# Is this just in time for the local dairy industry??



## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

http://www.witf.org/news/2018/03/bell-evans-to-more-than-double-its-use-of-chicken-farms-for-new-plant.php


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

I couldn't get the link to pull up, think my Adblock is preventing me, chicken farms? Chicken ought to be .10 a pound here before long.....
Used to be a costly proposition to grow chicks down here, mortality rate was very high in our heat. They've finally got that one figured out, now they're everywhere....very early in the business, these guys would have a pond full of gators to dispose of the dead birds, nothing better than natures disposal....then you sell the meat. Not many of them left due to the better mortality rate....


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## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

Yep, chickens. I thought that bubble was about to burst. Adding houses into an existing dairy operation to diversify is one thing. For those that are losing milk contracts and will have to shut down if they can't find a place to go, wouldn't new bird houses be a tough go with any banker?


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## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

For every chicken house you see in NC, it seems 4 or more are defunct. At least when you lose the chicken contracts you'll have hay storage. I wouldn't call it low risk farming like in the article. Mountainaire is building a huge processing facility in Siler City. Chicken is cut throat if you ask me, I've watched the signs change on the farms a lot. They catch you off guard on required updates but not guaranteed contracts. Funny how it used to be touted as a secure means to a livelihood.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

There will be a lot of problems with manure disposal/spreading in the Northeast that much of the rest of the country doesn't have to deal with. It won't be a savior for sure.

Regards, MIke


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I'm always reminded of what Campbell's Soup did here when people talk about contact raising livestock.After spending millions converting a spent layer processing plant to a broiler processing palnt and getting farmers to build the grower barns they closed the plant after a couple yrs.Left the farmers hanging with a lot of yrs left to pay for the barns.

Contracting hogs is huge here and when it started 25? Yrs ago you could pay for a barn in 7 yrs if you didn't take any pay and apply it all to the barn.Now it takes 15 yrs to pay for a barn with no wages.

But you get the manure


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Just north of here we know a young couple that bought a farm for a million and spend a million to put three broiler chicken houses up. Their income is 60 acres of corn 20 acres of beans and the three chicken houses and his wife does an acre of vegetables sells along the road at the end of The Farm Lane..


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

https://www.bellandevans.com/animal-welfare/introducing-das-klassenbester-chickens/ Yep sounds like the words beginning , I am wondering is Bell & Evans starting a new breed of chicken so that someone else is chickens are not desired?


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Sounds like a lot of corporate hype to entice the politically correct to spend more money under the feel-good guise of key words like "humane", "new breed", "welfare" etc. so that when they eat B&E's product they can look at each other and smile and nod and wink at each other and pat themselves on the back about how they are saving the planet......while taking it up the keister aboard the BS train of B&E.

Regards, Mike


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## RuttedField (Apr 24, 2016)

Our best years here were in the 1980's when the chicken industry was alive and well.

People could have a few acres, put up multiple barns that had 200,000 birds and do well. The husbands were around to help fight and fires that erupted in town because they were on the local fire department, the manure from the barns helped the local dairy farms get much needed fertilizer for cheap, and the hatcheries, slaughterhouses and feed mills all provided jobs to truckers, mechanics and railroaders.

BUT chicken houses have to be heated, and that took fuel oil. When it shot up from 80 cents a gallon to $1.50, it was too much and when the chicken industry headed south where they did not need to heat their barns.

We lost everything!

Today if there is a fire in town there is a county wide call for firefighters because everyone is working in Bangor, Augusta or Waterville...an hour away. My town went from having 3 stores to none, and the feed mill is closed! Dairy farmers need manure and have little and cannot buy enough of it at its current cost.

Could chicken come back?

Yes!

With radiant floor heat, new outdoor wood boilers, and a paper industry that is gone...we could, because we could use our abundant wood to go to heating chicken barns instead of oil and be cost effective, but it would take bringing back the hatcheries, slaughterhouses and feed mills, and the NIMBIE's (Not in my back yard people) that will not happen.

How bad is it in Maine? When they went to put up a new slaughterhouse the neighbors tried to burn it to the ground. PETA is forever getting into the layer egg barns undercover and taking videos of animal abuse, and it is just not going to happen. Mainer's want people to come in and spend their money and then leave...no industry here to scar our image. That includes chicken barns.


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## Palmettokat (Jul 10, 2017)

Not to side track the thread but can you not raise some other birds such as quail in chicken houses? Understand raising quail for hunting farms if big business.

As to over production of chicken based upon my hometown we have KFC, Maryland Fried Chicken, Popeye, Chic Fla A, Bojangles, Zaxby's, all within 1/2 mile stretch and if not for Popeye would all be within 200 yards. Based upon the traffic at each of them but especially Chic Fla A chickens are in big demand. KFC chickens here come from Georgia.


