high oil prices puting farmers out of buisness (Lincoln, Mexico: how much, home)

[RANGER.101ST]

last night i drove to smithfield to buy 40 bails of hay.i have been going to his farm to buy hay for the better part of 8 years.in the 8 or so years we have become good friends.the first thing he asked me is what are you doing home.
what are you taking the week off? i told him nope i sold my truck and trailer
becouse of high fuel prices.he said i no what you mean this might be my last year farming as it is i have to charge you $4.00 a baile im sorry.
i said no i understand.so he started telling me what it cost him to cut it dry it baile it and put it in the barn.it figured out to around $3.25 a baile.
he said the grain price has gone up to allmost double but the milk price has not.and the gov subsady that every one talks about wouldnt pay for the fuel to run my tractors.and even if it did it dont kick in untill next tax season.
as im straping down the hay.he says you have a good evening and give this to the wife as he hands me a loafe of home made bread.then his wife yell's from the porch and dont eat it on the way home like last time.
im calling and telling your wife that you have it so it better make it home.
then he shakes my hand and go's back to work.as im driveing off all i could think of is one more hard working person loseing every thing becouse of greed.

[WILWRadio]

As someone that is interested in relocating to Lincoln, Maine I am deeply concerned with how these high fuel prices are going to affect daily life in the more remote areas of the state. This does not look good....

[Shuffler]

90 percent of the oil traded around the world (including the more than two-thirds of all America's supply which is imported) is produced by the newer nationalized oil companies such as Saudi Aramco, Mexico's Pemex, Brazil's Petrobras, etc. World oil prices are set in an auction process on the futures markets.

Last I'd heard gas was $.42/gal in Dubai. They sure are livin' large in Saudi Arabia....

[Maine Writer]

Fertilizer prices were 10x higher this year than last when I checked into them a month ago. The usual ag fertilizers are petrochemicals. When you combine diesel for the equipment with petrochemical fertilizers I don't know how they can stay in business and be profitable. Many aren't profitable without a subsidy check from the gov't as it is.

It's time for Maine farmers to make some decisions on how they're going to farm if they plan to stay in farming.

[Maineah]

The owner of " When Pigs Fly" bakery said the price he pays for a truck load of milled flour had gone from $7000 a truck load to over $22,000 a truck load since last fall.
He's not sure how much longer he can keep going. Who's going to pay $10.00 for a loaf of bread?

[GregW]

I wonder if (when) farmers are going to get an oil press and start setting aside acreage for oil seed plants. Then they can roll their own Diesel fuel. Convert some to bio diesel (remove the glycerin) for cold weather or just run it as vegetable oil. With prices getting as high or higher, oil crops may just become as valuable as hay or other conventional products.

[GregW]

mainah - Who will pay $10 per loaf for bread? Anybody hungry enough.

[Asta]

Originally Posted by Maineah

The owner of " When Pigs Fly" bakery said the price he pays for a truck load of milled flour had gone from $7000 a truck load to over $22,000 a truck load since last fall.
He's not sure how much longer he can keep going. Who's going to pay $10.00 for a loaf of bread?

Reading stuff like this is making me scared - I ask myself, how are we ALL going to keep going?

[RANGER.101ST]

Originally Posted by Shuffler

90 percent of the oil traded around the world (including the more than two-thirds of all America's supply which is imported) is produced by the newer nationalized oil companies such as Saudi Aramco, Mexico's Pemex, Brazil's Petrobras, etc. World oil prices are set in an auction process on the futures markets.

Last I'd heard gas was $.42/gal in Dubai. They sure are livin' large in Saudi Arabia....

we have foren oil co. in the gulf of mexico pumping on american soil and being sold back to us .

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by Asta

Reading stuff like this is making me scared - I ask myself, how are we ALL going to keep going?

It's not meant to scare you it's meant to prepare you. There are loads of things people can do to make themselves more self sufficient. You just have to start doing things now and changing your mindset from "whatever I want will always be available anytime I want it" to "I'd better stock up for the winter!" It could be a VERY long winter too! That will be a rude awakening for some and will have a much more profound effect on lifestyles than the price of fuel.