Just as well, Christina. They have raised the dues to $40 and the weekly charge to $10. For somebody like me who mostly sells eggs, that's pretty rough. Once you pay your $50 in state licensing fees, the $40 dues, and $10 for the first week's charge for a spot, you are shelling out $100 before you sell a single dozen. With the cost of feed so high, the cost of care, and the fact that laying drops in the heat of the summer (which means you feeding a percentage of your flock for nothing), it is going to be tough making any profit. Ronnie is thinking about foregoing it altogether and focusing on his on-farm sales.
I voted against that and the rest of the bylaws, but you know how they ramrod things like this through in Lawton. I can tell you I will be pushing for higher minimum prices on eggs next month's meeting. I may not be living here, and it may very well be my daughter who is doing most of the actual farming, but I still have a stake in this deal. Plus, it needs to be done for the other small growers and egg producers. If that doesn't work out, we may just skip this year.
Sorry to hear about your energy levels and such. I can definitely relate to that lately. It is rough having medical restrictions when you want to do so much. I have been feeling better last couple of days, but you never know how that is going to go day to day, so I'm still moving on.
