FARM When Walmart runs out of food what will YOU do?

SouthernBreeze said:

Even seasoned gardeners have crop losses of one thing or another, even in the best of times. We lost everything in our gardens, one year, because of the weather. All we can do is the best we can with the knowledge we have, and pray for an abundance of blessings.

Click to expand...

AMEN

... and during the "fat" years, can and dehydrate every bit of excess for the "lean" years.

Bps1691 said:

If you have a sunny area, you can do container gardening without disturbing the soil. You can use storage containers and start getting your "feet wet" for the future.

Click to expand...

I’ve realized it’s not feasible for me to attempt to grow the amount of food I think we need. It would be a monumental failure. I’m going to do a small 4x24 raised bed that’s amended ( the soil here is prob 99% sand). I have gophers and deer to contend with too. I’m going to plant a variety, just in small quantities so I can hopefully keep up and start the learning process.

summerthyme said:

There is a really good basic book called The Joy of Gardening, by Dick Raymond. The photos are quite dated, and he loves his TroyBilt rototiller (he helped design and develop them), but beyond those minor points, he gives a lot of information on how to plan and plant everything from a tiny salad garden to a large "eat and store" patch.

I learned the wide row planting method from him, and have used it successfully for 40 years.

For anyone starting from scratch, I *highly* recommend seeing if you can get your soil tested... l9cal cooperative extension folks shoukd be able to help, if they aren't all on furlough. Knowing the pH and basic nutrient levels can save you a lot of heartache, because if those aren't in balance, pretty much nothing you can do- and it IS a lot of work- will give you healthy, productive plants.

Summerthyme

Click to expand...

We also use the Square Foot Gardening method. I've had to replace some of the raised beds through the years, but when it works, it is great for a continuing progression of fresh veggies during the season. IMHO opinion it is easier gardening for me, weeding on my knees wares me out but the raised beds don't.

Bps1691 said:

AMEN

... and during the "fat" years, can and dehydrate every bit of excess for the "lean" years.

Click to expand...

Absolutely! I learned to do that as a child from my parents and both sets of grandparents. What you may get an abundance of one year, you might not get any of the next. Have been doing it that way my whole adult life. It works.

For container gardening you can do anywhere you get 6 hours or more of sun, try these:
(Sigh... can't get the YouTube link to work! Search YouTube for "make your own Earth Box". Here is an instructable with the same idea.)


(Basically, once you understand the concept, you can adapt whatever you have on hand or can find to accomplish the same effect. I've used dollar store plastic colander in place of the perforated baskets, and did one just cutting the lid down to fit into the container, and supporting it in place with sections of PVC pipe cut 6" long)

They are really amazing. I've got 8 of them in my tiny greenhouse, and they've held up for over 10 yesrs. I suspect UV would break them down much quicker out in the open... I'd probably paint at least the outside with a plastic friendly paint... if you live in a warm climate, I'd either look for light colored containers, or paint them white or another heat reflecting color.

Square Foot gardening... I never was a fan. Maybe he improved his method or maybe my soil is just too good, but using his spacing, etc, for anything except carrots, beets and lettuce, was a disaster. As just one example... I planted my tomatoes last year on 6 foot spacing... up from 4 feet, because they always grow into each other, and blight spreads like wildfire through the row.

So... 6 feet apart, and they still grew into each other! My average sweet bell pepper plant can easily cover 4 square feet (2' x2') and we've learned to plant snap bean rows at least 4 feet apart, or we won't be able to get the tiller between the rows by the time they are blossoming.

It's not that I don't like the idea, but his numbers never worked for me. I plant carrots, beets, spinach, etc in raised beds... 3 1/2' x 7' beds, with a center divider. I simply broadcast the seeds thinly, thin and weed well a couple of times, and then wait for harvest. 2 years ago, I got 80# of carrots off one full (double) bed! And harvest is SO easy... no fork or shovel needed!

If (when!) we get to a point where gardening in the big main gardens is no longer physically feasible, I think a combination of using the raised beds for most of the smaller stuff, and the vine crops, and the EarthBox clones for plants that need a lot more root room shoukd let us grow most of what we need.

Summerthyme

Melodi said:

After using up our preps and to add to our victory garden and chickens, I would have already asked our next-door neighbor the dairy farmer to trade for milk (early so after he spills it on the ground he can have some leftover) about getting a cow when he has to shoot half or more of his herd come, Winter, because while Irish Beef is mostly grass-fed, they need some feed to get through the Winter.