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## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

Palmettokat said:


> Not to side track the thread but can you not raise some other birds such as quail in chicken houses? Understand raising quail for hunting farms if big business.


That is a potential avenue for the right person. Problem for most is the networking and many prefer traditional sales/contracts.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

endrow said:


> http://www.witf.org/news/2018/03/bell-evans-to-more-than-double-its-use-of-chicken-farms-for-new-plant.php


 unfortunately and maybe not unfortunately maybe thankfully. We were informed that the plans for this new Venture and plant were cancelled. All the Growers that were considered for this new plant obviously are canceled. Some of the potential Growers on the Bell & Evans list may have a chance. And there was it already build houses for them are getting their production cut back. How quickly plans change


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## farmersamm (Nov 2, 2017)

Nothing new, it's corporate crap as usual. You take the risks, and you wind up holding the bag when it all goes South.

Amazon Delivery Partners Program............same same.......you take the risk to provide them with cheap delivery....no guarantees.

Most Owner Operator Lease to Own trucking programs.......you buy the truck, and pray they keep giving you miles. Moving companies have historically done thier owner-operators dirty. Others are the same.

Anything that promises you big bucks with little front end investment is usually crap. If it was so good, why doesn't the company do it??

Hell, livestock producers are kidding themselves when they think they're independent farmers. We're all working for the beef packers.

I looked into growing onions years ago. Sounded good if you could become a contract grower for a fast food chain, etc...&#8230;&#8230;.. Well, it ain't so good. They tell you what to plant, how to plant, how to fertilize, what chemicals to use, and on it goes. You're buying yourself a salaried job.


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## StxPecans (Mar 3, 2018)

We have a beef packer in bankruptcy down here in texas. Not sure how you get 300 million in the hole. (I think about 2 weeks worth of slaughter behind in shipment payments) also way behind in utility bills from what i hear. Millions behind in utility bills, how is this possible? 
I worry about auction prices slipping for the long haul here localy as we run more eared cattle. Even if the prices slip a little seems the packers up north would even offer less to feedlots due to transport cost. Have a feeling the cow calf will absorb the impact and feeders and packers will keep their bottom dollar about the same. 
Seems like 1 big producer/feeder/packer makes one big bad deal abd it influences the whole market every couple of years.

Maybe someone more informed or smarter could explain to me what makes the market do what it does. I still dont understand how grain prices effect cattle prices.

I also remember hearing a few months back of big recalls on beef products. I wonder if this is related?


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## farmersamm (Nov 2, 2017)

StxPecans said:


> We have a beef packer in bankruptcy down here in texas. Not sure how you get 300 million in the hole. (I think about 2 weeks worth of slaughter behind in shipment payments) also way behind in utility bills from what i hear. Millions behind in utility bills, how is this possible?
> I worry about auction prices slipping for the long haul here localy as we run more eared cattle. Even if the prices slip a little seems the packers up north would even offer less to feedlots due to transport cost. Have a feeling the cow calf will absorb the impact and feeders and packers will keep their bottom dollar about the same.
> Seems like 1 big producer/feeder/packer makes one big bad deal abd it influences the whole market every couple of years.
> 
> ...


Grama used to have Brangus cattle. They performed better in our hot Summers. Didn't do as well at the sale barn though. But I wonder if the lower price is ultimately offset by fewer losses due to the Brangus being a more robust animal.

Far as corn prices go...&#8230;..They tell you that it runs the cost of the feeder operation up, and hence they gotta pay ya less for your feeders.

I gotta call BS on that one. (But I'm no expert, so don't take it to the bank)

When I was a kid, I worked at a feedlot just North of Sterling CO (long gone). In those days they finished them on pure corn. Great marbling from what I understood at the time. They started out on silage, and the ration corn percentage was increased with time. I was surprised at the drugs they used in the feed too. And they want drug free feeders  Anyways, I just worked there.

Now, I've heard, the cattle are mostly silage fed, with less emphasis on marbling. Must be true I guess. The meat in the grocery store is as lean as a Texas Longhorn. They try to palm this crap off on the consumer as being healthier. Seems to me like a good ploy to cut the feeding costs. Again, I ain't no expert.

So...&#8230;&#8230;.if the amount of corn is being reduced, why is the cow calf producer being asked to take a hit when the price of corn goes up????

I'm probably ill informed, but that never stopped me from giving an opinion :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## StxPecans (Mar 3, 2018)

farmersamm said:


> Grama used to have Brangus cattle. They performed better in our hot Summers. Didn't do as well at the sale barn though. But I wonder if the lower price is ultimately offset by fewer losses due to the Brangus being a more robust animal.
> 
> Far as corn prices go...&#8230;..They tell you that it runs the cost of the feeder operation up, and hence they gotta pay ya less for your feeders.
> 
> ...


