How agriculture works thread

[BnRidge]

Huh. I spent 30 plus years in the broiler chicken industry and never saw that on an ingredient list or inventory. Rendered meat & feather meal yes. The intestines & poop is where the bad stuff lives. Different strokes.

The dried poop added to the feed would have been about 35 yrs ago, so there is a good chance that has changed. Back then they had 13 barns, 3000/ea. Then a 30,000 building was added. Now they are down to 6 barns or so, but 2.7million chickens. They still dry the waste, but last I heard they ship it to someplace around Arkansas or Oklahoma. Not sure of it's end use. Either way, something is up with the eggs they produce. Why are the eggs so noticeably different than those on smaller farms. I also am not in agreement at all with this so called industrialization of agriculture. At what point did that become a thing?, industrial ag. Back in the 80s I trained as an agricultural engineer. I went on to work in manufacturing, making assemblies and parts for agricultural and construction equipment. So it's not as though I've been out of the loop. It's just that 3million chickens dumped into compost piles is no way to farm, and there is no earthly justification for it. 20yrd dump trucks, one every 4 minutes went past my place for 3wks straight. That's industrial. And that isn't right.

 

[ArlyA]

The dried poop added to the feed would have been about 35 yrs ago, so there is a good chance that has changed. Back then they had 13 barns, 3000/ea. Then a 30,000 building was added. Now they are down to 6 barns or so, but 2.7million chickens. They still dry the waste, but last I heard they ship it to someplace around Arkansas or Oklahoma. Not sure of it's end use. Either way, something is up with the eggs they produce. Why are the eggs so noticeably different than those on smaller farms. I also am not in agreement at all with this so called industrialization of agriculture. At what point did that become a thing?, industrial ag. Back in the 80s I trained as an agricultural engineer. I went on to work in manufacturing, making assemblies and parts for agricultural and construction equipment. So it's not as though I've been out of the loop. It's just that 3million chickens dumped into compost piles is no way to farm, and there is no earthly justification for it. 20yrd dump trucks, one every 4 minutes went past my place for 3wks straight. That's industrial. And that isn't right.

The industrialization of agriculture to you, is a family farm to someone else. Farms have been getting larger for the past 10,000 years.

 

[BnRidge]

Your the one with the industrial ag background, according to you. Mega farms are family farms, and they've been increasing in size for 10,000 years. That's a good one, I'll remember that.

 

[JethroB]

The dried poop added to the feed would have been about 35 yrs ago, so there is a good chance that has changed. Back then they had 13 barns, 3000/ea. Then a 30,000 building was added. Now they are down to 6 barns or so, but 2.7million chickens. They still dry the waste, but last I heard they ship it to someplace around Arkansas or Oklahoma. Not sure of it's end use. Either way, something is up with the eggs they produce. Why are the eggs so noticeably different than those on smaller farms. I also am not in agreement at all with this so called industrialization of agriculture. At what point did that become a thing?, industrial ag. Back in the 80s I trained as an agricultural engineer. I went on to work in manufacturing, making assemblies and parts for agricultural and construction equipment. So it's not as though I've been out of the loop. It's just that 3million chickens dumped into compost piles is no way to farm, and there is no earthly justification for it. 20yrd dump trucks, one every 4 minutes went past my place for 3wks straight. That's industrial. And that isn't right.

The bird flu scares the cr@p out of the chicken, turkey and other bird type agriculture industry. Avian flu H5N1 spreads rapidly in a house or multi house farm. If one bird gets it in a 20,000 chicken house they all get it. There is no treatment that works quickly enough because it spreads within hours. Destroy (kill) the birds quickly then bury, compost carefully or incinerate ASAP. We the consumers expect or demand inexpensive food products.

In the chicken industry the company generally owns the birds and supplies the inputs, the day old chick and mostly feed. The contract farmer provides the housing and labor.

 

[Bison]

Farming those big acreages looks more like assembly line work,days on end back and forth back and forth,.. boring beyond belief. BTDT til i bought my own place. i prefer a smaller mixed farm/ranch that i can do all by my lonesome free as a bird to do as i want how i want versus being a slave from dawn till dusk and often all night long as well.

 

[LouNY]

It doesn't matter if it's a 35 Hp with a 2 bottom plow, a 100 hp with a 5 bottom or 300 Hp with a 16 bottom.
Small tractor small acreage, big tractor big acreage it's still back and forth till the grounds been covered.
Same number of passes same amount of time just a different amount of acres covered.

 

[ovrszd]

It doesn't matter if it's a 35 Hp with a 2 bottom plow, a 100 hp with a 5 bottom or 300 Hp with a 16 bottom.
Small tractor small acreage, big tractor big acreage it's still back and forth till the grounds been covered.
Same number of passes same amount of time just a different amount of acres covered.

Absolutely. And in my area, the small diversified farmer can't make a living just doing that. He has a day job to generate cash flow. Then farms at night and weekends to feed his desire.

 

[JethroB]

It doesn't matter if it's a 35 Hp with a 2 bottom plow, a 100 hp with a 5 bottom or 300 Hp with a 16 bottom.
Small tractor small acreage, big tractor big acreage it's still back and forth till the grounds been covered.
Same number of passes same amount of time just a different amount of acres covered.

I remember my FFA project in the 70’s growing 20 acres of corn with a MF 135 and two row cultivating equipment. Every afternoon after school till supper time March thru May. 5-6 passes of 68 inches per pass. 3 mph tops. Putt putt

Turn
Harrow
Plant
Side dress with nitrogen & work in
Cultivate for weeds
” ” “ “ again.
Maybe spray for weeds.

My third year aflatoxin got in the corn and it had to be mowed down. That ended my farming career.

 

[paulsharvey]

I remember my FFA project in the 70’s growing 20 acres of corn with a MF 135 and two row cultivating equipment. Every afternoon after school till supper time March thru May. 5-6 passes of 68 inches per pass. 3 mph tops. Putt putt

Turn
Harrow
Plant
Side dress with nitrogen & work in
Cultivate for weeds
” ” “ “ again.
Maybe spray for weeds.

My third year aflatoxin got in the corn and it had to be mowed down. That ended my farming career.

So, I dont remember who it was, but a video in my suggest feed, they where discussing some of this; and the conclusion these two guys came too was; for a small farmer (we aren't talking 5 or 20 acres; actual farm); it is better to spend the money on the technology and smaller tractors (think in there example they used MF 4275), over brute force and large tractors. Their reasoning was for a relatively cheap self steer set up, proper fertilizer application, ect; there was far greater ROI on the tech over upgrading tractors, harvesters, ect. In addition, they talked about, realistically, we are nearly at self operating smaller tractor.

 

[LouNY]

So, I dont remember who it was, but a video in my suggest feed, they where discussing some of this; and the conclusion these two guys came too was; for a small farmer (we aren't talking 5 or 20 acres; actual farm); it is better to spend the money on the technology and smaller tractors (think in there example they used MF 4275), over brute force and large tractors. Their reasoning was for a relatively cheap self steer set up, proper fertilizer application, ect; there was far greater ROI on the tech over upgrading tractors, harvesters, ect. In addition, they talked about, realistically, we are nearly at self operating smaller tractor.

I think that self operating small tractor is a long way off yet. Especially in rougher country with hills and side slopes to contend with. Then throw in some sod waterways and a wet spot to have to skip and go around.