Milk prices to double!!!!!!

"SPIKE" · #1 12/25/12, 08:46 AM

http://money.msn.com/now/post.aspx?p...e-9c0a90fc7501

I guess this may actually help some here that sell milk or milk shares, but this is a big extra expense for poor and fixed income people that have to buy milk. Cost of living statistics never seem to cover things like this.

How can I love my country and hate its leadership so much at the same time! (I am not wanting to start a political thread, just saying)

SPIKE

southerngurl · #2 12/25/12, 09:03 AM

It's wanting a sign in to view the article.

And, as always, I bet with this increase will come little to no increase of pay to the farmers. Another reason why direct to customer is best for everyone involved.

dbarjacres · #3 12/25/12, 10:19 AM

I am the office manager for a 2200 cow dairy in WI. We follow milk futures and hedge on prices. Thus I can confirm with SG that you are correct and farmers will not see that increase. Futures show an increase of approx $.50 in 1st qtr and then falling throughout the yr. So glad I'll have plenty of goat milk!!!

Direct to customer is best except in states where its illegal such as Wisconsin ... THE dairy state. Grrr...

Alice In TX/MO · #4 12/25/12, 11:05 AM

So, where is the money going?

southerngurl · #5 12/25/12, 01:26 PM

Looking it up, it's a dairy subsidy running out. So the prices arent exactly going up, they are just becoming transparent. We"ll be seeing the true price of milk.

CaliannG · #6 12/25/12, 07:03 PM

It seems that the true price of commercial cow milk is actually $7 a gallon.

If this subsidy is not re-established, the value of our goats will have just doubled as well.

Alice In TX/MO · #7 12/25/12, 08:20 PM

HOORAY! I'm freshening seven this spring. The most ever.

Bob Huntress · #8 12/25/12, 10:14 PM

Whereever large milk money interests are involved direct to costumers is either illegal or regulated to a point of unviable. It is like eggs here in west Tennessee. Almost everyone raises chickens so what Wal Mart gets for eggs is limited. If milk were allowed to be sold direct to consumers, the price of milk would drop tremendously. People would watch who they buy their milk from, but they would not pay extra for pasturized or homogenized. The average dairy would not be able to compete if they were not even allowed to sell raw milk, as that would be the cheaper product. The regulations that prevent private sales are intended to protect big business, not the consumer.

CaliannG · #9 12/25/12, 10:54 PM

That is actually VERY true, Bob Huntress.

And folks need to look to their STATE laws. I know too many people around here that complain, when discussing milk regulations, "Federal Government this" and "USDA that". People, the Feds only regulates milk crossing state lines, it is your STATE government that passes laws that everyone who sells milk WITHIN the state has to meet USDA guidelines and get USDA inspections....so start lobbying your STATE representatives about milk sales if your state is not small dairy friendly.

This is going to impact us here on this board, also. If those subsidies are not reinstated, we're going to have a LOT of people with a sudden interest in dairy goats. We might think of working on a "What you need to know before you buy a dairy goat" sticky.....and also gear up for a flood of newbies with problems if the price of dairy jumps.

sammyd · #10 12/26/12, 04:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by southerngurl

Looking it up, it's a dairy subsidy running out. So the prices arent exactly going up, they are just becoming transparent. We"ll be seeing the true price of milk.

No, it will not be the true price of milk. Support levels will revert to a pricing formula established in 1949. So instead of the govt buying milk when it falls below 16.49 a cwt it will be buying milk when it falls below around 38 a cwt.

BTW it is still legal to sell raw milk in WI if you follow the rules. Incidental sales are legal which means you must not advertise and it must not be in the regular course of business.

southerngurl · #11 12/26/12, 08:34 AM

Yea, we can sell it here, off the farm. But only 100 gallons a month (after that it's deadly

).

wintrrwolf · #12 12/26/12, 08:59 AM

Its ironic that I once joked about (many years ago) getting a cow because of milk prices back then..I researched cows and how much just one could produce (found out I was lactose intolerant) and went with goats instead.
I have already seen more and more people "getting" into goats with this even more people will want a backyard milker, which could I suppose drive down the price of milk..law of supply and demand

harvestmoonfarm · #13 12/26/12, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaliannG

That is actually VERY true, Bob Huntress.

