The Bovine Bugle

Into every farmer's life a little grain must fall

We took a delivery of grain from Morrison's Custom Feeds today. The truck that came today was a tandem axle truck that can carry up to 18 tons of grain. Sometimes their tractor trailer rig makes the delivery. I think it can carry between 25 and 30 tons on a load.

Today we took delivery of 12 tons of grain. We started getting this size load a few months ago because we get a discount on the price per ton if we take a 12 ton load or larger. The price of organic grain is high right now, so if we can lower the price we pay by taking a larger load less often, we will do it. Since late last summer the price we pay for our grain has risen almost $100 per ton. Morrison's field man, Mike Thresher, attributes much of the price rise on the increase in demand of organic grains for human consumption. I'm glad to hear that consumers are changing their eating habits and using more organically raised grains, but I wish it didn't mean an increase in my production costs.

It took Ethan, the grain truck driver, about 45 minutes to blow the grain into the four grain bins located inside our barns. After filling the bins and unloading the bags of chicken grain, kelp meal, and trace mineral salt that he brought along on his truck for us, Ethan picked up his flexible grain pipes and headed back to the grain mill 2 1/2 hours away. Once the grass is growing well, we will be able to feed less grain, and a lower protein grain, to the cows to help lower our production costs through the grazing season.

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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Posted by Blogger Chris at May 4, 2005 05:31 PM