----- Original Message -----
From: "KV9U" <mrfarm@mwt.net>
> Bernie,
>
> Just like I was asking Brad, what is changing in the last couple of
> years that would cause a reversal in dairying in your region?
I think managed grazing has a lot of potential in Mo. But that would be true
for a lot of other locations. The graziers currently here are doing well. We
have lots
of room for improvement even at that so we should be able to handle stiffer
economic conditions well in the future. To do well you should have at least 100
cows
but a well set-up and simplified operation managing that is really pretty easy.
Shoot
I'm near 300 and myself and 2 employees do it all and those who know me know
I don't work very hard at all most of the time and damn proud of it.
> On
> Grazersedge, as you know, we have a (now) retired extension agent, who
> has worked for years in MO and has seen almost all dairy farms go out of
> business in his service area.
Which agent?
> It sounds as if the main determinant for success is to be very large in
> size for economies of scale? Is it just that no one wanted to do this
> and so the smaller operations eventually had to shut down as the farmers
> retired or had other reasons for exiting dairying?
Hundreds of reasons to quit but many farms are too small. Many are too slow to
adopt new ideas. Always playing catch up.. No future in that.
The grazers that I associate are mostly not native to Mo. or not raised in
dairy.
Only my friend Charles would be. Clay-Texas. Two are swiss. Two from the
NE US. Myself Canadian. And now Kiwi's settling in.
> Here in Wisconsin, although we do not see a growth in farms, we also do
> not see a decrease in production either. My understanding is that
> production has been fairly steady. Dave Gneiser probably knows that
> better than anyone and can correct me if I am wrong. What happens is
> that the more entreprenuerial farmers will buy adjacent land or nearby
> land as it becomes available and expand to a larger size farming
> operation. That is why we are seeing more 100 to 300 cow dairy farms and
> even one 1,000 cow dairy farm in Vernon County.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Rick W.
