yes, welcome. Don't be afraid to chime in and ask questions!

Dear Kathleen, there is a milk strike (not by the cows). The supermarkets have cut the money to the farmers by 5p a liter a pint is just over half a liter, They farmers cannot survive on that as it costs more to produce it!
As usual the Government say times are hard, but you cannot sell something that costs more to make than you get from it back! Now with the Olympic games shamble starting on Friday the Government has to do something, for all the visitors will have no milk. McDonald's has built its biggest branch in the world for the Olympic fiasco, which is to be knocked down after two weeks when the games finish, so even they have stepped in now and asked what are we to do with no milk (milkshakes)! Now the supermarkets have backed down and promised no price cuts till after the games, but the farmers will not and require a promise from the powers to be, not to cut the price after the games.
Now it is a stalemate with neither side backing down! The dairy farmers hardly make anything anyway, so I am not sure what is too happen!
Regards.
Neil.

Let's hope the farmers hold their ground! (A British pint is more than half a liter a US pint is less. )

In 2010, it cost $18.00 to produce a hundredweight of milk ( about 12 gallons US). We were just paid an advance price of $13.24 a hundredweight for our June milk. The final pay price will likely be around $15 or $16. The price of corn has gone from $5 a bushel to over $8. Petroleum inputs including fuel and fertilizer are all over the place, in an upward direction.

I wish the farmers well.

Dear porkpal, do you skimp on your pints of beer as well?
Regards.
Neil.

Oh probably. I just remember the jingle my British father taught me: "A pint's a pound the world around." except in England where: "A pint of water weighs a pound and a quarter."

Dear Porkpal, one hopes you are well? Lamb is so expensive here due to the European crisis over this disease that has killed a lot of there sheep! Thankfully pork is cheap, the pigs can soon feed on the windblown apples and of course acorns, as we have a lot of oak trees The milk crisis is over thank goodness, as the politicians had to see sense for once, which must be the first time in History! Either that or no coffee for the Olympic games, which has been a pain in the butt for everyone! The Grouse season opened on the Glorious !2th of August, and luckily I managed to get a brace of them. Absolutely fabulous with a few wee drams of single malt whisky! What pure heaven!
Regards.
Neil.

I am glad the farmers won fro once! - And pigs always come through for you.

My new Article with a tribute to Farmers is at http://garden.org/ideas/view/N...
Regards.
Neil.

Thanks for posting that link Neil, what beautiful photos and story. ~Jan

I decided it was time for some more pictures of chickens on this thread. (Someone else will have to up-date the lurkers and smirkers.)


The pony is a bonus. A little corn attracts many critters.

Those are fine looking chickens, as is the bonus pony too.

Dear porkpal, I hope you and the fine looking chickens are well? Had to write after the massive controversy over Europe about a huge French company putting Horse and pony meat into processed beef for ready meals that you microwave.
I do not know what these lasagna or cannelloni meals are like as I do not eat such things or own a microwave, Now the company in France has been found to have been putting up to 100% horse meat in burgers as well. It is vast this scam or con as we call them and of course the politicians deny everything and have stopped the import of such meat. The French company will go bankrupt as there are so many court cases against them from the companies buying this cheap so called beef. The problem is it has been going on for years as the French love horse meat and see nothing wrong in eating it. Well they do eat frogs legs and snails as well.
The price of these ready meals with real beef has soared sky high, and a lot of people who rely on these sad things want the original ones brought back as they are cheap.
However I have eaten horse meat in France and it was quite delicious if cooked right.
Nobody yet knows where they got all these horses and ponies from, so the investigation is ongoing.
Regards from a freezing cold England.
Neil.
p.s. Kathleen I hope you and the family are well?

I would have thought that horse meat would be in short supply as the U.S. no longer can export it to the European market, and that beef would be cheaper. I don't see the reason for the adulteration.

Dear porkpal, If they had labelled it as horse meat then probably no one would have minded but they didn't. They sold it and labelled it as prime 100% beef which of course is was not. All the supermarkets were in on this as well , plus organized crime. That was the problem, as the public were lied to and it is trying to be covered up by our Government.
I get pork from the farm and it states 100% British organic pork, which it is. You would not expect it, at the price it is to be anything else. The public should have realized that these meals saying 100% prime beef at the price it was, was not quite correct. They didn't and now the French firm is eye deep in law suits. That is there own fault for not labeling the stuff and thinking they could get away with it.
If you have a product you wish to sell fairly then tell people what it is.
It is the biggest EU scam known, as they got farming benefits from the EU for beef, and it is not beef, and that is what has rattled our farmers and the public.
Regards.
Neil.

The public was definitely deceived, but I don't understand the motive behind the whole thing. Is horse meat that much cheaper than beef?

By the way, Neil, I am glad to hear from you again. I have missed your posts.

Dear porkpal, due to the recession a lot of people cannot afford to look after horses and ponies or to pay to have them stabled. So obviously these animals were given to what they thought was a good home, which it was not.
So free horses and ponies are definitely cheaper than prime beef! Most of these animals were someones pets, that is what the fuss is about!
Regards and great to hear from you.
Neil.

Unfortunatly our horse DO end up in Europe. They are sold at Auction one I know of is in NJ the other is in Pa.
Kill buyers purchase horse's and ship them in cruel conditions to Canada & Mexico then they are either killed
by VERY painful & cruel ways or exported to others countries

I belong to a group that tries to find these horses a home before they go to the kill buyers. We have 8 this week to
find homes for. I believe VERY strongly that NO HORSE should ever be slaughtered for food for either humans or pets
I sign every peteition I can to stop this practice. If you have ever been a horse owner or a horse lover you would
understand. The way they are killed is barbaric. I feel if you can't take care of your horse or find it a good and safe
home it is your duty to put them down humanly

Sorry for going on with this But, they need our protection. They even have caught some BLM people sellling OUR wild
Mustangs to the killers in Mexico