We could offer him a number of good things in trade, and Nightwolf and I have already discussed that while we would rather not deal with anything more than quail, chickens, and ducks; in a pinch, we can try to get another pig (one) feed it up on garden produce then rebuilt the smokehouse we had a few years ago and have smoked pork along with the smoked and salted beef.

While all plans tend to morph or fail when faced with reality - while I know that "shoot the cow" is a joke, trading and making arrangements ahead of time while the farmers still have the animals is a good idea.

There is going to be a huge animal slaughter if feed arrangements break down followed by a very limited supply.

On hunting, during the Great Depression in the US just about everything was "hunted out" even if most of the rural areas within about 18 months (if I recall correctly and I don't have the source to hand) so a good stop-gap measure but not something to be relied on too heavily outside of maybe Alaska or North Sweden.

Click to expand...

Yeah population density will either kill / waste / drive off almost all game in a year or so...

West said:

Clean all irons. Leave all lights out at night. Set and check perimeter alarms. Feed dogs. And check in with naighbors, maybe giving them a walkie talkie.

Click to expand...

This is what matters! I don't care what is in the stores as far as my own shopping, we've been keto for a few years and could skip more meals if we needed to. Plenty of preps, anyway. But, most people out there are sugar burners. Add entitlement welfare and drug addicts on top of it - Big Problems.

Some of the Islanders that live in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay use the old heavy duty trash bins for growing potatoes. They cut them down to around 2 1/2 feet tall or so.
When fall comes around, they just upend the container on the ground and there they are, no digging and rooting around.

SouthernBreeze said:

Absolutely! I learned to do that as a child from my parents and both sets of grandparents. What you may get an abundance of one year, you might not get any of the next. Have been doing it that way my whole adult life. It works.

Click to expand...

One time as a child, we stretched one bountiful fruit harvest of peaches and apricots from the orchard through the next two seasons of terrible harvest (late freeze two years in a row). What few fruited were eaten fresh. By the second winter those canned peaches became a very special desert to be used for only a very special time.

Another year when my son was young, we marked off a part of the garden for him to grow a few water melons. They had just started setting their fruit and looked wonderful, when a swarm of Japanese Beatles came in and in one day ate almost every leaf from the plants. Needless to say that was the end of the water melons.

A sudden strong wind storm can wipe out beautiful sweet corn, a late freeze can hammer your crops and even a stray deer can ruin a seasons work. That we ever get good crops is truly a blessing from God.

I have to use containers and raised beds due to my back. I'm still surprised at how much I can get out of a container of patio tomatoes or one of lettuce. I look forward to my salad gardens in the spring and fall.

Reminder: DYI Home Depot, Lowe's, and Menard's carry seeds and often herbs. I can sometimes find seeds that the nurseries have sold out of, like some of the squashes.

If you are just starting out or have moved, Google your online co-op extension and get a list of what grows well in your area. I know survivalists tout heirloom seeds, but if you are starting out, the right hybrids will insure that you have a crop. I grow both heirloom and hybrids: the wet springs we've had recently have wiped out a lot of the heirloom plants.

Lastly, find your local online gardening forums. If you don't seem to have any, join your local "Next Door" forum and try asking there. Many places have micro-climates and experienced gardeners can give you valuable suggestions for your particular location that will save you money and time.

Good luck! Even if you only have one container of patio tomatoes, that's still fresh food for eating!

Snipped from Meloi's post on page 2.
"There is going to be a huge animal slaughter if feed arrangements break down followed by a very limited supply."

Large scale live-stock operations require large daily inputs. The feed is measured in tons, the equipment is specialized, and heavy-duty. The guy we get our beef from feeds a thousand pound bale daily. He needs a big truck with gas, and equipment to load the bale into his truck. He needs solar panels to work to pump the water out of the wells. Just the tires on his truck are $250 each. I hope he has some spares. Stuff wears out, needs repair, or replacement. Without a supply chain behind all the myriad inputs needed to maintain the animals, they will get shot. No more breeding.

Most food works this way. As individuals, we can change our own set-ups, but that won't fix the majority of the population (and the gov.) that becomes desperate and predatory.

Melodi said:

On hunting, during the Great Depression in the US just about everything was "hunted out" even if most of the rural areas within about 18 months (if I recall correctly and I don't have the source to hand) so a good stop-gap measure but not something to be relied on too heavily outside of maybe Alaska or North Sweden.

Click to expand...

That is a very common but not really quite true statement. It is true that in the USA at least, game populations were very low during the Great Depression. But it is also true the US game populations were very low before the Great Depression ever started. Market hunting had decimated America's wild game long before the depression.

