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Mentioned to some city folk friends....
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Gary Lyon
Posted 5/21/2013 23:29 (#3110771 - in reply to #3110645)
Subject: RE: PROVE ME WRONG



Southeast Wyoming

Ben in the Basin - 5/21/2013 21:22
Little Joe - 5/21/2013 19:40 THANK YOU Gary A bag of seed corn cost an average of $300.00 here. Plants over 2 acres that nets 200 bushels of corn per acre. So the farmer got 400 bushels at $7.00 per bushel on a $300 investment? That's $2500 per bushel profit on the seed according to farmer math. Most of the whiners here think they are the only ones with production costs.


So seed is one small part 

Now think of a production input that is a much smaller expense than seed, but can be saddled with all of the blame for rising prices in a retail situation, while ignoring other rising expenses and margins. That's what's going on when farmers are blamed for rising food prices.


Ben, I think you understand at least part of what I was trying to say.  When we talk "mark up" we had better understand what "mark up" is when the public speaks of it; and we had better apply the same standard across the full spectrum, from planter, or actually from the seed supplier, to the consumer's table.  Yes, we need to add in our expenses, and we need to allow for all other legitimate expenses along the way.  And yes, some "hands" along the way may get a lot more "mark up" than the farmer and that needs to be pointed out to the consumer.

But, if we run off half cocked, pointing our finger at everyone else, confused on the terminology and sketchy on the facts, then we close the minds of our consumers in a hurry.  Attitude probably makes a larger impression than facts ever will.

I'd like to see someone turn this into something positive for convincing the consumer that they are getting a good deal from the farmer's input.  So, does the consumer know how many boxes of corn flakes they could have purchased with the money it took to buy that apple toy?  How many people does a USA farmer feed?  How many people could the money spent on that apple toy have fed corn flakes to for how long?  There may be endless ways to involve the consumer in the discussion.

Why not try to make the consumer feel like a critical part the equation rather than the brunt of our frustration and problems?  Yes they do need us, but to remain profitable, we need them also.

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