General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: PA dairy farmer says that Trump is "sort of back-stabbing the main people who got him into office" [View all]getagrip_already
(15,403 posts)These are 24x7x365 operations. Cows need to be milked and fed twice a day. Every day. At any given point, some will be sick or ill. Calves are born frequently. Manure needs to hauled. Feed needs to be hauled. Crops need to be grown and harvested for winter.
Costs are high and margins are paper thin. The only answer is volume, but small farms are limited.
That means no holidays or vacations unless you have someone you trust. Once your kids move on, it quickly falls apart.
Small farms with only a husband and wife are not sustainable. And so farms with less than 1000 heads are few and usually focus on organic markets or cheese. But markets are limited, so it isnt an answer for all.
Grain farmers at least have an off season. Automation helps them. Not so much for dairy farmers.
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