Thailand's drought crisis slashes milk output, pushes up production costs

[webfact]

Drought slashes milk output, pushes up production costs

SAKON NAKHON, 22 April 2015 (NNT) – The drought crisis has been dealing a sharp blow to dairy producers, who have shouldered higher expenses for reduced output.

A number of dairy producers in Sakon Nakhon province said the severe drought has brought stress and illnesses on their cattle, pushing milk production down by more than 50 percent. Some farmers reported cow deaths due to the heat.

Cattle ranchers explained that a dairy farm with 20 cows normally supplies between 200-240 kilograms of milk per day. That production rate has dropped to 80-100 kilograms per day, or less than half of normal output.

Reduced output has forced farmers to bear heavier financial burdens to maintain the health of their livestock and their yield. Operators said they had to spray water on their cows as often as four times a day to cool down the animals, leading to higher utility bills.

The Ministry of Interior reported that the dry season has so far affected 33 provinces. The crisis is likely to be more severe than previous years.


-- NNT 2015-04-22

[NE1]

Drought , Thailand , I have just seen millions of litres of water wasted in a week ( songkhran ) Drought , never.

[thaipod]

200-240 kilograms. First time i've seen milk in weight, normally in litres.

[billd766]

Drought , Thailand , I have just seen millions of litres of water wasted in a week ( songkhran ) Drought , never.

You might have done where you live but not out in rural Thailand. We had the family up from BKK and had to teach them not to flush 250 ml of p1ss away with 5 litres of water. Also they had to be reminded to turn the taps off and also turn fans off when not in use.

I find these pictures quite useful as a reminder.

[Srikcir]

End of last year the Commerce Ministry allowed milk producers to increase retail prices by 25 satang per 250-millimetre carton because of the higher cost of raw milk. No doubt producers will be back for another increase. Who could predict a drought during the dry season?

[issanaus]

End of last year the Commerce Ministry allowed milk producers to increase retail prices by 25 satang per 250-millimetre carton because of the higher cost of raw milk. No doubt producers will be back for another increase. Who could predict a drought during the dry season?

The impact should have been predicted after the flooding of BKK because the boats failed to push the water out to sea and the PTT government insisted that the water storage in the dams was reduced to ensure that they were not reminded of the failed flood management scheme. Of course the failed "rice scheme" that distorted the market and encouraged farmers to more intensive production before the PTT government failed to make the required financial arrangements because they were far more concerned about getting an amnesty for the 'real PM".

If you want to make every dam topic about politics we can.

Personally I would rather we talked about the plight of the rural poor, water storage and conservation or even climate change.

[kingalfred]

Drought? And all the stupid morons are allowed to throw millions of litres of the stuff and see it evaporate. All with encouragement of Gov. If thais ever planned anything hell would freeze over.

[jackanapes]

I didn't know we had a severe drought problem and how long have we had it and why hasn't the government done something about it most people depend on the production of milk an absolute disaster the countrys coming apart at the seams.

[manhood]

There was a drought crisis many years ago in Germany and i remember on one of the first thing they did: stop car wash, watering gardens and grass (golfcourts) and many more things but:

thais are wasteing their water to hell and nobody cares!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So there cant be and drought!!!!!!!!!

But hard to learn a lesson from foreigners talking about saveing water and not waste water!

[dcutman]

200-240 kilograms. First time i've seen milk in weight, normally in litres.

It pretty much works either way. 1 liter = 1.03kg

[dcutman]

Reduced output has forced farmers to bear heavier financial burdens to maintain the health of their livestock and their yield. Operators said they had to spray water on their cows as often as four times a day to cool down the animals, leading to higher utility bills.

So the lower milk yield is not about drought, but heat stress. I do believe it gets extremely hot during this time every year. Is this year that much different than any other year?

[Estrada]

200-240 kilograms. First time i've seen milk in weight, normally in litres.

It pretty much works either way. 1 liter = 1.03kg

I worked for Australian Dairies (Thai Dairy Industries). Milk is bought and sold by weight as it is transfered to the packaging plant by tanker. When the tanker enters the packaging plant it is weighed and after emptying it is weighed again on exit. The S.G. and fat content of the milk is also taken into account. We pay for weight and fat content not by the litre otherwise the farmers would add water to get more volume.

[maidee]

thailand & CP is already doing GMO / monsanto

why not to the hormone to make the cows make crazy a lot of milk

only a little bit of cancer involved

by the way: humans don't need cows, calfs when born are 30 kg and they need it to become ASAP a 300 kg one ... humans tend to follow the trend and become fat pigs & cows also

[dcutman]

200-240 kilograms. First time i've seen milk in weight, normally in litres.

