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The day began at 67 degrees with weak sunshine and a nice breeze!
Towards noontime: 87 degrees and sticky.
Towards noontime: 87 degrees and sticky.
From WKTV: "Starting out this morning on a very mild note, with temperatures falling back to only the upper 60s. Hazy sunshine is expected this morning, with another hot afternoon. High temperatures will range from 85-90. As a cold front approaches, we'll run the risk of a shower or thunderstorm this afternoon and evening. Still muggy this evening and tonight, with overnight lows in the mid to upper 60s.
The cold front passes through tomorrow morning. While a brief shower or storm can't be ruled out, the vast majority of the day is expected to be dry. Sunshine will arrive in abundance Wednesday afternoon. Temperatures will average about 5-10 degrees cooler, with highs in the low 80s."
Yesterday in Waterville .............
....... and out on Sally Road.
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"The Dairy Farm Crisis"
For the benefit of those of us who live in and around Waterville but don't understand what the "crisis" is all about - myself included!
For the benefit of those of us who live in and around Waterville but don't understand what the "crisis" is all about - myself included!
(Crisis, as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. An unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending; especially : one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome b : a situation that has reached a critical phase .)
Over the past several weeks I've received a heap of Emails - press releases or letters to editors - referencing a "Crisis in Dairy Farming in Central New York." This subject matter was new to me and seemed to indicate that an unwanted state of affairs had developed overnight, without warning, but that's not the case!
The situation has actually been growing worse and worse for several years and attempts to rectify it have, thus far, been unsuccessful.
What's the problem? The cost of manufacturing the dairy farmer's product - MILK - has grown larger than income realized from the sale of the product............... something that the consumer who just went to the grocery store and paid about $3.50 for a gallon of milk may not believe!
If the product were shoes, for instance, the consumer would have stopped wearing them; the manufacturer would long ago have decided to switch to "flip-flops" or would have found another retail outlet for his product: you can't do that with cows or milk!
From John/JackBrouillette:
"I want to emphasize that dairy farmers are not begging or looking for handouts.
Yes, there is extreme financial stress on dairy farms. Farms locally and nationally are not able to cover their production costs. Furthermore, there is no control over the base milk price and even many of the fixed costs associated with dairy farming.
However, the industry is attempting to get everyone's attention and gaining support to devise plans to accomplish short term relief until a more equitable plan can be devised that would be more of a 'fix' and change in the milk pricing system that would be more equitable to farmers, processor and consumer."
To that end .............
Over the past several weeks I've received a heap of Emails - press releases or letters to editors - referencing a "Crisis in Dairy Farming in Central New York." This subject matter was new to me and seemed to indicate that an unwanted state of affairs had developed overnight, without warning, but that's not the case!
The situation has actually been growing worse and worse for several years and attempts to rectify it have, thus far, been unsuccessful.
What's the problem? The cost of manufacturing the dairy farmer's product - MILK - has grown larger than income realized from the sale of the product............... something that the consumer who just went to the grocery store and paid about $3.50 for a gallon of milk may not believe!
If the product were shoes, for instance, the consumer would have stopped wearing them; the manufacturer would long ago have decided to switch to "flip-flops" or would have found another retail outlet for his product: you can't do that with cows or milk!
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I asked for input from farmers and I got it! Thank You!
From John/JackBrouillette:
"I want to emphasize that dairy farmers are not begging or looking for handouts.
Yes, there is extreme financial stress on dairy farms. Farms locally and nationally are not able to cover their production costs. Furthermore, there is no control over the base milk price and even many of the fixed costs associated with dairy farming.
However, the industry is attempting to get everyone's attention and gaining support to devise plans to accomplish short term relief until a more equitable plan can be devised that would be more of a 'fix' and change in the milk pricing system that would be more equitable to farmers, processor and consumer."
To that end .............
“Milk prices are dropping and many of our dairy farmers are at the brink of financial disaster,” said Senator Seward. “We need to take immediate steps to protect our number one industry, or many small family run farmers will be forced out of business.”
Dairy farmers in New York received an average of $11.50 per hundredweight of milk sold during June, down 40 cents from May and $7.40 below June a year ago. A study by Cornell University estimated that farmers need to be paid at least $17.00 per hundredweight in order to meet their production costs.
“The price farmers are receiving for their milk has dropped to 1970s levels, while taxes, fuel prices and other production costs have skyrocketed,” Seward added. “I am encouraged by federal proposals under consideration to fix the archaic milk pricing system, but if we don’t take action now, many of our farmers won’t be around to experience the changes.”
Just one piece of farm equipment - a "combine," I believe - is ten or twelve times the size of the car and cost at least ten or twelve times as much!
(I don't really know to whom the John Deere belongs, but I thought that seeing the two "vehicles" together was a great comparison.)
(I don't really know to whom the John Deere belongs, but I thought that seeing the two "vehicles" together was a great comparison.)
Waterville Public Library
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Tomorrow: an"eye-opener" from Mabel Bushee, farmer, who took the time to get out records from as far back as 1976, compare costs and revenues and send me an outline that starts off by explaining how milk is measured and why and makes the following statement -- one that's most likely to give consumers an erroneous impression that's proving very hard to dispell!
She uses "a conservative and simplified expense account for a 100 cow dairy without any mortgages or notes on equipment. 100 cows giving 20,000 pounds of milk each, per year, would give a farmer 2,000,000 pounds of milk a year. By dividing this number by hundredweight (100 pounds) we get 20,000 hundredweight. Multiply this number by $10.00 milk gives the farmer $200,000 per year."
On July 27, a letter from one such consumer appeared in the Syracuse newpaper and Bonnie Johnson-Allen of Waterville wrote back:
"In response to the July 27 letter from XXXXXXXXX concerning the complaining farmers: Does he really believe that farmers are the reason prices are so high in the stores?
Yes, farmers receive about $10 per 100 pounds of milk, more or less. They also pay out to produce that 100 pounds of milk. there are feed costs, fuel, vet costs, supplies to keep those cows healthy, along with all the other expenses to run a business such as rent, electricity, insurance and so on.
The milk companies pay the farmer for his milk, but they also charge him for hauling, fuel surcharges and stop fees. Three charges for one service. Imagine being paid three times for one job that you have done - life would be sweet.
Farmers were hit with fuel surcharges when fuel was $5 a gallon. Now that fuel prices have dropped, have they dropped their surcharge? No.
In the long run, it may cost about $17 or more to produce that 100 pounds of milk. How would you like to pay your employer $17, so that he will pay you $10 for the job you have done? I'm sure you would be complaining long and loud.
All farmers want is to be adequately compensated for the product they produce.This is our way of life and a great environment to raise our families. All we want is to be able to survive and provide our children with a future. Isn't that what you want for your family?
Too bad that $10 isn't for after expenses instead of before. then we wouldn't have to deny our families anything they need to survive.
Bonnie Johnson-Allen, Waterville"
(Incidentally, the date/time on her Email to me was 12:48 AM!)
Mary Ann Younes wrote: "Jim will have the smoker going during the day Friday to cook the pork to perfection!"
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Have a great day and keep cool!!
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