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So I am in San Diego and just got my golden ticket and am looking to move to Emmett. I spend one day a week going through the hypothetical motions as if I was already there running my 2 businesses, one of which is raising free range organic ducks for eggs. I have been calling around for bulk feed and so far the average for durham wheat screenings is 20 cents a pound. For comparison, I pay 11.5 cents out of El Centro CA which is considered high because it's 7 cents in Yuma. Also, I see on craigslist a few Boise area farms shutting down because of high feed costs. Can anyone here weigh in on what the situation is.
BTW, my other occupation is making medieval armour for actual combat use.
Try Matthews feed in Weiser. A bit of a drive from Emmett, but the prices on organic chicken feed are much less than anyone else around here. I don't know if they have duck feed, but it's worth a try. We have a very small farm, so I'm not sure on bulk prices. If you're on Facebook, there are homesteading/farm pages in the area that you could post your questions on. Lots of knowledgeable people are always willing to help.
You could also try buying wheat directly from a farmer. Most wheat farms have storage granaries, and the wheat in them cam straight from the combines. It will have some beard straw and other roughage in it, most likely, and that may be better for your ducks than the fanned kernels that have all that minor chaff blown off before its bagged.
You could probably buy 100 lbs. at the current market price or below, but you may have to bring the sacks with you.
There are a lot of wheat farms in Idaho, from Moscow in the north all they way down to the Utah border. Lots of oats, barley, and other seed crops are grown here as well. The more you look around, the better the chances of finding some bargain prices in bulk are.
Its not hard to mix the feed yourself. All that would be required is a clean cement floor, a hoe or spade, (or even some garden tools) and a broom to sweep up the last of the pile. Rolled oats are commonly sold in bulk for large animal feed all over the state, and many elevators have pelleting equipment for hay and other crops.
Thank you for the replies, I am still get the details of the move down. Found a nice place with acreage in the city limits of Emmett, just trying to see if since the property has been annexed if I can still do AG there.
Right now I pay 11.5/c pound for the wheat seeds and yes it has all the extra stuff in it. I have called some of the places listed above and I am still getting quotes in the 20-22c/lb range which concerns me.
We bought in bulk further south in Kuna. When I did the math, on the drive it didn't save much. I hate storing feed in Idaho. There's rain, vermin, and snow. I'd spend money on storage and good electrical for a year round water supply. I know of poultry farms in Gooding. Western Stockman's, Simplot can help. "Annexed" ha! You could have a duck business in downtown Boise. There's a family who raise Scottish highlands north of the city. It's all Ag in a big way.
Last edited by black Jack; 12-02-2015 at 08:15 PM..
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