Forage Harvester

We will soon be filling silo .But we had a little problem this year. Last year we borrowed a harvester from another farmer . About 2 weeks ago my husband goes out to see if we can borrow it again this year .The farmer tore it apart , he didnt have it .He said I meant to come and tell you. So we were at a loss what to do . We don't have the money to pay our bills, with these lousy milk prices, let alone go buy a harvester. We asked around everywhere to see if anyone had one . We are a small farm , so all we needed was a 1 row. No luck anywhere . There was to be a sale of machinery on Saturday ( 19th ) . My husband decided to go and try and get one. No idea where the money is going to come from. But it is something we had to have or there was no way to fill our silo. He went to the sale and did get one . We were so glad . But to pay for it , we are going to have to send 2 cows out tomorrow . Which of course will mean we will ship out less milk. So we will be making even less money to try and pay the bills. It is a vicious circle. There doesn't seem to be an end to the low milk prices . And I keep reading where Dean's Food and Kraft are having record profits . At the farmers expense ! Oh yes, we got our huge raise in our milk prices ,thanks to Sec. of Agriculture Vilsack .We got a whopping $12.00 a hundredweight instead of $11.30 . Wow , what to do with all this money ! It is a joke! A joke on every hard working farmer , who struggles every day to pay the bills. How much longer are we to take these insults ?? Something needs to be done and now ! The milk price has to be raised immediately to at least $ 17.00 .So farmers can try to at least keep the farms they have worked and struggled over for years ! I read in one of our farm papers there were 250,000 farms in the US in 1980 .Now in 2009 there are only 50,000 . And there are going to be even less if something isn't done NOW !!!!

Bonnie Hunt Show

I saw on the Bonnie Hunt Show they were talking about Twitter . I sent an email to the show to tell them about the great bunch of farmers who are on Twitter . How we help each other with support and letting other farmers know they aren't alone . While we all are so stressed out worrying about hanging onto our farms. And worrying how to pay the bills from a milk check that isn't even enough to cover a third of your bills. There isn't enough in the news and papers about the farmers daily struggle to hold onto their farms. We just have to keep hoping there is a light at the end of the tunnel .

The Best Daughters

We must have the best daughters in the world. Our 2 daughters have helped us pay some of our bills and paid off a loan we had. I keep thinking at the age hubby and I are at , we should be helping out our kids .Not them helping us out. There is something wrong with this picture. When because of corruption in the dairy pricing system , we can't even afford to pay our bills and feed ourself. It makes me feel bad we can't do more for the kids and help them out. We are so lucky to have our girls and the grandkids . Family means so much . They help you through the tough times and are there for you when you need a hug . Or when you need a good cry !

Farming Lesson

I recently had a mammogram . I had to give a farming lesson to a lady there . We were talking and I said I live on a farm . She told me she would love to live on a farm . I said things aren't good right now if you are a farmer . I told her how our milk prices are really low .How we can't even pay our bills . She says ~ Why don't you just raise your prices ?? I told her we don't set our prices .If we did , we sure would give ourselves enough to pay the bills ! And not have to sell some of our belongings to pay the bills the milk check won't pay . And a lot of the time that isn't even enough . Last month all I could send to our vet bill was $ 20 .00 .Other bills I can only send $ 10 .00 . Our bills are getting way behind because of the low prices . When ( and if it ever does !! ) the price does go up , we are going to be so far behind on all our bills . I don't know how much longer we can hang on. I have sent a letter to G.T. ( Rep. Glenn Thompson ~ PA ) again. I have sent him farm articles from our farm papers . And I know he is doing what he can . We really appreciate all he is trying to do to help .

Grandbaby Doesn't Want to Come Out !

Our oldest daughter is due Sept.21 with our 5th. grandbaby . She called last night and said she had been having pains all day and they were getting worse. She just wanted to warn me. If they have to go to the hospital in the middle of the night, I will have to go over and stay with the other 2 grandkids and get them off to school. So I pack a bag and have my stuff all ready for a middle of the night call. I called her about 9 p.m. to see how things were going. Well , the pains had stopped . So no new baby yet . Our other daughter says he doesn't want to come out , he wants to stay where it is nice and quiet ! LOL !

Milk Prices

Our milk prices haven' t improved . I keep sending farm articles to G.T. , Rep . Glenn Thompson. Articles about the crisis many dairy farmers are facing right now. Many farmers are in danger of losing their farms , cows and their home. Most can't afford to pay all their bills. And are hanging on by a thread. Most farmers don't have weeks and months while politicians figure out what to do about the insulting milk prices we are getting. Something has to be done and now , not in a couple of months . Recently my husband and I were interviewed by our local paper . They wanted to do an article about how the low milk prices were affecting us and our farm . They put a picture of us on the front page of the paper. You can view the article by going to www.centredaily.com . I hope people who read the article thought about farmers and what they are going through ,when they bought that gallon of milk at the store. I read in North Carolina there used to be 1300 farms and now there are only 300 . What will we do when there are hardly any dairy farms left ? Buy our milk from China ??

Grange Fair Pics

Grange Fair

We had a great time at Grange Fair. There are about 950 tents and 1300 campers who stay for 10 days . We ate way too much. Pork sandwiches by a local farmer , peach dumpings with home made cinnamon ice cream( could have ate one a day ~ they are so good ! ) , chicken and waffles , buckwheat pancakes, fruit cups, hoagies, cinnamon rolls . I could go on and on ! My Mom and I stayed in the camper together . Dad came over a few days. My one daughter has her own camper and stayed with the 2 grandkids . The other daughter came over a couple of days with the 2 grandkids . She is due with our 5 th . grandbaby in a matter of weeks. It will be another boy. We got home from the Fair yesterday . I had a lot to unload from the car and put away . Next year I am not taking so much stuff ! I say that every year and I still take too much along . I take books to read and cross stitch to work on. Our camper is right by the Cow Barn . Our youngest grandaughter loves to go over and look at the dairy cows. You would think she would be sick of seeing cows after being here on the farm when I babysit her . Guess the cows at the Fair look different ! I know ~~ they are cleaned up ! Our cows are dirtier ! I can't believe the Fair is over . It went really fast . Soon it will be fall . Fall is my favorite time of the year . When it gets a little cool and you need a sweatshirt . There is nothing more beautiful than taking a walk with the leaves all turning colors and a gorgeous blue sky.