Still low

[GMN]

I really thought by now that milk prices would come up some? $10.93 a cwt is pathetic! Who was that idiot that said the recession was over? I think he needs his head examined, form where I sit, that is totally untrue.

GMN

 

[francismilker]

I know it won't be a second too soon, but it has to come back at some point. Problem is, how many of us will starve out before it gets there. Just like oil prices came back, so will milk.......Just when? Nobody knows. Everyone has cut out all extra spending and cut thin as they can. It's just a waiting game now.

Until the consumers are threatened with milk rationing at the grocery store though, it's not going to increase enough to make dairymen a good living. There's still a surplus of the product so it's hard to demand more money for it.

 

[novaman]

I agree that this is getting very difficult. However, I can handle $11 a lot better than prices in the $9 range. It appears that prices are progressing upward, very very slowly of course. With as many producers quiting as there has been, there has to be a decline in supplies.

 

[regolith]

Fonterra (NZ) has announced an increase, paid out next month.
There must be confidence returning.

 

[GMN]

Fonterra (NZ) has announced an increase, paid out next month.
There must be confidence returning.

An increae of what, .10 a cwt?

GMN

 

[grannysoo]

On the consumer side, prices are low and still coming down. Common for retail milk to be under $2.00 per gallon - saw some for 1.79 last week. Name brand butter at 1.99 per pound.

That's just too cheap.......

 

[regolith]

An increae of what, .10 a cwt?

We aren't paid by the cwt. A kilo milksolids is about 11 litres.
Last season's milk price per kilo MS dropped from $7 forecast to $5.10, then they gave us an extra 10c at the last minute. This year they forecast $NZ4.55 and a few days ago announced a new price for the season of $5.20 with an increase in the advance of 35c from next month.
That's a significant change. (Advance - what we're getting for the milk now, not deferred - from $2.90 to $3.25)
The cross-country comparison is a bit beyond me - I'm not sure where the exchange rate is right now.

 

[novaman]

That's just too cheap.......

It may be cheap but it's necessary. Consumption is down and the shelf-life is short so we need to stimulate greater demand. I have been saying since January that the price at the grocery store is too high. If retailers, wholesalers, processors...whoever would take a marginal profit in favor of moving more product we would all be better off right now. Instead they are picking up raw product for cheap and turning profits that are quite fat. Greed is all I see when I look at the middleman in this industry. By the way 2% milk is selling for $3.30/gallon in ND. Completely ridiculous.

 

[dun]

2% milk is selling for $3.30/gallon in ND. Completely ridiculous.

Adding all that water must be expensive

 

[novaman]

2% milk is selling for $3.30/gallon in ND. Completely ridiculous.

Adding all that water must be expensive

Maybe that add bottled water? :lol:

 

[TexasBred]

2% milk is selling for $3.30/gallon in ND. Completely ridiculous.

Adding all that water must be expensive

I think I'd rather have a glass of water than 2%...not much to it but milky color.

 

[bigbull338]

if milk goes back up where the dairymen can breath.everything else will go up.so your right back where you started from.

 

[GMN]

if milk goes back up where the dairymen can breath.everything else will go up.so your right back where you started from.

Everything is still up, except our pay. I'd rather be getting paid more so I can afford to do more, right now, can't do any improvements or anything. They say corn is down, but unfortunately everything else that makes a ration is still very high, anything with high protein is very costly yet, and you can't just feed the cows straight corn. Now with winter coming on,pasturing won't be an option anymore, which did help many of us, where we could feed less grain, so I think U can see that prices will have to come up, or there will be many more farms closing their doors.

GMN

 

[tncattle]

I'm not trying pile on but I don't see how y'all do it sometime. Nothing seems fair for the dairy farmer and it seems the system has been set up over the years to be controlled by a small number that really doesn't represent the truth. Maybe y'all should start doing what they did a little over 100 years ago and start pouring your milk out in the streets etc. The problem now is our police is too big and controlling and the people don't really think they have the power to "make" changes happen--but they still do.

