> Just talked with my cousin yesterday and he told me he is debating on a new to him SP chopper and he will be buying another hundred cows putting him on the fast track to approx. 650 according to latest DHIA report.
> 
> To understand the state of his current SP chopper. Last fall while helping him, if the pickup head hit a bump nd bounced a bit it would disengage from the chopper, requiring you to stop and reattach head and drive shaft back to the chopper and he had to borrow a shaft when is disengaged and screwed up the grooves. That was just during the 4 days of chopping in the mud in Nov. That is how everyday is at that farm. Now where would that money be better spent??


 some would say two hundred had a another cattle


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

endrow said:


> some would say two hundred had a another cattle


most do


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