Posted by Bruce from Can. on March 24, 2021 at 07:03:08 from (70.50.208.188):
I am addicted to farming, and dairy farming in particular. And I see that our farm is rapidly reaching a cross road, due to changing rules around milk production facilities. Manure storage, when and where manure can be spread, and generally livestock confinement. I had originally thought that just building a manure storage structure would take the pressure off, but it seems that is only going to be part of the solution. We keep our cows in a old tie stall barn, and there is increasing pressure on tie barn operations to allow cows more freedom to interact, and roam freely. So we have been exploring all options. Including retirement, but that will pull the rug out from under the next generation, and wont make me happy either. Trying to renovate our existing barn, will still leave us doing a lot of physical manual labor. A new barn with two robot milkers, liquid manure system, naturally ventilation etc will cost around 1.5 million. I am 60 and my son is 25 years younger than I. Obviously it would be crazy for me to pull the trigger on this, and expect to keep milking till I turn 80 to pay for it, but my son wouldnt even be as old as I am in 20 years. Not really looking for advice on what to do so much as just sharing my burden of what to do as I reach this cross road. Doing nothing isnt a option, as with new rules our farm will no longer meet Grade A. My son and I are very open to each others thoughts and communication isnt a issue between us..Retirement isnt very appealing to me, and I dont like crop farming or beef cattle. Trying to find the right solution to meet everyones needs and expectations is my task. My wife and I have had to go to the barn every day for over 40 years, and building new facilities would allow us to have more freedom to enjoy ourselves, but still be able to back stop our son, while his own kids grow. Its a tough call, and I ultimately have to make the choice, I feel rather pressured by outside forces to act. And I dont like being in that position. And nothing makes me feel as depressed as walking through a empty dairy barn, with no milk cows.
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Today's Featured Article - Listening to Your Tractor - by Curtis Von Fange. Years ago there was a TV show about a talking car. Unless you are from another planet, physically or otherwise, I don’t think our internal combustion buddies will talk and tell us their problems. But, on the other hand, there is a secret language that our mechanical companions readily do speak. It is an interesting form of communication that involves all the senses of the listener. In this series we are going to investigate and learn the basic rudimentary skills of understanding this lingo.
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