# Why Farmers are saying they have to Euthanasia



## mike243 (May 25, 2020)

Why have I been hearing this ? are they out of feed or room or what, cant the animals keep growing till the plants get back up and running ? not sure I can see destroying livestock when its needed in so many places .


----------



## Chasdev (May 25, 2020)

Same thing as dairy farmers dumping tons of fresh milk, keep the prices up.


----------



## daveomak (May 25, 2020)

As far as pork goes, slaughter/packing houses employees are out sick....  ALSO...   the machinery is so sophisticated now....   It has been designed to automatically cut and wrap, or something like that, pigs of certain size only...  I think it's the 165-185# pig...  Over that and the machinery doesn't work...  

About milk...    The farmers aren't dumping milk to hold up prices...   Restaurants, cafeterias in schools, burger joints are mostly shut down....  No where to sell it....   It's a perishable commodity and hot too shelf stable...  milk processing plants will not take what they can't sell...  Farmers can't store it so it has to be dumped to make room for fresh in the event the processor WILL take a load....


----------



## kmmamm (May 25, 2020)

Farmers are caught in a vise.  They are not dumping and euthanizing to “support prices”.  The modern livestock industry is the model of just in time.  Each link in the model depends on the other working flawlessly. To achieve maximum efficiency and profitability, every link in the industry is designed to supply animals in a very tight weight range.  (In the case of hogs, it is 280-290 lbs.).   Producers (farmers) are rewarded financially for supplying their animals to the packers in very narrow weight ranges Processing heavier weights causes huge logistical problems for the packers...everything from how many animals they can hang on the racks to the size of boxes required to pack larger cuts.  Packers discourage farmers from supplying outside their ideal weights by applying severe penalties to heavier animals or simply refusing to buy them.   State lockdowns and and their related restrictions have severely reduced the nations slaughter capacity.  The lack of slaughter capacity has forced producers to hold and feed animals longer, which results in heavier carcass weights and heavier discounts.   How bad can it be?
Based on Friday’s market close of $55.90/100lb, a hog producer could reasonably expect to gross $162 for a 290lb hog.  The same hog at 330 lbs is only going to gross a total of $20.00.   If the hog gets above 330lbs most producers can’t even give them away to commercial packers.  Unless growers can find alternative markets able to handle larger carcasses (local lockers, individuals, etc) they are being forced to consider euthanasia as a last ditch cost reduction tool so they can attempt to survive financially until slaughter capacity catches up again.  Equally unfortunate is that until that capacity returns, fresh  boxed meat supplies will increase causing higher consumer prices.


----------



## forktender (May 25, 2020)

I still don't see why they are dumping thousands and thousands of gallons of milk.
I realize that animals can't stop producing milk and that the plants are down, it just seems like they could find a way to turn it into powdered milk or animal food.

The meat thing is really weird too me, it seems like they could give the animals away or sell them dirt cheap. I'm sure that most of them have insurance which only covers them when there is a loss which explains why they are going the euthanasia route. It all comes down to lawyers  and insurance companies.


----------



## chef jimmyj (May 25, 2020)

In general,Dairy farmers only have the ability to milk cattle, chill the milk, store it briefly, and pump it into trucks. Drying milk, making Cheese, Bottling and Distribution, are often off site. If Those Processors are closed. The Farmer has no option but to dump the milk. Too bad the Fed can't buy it and get Government Cheese going again. THAT stuff was the BEST for Mac and Chz...JJ


----------



## kmmamm (May 25, 2020)

Government regulations prohibit the vast majority of milk producers from selling raw milk directly to consumer.  The same regulators and prohibitive capital costs, limited labor, and liability issues put value add operations such as powdering and cheese out of the average dairy’s reach.  
If one has the ability to transport, slaughter, process (or lucky enough to find a slot at the local locker) and ultimately store, there are some great deals available directly from hog producers.
While most are not “giving” them away (something ag lenders take a very dim view of), there are some true bargains available.  I know of some folks who were able to purchase live 390lb hogs for 10 cents/lb.  Check around on Facebook and craigslist for opportunities in your region.


----------



## Brokenhandle (May 25, 2020)

As others have said its mostly timing. If the pigs get too big the packers won't take them and the next group of pigs are still coming.  The local lockers are all booked for at least a month or longer.  With daily temps ranging between mid 50s to 80 degrees that doesn't give much time for processing an entire hog safely.  And the number of hogs...most producers in our area have between 1,000 to several thousand hogs...that's alot of pork.  Euthanizing isn't something that's taken lightly by farmers, it's their job to raise and care for their animals,  not to have to euthanize them.

With all that being said, I did get a chuckle from my dr a couple days ago. He used to be a farmer,  he was proud as a peacock that him and a couple other drs went together and butchered their first hog.

Ryan


----------



## Bearcarver (May 25, 2020)

Brokenhandle said:


> As others have said its mostly timing. If the pigs get too big the packers won't take them and the next group of pigs are still coming.  The local lockers are all booked for at least a month or longer.  With daily temps ranging between mid 50s to 80 degrees that doesn't give much time for processing an entire hog safely.  And the number of hogs...most producers in our area have between 1,000 to several thousand hogs...that's alot of pork.  Euthanizing isn't something that's taken lightly by farmers, it's their job to raise and care for their animals,  not to have to euthanize them.
> 
> With all that being said, I did get a chuckle from my dr a couple days ago. He used to be a farmer,  he was proud as a peacock that him and a couple other drs went together and butchered their first hog.
> 
> Ryan




I know a Heart Surgeon personally, who should try butchering Hogs, but I doubt he could handle it.

Bear


----------



## mneeley490 (May 25, 2020)

The farmers or ranchers that typically sell whole or half animals around here on Craigslist have certainly not lowered their prices. They tend to start at $3.50 lb hanging weight, then charge more for kill fees and processing.


----------



## kmmamm (May 25, 2020)

Nothing wrong with asking for the moon.  They certainly sound like  small producers who have created niche markets in conjunction with local lockers and probably don’t rely on the  big commercial packers.


----------



## whistlepig (May 25, 2020)

We live in the middle of farm country. My neighbors are farmers. No free pigs, cows, or milk around this area.


----------



## kawboy (May 29, 2020)

Here in central Minnesota, butcher shops are booked up for months. People are purchasing 275-300# hogs for around $50-$80, live. Last I heard, the buddy we bought our pork from had butchered 70 hogs in about two weeks time. He charged me $160 cut and wrapped, which I happily paid. Anyone set up to butcher has been going crazy right now.


----------



## garyinmd (May 29, 2020)

Lockers here in SE South Dakota are backed up 6-12 months, heard some are even more than that.


----------

