I don't grow crops, but there are quiet a few in Michigan's Thumb area. Beans are a big crop around here - navy beans, soy beans, black beans, ect. I buy navy beans and black beans by the pound there.
Closest one is about 7 miles from me in Lapeer. Then the next would probably be in Millington.
I have forgotten just where in the Thumb it was, but a group of 5 or 6 Navy bean farmers formed a CoOp, eliminating the middleman. They had a building, several grain bins and access to a railroad siding down the road a mile or so.
When the guy from Dept of Ag showed up to check their scales (Weights and Measures is an Ag function)he asked what they thought would help their business. One member mentioned that every time they shipped beans, they had to hire a truck, load the truck, have the truck load the railroad car, from down the road a mile away.
Word got back to the State capitol and some guy from MD of Transportation came out for a look see. Seems there was once a rail line that ran right next to their building. So new ties and track were laid and they got direct rail access. Now about 50 farmers belong to that CoOp.
I think Michigan raises 80% of the world's Navy Brans.
We have at least 4 elevators within 10 miles of us. Had 5 but one of the bigger coops bought out a smaller family run operation this year.
The family run place would take your grain in at "board price" (what was posted as the price you would pay to buy it the day you brought it in) then you had that much money on account so you could make out well or lose a bit...
Never sold any to the bigger places as all I make anymore is cob corn.
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Deja Moo; The feeling I've heard this bull before.
What prompted my question was that I saw a Craigslist ad for a '69 Ford grain truck, and it reminded me of my early days in Indiana. Nearly any small town with a rail siding would have a working elevator, three to four stories tall, covered with galvanized corregated siding. During the harvest, the trucks and tractor pulled wagons would be backed up for blocks in town. In the off harvest season, they did a good business grinding livestock feeds, since nearly every farm kept animals. They did a good business selling fertilizer and seed. Some Farm Bureau elevators sold Co-Op tractors, by Cockshutt.
Here in this area of Michigan, there weren't as many elevators, since we have more fruit farming. There is still the one in Decatur, which still receives grain and custom grinds livestock feeds.
And in my day, it was more like a '38 Ford, and scoop shovels......
Now you'll see the aluminum double bottom, semi with a pup trailer out in the field, waiting on the 18 row corn picker.
Once in awhile, at auction, I see a low mileage 50 year old farm truck. Just used to haul the grain to the local elevator during harvest. Low miles, hard life.
I have forgotten just where in the Thumb it was, but a group of 5 or 6 Navy bean farmers formed a CoOp, eliminating the middleman. They had a building, several grain bins and access to a railroad siding down the road a mile or so.
When the guy from Dept of Ag showed up to check their scales (Weights and Measures is an Ag function)he asked what they thought would help their business. One member mentioned that every time they shipped beans, they had to hire a truck, load the truck, have the truck load the railroad car, from down the road a mile away.
Word got back to the State capitol and some guy from MD of Transportation came out for a look see. Seems there was once a rail line that ran right next to their building. So new ties and track were laid and they got direct rail access. Now about 50 farmers belong to that CoOp.
I think Michigan raises 80% of the world's Navy Brans.
There's a big co-op in Pigeon...that might be it. ETA: I guess it's probably not it...the one in Pigeon says they have 1,000+ owners.
Now you'll see the aluminum double bottom, semi with a pup trailer out in the field, waiting on the 18 row corn picker.
Once in awhile, at auction, I see a low mileage 50 year old farm truck. Just used to haul the grain to the local elevator during harvest. Low miles, hard life.
There are many elevators near us also. They take mostly corn and beans. You can sell from the field, dry and store there, or skip the elevator and sell to the river. You can see wagons, grain trucks and semis hauling.
There are a few still standing, only 1 is ever open. Owned by a farmer for his use, he loads out rail cars, it is in Derry. He will buy grain but most is hauled directly to the docks at Portland. All the coop ones have closed up. The newest, a concrete one at Rickreall was bought by a oil presser, they buy on contract. I don't think there is a feed mill close anymore, Dallas is open as a feed store, Perrydale and McCoy closed up, Amity was torn down. There are 2 or 3 that are used for fertilizer....James
There is one about 25 miles away. They will mix feed for you if you take at least 1000 pounds at a time. They have some premixed stuff in 50 pound bags at a much higher price. I don't think they buy locally but I have not seem any local crops, people grow hay here and that is about it.
Several still around. Closest is a mile away. They buy corn, soybeans, wheat, milo, next town over buys oats, alittle farther west and some but canola. Our traditional corn basis is about +25, beans about -.50. Most farmers have gone to On farm storage, we can haul our beans down to the port and get a positive basis or haul to Tyson chicken and bean even better basis on our corn.
Belonged to my granddads bro. He bought it to haul grain/livestock/coa;/ect. Couldn't make the payments and was going to lose it, and granddad, and grandmom, who, she had money bought it, and did that for awhile. Dad did it as a kid, then Me and bro hauled grain to elevator. They had a lifting device, just like an old wagon lifter that a few big farms had. Then they had another device. Don't think it had anything to do with lifting, but I don't remember how it worked. Maybe the floor tilted.
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