the high cost of farming!

[WTA]

I'm sure most of you have noticed the steady increase in farm inputs like feed, fertilizer, seed, fuel and water even. Or the electricity to pump water.

Down here our whole place is irrigated. Nothing would grow without it. I can't even afford running my big well now at over a hundred bucks a day just on the electricity alone.

We just got a price on fertilizer to feed the pastures that I am going to hay this year. 1500 bucks!!!
That cost me 600 bucks last year.

Chicken feed, horse feed and goat feed has gone up from an average of 7 dollars a bag to over 10 per bag. Chicken scratch is the worst at 12 dollars a bag now. It's almost not worth having chickens. We're sure not saving money getting our own eggs with walmart around.

We ran out of our own hay last month and had to buy some for the horses. I swear the crap our local feedstores have isn't even fit for goats but I have no choice about it right now. Dusty 2 year old at least alfalfa is all anyone had and it was 10.50 a bale.
Figuring all my inputs into the hay fields we have had to raise our prices for the upcoming hay crops from 7 dollars a bale to 9 dollars. I sure hope I can still sell it this year. That's my tractor payment!!!

When is this crap going to end is what I'd like to know. It's killing a lot of us small farmers but I rarely ever hear anyone complaining about it.

 

[Bird]

It's killing a lot of us small farmers but I rarely ever hear anyone complaining about it.

Do you think it's hurting the small farmers more than it's hurting other people? Record high home repossessions are in the news? Has your home been repossessed? People being laid off from their jobs. Maybe anyone who still has a job should consider himself/herself lucky.

And yep, we buy groceries at Sam's Club, Walmart, and Kroger now instead of producing our own. So we're paying a lot more for meat, eggs, milk, anything made from corn or wheat (bread prices have tripled), and fresh produce, as well as the gasoline to get to and from the store. In other words, prices for almost everything have gone up, and a higher percentage of increase than our income.

So, if you haven't heard anyone complaining, I don't know where you've been. Or maybe you only meant you haven't heard anyone complaining about the problems of small farmers. That may be because they have enough problems of their own.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Hey, at least you're still in business. You should try being a dairy farmer here in the northeast. My family got out of it 20 years ago. My BIL drove a milk truck until last week. Over the past 2 years, the farms have been dropping like flies. There are hardly any dairy farms left around here. They have to sell off their logs and stone to pay their feed bill.
Somebody on here has a sig that I love. Something about a farmer buys at retail and sells for wholesale.

 

[WTA]

I worded that wrong. I mean I don't see anybody complaining. As in actually attempting to do anything about it like protesting, boycots, dumping the tea in the harbor, that sort of thing. I tried to organize a protest here about fuel prices that was sure to get national media coverage but not one single person "has the time to join" That really ticked me off that everyone whines about fuel prices here but noone wants to get off their butts and say something publicly about it.

Meanwhile, I'm still riding my horse to town a couple days a week because I'm trying to save fuel in my truck.

We came real close to losing our farm this past year too. That was caused by a criminal with a website that tried to blackmail me and failed then set out to make good on his threats and destroy my reputation and my business. I got about 6 months behind on the mortgage over that but we recovered. Barely! A lot of my customers really went out on a limb to set the record straight about that jerk and saved my butt.

Anyway, This stuff is just rediculous and I am really trying to understand what the answer is.
Idiots around here blame Bush. It's not his fault. I really believe that. Every farmer I know though is democrat and they are entitled to their opinions. Blaming Bush isn't going to solve the problem though. Raising our taxes and putting further restrictions on our vehicles and lives isn't either.

Just what is the answer and how do we go about reversing this mess? That's what I'd really like to know. I'm ready to do something if I just knew what to do.

 

[MikePA]

There are plenty of sites on the Internet whose primary purpose is to debate/discuss this topic as well as other political topics. Politics isn't allowed on TBN for which I am grateful. It's nice to know there's a place to go where such discussions are not taking place.

Part of the Serenity Prayer asks for the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.

 

[pennwalk]

It is sad to say but it looks like there will be more farmers quitting farming this year and the only ones who will be happy are the developers who will get the land. They say there is a housing slump but around here it is hard to tell as there are so many new houses going up and some of them are astonishingly big. I feel like there is a storm coming but I hope I'm wrong.