Bps1691 said:

One time as a child, we stretched one bountiful fruit harvest of peaches and apricots from the orchard through the next two seasons of terrible harvest (late freeze two years in a row). What few fruited were eaten fresh. By the second winter those canned peaches became a very special desert to be used for only a very special time.

Another year when my son was young, we marked off a part of the garden for him to grow a few water melons. They had just started setting their fruit and looked wonderful, when a swarm of Japanese Beatles came in and in one day ate almost every leaf from the plants. Needless to say that was the end of the water melons.

A sudden strong wind storm can wipe out beautiful sweet corn, a late freeze can hammer your crops and even a stray deer can ruin a seasons work. That we ever get good crops is truly a blessing from God.

Click to expand...

Yes. Things like that can happen in any given year. I could share stories of my own, too. So far, this season, we haven't lost our fruit crops to a late freeze, but it can still happen. Trees full of small peaches, and apple trees are in bloom.

We've always done our gardening in raised beds. Lots and lots of produce. We can everything, until we have canned ourselves out. Some years, we have so much that we give it away. Then, there are years where we only manage to grow very little of one crop or another, or don't have any at all.

Raised beds have always worked for us, and are much easier to tend. For the past two years, we've done nothing with them because of health reasons. We can always start them up again if needed. It would just be slow going. I do still plan to plant a few things this year, once the ground warms up a bit more. Usually it's the last 2 weeks in April or May 1st for warmer weather crops here.

Grock said:

Do you know any farmers?
I know quite a few.
None can sell what they grow for what it costs them to grow it.
Including me.

Click to expand...

Freeze it until the prices go up

Freeze dry any protein product that you could not sell as frozen 3-6 months from now.

Timing in markets.

Strategy in calculated moves.

Hold back seed stock In tiers of protective measures.

My fireman neighbor was hot on chicks for a while. Then suddenly he was into chickens and eggs. Had so many he had to trade em off.

One thing I did as soon as I realized there were going to be shortages, was to fill up the incubator with quail eggs. They hatch at 19 days and are ready to butcher at 8 weeks. It only takes a few seconds to butcher a quail, it's not like you need to set aside a day to butcher. So every 19 days we have a new batch of at least 20 chicks. At two weeks old they're fully feathered and ready to go outside in cages - in an outbuilding. I'm absolutely loving the quial!

A couple of days ago, Dh butchered some of our old birds. They don't get tough with age like chickens do. He bartered some of them along with a couple of dozen eggs for some of those woven wire dog kennel panels that a neighbor wanted to get rid of. We needed them because all of our goat kids are boys and need to be separated from their mommas.

Our little Nigerian Dwarf goats are giving us more milk than we can use in a day, so today, I made farm cheese for the first time! It came out wonderful!! I added a few wild onions dug up by our old woods road and some parsley from the garden. The whey went to the pigs. Here's the video I used ( love this channel!) :

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6kQO7tXfcM


Hubby wanted a hair cut. I've never cut hair before! Anyway, he found this video on YT. It came out great, he's thrilled to bits! The boy's next!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBtay3_Ux7c


We were joking on another thread here about frilly aprons and dressing up for our Dhs. I remembered that I actually have a ( mildly) frilly apron that I'd made years ago. He was working outside today, sorting through buckets of bolts and bent nails. I dug out the apron and put it on, along with the required rubber muck boots! Took him a cup of tea with homemade cheese on celery sticks. Gave him a laugh

Anyway, here's the pattern for the apron :

I like Walmart. There hasn't been any food item I haven't been able to find there so far. Kroger is low on most food stuff, lots of empty shelves. Employee said the trucks aren't bringing much when they do show up. Walmart trucks are all over I 30, close to were I live, coming and going. I would think the farmers whose products goes to Walmart Great Value contracts still get the same money for producing the food.

Farmers are panic-buying to keep America's 95 million cows fed

Isis Almeida, Agnieszka de Sousa and Megan Durisin
1 hr ago

© Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg Dairy cows eat in a feeding barn at Lafranchi Ranch in Nicasio, California, U.S., on Friday, July 6, 2018. U.S. producers fear Mexico's 25 percent retaliatory tariffs on U.S. dairy and cheesein response to the Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffswould deplete their exports to Mexico, according to a letter spearheaded by the U.S. Dairy Export Council, the International Dairy Foods Association, and the National Milk Producers Federation.

Days after President Trump extended America’s quarantine guidelines, Tyler Beaver, the 31-year-old founder of brokerage Beaf Cattle Co., couldn’t get hold of the rations that feed his clients’ cows. He’d already tried sellers in the traditional producing areas of the U.S. such as Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, only to find they were mostly sold out. Soon, in a bid to connect his customers with a feed mill still willing to sell, he changed strategy and tried to pull feed from the Delta region, hundreds of miles away — again without luck.

