Interesting dairy farm-- definately not a homestead

[FarmerChick]

I agree with the insurance for farms...but honestly, that is in tons of business jobs now. SO MANY employers no matter the biz do not offer insurance, or it is priced crazy.....so this is not a problem just for farms at all!!!!!

yea if you can get cheaper that is great, but when a drought hits a big area and you must find hay......and NY has it, well you truck it..LOL---you were very fortunate

Ah but, you are the one that pointed out large farms provide insurance to their workers, I just pointed out that it's not always so anymore.

Not lucky, it's being smaller that afforded us to be able to do it. If we were big, we couldn't have done it and would have had to truck in from outside the state. Drought has hit a big area here, including right where we live. Heck in 1988 we had to buy most of our feed. We made it through. It's not that we haven't been there, done that, we have. I know what I'm talking about. You keep talking about your friends operation. We live the operation here. I don't have to go to someone else's operation for examples. We make the decisions.

How many are you milking?


you are right, SOME big farms provide insurance, and ONE small farm I know does, Barb...she offers her 1 worker she needs insurance. Always has.

But like anything, most big farms will or won't ---along with millions of other biz that will or won't.

I know all the financials on my friends dairy biz. her feed bill is over $40,000 per month. She makes ALOT of income, but of course expenses just eat it up like anything.

While I agree, I don't run the biz, I do know "in general" about farming and I do know about biz. Which is what I am kinda just referring too without going into personal farm operation and financials. You might be making tons of money on your farm, I don't know...LOL---I hope you are!!!

 

[FarmerChick]

Then you are doing very well....I am very glad your business is real and doing fine.

It is what I've been trying to tell you.

As far as I can see, you have no right to point a finger at a real business making it when you avoid taxes on your farm so you can live better. Your not making it that way because you are not paying all of your expenses.

I am not making a living off the farm and do not want to at this point.
Point a finger at what????? I just said a real farm business must DO what it must to feed the masses and millions.

I consider myself a big hobby farm now and make tons of money on the side. Win win for me definitely.

I do what I love, farm, and make money.

And like you, I don't "do it to live better"---I do it for me, this is what I love to be in my life...working animals and dirt...LOL

 

[Frosting]

We are milking 30 cows.

If Barb's feed bill is $40,000 a month she isn't small. She may not be the huge farm in the story but, she isn't small. More like the middle.

We are not making a big profit. As you have pointed out expenses eat what one is paid to the farmer. A farmer farms because they love it. A farmer stays in business because they know how and where to save money. We don't pay a mechanic because DH can do all of our mechanic work. We work closely with our vets which is why they hate emergency calls from us. They know that even if it sounds simple it's not or we wouldn't be calling. I think the last time they were out for a calving situtation it ended up being a c-section. We have learned how to do a lot or our own vet work too.

 

[Frosting]

Point a finger at what?????

Were you or were you not, just trying to say we were not a real business? It sure seemed that you were to me.

 

[FarmerChick]

oh I see what you mean.

what I meant was this _---maybe I worded it wrong------I meant by "real business" as one that can truly and solely run itself....supporting all aspects of financials.

But now I realize you mean ---you are a real biz, support the farm, but the income can not pay for all living expenses for what you want and for how fast you want to pay off the land.




BUT in general we shouldn't be debating farm financials of any of us...LOL-LOL----cause all this is just personal info we know to be true etc. but can't word it right on the thread.




I liked chatting with you....it was fun without being bad and that is always COOL!!!!!

 

[FarmerChick]

We are milking 30 cows.

If Barb's feed bill is $40,000 a month she isn't small. She may not be the huge farm in the story but, she isn't small. More like the middle.

We are not making a big profit. As you have pointed out expenses eat what one is paid to the farmer. A farmer farms because they love it. A farmer stays in business because they know how and where to save money. We don't pay a mechanic because DH can do all of our mechanic work. We work closely with our vets which is why they hate emergency calls from us. They know that even if it sounds simple it's not or we wouldn't be calling. I think the last time they were out for a calving situtation it ended up being a c-section. We have learned how to do a lot or our own vet work too.

One the the diffs. on my farm is I don't have to have fed regulations like you do even with a smaller dairy.

I can have my hogs processed at Tony's best friends state processing plant and just sell the sausage and chops.

produce I don't need to worry about

we sell some hay when 2 cuttings are great

eggs I can sell here without any federal coverage



so with you being a dairy, I guess you can not just "sell your product" to the public like I can easily.

 

[reinbeau]

Ok, I can see things are going to get a bit heated in here. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to resent anyone else's ways or means; no one should be pointing fingers at anyone. We are all from very different places discussing these issues. Be respectful of each other and keep an open mind - it isn't all about any one poster here, nor is any one poster correct.

