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farmguy

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An Amish neighbor was over today and we talked about the low milk price. He said there was a govt payment when price was low and feed was high. He also said Amish do not take that payment but I was wondering about it, rate etc.? I grew up on a dairy farm but this is new to me. This was big dairy country at one time. Friends of ours just had a sale. They were top producers, milked 3x a day, active in the community and received many awards yet after 25 years of dairy they said they broke even with their creditors. I know the dairy industry is hurting, farmguy.
 
I hear this more and more. The Dairy industry was big here also when I was young, but I do not believe I could find a dairy today within 100 miles. Makes me wonder.....With the population growing, where does all the milk come from to furnish the food stores?
 
New subsidized milk program "milk price insurance" kind of like crop insurance, but you're buying insurance on prices.
Varying amounts of coverage offered depending on how much insurance a dairy farmer wants to buy, highest coverage
Costs farmers 15 cents per hundred weight produced and insures a price of $8 hundred weight over feed costs.
i.e. Farmer shipping 10,000 lbs of milk per day the insurance costs $5,475 year.
Must be enrolled in the program by June 1st to purchase the insurance.
Considered a no brainer for farmers milking less than 250 cows.
The larger dairies can often insure their price margins cheaper using future markets puts and calls.
 
Local supermarket prices
Whole milk $3.49 gallon
16.9 ounce bottle of water 59 cents = $4.47 gallon
16 ounce bottle of citrus flavored water 89 cents = $7.12 gallon

16 oz bottle of water purchased at Minnesota Twins baseball game $5 = $40 gallon
purchased at Boston Red Sox game in Fenway Park $4 bottle = $32 gallon
 
Dairy cow numbers are steady and production per cow is up.
Lots of family producers are going out, but another 10,000 cow mega dairy will replace a number of them.
Organic milk was supposed to be the solution (many Amish do this) but now there is regulation and consumer push back in this market.
So another "get big or get out" factory farm situation. Insurance could help, but I do not see how this would be a long term solution. Do you seen a bright spot for dairy Butch?
 
Purchasing milk futures has been available for almost 30 years but most are too skiddish to get involved in it. A good way at least know what you're milk price will be before you ship it out. Most would rather ship today adn find out their price next month then pay the shipping.
 
Son of Butch":2xj6mhi4 said:
Stocker Steve":2xj6mhi4 said:
Do you see a bright spot for dairy Butch?
No.
Do the math, you can't come out ahead when you calculate how many 59 cent bottles of water a cow drinks to
produce a gallon of milk. :)
haha, that is a good one. There is no money in dairy farming right now. This insurance deal is a joke but we had too. Work this hard for nothing really makes a guy wonder what the heck we are doing.
 
Son of Butch":z0zgcosx said:
Economy of scale.

Half right.

They buy 80 acres, pour 40 acres of concrete using their own construction company, import 10,000 heifers, and feed them corn silage contracted in for less than the total cost of production.

So efficient processes, vertical integration, and a very keen understanding of ROE financials.

My banker brought up the fact that they are still expanding in our area. I asked if they were getting a deal on interest rates. He then changed the topic...
 
Size isn't the entire answer. There is a 30,000 cow dairy near here that is going down. His lawyers and the bank are doing battle. The out come is more about how it will be sold. The bank's main point is that he lost his contract and has to find a new home for the milk the first of the month. Tough to find a plant to take the milk from an additional 30,000 cows. The farmer has two other dairies in California in the 10-20 thousand head range.
 
If corn ever gets expensive for several years, and there are still some family diaries left, then the Midwest mega buy all your feed dairies will be in trouble.

What do they use for dairy feed in Washington state?
 
Bought a large cup of coffee this morning and it came to $1.27. Yesterday I bought a gallon of whole milk and it cost me $1.25. I'm no rocket scientist but something don't seem right with this picture and with school fixing to be out I only expect the spread from a cup of coffee and a gallon of milk to grow.
 
Jogeephus":3eawd08b said:
Bought a large cup of coffee this morning and it came to $1.27. Yesterday I bought a gallon of whole milk and it cost me $1.25. I'm no rocket scientist but something don't seem right with this picture and with school fixing to be out I only expect the spread from a cup of coffee and a gallon of milk to grow.

Where did you buy a gallon of milk for $1.25?? The least expensive I have found, around my part of Va., was for $2.89 a gallon.


(Or is this another joke, that seems to be flying over my head, like the last one?) ;)
 
Workinonit Farm":3gun8hm0 said:
Jogeephus":3gun8hm0 said:
Bought a large cup of coffee this morning and it came to $1.27. Yesterday I bought a gallon of whole milk and it cost me $1.25. I'm no rocket scientist but something don't seem right with this picture and with school fixing to be out I only expect the spread from a cup of coffee and a gallon of milk to grow.

Where did you buy a gallon of milk for $1.25?? The least expensive I have found, around my part of Va., was for $2.89 a gallon.


(Or is this another joke, that seems to be flying over my head, like the last one?) ;)

No joke and its not even on sale. About a month ago I paid the same but that was a Manager's Special limit to two gallons a person. This is just the retail price now. Something is wrong when a two liter soda is $1.89 and a gallon of milk is a buck and a quarter.

Edit to say: I've increased my milk consumption considerably. Even pouring it to my dog because he loves it.
 
3 more Dairy Processors announced plant closings this month.
Sunshine Dairy - in business 85 years in Oregon
Meadow Brook Dairy - 86 years in Pennsylvania
Garelick Farms - 89 years in Massachusetts

Maybe they can retool and bottle water.
 
Son of Butch":1go3bg2g said:
3 more Dairy Processors announced plant closings this month.
Sunshine Dairy - in business 85 years in Oregon
Meadow Brook Dairy - 86 years in Pennsylvania
Garelick Farms - 89 years in Massachusetts

Maybe they can retool and bottle water.

True but I can still buy a gallon of water for $1.19 so that means the dairyman will be sacrificing $0.06/gal right?

In all seriousness, something is really wrong with this picture. Don't know this to be the reason but maybe the increase in childhood obesity, diabetes and the low demand for milk can be explained by the nation's penchant for these corn syrup laden soft drinks. I know as a child we drank milk or water. A soda was something really special that we might have at a birthday party or at the movies and only if we were well behaved. Now you see people filling their grocery buggies up with cases of soft drinks while their dumpling children bounce off the walls if they are not on their ADD meds.
 

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