Just as virus-spooked consumers have rushed to grocery stores to stockpile everything from toilet paper to pasta, farmers raising America’s cattle, hogs, and chickens have filled their bins with feed, fearing the spread of the coronavirus would disrupt their supply chains. “I’ve had some calls from customers of mine looking for feed because the mills are out,” says the Fayetteville, Ark.-based Beaver. “There’s a rush to buy just because of the uncertainty in the market. They just don’t want to be caught without.”

Keeping America’s 95 million cows, 77 million pigs, and 9 billion chickens fed isn’t as simple as it may seem. Farmers are worried their feed mills could close as employees get sick or that their slaughterhouses could slow production, forcing them to keep animals for longer. They’re also concerned that a shortage of trucks, which are being waylaid to supply supermarkets, could make it harder for farm supplies to reach them.

Even the plunge in gasoline demand affects the feed supply. As ethanol plants shut down — because the fuel additive isn’t needed when gas isn’t selling — the animal feed market is being starved of an important ingredient called dried distillers grains (DDGs) that are a byproduct of ethanol production. Distillers grain is a key ingredient in rations for beef cattle and dairy cows.

The rush to fill bins hasn’t happened only in the U.S. French feedmakers stepped up ingredient purchases at the start of the lockdown, and demand jumped as plants that produce biofuels started to slow down. A similar trend occurred in Germany last month. “This is a new phenomenon,” says David Webster, head of animal nutrition and health at Cargill Inc., adding that the agribusiness giant has seen its global feed sales volume climb 10% or more in the past month. “We saw a bit of this in China in February, but now we are seeing globally, in every geography that we operate in, so it’s testing the system, so to speak.”

France’s Avril Group also experienced strong demand in the past few weeks as customers rushed to finalize purchases over concerns that production could be suspended as biodiesel demand plummeted. And German farm cooperative Agravis Raiffeisen AG said there was some panic meal buying from feedmakers, while Munich-based grain trader BayWa AG saw hoarding in northwest Europe. “If you have a huge cattle herd, you want to make sure you have enough feedstuffs available on your farm,” says Thorsten Tiedemann, chief operating officer at Getreide AG, a Hamburg-based trader that sells rapeseed meal, a feed ingredient.

That’s why James Holz, a farmer in Jefferson, Iowa, recently bought three weeks’ worth of ration for his 3,000 cattle, triple the norm. Because he’s in the U.S.’s top ethanol-producing state, he typically doesn’t need to stockpile. Some cattle producers there get multiple deliveries of distillers grains a day. “A lot of guys use their last scoop at 9 a.m., and then the truck comes at 10 a.m.,” says the 34-year-old farmer. But even he was taking no chances.

Still, because farmers’ bin space is limited, they can’t really hoard the same way that consumers are doing, says David Hoogmoed, president of the Purina Animal Nutrition unit of Land O’ Lakes Inc. (The Purina that makes the dog and cat food is owned by Nestlé SA.) “What we are seeing isn’t a run on feed, but a keep-everything-full scenario,” he says. “While the producer [in the past] may have run things down to the last minute and ordered feed for tomorrow, they are building in, in their inventory management, more of a safety stock.”

While sales at Purina’s livestock business increased only by single digits, there probably was a boost of more than 20% in the companion animal segment, which includes horses and rabbits. Even with social distancing in place, Hoogmoed says the company has kept its more than 60 mills operating, adding overtime and some weekend shifts and running “a very strong throughput.” “When you have a pet, even if it’s a horse — not a dog and a cat — they have a name and you want to take care of them,” he says. “We had a very large runup in retail feeds in all of our outlets and most of our customers.”

It’s still unclear if all the talk of hoarding will eventually result in more demand for feed. The number of animals isn’t necessarily growing at a pace that’s faster than usual, and farmers can only fill up their bins once before they go back to the normal rate of consumption, says Tiedemann of Getreide. “We will see how it plays out over the next 90 days, but our view today would be that this is demand being pulled forward,” says Cargill’s Webster.

Back in Arkansas, Beaver, who also raises cattle, is worried about the present. “If all the farmers go out and fill up all the storage bins they did have just because they are unsure what the future is going to hold, that does absorb a lot,” he says. “And if all the feedlots throughout the U.S. do the same thing and keep everything maxed out as far as their storage bins, storage capacity, and hedge for the future as well, you will start seeing shortages.”