Chris

 

[pennwalk]

So, if you haven't heard anyone complaining, I don't know where you've been.

Bird, I think it is pretty odd 'cause I don't think I have heard much complaining either. Can you remember when the price of fuel would go up and truckers would throw a fit? It is pretty high now and I have hardly heard a thing. I wonder if loud public demonstrations are a thing of the past.

Guys please don't take this thread POLITICAL too many threads have been locked down already.

Chris

 

[Tororider]

I hope this isn't construed as taking this political because it is economical. Our dollar is taking a beating, so everything is going to cost more, gas especially. But anytime the dollar loses value, and it sure is now, everything is going to rise in price. It stinks, but that is where we are right now.

 

[Timber]

Farming has been in crises for a very long time. It has not improved with time either. Land has become more valuable to develop and cost of operating has always been high. I think farming is more love than profit driven. I have a young man near me has a small 80 acre spread. He is in the financial world by day and farms in his spare time for the love of it. He is young in his early 20s, I stop by and help him identify some of the old equipment he has and show him how the irrigation infrastructure works but is is something he does out of love. I grew up on a large farm that has been turned under & a Reebok facility sits on top of it now and makes me sad but times change. I love my animals and the work that goes with it. The smell of animals and hay relax me and bring me to a place that only exists in this environment. These critters are my friends & only those of us that know this life understand why we do it. I don't think anyone became rich farming and it is certainly not going to happen these days. I too have had to pay $8 a bale for poor hay and put it out sparingly. I don't like to see the ribs on my horses but winter has been tough this year. I think I will deal hay next winter to offset my own cost. I'll buy it by the truck load and sell it to my neighbors and see if I can help everyone out. I'm just glad spring is hear

 

[WTA]

I in no way intended this as a political thread either. It's our way of life that is at stake. Not politics.

I won't give up my farm for anything but there has got to be an answer where we can make a profit again and I just don't see anything being done about it. The farm bill is the least of my concern. I don't want anything form the government. I could be getting a disability check every month if I wanted it for service related injuries but I refuse to get it. I really don't want a thing from them except to be left to live in peace.

I was trying hard to organize a protest ride downhere. A ride on horseback right through the middle of town during rush hour with as many people as I can get to voice our unhappiness about fuel prices. It's really saddening the responses I got. Some of the young kids didn't realize it was so expensive and most of the older ones thought I was nuts and that it could never make a difference.

Not getting off their butts and doing something is why it will never make a difference.

I've lived in other countries before. Japan, the PI, and Korea. I've been on every continent in the world and visited more countries than I can count.
Believe me I have seen high gas prices and I've paid the price. When I was stationed in Japan the last time in the mid 80's gas was over 7 bucks a gallon and I had an old dodge with a hemi that got about 5 MPG. I was stupid once too. When I got back to the states I rode a motorcycle and my old 4 cylinder ford ranger for years trying to catch my savings back up.
At least being stationed in Japan we got a cost of living allowance for the high prices. I think at my paygrade it was around 500 a month extra.

I see prices here getting up to Japanese levels but I sure don't see our pay going up. That is the problem.
Sure I can raise my prices but then who will be able to afford anything I do or sell? I've already raised them once this year just to stay out of the red and my competitors haven't.

With the hay we grow on the farm, I still sell it for less than the feedstores but the only reason I can think of why people don't want to come buy it from us is the drive. We're only 4 miles from town and the nearest feedstore.

If everyone else is in the same boat we are then I can understand. We're buying diesel 20 bucks at a time for the truck (5 gallons worth) and not driving unless we absolutely have to.
I guess for some people the extra couple miles driving is worth buying crap hay in town or good hay out here. I don't know.
I do know the fuel prices are going to get much worse real fast. I'm not going to sit around doing nothing. I'll be out on my horse a few times a week with my sign hanging on the back of the saddle. Hopefully people will start to wake up before diesel hits 5 bucks a gallon.

There are easy solutions to this. Drill in our own country and build more refineries. This could all be online in less than a year if people would put their minds and hearts into it.