It pretty much works either way. 1 liter = 1.03kg

I worked for Australian Dairies (Thai Dairy Industries). Milk is bought and sold by weight as it is transfered to the packaging plant by tanker. When the tanker enters the packaging plant it is weighed and after emptying it is weighed again on exit. The S.G. and fat content of the milk is also taken into account. We pay for weight and fat content not by the litre otherwise the farmers would add water to get more volume.

OK. But the fact remains 1 L milk = 1.03kg regardless of fat content and pure water 1L = 1kg

Edited April 22, 2015 by dcutman

[soalbundy]

End of last year the Commerce Ministry allowed milk producers to increase retail prices by 25 satang per 250-millimetre carton because of the higher cost of raw milk. No doubt producers will be back for another increase. Who could predict a drought during the dry season?

you don't have to buy it, you don't like subsidies but you don't like the farmers getting a profit or passing on increased costs either, i wonder if you would protest if BMW put up their prices by 10,000 Baht, nah, it's an essential.

[soalbundy]

I didn't know we had a severe drought problem and how long have we had it and why hasn't the government done something about it most people depend on the production of milk an absolute disaster the countrys coming apart at the seams.

I thought all their milk came from China

[dcutman]

End of last year the Commerce Ministry allowed milk producers to increase retail prices by 25 satang per 250-millimetre carton because of the higher cost of raw milk. No doubt producers will be back for another increase. Who could predict a drought during the dry season?

you don't have to buy it, you don't like subsidies but you don't like the farmers getting a profit or passing on increased costs either, i wonder if you would protest if BMW put up their prices by 10,000 Baht, nah, it's an essential.

It might have helped if the farmers would have said how much the increased cost was to spray water on their animals up to 4 times a day. As well as how this years cost to spray water on their cows was so much more than it was last year at this time. Per the OP this is where the additional cost are attributed to. Unless the temperature was drastically cooler during the same period the previous years the farmers argument just doesnt hold water.

Edited April 22, 2015 by dcutman

[issanaus]

End of last year the Commerce Ministry allowed milk producers to increase retail prices by 25 satang per 250-millimetre carton because of the higher cost of raw milk. No doubt producers will be back for another increase. Who could predict a drought during the dry season?

you don't have to buy it, you don't like subsidies but you don't like the farmers getting a profit or passing on increased costs either, i wonder if you would protest if BMW put up their prices by 10,000 Baht, nah, it's an essential.

It might have helped if the farmers would have said how much the increased cost was to spray water on their animals up to 4 times a day. As well as how this years cost to spray water on their cows was so much more than it was last year at this time. Per the OP this is where the additional cost are attributed to. Unless the temperature was drastically cooler during the same period the previous years the farmers argument just doesnt hold water.

guess that you are not a country boy

drought - less grass and hay - higher costs for cereal and concentrates - even less straw to feed as roughage

dairy uses a lot of water - drinking and wash down to name 2 things

article should have read "we even need to spray water on the cows" - the least of the issues

poor food leads to lower production both in volume and in the fat content - higher fat content would get a higher price because of cream and butter

So costs are higher and revenues are lower

[dcutman]

End of last year the Commerce Ministry allowed milk producers to increase retail prices by 25 satang per 250-millimetre carton because of the higher cost of raw milk. No doubt producers will be back for another increase. Who could predict a drought during the dry season?

you don't have to buy it, you don't like subsidies but you don't like the farmers getting a profit or passing on increased costs either, i wonder if you would protest if BMW put up their prices by 10,000 Baht, nah, it's an essential.

It might have helped if the farmers would have said how much the increased cost was to spray water on their animals up to 4 times a day. As well as how this years cost to spray water on their cows was so much more than it was last year at this time. Per the OP this is where the additional cost are attributed to. Unless the temperature was drastically cooler during the same period the previous years the farmers argument just doesnt hold water.

guess that you are not a country boy

drought - less grass and hay - higher costs for cereal and concentrates - even less straw to feed as roughage

dairy uses a lot of water - drinking and wash down to name 2 things

article should have read "we even need to spray water on the cows" - the least of the issues

poor food leads to lower production both in volume and in the fat content - higher fat content would get a higher price because of cream and butter

So costs are higher and revenues are lower

I have been around a cow or two in my life, if you bothered read the article, it clearly states a 50 percent reduction in milk production that is the money issue here. It didnt say anything about feed prices or lack of water.