Farmers are panic-buying to keep America's 95 million cows fed

U.S. Sees First Food-Worker Deaths; ‘You Are Vital,’ Pence Says

James Attwood and Isis Almeida
BloombergApril 8, 2020

(Bloomberg) -- Just hours after a labor union reported what may be the first poultry-worker deaths associated with the coronavirus in the U.S., Vice President Mike Pence urged American food workers to continue to “show up and do your job.”

“You are vital,” he said during a press conference late Tuesday. “You are giving a great service to the people of the United States of America and we need you to continue, as a part of what we call critical infrastructure, to show up and do your job.” In return, Pence said, the government will “work tirelessly” to ensure their workplaces are safe.

Pence’s remarks came just hours after the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union that represents thousands of poultry-processing workers across the southern U.S. reported that two members at a Tyson Foods Inc. facility in Camilla, Georgia, had died from the virus. It was unclear whether they were infected while at work.

JBS USA on Wednesday confirmed the death of an employee that worked at its Greeley, Colorado, plant, citing complications associated with Covid-19. The company is a unit of JBS SA, the world’s biggest meat company.

Tyson said the company has been taking employee temperatures before they enter facilities, stepped up deep cleaning at its plants, implemented social distancing measures and given workers access to protective face coverings. The company didn’t comment on the deaths Tuesday or again Wednesday.

“We continue working diligently to protect our team members at Camilla and elsewhere,” the Springdale, Arkansas-based company said by email Tuesday. “Since the U.S. government considers Tyson Foods a critical infrastructure company, we take our responsibility to continue feeding the nation very seriously.”

Maple Leaf Suspends Poultry Plant Operations Amid Virus Cases
The JBS employee had worked for the company for more than 30 years, and a spokesman said the firm is offering support to the family and team members.

The coronavirus, which has claimed more than 81,000 lives globally, is spreading into America’s food-making heartlands. Shortly after Pence spoke, food giant Cargill Inc. said it was idling a beef plant in Pennsylvania after employees tested positive for Covid-19, joining the ranks of food companies across the U.S. shutting or reducing operations as the outbreak sickens more of their ranks and begins to affect production.

The slowdowns have fanned fears of potential food shortages just as supply chain disruptions are already keeping some basic goods such as beef, rice and pasta off grocery shelves. The U.S. Chicken Council said its members are doing everything they can to keep their employees safe and product on the shelves.

On Monday, Tyson said it had halted pork processing at a plant in Iowa after more than two dozen workers tested positive. JBS suspended operations until April 16 at a beef plant in Pennsylvania after several managers showed symptoms. Other producers have faced everything from worker walkouts to hundreds of employees quarantined to people calling out of the job.

Coronavirus cases aren’t limited to meat plants. Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., one of the world’s largest agricultural commodity traders, said Monday that four employees at its corn processing complex in Clinton, Iowa, tested positive for the virus. The company says it has less than 20 cases globally.

Walmart Inc. was also faced with employee deaths.

If Wallyworld runs out of food, and that becomes known to me, I load and lock. Personally, I make it a point not to go there. Look...the question is doom porn of a sort. Our grocery manufacturing and distribution system didn’t have a problem until the panic began. If, as is commonly believed, people on average have only 3 days of food in their pantry, and they suddenly desire to have 6 days on hand, the system will never be able to keep pace. The system was built from the ground up to be able to supply the 3 days, not 6 days.

I am worried about the psychology on this now. If folks keep seeing bare shelves...it may cause them to become violent. But how do you break their impulse to buy more when they shop just because? If everyone went back to their normal buying patterns, this would be over quickly.

Glad we normally buy our beef from a rancher that we personally know. Have to have my son put in an order for 1/2 cow, but as far as we know he hasn't even bought any to raise this year. That was in Feb/Mar timeframe. Ranchers are spooked by this whole thing.

Would love 1/2 pig too, but they don't raise those.

Both sets of my grandparents were farmers. One raised cattle, and the other hogs. We always had plenty of beef and pork. My dad was an avid hunter and fisherman. So, to add to our freezers, plenty of catfish, and venison. We always had chickens running around, too. I really, really miss them. Those were the days. Sigh.

Faroe said:

Snipped from Meloi's post on page 2.
"There is going to be a huge animal slaughter if feed arrangements break down followed by a very limited supply."

Large scale live-stock operations require large daily inputs. The feed is measured in tons, the equipment is specialized, and heavy-duty. The guy we get our beef from feeds a thousand pound bale daily. He needs a big truck with gas, and equipment to load the bale into his truck. He needs solar panels to work to pump the water out of the wells. Just the tires on his truck are $250 each. I hope he has some spares. Stuff wears out, needs repair, or replacement. Without a supply chain behind all the myriad inputs needed to maintain the animals, they will get shot. No more breeding.