And folks need to look to their STATE laws. I know too many people around here that complain, when discussing milk regulations, "Federal Government this" and "USDA that". People, the Feds only regulates milk crossing state lines, it is your STATE government that passes laws that everyone who sells milk WITHIN the state has to meet USDA guidelines and get USDA inspections....so start lobbying your STATE representatives about milk sales if your state is not small dairy friendly.

This is going to impact us here on this board, also. If those subsidies are not reinstated, we're going to have a LOT of people with a sudden interest in dairy goats. We might think of working on a "What you need to know before you buy a dairy goat" sticky.....and also gear up for a flood of newbies with problems if the price of dairy jumps.

And/or dairy cows. A lot of people still aren't willing to give goat milk a try. For some reason they think of it as "gross" because it's not what they grew up drinking. The sad thing is, if milk prices drop again and/or when people realize there's actually work, time and $$ involved to "grow" your own milk, there are going to be a lot of animals (goats and cows) looking for homes.

CaliannG · #14 12/26/12, 10:40 AM

Too true, harvestmoonfarm. IF the price of dairy jumps significantly, as is predicted if the dairy subsidies don't go through, the cattle forum should also gear up for newbies. Although I don't think they will get the traffic that the goat forum will. You can keep a couple of mini-goats in a suburban back yard. Even mini-cattle need a significant amount of space not available on the average, suburban lot.

But, IF this turns out to be the case, we will, indeed, see a lot of transfer of animals as some people find out that a dairy animal is NOT going to give them "something for nothing", sell those animals, to have them bought up by other people wanting "free" dairy products.

The cattle forum might also want to work on a sticky for "Before you buy" and "basic needs and care of dairy cattle".

southerngurl · #15 12/26/12, 10:58 AM

Harvestmoonfarm, people think goat milk is "gross" because store bought goat milk is! I thought it was until someone brought some to church potluck and I went ahead and tasted it and it tasted like milk! From then I wanted goats!

harvestmoonfarm · #16 12/26/12, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by southerngurl

Harvestmoonfarm, people think goat milk is "gross" because store bought goat milk is! I thought it was until someone brought some to church potluck and I went ahead and tasted it and it tasted like milk! From then I wanted goats!

Not always true, however. I've had people ask, "You drink GOAT milk? That's just GROSS!" So many of them don't realize that goat milk is actually the most popular milk in the world, because here in the good old USA we grew up drinking milk from cows.

Frosted Mini's · #17 12/28/12, 02:04 AM

And my father-in-law's wife-whose basement we live in-won't even try goats milk or ANYTHING with goats milk in it (including some fudge we made!). Some people are just completely ridiculous.

Alice In TX/MO · #18 12/28/12, 06:48 AM

Fear. They have HUGE fears.

Hollowdweller · #19 12/28/12, 09:52 AM

I remember when I was contemplating my first goats and we were trying to decide if we really wanted milk goats or brush goats.

We went to the store and bought some goats milk. Awful. We decided brush goats.

Then we saw a local goatkeeper was having an open house. We went there and she offered us a sample of goat milk. Bracing for the taste we raised the dixie cup to our lips and were greeted with sweet good goat milk.

We decided to go for dairy goats.

Now 25 years later the lady, now my friend is old and doesn't have her goats anymore. But every year at Christmas I bring her a couple gallons of milk so she can drink it and make fudge.

Frosted Mini's · #20 12/28/12, 07:31 PM

She tells me all the time, "That's just wrong". What's wrong? "Drinking milk from a goat...it's just wrong." Hrm, how is it any more wrong than drinking cow milk?? I don't get it. You either believe drinking milk is wrong, or why does it matter what species it came from. So weird. I'm hoping to try some sheep's milk and maybe make some sheep cheese this year if I can collect it cleanly (they are such fuzzy beasts)...maybe my machine will help.