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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2009-03-31          161579

The Mrs. asked me to bring home a gal of milk a few days ago. I thought at first the kid at the convenience store gave me too much change, but not so. I got another gal jug at the supermarket a few days later 2.35 for 2%. Somehow that never makes the six o'clock news like when it goes up. Sad part is milk at the farm is around ten or eleven bucks a hunderd locally, down from near twenty a year ago. Have another glass. Frank.

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2009-03-31          161581

Wonder if that is why we have 3 half gallons in ref right now? Even one of my son in laws questioned why we have so much. :) ....

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AnnBrush
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 463 Troy OH
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2009-04-02          161662

The farm gate price of milk has almost nothing to do with the retail price.

Farm price is essentially determined by supply and demand, high demand and limited supply = $19 / cwt like is was back in July last year, now its around $ 11 / cwt as demand has dropped off sharply and the cows are still producing - no one told them we are in a recession.

Retail is determined largely by costs associated in getting a gallon of milk from the farm gate to the store. Think transport (its one of the most costly goods to move around - akin to having to transport chilled water = refrigeration and weight issues), regulatory compliance (on somatic cell count, salmonella, testing for antibiotics etc), pasteurization (heat all that milk up to 170 °F then immediately chill it to 38°F), further processing (splitting into cream, 2%, 1%), standardization of product (adding vitamins which have to be bought), packaging, logistics, labor, inventory management, sanitization of bulk tankers and packaging material, cost of spoiled product.

All this and then most grocery stores sell milk at even price or as a loss leader. ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2009-04-02          161663

Ann brings up a very valid point, as usual.

I friend of mine is an area manager with a very large ready mix cement company.

He has told me on many occasions, they don't sell cement, they give it away free, as long as you are willing to hire their trucks to bring it to you.

He claims that the cost of the cement itself is a VERY small fraction of what you pay, even counting today's state of the art batch plants.

Best of luck.
....

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Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2009-04-03          161675



I found it hard to believe when talking to a freind that drives refridgerated van and he took a load to Florida and on his return run he took Chinese cheese to Michigan.

This was shortly after the baby formula problems they were having. I find it hard to believe we would have taken it for that problem much less our farmers milk prices were headed down fast!
....

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2009-04-03          161677

Ann; Milk may be a loss leader, I don't know, but I do know that after asking the Mrs. she tells me that milk is a good buck a gallon less now anywhere she buys it than a year ago. If they use milk as a loss leader then I'm sure that's why it is at the far end of the supermarket.
Several dairy goat operations have started in our aeria in the last few years, about 4-600 seems to be a common size herd. I haven't visited one yet, but would like to. ....

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2009-04-03          161679

Hardwood, Goat milk: is it baddd or bettteeeerrr then cow?

We now have Chianese cheese? Wonder if their cows are happier than those in Califorina? ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2009-04-03          161682

Quote:
Originally Posted by kthompson | view 161679
We now have Chianese cheese? Wonder if their cows are happier than those in Califorina?


There not as well off, nor as happy, but the Central Committee of the Communist Party has decreed that they be happy, so happy they are!!!

They also do group exercises at dawn every morning while moooing the State approved Peoples Milk song.

I just want to know if the cows are all really short by our standards? ;)

Best of luck. ....

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2009-04-03          161685

KT; I'd give the goat milk a try, might have already had it and didn't know it.
I had a nice visit with one of the dairy goat operators this past winter. Said he used to milk Holsteins, but he can feed five or six goats with what one cow ate plus he gets more per hundred for the milk. He told me but I forgot how much an average goat produces daily. Anyhow he said he comes out a bit better with goats than cows. A bulk truck picks his up three times a week and goes to a dairy in SW Wisconcin where it is made into cheese. Have a big slice of cheese, good for you, I eat my share. Frank. ....

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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2009-04-03          161686

The price of milk here hasn't changed for two years. I always buy the same "Organic" on the insistence of my wife so it's more expensive than regular at $2.99/half gallon of nonfat. ....

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2009-04-03          161689

Ken, so why not get you a milk goat?

Frank, am right sure I rather get kicked by the goat than cow or have them step on my foot either.

Murf, yep on they are told to be happy so they are. At same time they don't know how good or back other cows have it. Maybe we need to develop a happy cow milk test meter? ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2009-04-03          161690

My little lady has some pretty severe food allergies, cow's milk and anything made from it is one of them.

She gets both sheep and goat milk cheese. I've had some of it, it tastes pretty good.

Mind you, I haven't found a cheese yet I didn't think was pretty good. ;)

Best of luck. ....

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AnnBrush
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 463 Troy OH
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2009-04-03          161694

Milk goat = ±7 lb/d milk, holstein = ±70 lb/d. The physical effort to milk each at least 2x daily is approximately the same as are the physical resources for a milking parlor (possibly slightly larger for a cow parlor). Assume the feed fed per lb milk produced is a wash (in actuality cows are more efficient converters of feed to milk), you would need significant additional revenue from the goat milk to make it worthwhile to milk goats. If everyone suddenly got into goat milk production you would expect the prices for your milk to plummet as demand was rapidly exceed by supply and goat milk would be a very price inelastic product. ....

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