Most food works this way. As individuals, we can change our own set-ups, but that won't fix the majority of the population (and the gov.) that becomes desperate and predatory.

Click to expand...

In Ireland, almost all beef is grass-fed and herds are much smaller (both dairy and beef) but in Winter Hay and feed are essential as the grass either goes away or loses its nutritional value even in a mild Winter and in a harsh one it can be dead and gone for several months.

Kerrygold is (or was) being sued in the US because the label said "from grass-fed cows" which is true, except in Winter when there is no grass and sometimes the hay runs out too.

I know that in the US, cattle farmers (and others) have to buy food at least once a week if not more often so things may implode even faster there.

My cattle are grass fed, and in the winter hay from our pastures which I cut and bail myself. They are occasionally fed some grain, but in a statistically tiny amount- we just use it to get them to come up if we need to check or treat them for some reason. 99.99 % of their nourishment comes from the pasture.
Here's the issue. I can sell the hay for more that the cows sell for. If I make 20k in hay, and feed it out to the cattle, I'll get 15k in sales of the feeders or slaughter cows. Never mind the time put in, the care and tending the herd, the vet bills, etc.
Feeders here are selling for 90c/lb. A real nice animal may pull $1 or $1.10
Slaughter cows 25-40c a lb. on the hoof- YES that's 25 cents a lb!

So why BOTHER? Me and lots of others are wondering that.

Clear out a room, bring chickens inside.

Grock said:

My cattle are grass fed, and in the winter hay from our pastures which I cut and bail myself. They are occasionally fed some grain, but in a statistically tiny amount- we just use it to get them to come up if we need to check or treat them for some reason. 99.99 % of their nourishment comes from the pasture.
Here's the issue. I can sell the hay for more that the cows sell for. If I make 20k in hay, and feed it out to the cattle, I'll get 15k in sales of the feeders or slaughter cows. Never mind the time put in, the care and tending the herd, the vet bills, etc.
Feeders here are selling for 90c/lb. A real nice animal may pull $1 or $1.10
Slaughter cows 25-40c a lb. on the hoof- YES that's 25 cents a lb!

So why BOTHER? Me and lots of others are wondering that.

Click to expand...

My naighbors are in the same boat.

It really gets my goat, that they can't afford to resale their own beef all ready butchered at a local shop. The cost (mandated liabilities and compliances)to open a public private butcher shop, makes it too expensive, to stay competitive. It should cost less than Walmart meat and the ranchers should be able to bank closer to $2 a pound on the hoof.

Grock said:

My cattle are grass fed, and in the winter hay from our pastures which I cut and bail myself. They are occasionally fed some grain, but in a statistically tiny amount- we just use it to get them to come up if we need to check or treat them for some reason. 99.99 % of their nourishment comes from the pasture.
Here's the issue. I can sell the hay for more that the cows sell for. If I make 20k in hay, and feed it out to the cattle, I'll get 15k in sales of the feeders or slaughter cows. Never mind the time put in, the care and tending the herd, the vet bills, etc.
Feeders here are selling for 90c/lb. A real nice animal may pull $1 or $1.10
Slaughter cows 25-40c a lb. on the hoof- YES that's 25 cents a lb!

So why BOTHER? Me and lots of others are wondering that.

Click to expand...

You aren't the only ones! We're going to cut our herd WAY down... essentially keeping just enough to produce 2-3 steers per year for family and a few loyal customers. It's just not worth the time, effort and expense any more.

Summerthyme

Grock said:

My cattle are grass fed, and in the winter hay from our pastures which I cut and bail myself. They are occasionally fed some grain, but in a statistically tiny amount- we just use it to get them to come up if we need to check or treat them for some reason. 99.99 % of their nourishment comes from the pasture.
Here's the issue. I can sell the hay for more that the cows sell for. If I make 20k in hay, and feed it out to the cattle, I'll get 15k in sales of the feeders or slaughter cows. Never mind the time put in, the care and tending the herd, the vet bills, etc.
Feeders here are selling for 90c/lb. A real nice animal may pull $1 or $1.10
Slaughter cows 25-40c a lb. on the hoof- YES that's 25 cents a lb!

So why BOTHER? Me and lots of others are wondering that.

Click to expand...

Our rancher neighbors are strongly thinking of retiring for that very reason. In fact right now they have their most distant land up for sale.

West said:

My naighbors are in the same boat.

