Hi Chaffmeister
Nice to hear a young farmers view. Congrats on the new baby, children truly are a gift and can bring such joy.
Just a couple of points really
Futures are necessary today and yes can be used to our advantage if we know, as I am sure you do, how to use them.
They exist however as the best solution YET to cure OUR marketing problem.
I maintain we have a problem with manageing supply and demand and it is OUR problem, No one else can fix it for us. Governments CWB grain traders have all tried and failed.
We must help ourselves!!!
We are a bit like an alcoholic, just an example I don't mean to cause offence, who thinks the barman is his friend if we think any of the above can solve our problem.
Like the alcoholic we need to see the real problem and get HELP.A marketing AA,
Now about that flax farmer.
Is he still a farmer or a flax bar maker with a hobby farm.
I have no problem with hobby farmers so long as we recognise them.
At the moment I am a hobby farmer myself.
A bit more about ianben
First we added value to our grain by rearing beef got to 400 bulls/yr calf to slaughter. Then in 96 came BSE, no customers, no business. Watch-out GM!!!
We saw a little nitche, for small bale hay and straw for riding ponies, all those people must be good for something, they are a pain in the butt when we want to move the combine.
Now straw makes up to £90/tonne and wheat is just £72/tonne.
So have I added value or am I a hay and straw dealer?
I think that I am a hay and straw dealer because that is were I make a profit. The farm is actually a liability because we try to sell what we produce and sometimes our quality is not good enough, we will never control the weather. So now we have 30 cattle again, as a waste diposal for the bad bales, not because I think they will make money.
This is my point about all this adding value IF it works it works better without the farm so why bother to farm.
If those guys in Dakota get bad weather and their wheat won't make pasta what then.
Now cm its 15yrs on. What do you advise your son to do
Does he run the business which requires a pick-up and a mobile phone AND has a regular income.
Or borrow loads of money and farm.
Re rats
I don,t see a gap in the rat bait market at the moment, perhaps after I return from my holidays in Alberta I'll reconsider. How many rats did that guy say we could fit in a suitcase darling.
Still can't believe there are no rats in Alberta. My daughter wants to MOVE.
Regards Ian
Nice to hear a young farmers view. Congrats on the new baby, children truly are a gift and can bring such joy.
Just a couple of points really
Futures are necessary today and yes can be used to our advantage if we know, as I am sure you do, how to use them.
They exist however as the best solution YET to cure OUR marketing problem.
I maintain we have a problem with manageing supply and demand and it is OUR problem, No one else can fix it for us. Governments CWB grain traders have all tried and failed.
We must help ourselves!!!
We are a bit like an alcoholic, just an example I don't mean to cause offence, who thinks the barman is his friend if we think any of the above can solve our problem.
Like the alcoholic we need to see the real problem and get HELP.A marketing AA,
Now about that flax farmer.
Is he still a farmer or a flax bar maker with a hobby farm.
I have no problem with hobby farmers so long as we recognise them.
At the moment I am a hobby farmer myself.
A bit more about ianben
First we added value to our grain by rearing beef got to 400 bulls/yr calf to slaughter. Then in 96 came BSE, no customers, no business. Watch-out GM!!!
We saw a little nitche, for small bale hay and straw for riding ponies, all those people must be good for something, they are a pain in the butt when we want to move the combine.
Now straw makes up to £90/tonne and wheat is just £72/tonne.
So have I added value or am I a hay and straw dealer?
I think that I am a hay and straw dealer because that is were I make a profit. The farm is actually a liability because we try to sell what we produce and sometimes our quality is not good enough, we will never control the weather. So now we have 30 cattle again, as a waste diposal for the bad bales, not because I think they will make money.
This is my point about all this adding value IF it works it works better without the farm so why bother to farm.
If those guys in Dakota get bad weather and their wheat won't make pasta what then.
Now cm its 15yrs on. What do you advise your son to do
Does he run the business which requires a pick-up and a mobile phone AND has a regular income.
Or borrow loads of money and farm.
Re rats
I don,t see a gap in the rat bait market at the moment, perhaps after I return from my holidays in Alberta I'll reconsider. How many rats did that guy say we could fit in a suitcase darling.
Still can't believe there are no rats in Alberta. My daughter wants to MOVE.
Regards Ian
Comment