Re: Dairy farm at my age?

Posted by Hal/WA on October 08, 2003 at 20:42:18 from (207.170.254.72):

In Reply to: Dairy farm at my age? posted by Larry on October 08, 2003 at 19:10:59:

When I was a kid, we had a little hand milked dairy operation of 3 to 5 cows. We sold strained whole milk to half the families in the neighborhood and separated the excess to sell the cream to a local creamery. The rules allowed selling raw milk at that time and location if the customers came to the farm to pick up the milk. Our little dairy and cow and calf beef operation made some profit on 160 acres. But we worked very hard and could never take the whole family on a vacation together because somebody had to stay home and milk and tend to the customers.

A lot has changed in 40 years, but the constant responsability of milking twice a day has not change much at all for dairies. Most of the small operations in my area have gone out of business in the last 20 years because they can not make a decent enough profit with the milk price as low as it is. And increased regulations have also been part of the reason that the small, established dairies are gone.

I am retired and like to think about the good times when I was a kid, but I tend to not recall the bad times. The fact was, my parents worked me extremely hard and there were LOTS of times that I really didn't want to go out and do my chores. But that life was what I grew up with and knew. I guess I didn't know any better. I don't think I missed milking when I was supposed to more than 3 or 4 times from the time I was 12 and my Dad started working swing shift, and when I was 18 and went to college. I did it unless I was sick in bed and most of the time, even then.....

You might want to try to find employment at a dairy for awhile, if there are any in your area. You might enjoy it, but I think that before very long you would get tired of it. And getting the experience that way would be a whole lot cheaper than setting your place up to legally operate as a dairy. And your wages at somebody else's dairy would probably be much more than you would ever earn with your own operation. Does this sound pessimistic? I think it is realistic.

But maybe you need to follow your dream. Plan on constantly working very hard. Good luck!

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