Guest guest Posted January 1, 2008 Report Share Posted January 1, 2008 Randy, The "attack" of large operators on the smaller ones works like the old joke about the two hikers who saw a grizzly bear coming toward them on the trail ahead. One of the hikers quickly put on his running shoes. The other said "You aren't going to try to out run that bear are you?" The first replied " I don't have to out run the bear. I just have to out run you!" In the case of dairy, if you can get your costs of production lower, you may be able to out run your smaller neighbor and he will be eaten by the bear this time. But this is always done by paying the producers for quantity rather than quality. This means cheap food of poor quality and this leads to poor health and poor health generally leads to increased medical expenses. (Please don't ask me for documentation to support this claim.) If we spent what we spend on health care on purchasing quality food, we could support the smaller operators who generally produce the higher quality and enjoy better health in the process. As for your observation that dairy farmers don't attack each other, that may well be true if you are all "fraternity brothers" in the pasteurized milk marketing system, but if you want documentation as to where this happened outside the fraternity, go to the minutes of the April 2005 hearing of the TN House of Representatives Ag Committee hearing when Mark MacAfee spoke and listen to the vitriolic attack of the "pasteurized milk fraternity" including a man who identified himself as a dairyman on those of us (including myself) who were interested in producing and marketing milk outside of their system. Furthermore, those of you who produce milk for pasteurization are like slaves on a plantation. You cannot set the price of your milk. You just take what Massa gives you. Why would your fellow slaves attack you? They are just fighting for their survival also. Massa won't attack you unless you try to leave the plantation. Just try to leave and they will come after you with their hounds and their guns! Hope this point of view from "off the plantation" helps brighten your day and your vision for 2008! Cleve RE RANDY Hi Randy I can not give you documentation, I am just a consumer. but raw dairy farmers here in Pa. have stated to me that in 2007 there have been more attacks on small raw dairy farmers than there have been in the last 60 years by the regulators. The staff of the regulators are made up of people from big ag. but not one small dairy farmer among them. Yes there are more raw dairy farmers than ever before, but from looking at the big dairy farms I see here they need more inspections the cows are dirty stand in anckle deep black muck and waist material and confined to the barn area. The famers cows that I get my raw dairy from are always clean and in grass covered fields with out any black muck anywhere, this is in total contrast to the big dairys in the area. Seems to me there is a big double standard. Just an uneducated consumers point of view. Have a good day.Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2008 Report Share Posted January 1, 2008 Amen , very well said. But I will also add that there is a fight betwwen produces and that fight is still to shaft the other so like you said You dont have to out run just be ahead of the other, and thats were products like BST were so hot. it was like having free milk and puting you ahead in production next to the guy that wasent useing it. --- Cleve wrote: > Randy, > > The " attack " of large operators on the smaller ones > works like the old joke about the two hikers who saw > a grizzly bear coming toward them on the trail > ahead. One of the hikers quickly put on his running > shoes. The other said " You aren't going to try to > out run that bear are you? " The first replied " I > don't have to out run the bear. I just have to out > run you! " In the case of dairy, if you can get your > costs of production lower, you may be able to out > run your smaller neighbor and he will be eaten by > the bear this time. But this is always done by > paying the producers for quantity rather than > quality. This means cheap food of poor quality and > this leads to poor health and poor health generally > leads to increased medical expenses. (Please don't > ask me for documentation to support this claim.) If > we spent what we spend on health care on purchasing > quality food, we could support the smaller operators > who generally produce the higher quality and enjoy > better health in the process. > > As for your observation that dairy farmers don't > attack each other, that may well be true if you are > all " fraternity brothers " in the pasteurized milk > marketing system, but if you want documentation as > to where this happened outside the fraternity, go to > the minutes of the April 2005 hearing of the TN > House of Representatives Ag Committee hearing when > Mark MacAfee spoke and listen to the vitriolic > attack of the " pasteurized milk fraternity " > including a man who identified himself as a dairyman > on those of us (including myself) who were > interested in producing and marketing milk outside > of their system. > > Furthermore, those of you who produce milk for > pasteurization are like slaves on a plantation. You > cannot set the price of your milk. You just take > what Massa gives you. Why would your fellow slaves > attack you? They are just fighting for their > survival also. Massa won't attack you unless you try > to leave the plantation. Just try to leave and they > will come after you with their hounds and their > guns! > > Hope this point of view from " off the plantation " > helps brighten your day and your vision for 2008! > > Cleve > > > > > RE RANDY > > > Hi Randy I can not give you documentation, I am > just a > consumer. but raw dairy farmers here in Pa. have > stated to me that in > 2007 there have been more attacks on small raw > dairy farmers than there > have been in the last 60 years by the regulators. > The staff of the > regulators are made up of people from big ag. but > not one small dairy > farmer among them. Yes there are more raw dairy > farmers than ever > before, but from looking at the big dairy farms I > see here they need > more inspections the cows are dirty stand in > anckle deep black muck and > waist material and confined to the barn area. The > famers cows that I > get my raw dairy from are always clean and in > grass covered fields with > out any black muck anywhere, this is in total > contrast to the big > dairys in the area. Seems to me there is a big > double standard. Just an > uneducated consumers point of view. Have a good > day. > Don > > > > ________________________________________________________________________________\ ____ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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