Feed prices

[flowerbug]

And the ones producing it are doing more and more for the same return... until they get to the point that there is no more room to "tighten the belt". The only way is to get bigger and bigger so the costs can be spread out over a larger number of animals/acres.... and the small farmer CAN NOT compete. You add in the new proposed minimum wage.... if it should come about.... NONE of us farmers will be able to pay that without getting bigger..... the antithesis of this whole self sufficiently group that believe in the smaller, take care of yourself and your family/group......
So, then where are you going to get things when we can no longer afford to keep businesses open because the input costs are more than what we can possibly sell things for???? Or are allowed to sell things for????? The big companies will just get bigger because the small ones cannot compete. And then the prices will be so far out of the budget that people will do without, go without, and suffer for it. And you will only be able to obtain what the big companies want you to have.
Instead of trying to change this country to be so like all these other ones that are supposed to be so wonderful....those people should just move and go live in one of these "wonderful" countries and see how much freedom you have and how well you live. Leave us dumber ones to just suffer through our less than perfect type of government and country and continue to have to work for a living and be able to work enough to get ahead if we want to.

there's a lot in here to reply to and i won't be able to do that.

my take is that if you are worried about a minimum wage requirement that doesn't affect you directly unless you are paying someone else. IMO for a self-sufficient organic grower of produce there are limited input costs, feed prices are a different consideration, but if you are buying from someone else who is also doing organic production then input costs can be lower, labor costs may have to go up, but to me when looking at whole system costs anyone doing organic production no matter what the labor costs might be should be able to out-compete a larger ag-chem grower. simply because lower input costs.

if you want to debate that it's ok with me, but to me that would primarily deal with the idea that you are working either in a mono-crop situation or not being able to scale effectively to compete, but that's a cost of equipment which a smaller grower shouldn't get too embedded in dealing with. if you're not doing ag-chem stuff then you're also possibly able to avoid a lot of the other expensive equipment.

this is all me winging it on a short bit of time here so, well, ignore it if you want, just some comments on things how i see them.

if you want to talk more about growing things and gardening i spend a lot more time on TEG because i am primarily a gardener and not doing things with animals and feeding issues.

 

[CrealCritter]

there's a lot in here to reply to and i won't be able to do that.

my take is that if you are worried about a minimum wage requirement that doesn't affect you directly unless you are paying someone else. IMO for a self-sufficient organic grower of produce there are limited input costs, feed prices are a different consideration, but if you are buying from someone else who is also doing organic production then input costs can be lower, labor costs may have to go up, but to me when looking at whole system costs anyone doing organic production no matter what the labor costs might be should be able to out-compete a larger ag-chem grower. simply because lower input costs.

if you want to debate that it's ok with me, but to me that would primarily deal with the idea that you are working either in a mono-crop situation or not being able to scale effectively to compete, but that's a cost of equipment which a smaller grower shouldn't get too embedded in dealing with. if you're not doing ag-chem stuff then you're also possibly able to avoid a lot of the other expensive equipment.

this is all me winging it on a short bit of time here so, well, ignore it if you want, just some comments on things how i see them.

if you want to talk more about growing things and gardening i spend a lot more time on TEG because i am primarily a gardener and not doing things with animals and feeding issues.

No debate needed... It's Common Sense! You raise the minimum wage, EVERYTHING you purchase will have to become more expensive, to offset costs.

Pretty Simple to understand.

 

[CrealCritter]

Oh and I forgot to add... The more you pay for an item (see my previous reply) the more sales tax you also pay. Sales taxes is based on how much you spend on a item(s), it's paid in a percentage. Simple grade school math is all that's required to understand the truth.

So there you go... double whammy for the poor and middle class and a bump for Govt. See how that works?

 

[HornyToadAcres]

Comment from the Permian Basin Oilfield...

When the barrel price of oil gets up to $50 and over, you will start to see some more production. However, if, as in one of those EO's that were supposedly not the "right way to govern," no more lease permits are granted, the available permits will eventually run out. We had a moment of energy independence...sigh.

The world market was glutted with oil. Not sure of the current situation on that as I have had to stop with most of my media consumption in order to retain a little bit of my sanity. Anyway, that also affects exactly what goes on re oil production in the US as well as prices at the pump. If we continue as started last month, I'm guessing gas/diesel will hit the $4 range by summer. And fuel prices affect the price of pretty much everything.

BTW, lots of wind turbines here and I know folks in that industry. Did you know that a wind turbine does not pay for itself over the course of its functional life? I am all for developing alternative and renewable sources of fuel but we have got to be smarter about it than we have been so far. For one thing, there is an incredible amount of energy contained in the materials still going into landfills. We have the technology, it is generally referred to as gasification, to turn at least 90% of those materials into energy but we are simply not doing it.

