It's been a difficult couple of weeks at Stornaway Jerseys. It started with a letter from Dairylea explaining that due to difficult market situations in the northeast, they would be restructuring premiums paid for quality, quantity and the market. There was no mention of my cherished protein premium which I have received for 15 years. A few days later I got to thinking about it and called Dairylea. Sure enough, they were discontinuing the protein premium (yes, they can) and it was retroactive to April 1. I had received their crummy letter (vague) on April 14, which is four days after my yearly notification period during which I can inform Dairylea I no longer want them to market my milk. The protein premium would have been worth $12,000 this year, and close to $20,000 a year when I've maxed out milk production in the next 18-24 months.
Then, on Wednesday morning, I got to the barn to milk and found Jam and Bonnie with fevers of 106+ and each with a case of toxic mastitis. Bonnie was the highest producer last test, shipping over 7 lbs. of solids a day. Jam's mastitis was enougn to make her good and sick, but Bonnie's was especially virulent. I treated them both and Jam responded well, but Bonnie did not. I had the vet out on Friday, and Bonnie started eating again shortly after he left. But for some reason, unknown to me and the vet, her recovery hit a snag, and she finally died yesterday.
On top of all that, I had been turning the cows out for a little grass for a couple hours a day, but new growth grass can be very potent and I had several cases of bloat, and a displaced abomasum for Polka, which on top of her dislocated hip, led me to send her to Welch's on Monday.
Things are better now, I guess. Bonnie is buried, which always brings a bit of relief. I wrote a letter to Dairylea (You don't want to get a letter from me.) and they called and said they (not everyone gets this protein premium; I'm not sure how many do, but probably most of the high solids herds in this area.) would continue the premium until July. DishNetwork has been replaced with DirectTv (I can watch the RS on NESN; I can watch the Yankees.) (But I did like the DISh receiver and remote better, or maybe I was just used to it.) The remaining cows are healthy.
Still, I never anticipated the loss of the premium, and that's my fault. Their rationale is that since the advent of Multiple Component Pricing in 2000, protein is already "priced into" my milk. That may be true. But after 6 years of MCP AND the premium, I wasn't expecting the loss of the premium. It's still possible to be profitable. But the pot is no longer as sweet. So, all bets are off and it's reevaluation time. Future growth may be curtailed. (Why is it called the "dog watch?" "Because it's cur-tailed!") We shall see.
Tonight we have Schilling and the Red Sox, and Seacrest and the Idolizers. Things are looking up already.
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