Cattle ranchers explained that a dairy farm with 20 cows normally supplies between 200-240 kilograms of milk per day. That production rate has dropped to 80-100 kilograms per day, or less than half of normal output.

Reduced output has forced farmers to bear heavier financial burdens to maintain the health of their livestock and their yield. Operators said they had to spray water on their cows as often as four times a day to cool down the animals, leading to higher utility bills.

Obviously you are a country boy. So country boy, other than heat stress or disease what would cause this sudden 50% reduction in yield?

Assuming this is the most likely cause for the loss of yield, this would be reoccurring year after year and would be a cost of doing this sort of business.

Edited April 22, 2015 by dcutman

[worgeordie]

The chicken farmers will be next to complain,as hens produce less eggs

when it gets too hot.then it will be rice growers,corn farmers,shrimp farms,

rubber tappers,etc etc.

regards worgeordie

[issanaus]

edit for quote limits, sorry

I have been around a cow or two in my life, if you bothered read the article, it clearly states a 50 percent reduction in milk production that is the money issue here. It didnt say anything about feed prices or lack of water.

Cattle ranchers explained that a dairy farm with 20 cows normally supplies between 200-240 kilograms of milk per day. That production rate has dropped to 80-100 kilograms per day, or less than half of normal output.

Reduced output has forced farmers to bear heavier financial burdens to maintain the health of their livestock and their yield. Operators said they had to spray water on their cows as often as four times a day to cool down the animals, leading to higher utility bills.

Obviously you are a country boy. So country boy, other than heat stress or disease what would cause this sudden 50% reduction in yield?

Assuming this is the most likely cause for the loss of yield, this would be reoccurring year after year and would be a cost of doing this sort of business.

Yes I did read the article - but I did remember that it was sometime that I was reading on TVF so ...

Heat stress is some thing that will have an effect - more so because most of the dairy cows are either imported breeding lines or 1 x gen crosses. These cows are more susceptible to Thai conditions than endemic breeds. The direct effect of heat is far less than the 50% drop in production. The second factor about these breeds is that they don't do as well on low standard feeds as do the locals. They have been breed to be given high protein supplements and cereals to enable the nigh production levels they normally achieve. .

The economic of drought means that the supply of farm grown food is reduced, requiring the purchase of additional foods. Milk production based on all purchased foods would be economical questionable at the best of times - but with the drought reducing the availability and increasing the costs of local foods viability declines. The 2 main strategies that can be applied to cost reduction is destocking and or a reduction in diet to a maintenance diet. Both of these strategies' will have a far greater impact on production and the second will tend to leave imported breed more susceptible to stress and disease.

What we can probably look forward to is TVF publishing stories about cows mysteriously falling over and dying after the rains cause a sudden growth in the grass. That call grass staggers and is a magnesium deficiency caused by the grass flush. 55++

[billd766]

End of last year the Commerce Ministry allowed milk producers to increase retail prices by 25 satang per 250-millimetre carton because of the higher cost of raw milk. No doubt producers will be back for another increase. Who could predict a drought during the dry season?

you don't have to buy it, you don't like subsidies but you don't like the farmers getting a profit or passing on increased costs either, i wonder if you would protest if BMW put up their prices by 10,000 Baht, nah, it's an essential.

It might have helped if the farmers would have said how much the increased cost was to spray water on their animals up to 4 times a day. As well as how this years cost to spray water on their cows was so much more than it was last year at this time. Per the OP this is where the additional cost are attributed to. Unless the temperature was drastically cooler during the same period the previous years the farmers argument just doesnt hold water.

Up here in rural Thailand near the Mae Wong national park we have only had government water for about 6 or 7 days since mid January. It gets delivered by the fire truck and you get about 4,000 litres a time. The waiting lists are nearly 3 weeks long. The alternative is to buy from the tessaban at 50 baht per 1,000 litres.

I have 27 ongs which hold about 40,000 litres and even after 3 visits by the fire truck and 2 by the tessaban I am down to about 6 full ongs.

People who live in the cities have NO idea how precious water is and what steps will be taken to control it. Think about the Mekong river and all those dams in China.

I have been keeping a weather record for a few years now and this year so far is the driest and hottest for about 6 or 7 years. Next year may be worse than this year.

I am surprised that the price of pork has not skyrocketted as pigs, like humans suffer from the heat and they also need to be cooled down by a water spray.

Edited April 24, 2015 by billd766