toby-wilson - Posted - 07/27/2012:  10:50:35

Hope that you don't mind me sharing this....a few folks may remember our recent 'she smashed it with a hammer' banjo vid. This latest one is a song I recorded to support the UK dairy farmers who are making a stand against the major supermarkets and processors who are frankly....well...screwing them to the floor. The song has had 2000 views in the first day and has helped the spirits of the farmers who are blocking the deliveries to the dairies. Hope that you enjoy and support the cause :o)  youtu.be/HG9Fr02efuo

Tim13 - Posted - 07/27/2012:  13:49:34

Catchy tune.  I liked it.

I had no idea what the "UK dairy crisis" was, so I had to read about it.  I can't say I support the farmers though.  It sounds to me like there is a reduced demand for dairy products, yet the farmers are merrily producing the same amount of milk, yet expecting the same, or higher payment.  By forcing the higher payment, they are making the everyone else subsidize their industry.  I don't agree with that.  Free markets cause producers of any product to increase in numbers, or decrease in numbers.  It sounds like there are too many milk farmers, and the market is trying to correct that situation.  Of course, nobody wants to go out of business, or change their farm operation to agriculture instead of livestock, but that is the real solution in my opinion.  Let the market demand determine price, and that will balance out the supply side of the equation.

Tim

RV6 - Posted - 07/27/2012:  16:57:31

quote:

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Originally posted by Tim13

Catchy tune.  I liked it.

 

I had no idea what the "UK dairy crisis" was, so I had to read about it.  I can't say I support the farmers though.  It sounds to me like there is a reduced demand for dairy products, yet the farmers are merrily producing the same amount of milk, yet expecting the same, or higher payment.  By forcing the higher payment, they are making the everyone else subsidize their industry.  I don't agree with that.  Free markets cause producers of any product to increase in numbers, or decrease in numbers.  It sounds like there are too many milk farmers, and the market is trying to correct that situation.  Of course, nobody wants to go out of business, or change their farm operation to agriculture instead of livestock, but that is the real solution in my opinion.  Let the market demand determine price, and that will balance out the supply side of the equation.

Tim

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Too bad we don't let the market work in the USA.  Agriculture is heavily subsidized.  Dairy, grain, sugar & sheep.  Cattle feeders and hog raisers get zip.  I was in the cattle business for 35 years and never got a cent from the government.  My tax dollars did go to support grain farmer's (raising my cost of gain which often resulted in losses) and the dairy industry had two "Dairy Cow buy outs"  to reduce the supply of milk and flooding the meat market with massive increased tonnage which really knocked cattle feeders and ranchers into the red.  Nixon's price freeze on beef came close to putting us out of business.

I never figured out how cattlemen and hog farmer's (hogs: I remember when pigs were bringing 3 cents per pound and 100's of thousands baby pigs were killed) could stay in business without subsidies (and some didn't) but everyone else in agriculture needed them.  (BTW, corn for ethanol is one of the biggest boondoggles ever conceived.  A net energy loser that can't come close to standing on it's own without massive taxpayer subsidies, especially at today's corn prices.)

RV6  (Bob)

bubbalouie - Posted - 07/27/2012:  19:02:42

They call us Canadians " Cheese heads " in Washington state because we buy up cheap subsidized cheese to bring home to British Columbia. I thought Cheese heads were from Wisconsin ?.

You can get a hunk of pepper jack cheese as big as your head down there for like 10 bucks!!!. Dairy farming is not so big  in the west so cheese & milk is expensive out here. Back east there's lots of small cheese factories.

The short form for British Columbia is B.C. I always say it stands for.......Bring Cash.

I heard today that the prices of dairy will go up in north america because of this drought. Maybe we can make a deal with the U.K.

raybob - Posted - 07/27/2012:  21:51:42

"I heard today that the prices of dairy will go up in north america because of this drought."

It's sad but to the consumer everything goes up all the time. The drought will just make it go up faster.

nakigreengrass - Posted - 07/27/2012:  22:39:51

You're not going to like me then. I live in the area that produces milk on a huge industrial scale. The biggest milk powder plant in the world is here. the Chinese are investing billions of $ here. There  is not a market glut, quite the opposite, we can't produce enough of the stuff. The farmer's have never been better off,due to the economy of scale. Herd's can be a 1000 strong. We can simply, just do it more economically. In a free market that can suck for some, but then, we don't try doing thing's that we're no good at.

goldtopia - Posted - 07/29/2012:  01:24:58

I would like to know where I can get the words and music. I support the farmers, they are being crippled financially by the superstores and processors. Many dairy farmers have gone out of business because of this

youtu.be/HG9Fr02efuo

If anyone knows where I can get it, please let me know and for anyone else in the UK.

Bill.O

motleyminstrels.co.uk

Edited by - goldtopia on 07/29/2012 01:27:06

Kenneth Logsdon - Posted - 07/29/2012:  09:35:20

AGGHHH.... You see it here again!! People, the Farmers don't get the big prices... On farm prices are a dismal fraction of that total cost you are paying.. Meanwhile fertilizer and costs skyrocket...
The bottom has already fallen out of the beef market, just a quick as the word drought is mentioned, down they go.. Who else you gonna sell too? We get less that .90 lb for that prime or less beef that your paying umpteen dollars for... Even without the drought, preseason costs were more than any projected calf crop!!
Subsidies... Ha Ha Ha, a Joke right???.. The only people who ever benefit from that are the big operatios/cooperations that have invested in land for that reason.. not real farmers..

Frebazak - Posted - 07/29/2012:  10:50:02

First,.... Great job on the song. Catchy toe - tapper. Regarding the farmer issue,.... Think about the last time you saw an increase in milk prices? Seems like it's been forever. I have watched cheese products and other milk by products go up,... but damn,... the farmers have to live too! Basically,.... I agree with everything Ken said above....

g3zdm - Posted - 07/30/2012:  06:29:52

Great simple but catchy tune for this.
I have just linked this thread to the UK5 forums group.
(For me it sings easily in C).

Chris Muriel, Manchester, UK