Are we missing anyone?

[peg4x4]

A dairy farmer in upstate New York shot 51 of his cows,then himself. Oh Lord,have mercy on him.

 

[bigbull338]

sorry to hear that peg.but us old dairymen sometimes have nothing left.an we do strange things.thats the main reason i keep cattle around.an will do what it takes to keep them.because without them i have nothing left.they are my family.

 

[GMN]

A dairy farmer in upstate New York shot 51 of his cows,then himself. Oh Lord,have mercy on him.

He isn't the first. When milk prices took a dive of $6 a cwt last March or Feb, there were a few out West that pulled the trigger to, shot themselves not their cows. I had heard of people actually crying when they got their milk checks, it is sad, makes me mad too.

GMN

 

[peg4x4]

I think it was China,very long ago,that understood that farmers were very important in the schem of things. They were valued above the Samri even.. It was understood that everyone had to eat. Somehow we've lost sight of that simple fact. I can see the train wreck coming and all everyone else sees is the wonderful speed we're going. :frowns:

 

[bigbull338]

the dairy business died along time ago.an i doubt if itll ever come back.no need to cry over milk prices.its just the goverments way of starving the farmers to death so the people have cheap food.

 

[chrisy]

That's awful, I hope he wasn't one of us posters, sad though for his family. God rest his soul.

 

[Alice]

I think it was China,very long ago,that understood that farmers were very important in the schem of things. They were valued above the Samri even.. It was understood that everyone had to eat. Somehow we've lost sight of that simple fact. I can see the train wreck coming and all everyone else sees is the wonderful speed we're going. :frowns:

I can see the train wreck coming and all everyone else sees is the wonderful speed we're going. :frowns:

You are a wise woman, Peg...

Alice

 

[LoveMoo11]

That's very sad. After reading your post i googled and found some newspaper articles on it...it said that he'd shot only the high milkers and left the heifers so not to leave a burden for his family. Hard times all around. I'm grateful that we have a place like this to connect with each other and share both the good and the bad.

 

[F350]

I think it was China,very long ago,that understood that farmers were very important in the schem of things. They were valued above the Samri even.. It was understood that everyone had to eat. Somehow we've lost sight of that simple fact. I can see the train wreck coming and all everyone else sees is the wonderful speed we're going. :frowns:

I can see the train wreck coming and all everyone else sees is the wonderful speed we're going. :frowns:

You are a wise woman, Peg...

Alice

Reminds me of a Clifton Chenier song where he says "without a farmer everything's gonna go wrong".

 

[john250]

That's very sad. After reading your post i googled and found some newspaper articles on it...it said that he'd shot only the high milkers and left the heifers so not to leave a burden for his family. Hard times all around. I'm grateful that we have a place like this to connect with each other and share both the good and the bad.

OK, I should google before I post. I'm trusting that you report accurately and that the news was accurate.
That's terrible.
He increased the burden on his family, the idiot. The best milkers would have brought the best prices. Developing a productive heifer is an expensive proposition. Are they able to afford that? Do they WANT to do that? Seems like he made the decisions and then opted out.
Clearly the guy was deeply disturbed, and I think a little vengeful.

 

[MO_cows]

It's just sad to think about the depression, desperation, darkness that he had to be under to do such a thing. I've never really understood suicide. It's just hard to fathom how hopeless things have to be inside their head to take that route.

 

[chrisy]

It's just sad to think about the depression, desperation, darkness that he had to be under to do such a thing. I've never really understood suicide. It's just hard to fathom how hopeless things have to be inside their head to take that route.

I was always taught that it was the cowards way out, and selfish, and nothing on Gods earth was worth taking your own life. My Dad used to say there is always a solution to every problem, and a problem shared is a problem halved, so always find someone to talk to, doesn't have to be friend or family a Pastor or Councillor is better than nothing.

 

[Ryder]

Some years back I knew a man with a terminal disease who knew he was facing a lot of pain ahead. He pulled his truck in front of an oncoming train. It was speculated that he decided to save himself a lot of pain and did not want to be a burden on his wife.