It really gets my goat, that they can't afford to resale their own beef all ready butchered at a local shop. The cost (mandated liabilities and compliances)to open a public private butcher shop, makes it too expensive, to stay competitive. It should cost less than Walmart meat and the ranchers should be able to bank closer to $2 a pound on the hoof.

Click to expand...

And be a whole lot better than what you can buy at Wally. I only buy their meat in an extreme necessity. Same goes for Kroger.

At least Safeway/Albertsons still have in-store butchers who will cut it "your way".

summerthyme said:

There is a really good basic book called The Joy of Gardening, by Dick Raymond. The photos are quite dated, and he loves his TroyBilt rototiller (he helped design and develop them), but beyond those minor points, he gives a lot of information on how to plan and plant everything from a tiny salad garden to a large "eat and store" patch.

I learned the wide row planting method from him, and have used it successfully for 40 years.

For anyone starting from scratch, I *highly* recommend seeing if you can get your soil tested... l9cal cooperative extension folks shoukd be able to help, if they aren't all on furlough. Knowing the pH and basic nutrient levels can save you a lot of heartache, because if those aren't in balance, pretty much nothing you can do- and it IS a lot of work- will give you healthy, productive plants.

Summerthyme

Click to expand...

Love this book. I got it when my Dad gave me his tiller. My daughter read it (shes 13) and said it read like an ad for Troybilt. I have been looking for his In Row Weeder for a few years.

nwillitts said:

your gonna starve.

Click to expand...

Sorry, but no I will not.

Grock said:

My cattle are grass fed, and in the winter hay from our pastures which I cut and bail myself. They are occasionally fed some grain, but in a statistically tiny amount- we just use it to get them to come up if we need to check or treat them for some reason. 99.99 % of their nourishment comes from the pasture.
Here's the issue. I can sell the hay for more that the cows sell for. If I make 20k in hay, and feed it out to the cattle, I'll get 15k in sales of the feeders or slaughter cows. Never mind the time put in, the care and tending the herd, the vet bills, etc.
Feeders here are selling for 90c/lb. A real nice animal may pull $1 or $1.10
Slaughter cows 25-40c a lb. on the hoof- YES that's 25 cents a lb!

So why BOTHER? Me and lots of others are wondering that.

Click to expand...

Grock, if you can watch videos, take a look at Greg Judy's channel. He takes poor, over-grazed farms and brings them back to beautiful lush fields. He mob grazes South Poll cattle ( a smaller framed cattle) on small areas for short periods, moving them every day. His cattle are gorgeous! He grass feeds all year long and has many how-to videos. We're trying to implement his methods here on our farm but with sheep. He also raises sheep the same way. I love his enthusiasm!!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsZaPFO_zbQ


Here's part 1 of his class on starting a 20 acre grazing operation from scratch:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojQg1s4KJeI

Grock said:

When Walmart runs out of food what will YOU do?
The supply chain is broken. Farmers aren't getting paid enough to continue to produce.
There is limited stock in most major distribution centers, and nothing coming in...
Its just a matter of time.

What are your plans?

Click to expand...

Matthew 6:26,27,31–34
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? … So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

goosebeans said:

Grock, if you can watch videos, take a look at Greg Judy's channel. He takes poor, over-grazed farms and brings them back to beautiful lush fields. He mob grazes South Poll cattle ( a smaller framed cattle) on small areas for short periods, moving them every day. His cattle are gorgeous! He grass feeds all year long and has many how-to videos. We're trying to implement his methods here on our farm but with sheep. He also raises sheep the same way. I love his enthusiasm!!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsZaPFO_zbQ


Here's part 1 of his class on starting a 20 acre grazing operation from scratch:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojQg1s4KJeI

Click to expand...

Well, our farm is not poor or overgrazed. Our fields are thick and lush which is how we can raise cattle to weight on grass alone. You need a very good pasture to do that, and we have some of the best pasture in KY.
We have an extensive soil management program including testing, lime, and fertilizer applied based on annual university analysis. We overseed on a program as well, with medium red clover, alfalfa, Orchard grass and Kentucky 32 tall fescue.

That's not the issue at all. The issue is the market for beef is manipulated like most ag commodities. Futures traders determine what we can sell for, and with the big processors closing up shop, guess what?
The Dairy farmers out here are in the same boat, with lots of multi-generational farms just pulling the plug.
Whole milk locally sells for .99c a gallon. RETAIL! Wholesale- the price farmers get paid is half that.

Grock said:

Well, our farm is not poor or overgrazed. Our fields are thick and lush which is how we can raise cattle to weight on grass alone. You need a very good pasture to do that, and we have some of the best pasture in KY.
We have an extensive soil management program including testing, lime, and fertilizer applied based on annual university analysis. We overseed on a program as well, with medium red clover, alfalfa, Orchard grass and Kentucky 32 tall fescue.

