Valuable 2 cents and kind of what I’ve been thinking. I’d be taking over from a first generation Dutch immigrant that’s known nothing but Dairy his whole life. Very different for me.
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I believe Low Fence is the TBH resident subject matter expert on the dairy business.Comment
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My cousin got away from beef and went to dairy in the mid 70's. Made tons of money then. Got out in the late 90's. Milk sold for the same amount as when he started. Of course everything else cost way more. He was limited to about 500 cows also. He said he needed to be bigger, didn't have the land for it. Now, this is second hand info. Him, and any other family members are gone since the early 2000's, and I am going off memory. But I know they worked 14 hr. days, 7days a week, 365.Comment
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I appreciate all the input.Comment
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I personally would pass on that he offer from what I understand of the dairy industry as has been stated. It becomes a 24/7 lifestyle can you make good money sure can you lose it all sure. It doesn't take large movements I. The price of milk to make the difference betweeen winning and losing. These shifts are also not always a direct result of the "free market" as they heavily influenced by farm subsidies and other govt programs depending on who is in office at the time
What it comes down to for me is quality of life. I work to live not live to work. In dairy you will certainly be living to work. You have made a career path in another industry that can carry you through life. I would ride it out unless you just hate the work then find something you love to do of that is dairy then do it.
Good luck in your decision and thank you for your serviceComment
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I would go another direction just seem over whelming I know a family the runs a dairy in Robertson county they are special and very hard working barley leave the place takes
a special family.Comment
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IMo learning the business part of it seems doable for a hard charging Marine such as yourself, but the real question is this what you want for your post military career.
You have a desired skill that pays handsomely in the real world, and being career military, you stand a very real chance of starting out in a position of leadership instead of the bottom rung of the ladder. With the dairy farm you would be starting at the lowest spot and trying to learn/earn enough to get by. It is a very tough decision to make.
Hopefully a dairy farm expert will chime in and offer some real world advice an until then all I have is a hearty congratulations for your upcoming retirement.Comment
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My BIL sells meds/vet supplies to all the dairies in west Texas. He just moved from DeLeon to Comanche. I could put you in touch with him if you'd like to talk to someone about that side of the business.
I do know that he RARELY gets a day away from his customers but makes a good living for his family....
PM me if you want contact infoComment
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I am a full time dairy farmer. Been for 26 years. You work non stop and handle millions of dollars in hopes of making $40k every other year. I hate it, with every fiber of my being. The industry is as crooked as it gets and it's basically a monopoly
Milk when we got in 26 years ago was $.19 a cwt....... now everything is 4x minimum cost and milk is $.16 cwt. Without our genetic program we too would be out of business like 95% in our area. I dream of the day I can tell DFA &$&% you
My perspectiveComment
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I thank the dairy farmers of Texas who send their product to Borden's in Conroe, we move a lot of your milk 7 days a week, 365.
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Originally posted by Tmag View PostI thank the dairy farmers of Texas who send their product to Borden's in Conroe, we move a lot of your milk 7 days a week, 365.
Hmmmm........ Bordens in Conroe huh...
PM inboundComment
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Fantastic. Thank the lord no snow was involvedOriginally posted by rocky View Post
Cause I got plenty of time in the day to spend 5-6 breaking ice and getting water flowing againComment
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Went to the Aldi grocery store in Corsicana about 6 months ago. Gallon of milk was less than $2.00. As a cattleman, I felt bad for the Dairy Farmer.Comment
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Always a misconception in milk prices vs our pay. It makes ZERO difference and I've never known why. Makes a difference to corporate but not usOriginally posted by BigYoung View Post
If milk were $25 a gallon tomorrow morning we would still get $0.16 a pound
But if fuel goes up.... we pay additional freight fees.... on top of paying ALL freight anyway ( from barn to store)
A few years ago that huge fire killed like 30,000 dairy cattle.... market never wiggled. If 10,000 beef animals disappeared you couldn't afford to make hamburger helper for 8 monthsComment
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