 

[bigbull338]

that was tryed back in the late 60s.the dairymen dumped 2 or 3 days milk.called their milk company when they wanted them to pick up the milk.an they was told they no longer had a contract to sell milk.so they dumped their milk.an hauled the cows to the sale barn.a friend of mine was working the sale barn at the time.an had his son buy the best cows that went through the ring.an he opened his dairy with those cows.

 

[tncattle]

that was tryed back in the late 60s.the dairymen dumped 2 or 3 days milk.called their milk company when they wanted them to pick up the milk.an they was told they no longer had a contract to sell milk.so they dumped their milk.an hauled the cows to the sale barn.a friend of mine was working the sale barn at the time.an had his son buy the best cows that went through the ring.an he opened his dairy with those cows.

That is my point, it only works if everyone sticks together but there seems little chance of that kind of thing happening. People are just too afraid now of what really makes change happen--"SACRIFICE" It saddens me but I don't think our country has anywhere near the resolve it had 100 years ago, let alone 200.

 

[bigbull338]

the dairymen wont band togather an do that.because they cant afford todo something like that.i remember in the 70s the farmers desended on washington driving their tractors.now that done some good.but then some people got madd because they was driving fancy cab tractors.an complaining about the price of grain.

 

[TexasBred]

that was tryed back in the late 60s.the dairymen dumped 2 or 3 days milk.called their milk company when they wanted them to pick up the milk.an they was told they no longer had a contract to sell milk.so they dumped their milk.an hauled the cows to the sale barn.a friend of mine was working the sale barn at the time.an had his son buy the best cows that went through the ring.an he opened his dairy with those cows.

That is my point, it only works if everyone sticks together but there seems little chance of that kind of thing happening. People are just too afraid now of what really makes change happen--"SACRIFICE" It saddens me but I don't think our country has anywhere near the resolve it had 100 years ago, let alone 200.

Dumping milk won't help anything. Cutting the number of cows being milked and lowering the volume of milk being produced should eventually have some long term effect. Most dairies sell to coops....supposedly set up to benefit the producer yet in most places there is only one coop to sell to so there is no real competition for the milk..... Milk is gone from the dairy 30-45 days before you even know what you're going to be paid for the stuff and then it's "take it or leave it". Prices go up, prices go down, seldom with any really valid explanation of WHY they changed. Coop managers are usually more concerned with their own well being and the effect of milk prices on the public than they are with the producers.

 

[GMN]

that was tryed back in the late 60s.the dairymen dumped 2 or 3 days milk.called their milk company when they wanted them to pick up the milk.an they was told they no longer had a contract to sell milk.so they dumped their milk.an hauled the cows to the sale barn.a friend of mine was working the sale barn at the time.an had his son buy the best cows that went through the ring.an he opened his dairy with those cows.

That is my point, it only works if everyone sticks together but there seems little chance of that kind of thing happening. People are just too afraid now of what really makes change happen--"SACRIFICE" It saddens me but I don't think our country has anywhere near the resolve it had 100 years ago, let alone 200.

I think we are all sacrificing already just to stay in business, would not be smart to dump our milk, because we work hard to get it in the tank, plus it costs to produce it. The belgain farmers, last week, sprayed 760,000 lbs of milk on their fields, and for what? It made the news, but thats about it. So, I think its easy for you to say everyone band together , and sacrifice, but you aren't milking cows so how would you know
even what we all go thru in a week to produce our milk. I'm not sure its about resolve, its about getting paid a fair price for what we do for a living. 100 years ago, the dairy business was a much different place, plus they did not have the expenses of what we have now, the cost of production has risen greatly but the pay hasn't, and thats what is going to need to be resolved.

GMN

 

[novaman]

It seems word is getting out that this dairy situation is rough. The local news has started doing reports nearly everyday on different aspects of the poor dairy situation. Up until the past couple months there was no such thing. I think its good to let people see what is involved and how bad this thing really is getting. It seems that many Americans are so removed from ag that they don't appreciate being able to go to the grocery store and pick up anything they want for a reasonable price. We need to do a better job of educating people and make them aware that the shelves don't stay full if nobody can produce the raw products used to make the final product. I just hope all this publicity isn't bringing a bad rep to dairyman as being a whiner. Probably too late but when situations are dire you have to exercise any options available.