One of the finest women I have ever known, a nurse who had worked hard in her life caring for others, was also terminal and faced a lot of pain ahead. She shot herself.

I'm not saying that either of these people made the right decision. It was their call, not mine. I think they made the best decision as they saw it.
I knew them and do not believe either of them was a coward.

 

[GMN]

Some years back I knew a man with a terminal disease who knew he was facing a lot of pain ahead. He pulled his truck in front of an oncoming train. It was speculated that he decided to save himself a lot of pain and did not want to be a burden on his wife.

One of the finest women I have ever known, a nurse who had worked hard in her life caring for others, was also terminal and faced a lot of pain ahead. She shot herself.

I'm not saying that either of these people made the right decision. It was their call, not mine. I think they made the best decision as they saw it.
I knew them and do not believe either of them was a coward.

YEP, shouldn't criticize others until you walked in their shoes-didn't the Bible or some other great book say that?

GMN

 

[peg4x4]

If this crap comes back I plan to stock up on "PoppySeed Tea"~~I'd better go buy some before it's banned too.
Truly dont understand~if I left one of my animals to suffer I'd be a bad person~If I suffer it's for the Glory of God! My God doesn't want that...

 

[chrisy]

Sorry I Wasn't criticizing anyone just stating what I was told while growing up, Dad told us that so none of us three kids would think of killing ourselves, perhaps it was Dad who was selfish in not wanting to bury another one of his children. (baby died of cot death). It could be that he was told most of his time at school that it was a sin, he went to the school within St Pauls Cathedral, and was one of the chior boys who carried the cross to the alter each Sunday. He was a very religious man.

 

[GMN]

That's very sad. After reading your post i googled and found some newspaper articles on it...it said that he'd shot only the high milkers and left the heifers so not to leave a burden for his family. Hard times all around. I'm grateful that we have a place like this to connect with each other and share both the good and the bad.

OK, I should google before I post. I'm trusting that you report accurately and that the news was accurate.
That's terrible.
He increased the burden on his family, the idiot. The best milkers would have brought the best prices. Developing a productive heifer is an expensive proposition. Are they able to afford that? Do they WANT to do that? Seems like he made the decisions and then opted out.
Clearly the guy was deeply disturbed, and I think a little vengeful.

I don't know all the facts for very little has been said about why he did what he did, but he killed his good milkers, and really the market on dairy cows has been poor the past year, probably figured his family could get more out of the heifers than the cows, plus the cows would need to be milked everyday. Who knows but I do feel for him and his family, and many others who are faced with the ongoing dairy financial issues.

 

[peg4x4]

If I understand right,the cows he killed had to be milked twice a day.. I hope the wife can sell out for enough to keep a roof over their heads.. I don't see how she can manage otherwise.

 

[LoveMoo11]

If I understand right,the cows he killed had to be milked twice a day.. I hope the wife can sell out for enough to keep a roof over their heads.. I don't see how she can manage otherwise.

The article actually said that his wife wanted to keep the farm going so I guess none of it did anybody any good...here's the article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/2 ... 34716.html
Some of the comments that were posted on the news site on both that article and the original article about the suicide are just sickening. People just DO NOT UNDERSTAND our industry.

 

[pdfangus]

That's very sad. After reading your post i googled and found some newspaper articles on it...it said that he'd shot only the high milkers and left the heifers so not to leave a burden for his family. Hard times all around. I'm grateful that we have a place like this to connect with each other and share both the good and the bad.

OK, I should google before I post. I'm trusting that you report accurately and that the news was accurate.
That's terrible.
He increased the burden on his family, the idiot. The best milkers would have brought the best prices. Developing a productive heifer is an expensive proposition. Are they able to afford that? Do they WANT to do that? Seems like he made the decisions and then opted out.
Clearly the guy was deeply disturbed, and I think a little vengeful.

the best milkers are also the ones that cost the most to sustain. If he was up against it enough to shoot the cows then they were the ones to shoot. When it cost more to produce milk than the milk is worth a better milking cow is not an asset.

I dont' condone his actions but I can understand the rationale.