Some of the small dairies will get smarter, switch to beef cows in the Midwest

[rightone]

Say those 200 cow daires, E Iowa, Minn, Wisc etc.

Their lots, feeding facilities, small pastures will work great for drylot based beef cow herds.

The folks KNOW cows.

Plenty of cornstalks, wdgs, gluten, and syrup for CHEAP year around feed that works great for beef cows.

Heck, most will find beef is a PROFITABLE vacation compared to dairy too.

Those are almost Perfect AI setups for beef cows too.
Should be a major deal for usa beef seedstock in the future.

[Blacksandfarmer]

I see your point ringtone, but what will happen to the large dairy producers that dont raise their own forage that will go broke in the comming year with higher feed cost? JR could tell me more about the economics of feedimg your own dairy herd as opposed to buying feed. I just dont know how the big boys can stay in business buying $6, $7 corn and $13, $14 bean meal.

[rightone]

just buy em as they fold and milk on.

( CHEESE is the big processors in the SW...the 2 largest cheese plants on the globe are here )

Biggest is at Dalhart TX...2nd probably at Portales NM.dedo

Generally the last guy that it broke becomes the cows manager for the corps. 

[jrsiajdranch]

Mark I keep wondering when the processors in the south will go public with how much they already have put into the mega boys.  Also with the processor and the producer having the same banker ie. rabo bank, Co Bank, and other JV's as you put it evey body especially the guy with the purse strings has an interest in keeping everything afloat. 

[jrsiajdranch]

Black the economics are simple.  There aren't any!

[jrsiajdranch]

So mark are you saying I;m an idiot? HA HA my wife agrees.  Rain and fog here this morning wet on the outside and wet on the inside. no fun at all!

[k-289]

Some one said the small dairy could convert to beef cow's----confining a beef cow would probably have the same result as pushing a log chain---it can work short term--continuous is another management issue not yet resolved ?

[jrsiajdranch]

K I tend to agree.  Once you stop using that animal to harvest it's food then your costs go thru the roof.  The other thing is that you need to start trimming hoofs and feet and legs that are adapted to pasture don't do well on comtinupos concrete.

[rightone]

jr, paint change whatever color you desire ( ignorance about cows is NO excuse...maybe you and k-289 need some cow classes).

Those beef cows probably be running out on crop stubble 6 months a year or more...thus NOT standing on concrete.

Perhaps your wife knows more about cows than you do ( or likely more about money too ).

If your making money milking cows...that's good ( why do you keep complaining about the prices then?).

Just seems like some are not ( or so they say ) and some are being shut down ( as their bankers say ).

Seems to me like it's simply about improvising, adaption and thus more profit.

Obviously it might be best to think change while one has options vs changes incurred by running out of time and options.

[k-289]

It's been tried in triplicate in that many decades--with the next "new idea'' that will revive a magic formula --short term or broken mouth will go a few month's without a long term plan--along with everyone's herd  health baggage issue's with it----some want to be a BTO without regards to financial stability or working on somebody else's credit card until the roof caves in and then high tail out to the next deal---BTO not for me ! !   If it was so easy they would all be doing it ---like Holstein heifer calves ? ?