What a Mess

[TSIPP]

We just need to google “packing plant profit margins” holy s h I t, the packers are raking it in, lots of articles of record breaking profits.

[Old Cowzilla]

The elephant in the room is what is your
Government going to do? Is your market
Local or are you relying on the export market?

Everything your government does affects your bottom
Line one way or another. Your trade deals determine
What other countries can send to your country. Are
Your competitors in those countries supported by
Their governments? How does that support compare to
Your support or not?

Even local production. Is affected. For example I cannot
For the life of me understand why I see in the local
Co-op grocery pork ribs from Germany? And they are
Cheaper than the local produced? How does it make
Sense environmentally and global warming wise
To ship pork from Germany here when we are exporting
Out? How does that make sense on several fronts?
But some idiot somewhere made a trade deal
That not only allows this but requires it. Perhaps
The only reason I can see is if our canola or some
Other product is accepted or required in Germany?
The bottom line is you have to understand what
The rules are going to be not just short term.

And by the way I tried one of those rack of ribs,dried
Out shoe leather taste. Freezer burnt. But somehow
Still sells.

That ship works both ways 8000 pigs cut up and sold overseas ( Japan) everyday from a plant 30 mins from my door. The only way you can get a pork loin from that plant is from employees who work there. The chops are better than anything you buy from a store ,and don't last long around here ! Huts supply the barns, Philippians cut up the hogs, Japanese enjoy the pork.

[Old Cowzilla]

Work, security, work is a good way to describe a mixed farm. Cattle support grain when it sucks and vice versa. Crop failure is suppling over 1/2 my feed this year and most my neighbors lots of straight cattle guys selling cows. Grain guys hook on to camper between seeding and spraying while mixed farm guys truck cattle and fix miles and miles of fence. Gee wonder why kids don't want to mix farm

[Blaithin]

I think there’s way more people trying to get into farming livestock than crops. Most are kids who’s parents left the farm and want to get back to it or urbanites leaving the city and wanting to be more self sufficient. Livestock is more easily accessible and doesn’t require the equipment investment. Plus they can’t use crops as much. This is why you’re seeing so many market garden attempts and eggs and chicken for sale privately.

Many more trying to make a go of small mixed farms (minus crops). Livestock, veggies, even flowers.

The thing is they’re small and bigger farmers tend to call them “hobby farms”. Which can be slightly ironic since some of those hobby farms hit on income streams that allow them to clear more than a farm of thousands of acres.

The ways to have a more successful farm these days seems to be either go really really big and specialized or stay small and more flexible. This is where I think the big guys can help along the smaller guys and vice versa.