I have a few cows that have alot of brahma in them. And with a good charlois bull they make a nice calf. Not saying its a money maker with the cost of brama heifer$$$...
Then agian i have done quite well with brangus/black cows on charlios bull at the auction barn. Infact not sure if its an anomaly or what but my black cows on charlois bull have averaged a bit higher than my black cows on either a black or hereford bull this year as far as price at auction goes. They seem to gain more weight too.

Infact i had one calf go highest in it group 350-400lbs bull calf 1.94 @385lbs. It was off a not so great black cow on a charlois bull. About 4.5 months old on a tough year poor grass conditions(drought) and no feed/hay given to herd.


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## farmersamm (Nov 2, 2017)

Speaking of genetics...........

I often wonder at the way they're "improving" the herds.

It seems that a lot of bulls are related back to some big show stopper somewhere. They sell straws all over the place.

So....what are the chances that animals in wide parts of the country are somewhat related back to this bull/bulls.

Used to be, you kept a bull till you started keeping back heifers, then got a new bull over in the next county. Now, you're not assured that another bull isn't related somehow to your heifers. I suppose it's a matter of looking at the paper trail if you buy registered stock (I guess, we never bought registered animals, although Gramna did), but if'n you don't have all registered animals it seems that it's a pig in a poke.

Then all this line breeding stuff.........I still don't really believe it's all that safe in the long run. I'm thinking we're breeding ourselves into a corner.


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## farmersamm (Nov 2, 2017)

StxPecans said:


> I have a few cows that have alot of brahma in them. And with a good charlois bull they make a nice calf. Not saying its a money maker with the cost of brama heifer$$$...
> Then agian i have done quite well with brangus/black cows on charlios bull at the auction barn. Infact not sure if its an anomaly or what but my black cows on charlois bull have averaged a bit higher than my black cows on either a black or hereford bull this year as far as price at auction goes. They seem to gain more weight too.
> 
> Infact i had one calf go highest in it group 350-400lbs bull calf 1.94 @385lbs. It was off a not so great black cow on a charlois bull. About 4.5 months old on a tough year poor grass conditions(drought) and no feed/hay given to herd.


I sure don't know what the answer is.

I started when I came down here to take care of Grama till she passed. Wasn't married at the time, so I had plenty of room to do different things. Doesn't seem like about 25yrs ago. Time flies.

By the time I got here, and took over, she'd been swindled out of her cattle. I still see the guy in town once in a while. She wasn't herself near the end, and got taken advantage of.

Anyways, I got into livestock when I got sick of selling hay. I'm not a customer service kinda guy. Having some moron stand there, chew on a stalk of the stuff, while trying to tell ya that is was worth less ("here dood, chew on some outta this bale, it's better stuff" ), was a bit more than I could take, and stand there with a smile.

Feed my own stuff to my own animals, and bypass the jerkoffs.

Bought some stock from an old man I knew, and got it all rolling. Feed 'em, and sell 'em. I get a price somewhere in the mid range. Been doing that for about 2 decades.

Now K'kins is in the mix. She's been watching this for about 10yrs, and has formed some opinions.

She's thinking that better stock will produce better income. I can't argue with that. That's a no brainer.

She's the honcho now, as I've said lately.

So, there's two ways to go about it. Replace all we got. Not a good option IMHO. I'm small potatoes, but layin' out about 65K on replacements is more than I can handle. In fact it's just plain impossible. Have to win the lottery to do it. She thinks it can be done piecemeal. Buy a few every yr, or plow back what we get at the barn every other time we go. That's a huge hit to the bottom line. ALTHOUGH SHE POINTS OUT THAT WE AIN'T GETTIN' ANY YOUNGER,, AND MIGHT NOT HAVE THE TIME TO DO THIS IN-HOUSE BY KEEPING BACK HEIFERS (it's a long payback period doing that)

Then there's the way that we realistically gotta do it. Improve the sire, cull less-than-good-heifers, keep back good ones, and swap out the bull. That's pretty long term for folks our age.

The way we're probably gonna settle on is a combination of better sire,, culling, and buying either bred heifers, or pairs, which can hit the ground running, thus earlier payback. Wish she hadn't kept silent all these years. Never was a real high priority to me, and I was content to just toddle along as usual.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Not being an expert I agree with you more long-term transition plan. Improve the sire and just cull a little harder. Maybe you can find somebody locally who is trying to build a small herd, that will buy your cull heifers and give you a little more than the auction price. Everything's a little stale right now in agriculture. Your partner just sees a poor return due to the current Farm economy and she's looking for a quick fix and it ain't that easy. But I hear they are starting to eat a little better some places across the pond


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