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Tighten your belt

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  • agstar77
    Senior Member
    • Jul 2001
    • 6217

    Tighten your belt

    That is the advice from Rabobank . Don't produce more, just do it cheaper. Really!!! Land price increase being blamed for farmer costs. You may not get operating loans if you don't cut input cost. Tell it to machinery companies and drug dealers( Fert ,seed and chemical suppliers).
  • mcfarms
    Senior Member
    • Nov 2004
    • 1685

    #2
    Farming 5000 acres 200 plus cow herd irrigation and dryland, Me, My Wife my 83 year old father and a couple teenage children helping where they can. Pretty much on my last notch on the ol belt. maybe JD Case and Agrium better find a few on theirs.

    Comment

    • furrowtickler
      Senior Member
      • Dec 2004
      • 21935

      #3
      To Rabibank - most of us in western Canada have tightened our belts long ago.
      Agree - it's time for the rest of the Ag industry to tighten theirs .
      Most of us run on very low labour and labour costs . If I worked out my wage per hr it would be embarrassing.
      Actually coming from a bank - lol .
      We can tighten more - that means no equipment purchases for the next several years - no prob .
      Inputs can be trimmed but not cut to deep , or it would be not even worth the time and effort to seed in the first place

      Comment

      • Oliver88
        Senior Member
        • Dec 2012
        • 4688

        #4
        Not sure if a Dutch lending institution has the best handle on Western Canadian agriculture.

        Are they big enough on the prairies to hand out free pails at farm shows? 😂

        Comment

        • Klause
          Senior Member
          • Sep 2010
          • 3644

          #5
          Tighten up... ok.


          No 3rd party advisor leaches.

          No equipment purchases.

          Build parts and source from anywhere but dealers.


          Cut out high n crops like canola. Replace acres with more N fixing crops like pulses clover and alfalfa.


          Take wheat out replace with an aleoleic crop like rye. Less fertilizer less chemical.


          Go organic. There's ways to do it right. Again cut the input worms off and sell people stuff for more $$$


          Course that's a world of hurt for everybody else in ag. Maybe it is time for them to feel some pain

          Comment

          • SASKFARMER
            Senior Member
            • Dec 2005
            • 6985

            #6
            We cut out operating loan three years ago! New equipment purchases are on hold or non existent!
            Soil tests used more and more! Why over Fert!
            Cut out excess labour. We are heading to a complete family system! 17 and 18 and 15 year old sons!
            Land purchases dropped and rent renegotiate!
            Also when the companies say buy tell them point blank to F$&k Off.
            Fert Chem seed and equipment!

            Realize that every one needs you in this pyramid scheme and your taking it back'

            Because they don't give a rats ass about you mr farmer!

            Get back to basics!


            Comment

            • hobbyfrmr
              Senior Member
              • Feb 2008
              • 3178

              #7
              It the old "cost/price squeeze". I remember a Royal Bank presentation about 20 years ago where they showed a 100 year graph on wheat. David Kohl (?) described how farms were going to get larger and more efficient. It played out exactly that way around here. There are large well organized and well capitalized farms. Max inputs and terrific yeilds. They negotiate discounts for inputs and machinery and hedge a couple of years into the futures markets. It looks like its all about protecting margins and scooping some cash as it flows past. Plus gaining equity on purchased land. K They buy and rent for high dollar, good machinery lots of employees. They travel the world, buy vacation properties and live well.
              When I started farming I had no money, no equity and no backup which insulted me the most! I understand being in the squeeze and really didnt care much for that lifestyle. I borrowed everything, paid it back and lived on the crumbs. The theme has always been economies of scale. You make $15. 00/acre on 1000 acres $15,000.00 not the best lifestyle. You make $15/acre on 10,000 acres....$150,000. Now your living! My neighbors farm 18,000, 30,000 and 55,000 acres. They live well and Im cool with that.
              Dont shoot the messenger.

              Comment

              • hobbyfrmr
                Senior Member
                • Feb 2008
                • 3178

                #8
                I dont think I am all that successful but there is a teeny weeny little twinge of satisfaction when I get the chance to politely say " no thank you, I am fine.
                I had a good visit at the lake with a convetional farmer my age. Over several beers by the campfire he vented describing the difficulty of hiring a plane for fungicides and the timing. Then the fert bill and the $200,000 canola seed bill, the yeilds he needs to break even on these poor prices.
                I kind of forgot his kids were in earshot but I just said " yeah, well.....**** all that!"
                Im not exactly a motivational speaker.

                Comment

                • fjlip
                  Senior Member
                  • Oct 2002
                  • 9846

                  #9
                  Originally posted by SASKFARMER View Post
                  We cut out operating loan three years ago! New equipment purchases are on hold or non existent!
                  Soil tests used more and more! Why over Fert!
                  Cut out excess labour. We are heading to a complete family system! 17 and 18 and 15 year old sons!
                  Land purchases dropped and rent renegotiate!
                  Also when the companies say buy tell them point blank to F$&k Off.
                  Fert Chem seed and equipment!

                  Realize that every one needs you in this pyramid scheme and your taking it back'

                  Because they don't give a rats ass about you mr farmer!

                  Get back to basics!



                  What year is the "A"?, Mine is a 42, won my class at Kelvington Vintage Pull Saturday.Click image for larger version

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                  Comment

                  • fjlip
                    Senior Member
                    • Oct 2002
                    • 9846

                    #10
                    Guess this could happen....Click image for larger version

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                    Comment

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