Posted on 09/25/2011 11:37:09 AM PDT by lowbridge
High energy prices and bad weather -- including blistering hot temperatures, flooding in some places and drought in others -- hurt this year’s agricultural output. But farmers agree that a major problem is the soaring price of corn, which is used directly in products like cereal, and indirectly as livestock feed.
Corn is nearly twice as expensive now as it was last summer -- even though US farmers planted the second-largest crop since World War II.
Why? Well, 40 percent of the crop goes to produce 12.6 billion gallons of ethanol to meet the government’s renewable fuel standards. In other words, much crop land is being used to produce ethanol, not to produce food.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I saw $13.50 for a 50lb bag of deer corn at at a country store this afternoon. I bought 40lbs for $4 two years ago.
Leni
Last year I paid between 6.50 to 7.20 per 50lb bag this year it’s over 10.00, I feed out close to 5,000 lbs a month. I’m definitly looking at alternative source’s. Cotton seed has always been a good alternative but this year there was no cotton due to no rain and heat.
That's a lot of deer corn...you own a hunting club or what?
Since you're using that much, it may be worth your while to consider trucking in rice bran.
Spot price from Mon 19th (today's not posted yet).
Feed by-products (spot prices, dollars per short ton, fob mills).
Rice bran 170.00-175.00 215.00 130.00-140.00*N 165.00-170.00
Rice millfeed 80.00 no quote no quote
Rice hulls 30.00 no quote no quote 3.00-12.00
Not a hunting club just a big ranch (36 square miles), with two feeders per section it takes allot to keep them full. This year theres been no rain and intense heat plus we lost half the ranch to two fires. Mesquite beans and prickly pear is all we have left plus 9 out of the 11 ponds on the ranch have dried up. It has not been a good year.
I'd say it's been a bad year.
You haven't posted your location (me neither), but it's easy for me to figure out where you're at.
You and I know you're going to lose many and I feel for you.
Worse than the feed, is the water. If you get some rains maybe you get enough graze to get through it.
Good luck.
There’s truth in that.
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