Dairy Farmers, tell me.....

[curtintex]

I know a few former dairy farmers. All are glad that they are former dairy farmers.

Ditto...I know a few FORMER dairy farmers, but I don't know many itching to be FUTURE dairy farmers. It's probably the toughest job on the planet as it is never-ending and never relenting. One friend, whose family got out of their large dairy operation in South Dakota, told me that any tittie pulling he did in the future **** sure wouldn't involve a cow.

[Mohawkman]

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 us

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 months

Easy there cowboy! Our market is not what it was. Everyone in ag needs to stick to get her.

[SoTXAg06]

Worked for a few different dairies when I was younger. Most of the people I still know in the business make money selling secondary products in addition to milk. Making various cheeses, or butter seems to be the way to increase income. That being said, everyone I know works long days and don’t take vacations.


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[tpack]

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 perspective

On the MONEY !!
I was in a similar position back in the early 80`s. I was in my early 20`s and thought I wanted to quit my job in the grocery business and go in the the dairy business with my in-laws. They decided they didn`t want to be in business with family though and I kept the job I had(mother-in-law didn`t like me). It was a very good decision for me. I ended up loaning them the money to file bankruptcy and other things years later and had a successful 31 year career. I have had several family members in the dairy business , including my dad when I was very young and I can`t remember any of them having much time off or being very happy .

[MQ32Shooter]

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 perspective

Wow, I think the young now has the answer he was looking for! Hard to believe that they've managed to keep the prices so suppressed with expenses going up constantly.

[BrianL]

Run forest run!

[Low Fence]

Going to pull calf now.....



You got to be a vet too

[double bogey]

Yep, my cousin Harlin was the hardest working man and the hardest working family I have ever known. And he would come over and help my dad when he had calving issues with his little 30 cow herd. Seems like it was always with weather like we are having now.

[quackadikt]

Dairy is the ONE industry in Ag that you couldn't talk me into getting into regardless of the amount of money thrown at me. WAYYYYYYY too many hours, WAYYYYY too many regulations, WAYYYYY too little money anymore.

The milkman was making some super money when the gov't subsidies were pouring in. They're taking it on the chin and in the nuts now that the subsidies have quit(or almost quit) since people have started milking almonds and dairy is the worst thing in the world for you now.

[TXUSMC]

Y’all did provide tons of perspective. Land/cattle/facilities prices, starting at the bottom, probably working until I die trying to turn a profit. I appreciate everything. Seems like if you weren’t born in to it, it isn’t in the cards financially. Thanks everybody.

[Low Fence]

Y’all did provide tons of perspective. Land/cattle/facilities prices, starting at the bottom, probably working until I die trying to turn a profit. I appreciate everything. Seems like if you weren’t born in to it, it isn’t in the cards financially. Thanks everybody.

That's it in a nut shell

If you don't have the land free and clear.... no way, zero, impossible to make it.

$3000+ acre land to run cattle on..... not in 5 lifetimes

[BufordT]

Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome! Semper Fi

[BitBackShot]

Man, all of this sounds just absolutely awful.

[Hog Grim Reaper]

Don't do it. A lot better industries in Ag to get into.

[texansfan]

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 us

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 months

Sorry for your pain but I love your business insight.
LOVE it!
It's cool to look inside the business life of a dairy farmer.

Buy hey, what if you turned your product into a more finished state like cheeses (cream cheese, cottage cheese, regular hard cheese like cheddar and swiss) would that help your bottom line?