That's not the issue at all. The issue is the market for beef is manipulated like most ag commodities. Futures traders determine what we can sell for, and with the big processors closing up shop, guess what?
The Dairy farmers out here are in the same boat, with lots of multi-generational farms just pulling the plug.
Whole milk locally sells for .99c a gallon. RETAIL! Wholesale- the price farmers get paid is half that.

Click to expand...

Grock, I didn't mean to insinuate that your farm was poor or overgrazed. Apologies if it came across that way. Sad that even though you do everything right, it's still so hard to get ahead

goosebeans said:

Grock, I didn't mean to insinuate that your farm was poor or overgrazed. Apologies if it came across that way. Sad that even though you do everything right, it's still so hard to get ahead

Click to expand...

No worries. I am not going to starve!!
We eat at least 90% what we grow, and I must say I have never seen so many blossoms on the fruit trees as I have this year.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is the commercial producers of food, human food, are getting hammered.
That is the point of the OP, and that is a concern that everyone should share. Food does NOT come from Walmart.

West said:

Clean all irons. Leave all lights out at night. Set and check perimeter alarms. Feed dogs. And check in with naighbors, maybe giving them a walkie talkie.

Click to expand...

I really, really hope it doesn't come to that.

ChetekTech said:

Lock and load as I would suspect visitors soon.

Click to expand...

I've been expecting visitors for some time now and they are all invited to
the Donner all you can eat barbecue.......

Severe Food Shortages in Weeks Without PPE | Leaked FEMA Document
by Ken Jorgustin | Updated Apr 9, 2020 | PANDEMIC |



Several recent articles and news reports indicate that potentially major food shortages may become a shocking reality in just weeks. That is, if the food industry cannot acquire enough PPE (personal protection equipment) gear.
As you well know, there are already some food shortages in the majority of grocery stores. However a leaked FEMA document raises additional concerns of increasingly severe food shortages in a matter of weeks if the food industry and distribution channels are not adequately supplied with PPE.
Reported at yahoo.news, the FEMA document titled “Senior Leadership Brief COVID-19” (dated April 2, 2020) “It contains a brief description of findings made by the Food Supply Chain Task Force on the availability of PPE.”

There would be shortages of milk within 24 hours and of fresh fruits and vegetables “within several days.”

The document estimates that “meat, poultry, seafood, and processed eggs” would become scarce within a period of two to four weeks,

while “dry goods and processed foods inventories” — that is, the non-perishables that are pantry staples — could become scarce “as soon as four weeks” after face masks and gloves run out across the food supply chain.
~ yahoo.news

Click to expand...

^^ You might want to read that again.

More reports:

Two terminals for the Port of Houston were recently shut down after an employee tested positive for coronavirus.

Pennsylvania briefly closed most of its truck stops and service areas to slow the spread of the virus, threatening to also slow the distribution of food and other goods.

Some meat packagers around the country were at 3/4 capacity because of illness.
~ NYT

Click to expand...

One of the nations largest poultry producers, Sanderson Farms, has disclosed that 11 eleven of its workers have become ill with COVID-19 in six different plants across the country.
~ HuffPost

Click to expand...

Major meat processors shutting down plants nationwide as employees get sick.

Across the country, major meat processors are starting to shut down plants as employees are getting infected by coronavirus.

Tyson, one of the world’s largest meat processors, suspended operations at its Columbus Junction, Iowa, pork plant this week after more than two dozen workers contracted Covid-19 there.

JBS USA, another major meat processor, has stopped operations at its beef plant in Souderton, Pennsylvania
~ CBS Philly

Click to expand...

Reportedly the Food and Agriculture Administration also expects global food shortages in April and May. Especially as nations take steps to protect their own food supplies. COVID-19 Coronavirus is wreaking havoc on foreign and domestic supply chains around the globe.

People within the complex food supply systems are getting ill from COVID-19.
The spreading virus is beginning to more seriously impact the food industry from production, to processing, packing, to distribution and delivery. The systems are strained.
PPE that does exist is being prioritized to hospitals and medical services. There’s simply not enough to go around. The whole world wants masks and PPE.
The next several weeks appear to be crucial. Apparently if the food industry cannot get adequately supplied with PPE, there will likely be very serious food shortages.
And then things get real interesting…


[ Read: When The Trucks Stop – It’s Over ]
[ Read: How Much Survival Food Is Enough? ]
[ Read: Pandemic Panic | When The Food Starts Running Out ]