Fall on our Farm...Part 3
Fall is perfect time to reflect on what worked last year
and what didn’t.
Lesson learned….cheap feed is not cheap for long. We were penny wise-and pound foolish.
The price of soy beans had skyrocketed in the spring sending feed through the roof…this after we didn’t think it could possibly go any higher.
We shopped around for a better feed price than our normal supplier offered. We had always paid top dollar for that very best quality feed, but a very reputable feed supplier was trying to ease financial problems for farmers by selling an all natural feed with different ingredients. It didn’t contain any of the nasty stuff we won’t put into our animals. It was still the same protein content we needed, and the feed man said that the animal nutritionists said that this was an acceptable feed recipe. So, we ordered a bunch of it. Sadly, what looks like a great idea on paper oftentimes is not.
At first we blamed our troubles on the cool wet spring. Then, perhaps, we thought it was some of our new genetics. But by the end of July we eliminated everything else and narrowed it down to the new feed. The animals just didn’t like it, weren’t eating much of it and as a result weren’t growing anywhere near as quickly and vigorously.
We switched back to our regular feed man and who had always said that no matter the cost he wouldn’t compromise his recipe. He told us over and over again that he had simultaneously raised pens of hogs on three different recipes of feed. Though his recipe was more expensive, it paid for itself in yield and health.
That’s actually one of the reasons we initially started using his feed: his no-compromise attitude.
In a few days after the new (old) feed went out, we saw much better appetites and brighter, shinier eyes in our animals.
Interestingly, having a good relationship with our chicken processor helped to confirm our suspicions. They told us the last time we brought them birds that they weren’t digesting the feed properly.
Another good thing was that I had an opportunity to talk with the man who sold me the less expensive feed. I was able to tell him why, though the experts said the animals would do well on this mix, it really didn’t work well. I was able to give him impressions of the appearance of the animals as well as measurable results as far as consumption and growth. He seemed to appreciate our honesty and probably learned something, too.
Like my dad always said, “Buy cheap, get cheap.”
Funny…..The older I get, the smarter he seems.