In the meantime, feed costs skyrocketed.
Rising feed costs help to push milk prices even higher.
They point out that soaring feed costs have put many British pig farmers out of business.
At the same time, energy and feed costs have increased, putting farmers in a double bind.
At the same time, feed costs remained high, squeezing farmers from both sides.
And their foraging skills are another thing in their favor, saving on feed costs.
"Cattle feed costs were excruciatingly expensive and we just couldn't absorb them," says Julia. "We're saving £1,800 a month.
Rearing native breeds organically almost exclusively on grass with minimal use of supplementary fodder eliminates fuel, fertiliser and feed costs.
The milk, in this example, has a value of $7 per hundredweight after deducting milk marketing and feed costs.
With feed costs and all the other difficulties, he said, he considers getting out of turkey producing every year.
Over all, the Texas dairy industry is not doing well because of a drought driving up feed costs.
