When your Most Firece Competitor Bluffs...

[texdav]

Originally Posted by BrokenTap

For years we have farmed beside a nearby farm, often playing tug of war with the landowners whom we both leased land from. Some years they would get the fields, and some years we would. At times it was downright nasty as our dairy farm expanded and so did theirs. I mean farm land here is scarce and we fought hard over fields as they became available.

I was shocked today when they came over to the farm, shook hands and said it was over...they were selling their cows. The fields were ours, the corn and haylage in their bunkers, even the equipment at salvage...everything if we wanted it. Yes even the cows at beef prices. All of it has little value because there are so few farms here that can utilize that much volume, and the equipment is in rough shape from lack of maintenance.

I know you are supposed to feel euphoric when your greatest competitor folds up, but I will tell you right now it was a VERY hollow feeling. They said when milk started to tumble over a year ago that 25% of the farms would not make it, we did not realize how accurate it would be. It is just a hard hit to the rural life here, the economy, and the farming community as another 3 plus generational farm goes under. With around 300 cows, it was not a big dairy farm, but certainly sizable and made a contribution to Maine's dairy production.

Interestingly enough this is in time to notification that we were approved for our new farm purchase. We'll be increasing our herd size by another 400 cows and certainly need the fields as we continue to grow. This is the culmination of two years of legal and accounting wrestling, but it just had to fall on a day when our neighbor farmer ended up losing his farm. As I said, it is a very hollow victory.

I just cannot figure out why this country continues to import milk when our own farmers are going under at an unprecedented level? In any case, God Bless the AMERICAN Dairy Farmers...or at least the few we have left!

Because its cheaper. like everythg else your competing in a global market.People are nt now goign to pay you more for somethign they can get cheaper else where. Its that way with evrything. Many american farmers for years depended on global markets and still do.

[arctichomesteader]

Originally Posted by texdav

Because its cheaper. like everythg else your competing in a global market.People are nt now goign to pay you more for somethign they can get cheaper else where. Its that way with evrything. Many american farmers for years depended on global markets and still do.

It's worth paying more to not have toxins like you find in the products of many third world countries (think China). If you want to drink Chinese milk, go ahead, but the doctor bills may cost more than American milk...

Furthermore, if we continue down this path it will be the destruction of our country.

[BrokenTap]

Originally Posted by marmac

------" the new owner sank over one million into the parlor alone before he went bankrupt "---

Since he was at --around 300 cows---, would a parlor that size work for a 1500 cow herd?

If yes-------you got a great deal as I believed you stated your parlor was getting old and was slow.

However, if that guy biult a million dollar parlor that can handle 1500 cows and he only had ----around 300 cows-- I can see why he went bankrupt.

Your a little confused, we are not buying THAT GUY's FARM, we are buying another foreclosed farm, we are simply taking over his fields. The other farm is much bigger, and we will continue to use our farm, so we will be putting milk into the tanks at both places.

We have crunched the numbers very hard, squeezed the coop that owns the foreclosed farm very hard and think we can make a go of it.

The one good thing is, we can get rid of a sub-contracted out calf farm that raises our beef cows and calf's and replacement heifers and bring all our cows home to our farm. It would be impossible to describe how we intend to make it work, but we are confident we can swing it. I mean we are BUYING a farm right now and adding head while other dairy farms are going under. That says we have made some good choices. We will come out of this mess far better then when we went into it, and thus we should be proud about that.

But its not arrogance. I saw those other farmers last summer talking about some no-till implements, and doing some field work on some thin soils, all with conservation and the future in mind. Its just sickens me that they can't make it today. We competed for the same fields, but they were good farmers, just not good enough to make it through these rough times. That sucks...