Be civil or this thread will be closed, and most of you know how much I hate to close threads!

 

[Frosting]

oh I see what you mean.

what I meant was this _---maybe I worded it wrong------I meant by "real business" as one that can truly and solely run itself....supporting all aspects of financials.

But now I realize you mean ---you are a real biz, support the farm, but the income can not pay for all living expenses for what you want and for how fast you want to pay off the land.




BUT in general we shouldn't be debating farm financials of any of us...LOL-LOL----cause all this is just personal info we know to be true etc. but can't word it right on the thread.




I liked chatting with you....it was fun without being bad and that is always COOL!!!!!

As I have pointed out many times, the farm supports itself. Yes, we choose to add to the income so we can pay stuff off faster but, the farm can make the regular payments and even a bit more. The farm can pay for all we want except to pay the loans of quickly. We choose not to be buried in debt like so many others are. When we have to take a loan out we work to get it paid off ASAP.

You don't want to debate farm finances now that your's has been brought into it? Then stop debating mine.

liked chatting with you....it was fun without being bad and that is always COOL!!!!!

I agree.

Feed regulations are minor and we can choose to process anywhere we want. If we wanted to process the cows and sell them as hamburger we could. We choose not to. The milk has to be sold to a plant although there are ways around it if you are so inclind and live in an area where you would have the customers for your milk. The regulations that are troublesome for many, although I have no problem, is the drug ones. They really are not that hard to follow and make sense.

I can also sell the eggs from the chickens to the public. Speaking of chickens, I better go collect eggs. I don't want the egg eater to get them. Don't worry though, her days are numbered!

 

[Frosting]

Ok, I can see things are going to get a bit heated in here. There is absolutely no reason for anyone to resent anyone else's ways or means; no one should be pointing fingers at anyone. We are all from very different places discussing these issues. Be respectful of each other and keep an open mind - it isn't all about any one poster here, nor is any one poster correct.

Be civil or this thread will be closed, and most of you know how much I hate to close threads!

Yes, reinbeau.

 

[FarmerChick]

oh I see what you mean.

what I meant was this _---maybe I worded it wrong------I meant by "real business" as one that can truly and solely run itself....supporting all aspects of financials.

But now I realize you mean ---you are a real biz, support the farm, but the income can not pay for all living expenses for what you want and for how fast you want to pay off the land.




BUT in general we shouldn't be debating farm financials of any of us...LOL-LOL----cause all this is just personal info we know to be true etc. but can't word it right on the thread.




I liked chatting with you....it was fun without being bad and that is always COOL!!!!!

As I have pointed out many times, the farm supports itself. Yes, we choose to add to the income so we can pay stuff off faster but, the farm can make the regular payments and even a bit more. The farm can pay for all we want except to pay the loans of quickly. We choose not to be buried in debt like so many others are. When we have to take a loan out we work to get it paid off ASAP.

You don't want to debate farm finances now that your's has been brought into it? Then stop debating mine.

liked chatting with you....it was fun without being bad and that is always COOL!!!!!

I agree.

Feed regulations are minor and we can choose to process anywhere we want. If we wanted to process the cows and sell them as hamburger we could. We choose not to. The milk has to be sold to a plant although there are ways around it if you are so inclind and live in an area where you would have the customers for your milk. The regulations that are troublesome for many, although I have no problem, is the drug ones. They really are not that hard to follow and make sense.

I can also sell the eggs from the chickens to the public.

You don't want to debate farm finances now that your's has been brought into it? Then stop debating mine.

The only reason I debated farm financials to start was referring to that a real business must succeed and in order to do so....to feed millions, must use certain practices to make it financially feasible to feed millions and stay in business.....I guess it snowballed from there.

I in no way am worred about my financials regarding my farm or discussing them but I realize our chat got off track about the intitial thread.



Barb with her dairy as tons of regs...like her poop hole. She can only use certain pipes to spray the fields, can only spray so many gallons of poop on fields, etc. etc. All this is documented and federally regulated. Maybe for 30 cows none of this is needed???

Her pasture creeks must be fenced off and no cows allowed....all that nonsense (well nonsense I say but rules that have to be followed) of course...LOL

her milk is tested daily and she is on contract with a company and they pick up every 2 days and her fine for ever contaminating a tanker truck while picking up is like $12,000 to cover the truckload...so she has insurance to cover all that mess.


well you know the drill...with her milking 150 and about 100 on freshening and some replacements etc. she might be in a more rule category than you???? I don't know that one