It's truly sad that so much of the farming that does take place in this country is only a small portion of what it once was.
If we really concentrated on our own country first, there would be huge abundance. Many days it feels like DC is trying to push this country into the gutter and it's people into slavery.
We do need more farms. Real farms, not the factory farms that have sprung up in the last 30 or so years. Completely not sustainable or healthy.
Dairy farming has to be one of the most labor intensive and difficult kinds of farming. They are not paid well, have waaay too many regulations and subsidies that really don't do what they should. I, for one, don't think I could be a dairy farmer, the work load is very heavy and the downside is huge.
Because of these and other reasons, it would be very difficult to dairy and also farm in other grains or animals. Even when a dairy farm is self sufficient, as this one was, it's hard to make a living. And again, the work load from the dairy cows makes it almost impossible to diversify. They do grow their own grains for feed and hay for their cows, otherwise you couldn't survive as a dairy. To purchase instead of grow your own feed would be prohibitive in costs.
Most people have no idea what it takes to get that gallon of milk for their table.
My sister-in-law and her family quit the dairy business 2 years ago, after dairying for the last 40 years. She hated to do it, but the economics of the business forced them to. Now they only keep a couple of cows for themselves and have turned the fields over for haying to sell. There have been about half a dozen friends or family that have quit dairying in the last few years. They all loved what they did, but could no longer support themselves from it. Very sad.
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