Hubby has been working on a gasifier for our homestead. It is still out in the future but I can't wait for him to get it done.

 

[CrealCritter]

Comment from the Permian Basin Oilfield...

When the barrel price of oil gets up to $50 and over, you will start to see some more production. However, if, as in one of those EO's that were supposedly not the "right way to govern," no more lease permits are granted, the available permits will eventually run out. We had a moment of energy independence...sigh.

The world market was glutted with oil. Not sure of the current situation on that as I have had to stop with most of my media consumption in order to retain a little bit of my sanity. Anyway, that also affects exactly what goes on re oil production in the US as well as prices at the pump. If we continue as started last month, I'm guessing gas/diesel will hit the $4 range by summer. And fuel prices affect the price of pretty much everything.

BTW, lots of wind turbines here and I know folks in that industry. Did you know that a wind turbine does not pay for itself over the course of its functional life? I am all for developing alternative and renewable sources of fuel but we have got to be smarter about it than we have been so far. For one thing, there is an incredible amount of energy contained in the materials still going into landfills. We have the technology, it is generally referred to as gasification, to turn at least 90% of those materials into energy but we are simply not doing it.

Hubby has been working on a gasifier for our homestead. It is still out in the future but I can't wait for him to get it done.

My son in law uses a gassifer for some minor machines that are not fuel injected. But he mainly uses it to make his own charcoal. He brings me a couple of 5 gallon buckets full when they come to visit. I use the charcoal in the BBQ grill, in my opinion... it's just as good, if not better than storebought (Kingsford), to cook off of.

 

[Mini Horses]

No matter the good crop reports -- farmers sell to ??? Who then resell, often to foreign countries. Yes we sell out from under ourselves! So great crop year and our own prices rocket. Those farmers have to sell! Those who grow for "own use" have a different situation. Huge Ag farms that produce only for sales, there ya go....gotta sell. Almost 98% of grains raised in USA are by those for whom it is a cash crop.

Kinda like the cost of green beans from your garden, or the supermarket.

 

[CrealCritter]

Comment from the Permian Basin Oilfield...

When the barrel price of oil gets up to $50 and over, you will start to see some more production. However, if, as in one of those EO's that were supposedly not the "right way to govern," no more lease permits are granted, the available permits will eventually run out. We had a moment of energy independence...sigh.

The world market was glutted with oil. Not sure of the current situation on that as I have had to stop with most of my media consumption in order to retain a little bit of my sanity. Anyway, that also affects exactly what goes on re oil production in the US as well as prices at the pump. If we continue as started last month, I'm guessing gas/diesel will hit the $4 range by summer. And fuel prices affect the price of pretty much everything.

BTW, lots of wind turbines here and I know folks in that industry. Did you know that a wind turbine does not pay for itself over the course of its functional life? I am all for developing alternative and renewable sources of fuel but we have got to be smarter about it than we have been so far. For one thing, there is an incredible amount of energy contained in the materials still going into landfills. We have the technology, it is generally referred to as gasification, to turn at least 90% of those materials into energy but we are simply not doing it.

Hubby has been working on a gasifier for our homestead. It is still out in the future but I can't wait for him to get it done.

I just got back from town, it's February 9 2021 - so we can remember. I would say your $4.00 a gallon for diesel by summer prediction, ain't beyond compression. It's already $2.99 a gallon cash or $3.05 a gallon credit. Marion IL, I57 & RT13.

Yep cancel Keystone pipeline, put that cude in tankers on rail. Halt new drilling permits so the USA will eventually be dependent on the cartel for oil again. Don't worry... the people of the United States can afford it. Now where's that dang blasted pen?

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I can say that I intend to be growing a huge garden this year, and putting up a lot of veggies... if I'm able to get out of the house. Just might put out a little "end of drive way" veggie stand. Mixed color of beans, and mixed color/shapes of summer squash would be an easy sell. Also, Bright Lights Chard, and the color mixes of lettuce. I've been considering this for a few years. Even doing a "no price" "pay what you think it's worth" option for my veggies. I've heard of folks doing that in restaurants, with profit margins actually being equal to if not better than fixed pricing.

 

[CrealCritter]

I can say that I intend to be growing a huge garden this year, and putting up a lot of veggies... if I'm able to get out of the house. Just might put out a little "end of drive way" veggie stand. Mixed color of beans, and mixed color/shapes of summer squash would be an easy sell. Also, Bright Lights Chard, and the color mixes of lettuce. I've been considering this for a few years. Even doing a "no price" "pay what you think it's worth" option for my veggies. I've heard of folks doing that in restaurants, with profit margins actually being equal to if not better than fixed pricing.

I would like to do the same but by barter or donation.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I expect we'll be seeing $6/gal by the end of the summer.