Sounds like what my Grandfather went through at the end of the 80s. He was a dairy farmer and pretty up to date on the latest techniques. Hog and Chicken farms were moving into the area and (the way i understand it) a guy at the University of Maryland research farm nearby convinced Grandad this was the way to go. The manure would compliment the dairy, etc. I have articles that we're written about him in local farming publications at the time. It all sounded rosey. Grandad said he took the contract to a few different business men around that he respected, and asked their opinions. All of them told him to run. He decided to do it anyway. Built a huge building, to their newest specs. I forget how many pigs. It was farrow to finish. Said from the first load the pigs weren't putting on weight like they should, and had higher than expected death loss. Along with the neighbor complaints and newspaper articles. Penfield said you need to change this and that on your building. He did, still didn't help with the pigs or the smell. Went on for a few years then he got a letter in the mail saying "as of such-and-such date, Penfield is no longer in the Pig business". Took the contract to Lawyers, looked into other outfits to sell pigs to. Couldn't do a thing. Grandad was stuck with a big building and a lot of bills.
He got through it somehow. I like to think he has an above average mind for the business of farming, so if he couldnt make it work I dont think anyone could have, with the contract he had at least. The building was converted to self storage years later. I was 7 or 8 when all this was happening, but he told me all about it a little while ago.
Like I said though, this was the 80s. 25 years of business evolution and most certainly a different situation. And you still see hog barns going up obviously, so I guess it must work for someone. I just get a bad feeling whenever I see a post about someone putting up a hog barn. The optimism and situations of the farmer sound familiar and I always hope it turns out better for them than it did for many around here.
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Today's Featured Article - A Lifetime of Farm Machinery - by Joe Michaels. I am a mechanical engineer by profession, specializing in powerplant work. I worked as a machinist and engine erector, with time spent overseas. I have always had a love for machinery, and an appreciation for farming and farm machinery. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Not a place one would associate with farms or farm machinery. I credit my parents for instilling a lot of good values, a respect for learning, a knowledge of various skills and a little knowledge of farming in me, amo
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