shortages

[Trying2keepitReal]

Maybe we are lucky here, multiple cross country trucking/shipping routes pass through the area.

maybe. we are off a county road and so is our walmart-though we have a walmart we aren't a huge town (9k) but it is the only large grocery store within 45 minutes in any direction and we are 50 min from a major freeway. not sure how much that plays into it, but I do know that they are terribly short handed.

 

[flowerbug]

today was our errand running day so i could see firsthand what the two stores looked like. yes there were some empty shelves (we did get a few more cans of spaghettios but those were from only a few cases on the shelves there) but there were also a lot of people going around and taking things off the shelves for deliveries. they were not short-staffed on checkout people, i think we got there just before the lunch crowd.

one restaurant we ordered take-out for lunch to bring home, it was busy (it was lunch time by then) and we were glad to see that because it has been our favorite place for 40-something years. i asked the lady who normally is at the cash register and who takes the take-out orders how they were doing and she said they were doing ok which is better than they were doing a few months ago.

 

[FarmerJamie]

Heh heh

 

[farmerjan]

When all this plandemic started, if you remember, alot of dairy farmers had to dump thousands of gallons of milk because they had nowhere to sell it. Alot if them didnt breed the cows back, which you have to do to get them to produce milk. Ive read that many went out of business or sold thier herd.
The sad thing is, many of our farmers, whether in dairy or other areas of agruculture, are being forced out due to government regulations or the high costs of operating a farm. Many barely break even. People think because of the high costs if meat or other products that the farmers are making a killing, when in reality, they are in deep debt.
Everything you eat, alot if what you wear, is because of a farmer who works 24/7 and 365 days a year. If something isnt done soon, we will be importing food from countries that dont have the strict regulations we have here. Think about that.

You are so right and I have preached this to so many.... we export so many chemicals to countries that are not allowed here. Then we go and import food and stuff from them so where are we "saving the planet" and all that?????? And the food is going to not only cost more, but it is going to be made available upon the whims of another country. You are right @Rammy ....and people just don't want to really understand this. Plus, they are going to control, limit, and price food so that they have total control over us.

With the doubling of fertilizer costs this year we are talking about putting in half of the corn we did last year. It will cost as much for us to grow the 10 acres this year as it cost us to grow 20 acres last year. We may switch some of the land to some alfalfa but it is not ideal because we are going to have to plant something that we can use some chemicals on so that we can continue to try to beat back the johnson grass that has invaded this one field. That is the point of growing the corn for silage... we can use a chemical to inhibit the johnson grass growth, and then the corn is so dense that the johnson grass cannot compete.. so after about 2-3 years we can eliminate the johnson grass. The horse people that buy the sq bales don't want it in the hay.... and the sq bales do help pay for our haying costs for the year. On top of that, we are not going to be able to use the normal fertilizer program this year on our hay fields, so there will be less yield and it will cost more to buy hay.
It is going to cost more not only for your own food, but for any animals you have on the farm. For those of us that do not just say, screw it we are going broke and it is no longer worth the time and effort and costs to barely pay my costs and I work 24/7 to try to eke out an existence.

 

[farmerjan]

Dairies are not "benefitting" and the pandemic did not wind up being a net success. The increase in prices at the store has trickled down so very little to the farmer. Milk prices in commercial farming have gone back up to the 21.00/100 lbs which helps... but everything else has increased... the feed costs have increased over 25%.... fuel to run the tractors, to even do simple stuff like scraping the barn, has gone up... you all see the costs at the pumps. Wages have gone up to the help to try to stay a little competitive and not lose your good help.... but getting and keeping good help is getting worse and worse.
Grassfed dairies are more seasonal. If you have ever spent much time on one, and know the way the production will wax and wane, then you also know that the cows will eat a certain amount and without pushing more concentrates, they will produce less milk. So it costs more to get a lesser amount of milk.... To do rotational grazing, you have to allow for more land/space per animal and if the grasses aren't in optimal condition, the cows will not produce as much. If it is hot and the grasses don't grow as good, if there is not enough rain, they don't grow as much. Being a real good steward of the land is so dependent on mother nature.... and you can't just buy and sell animals to match the conditions. So the price/value of the end product has to increase to compensate for the lesser production from the animal. And you have to have stored feed in order to meet the nutritional needs of the animal if the weather does not cooperate to keep the grass/grazing at optimal levels. There is so much behind the costs of grassfed milk.... and farmers are getting older as a group and most of us are tired of working our butts off and not being able to put away enough for a "retirement" opt out... without selling the land off... and if the land gets sold off, there are NO young people that have the money to buy them out to continue to operate the farm, so it gets sold off for houses and then we lose the farms. Young people really have no understanding of the dedication that is needed to be devoted to a farm. Most have little/no knowledge of the time sacrifices that a farmer makes. There are perks to being a farmer... but you cannot go home at the end of an 8 hour day and say it can wait til tomorrow.... like so many "normal jobs". If the hay is ready to bale and it is threatening rain, you keep working til it is in the barn,,, if it means midnight to save the crop. If the cow is having trouble calving, you have to help regardless if you have other plans that night.... there is not that kind of dedication in much of today's younger generation.

 

[tortoise]

Dairies are not "benefitting" and the pandemic did not wind up being a net success. The increase in prices at the store has trickled down so very little to the farmer.

I never said the farmers got the money. (since when has that happened in the dairy industry?)

Domestic dairy demand had been declining 2013 - 2018. The pandemic decreased commercial demand but increased consumer demand and international demand - record-breaking dairy exports in 2020 and 2021. In 2020, dairy herds grew and production per cow increased.

2022 looks rough. Global milk prices are up 23%, but global feed prices are up 38%.

Grazing dairy herds can be profitable? When I was a kid we used to visit a family friend's small dairy farm (my parents used to have a dairy farm too). They were as poor as can be expected. Tractor broke and they couldn't afford to fix it. That caused them to start grazing. It was very successful - less work, more profit. The community was not accepting because this was pre - revolutionary at the time, just a crazy man that nobody listened to. But hey, he was right. He was way ahead of his time. Switching to grazing was a big turning point for his family's wellbeing.

Petroleum - dependent agriculture is not sustainable.

 

[Messybun]

I hate seeing store shelves bare. I also hate lacking so many skills for self sufficiency. It’s like there is so much to learn and so little time. I guess necessity is the best teacher. Milk prices aren’t bad yet, but aside from cheese most of the milk products are sold out. I never realized that going through a full grocery store of unmasked people was something I would miss so very much.

 

[CrealCritter]

I'm just getting started with farming. Already most people don't understand. They just think I can drop my responsibility to the animals. I've come to a very quick understanding that animals are better alarm clocks than alarm clocks.are alarm clocks. At 4:30 they are wanting their feed. Rain/snow/sleet/ice storm or nice day. It doesn't matter, it's 4:30.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Hinotori]

Or hacking a lung out from Covid until the world blackens and having to sit down every 20 feet when hauling food and water.

I did not have a good January, but animals and husband need cared for.

Nothing like having to make sure a few hundred head lf cattle are fed. I couldn't have handled square bales with how I was or driven anything to haul out a round bale.

 

[baymule]

Or hacking a lung out from Covid until the world blackens and having to sit down every 20 feet when hauling food and water.

I did not have a good January, but animals and husband need cared for.

Nothing like having to make sure a few hundred head lf cattle are fed. I couldn't have handled square bales with how I was or driven anything to haul out a round bale.

I can so identify with this. I was blessed with a good neighbor that came daily to feed animals for me. I couldn't even walk to the barn, I was so weak. It felt so good to finally be able to walk to the barn and just sit in a chair.