Rogered by a hobbit in the LL undergrowth, buried in a raised bed with Bert or harassed behind the arras with Adam? Pick your Ambridge fate here.

[PseudoBadger]

A big showdown tonight I hope.

Thanks to Zero (I think?) for the great title.

we get it from the farm and they only deliver twice a week, but that's fine for us as we don't have children so milk is for tea and the occasional bowl of cereal

How much do you pay direct from the farm?

The Cheesemaker's Apprentice!

I am imagining RichJohn getting this job and rushing about panicking while hundreds of brooms carrying sloshing buckets of dairylea run at him in a menacing way

Also BOOTH'S! oooh. I'm already looking forward to my trip to Keswick in December so I can partake of its loveliness..

We used to get milk with our vegboxes which was lovely but had to stop getting them when I went back to work as was finding I was wasting far too much veg as less time for cooking, its no excuse really

um BYOS not sure because DP sorts it out! it's a bit more than you would pay in the supermarket. but because we're only getting four pints a week the extra is pennies compared to families who are getting through more than that in a day

Just a thought with families on low income/benifits, perhaps the government should introduce a scheme where they subsidise the price of milk, meaning those who can afford it still pay a fair price.

Personally it does grate on me when you see someone with a trolley full of luxery goods and they still pick up the cheapest milk in the store. Its sad that the nation as a whole doesn't place more value on such an important product.

We seem to accept the rising cost of bread and other foods but for some reason milk stays shamefully cheap

But does it make a difference to the farmer if you buy cheap or expensive?

Supermarket practices are shameful but while consumers buy on price that's what happens.

Such as entering into a contract with a supplier and then coming back once all is sold and demanding a rebate. Supplier often has no choice if they want to keep selling through that supermarket.

Or the supermarkets want to do a special offer on your project (2 for price of 1 etc). They make the supplier bear the cost. Problem is that once you've been on special offer consumers resent paying full price so you end up stuck on deal.

Waitrose ordinary milk is £1 for 4 points as well
We shop there as they supposedly have higher welfare standards, so I am happy to pay more for my meat. However this thread has got me thinking that Waitrose must still be paying a less than fair price for the milk, unless it is some sort of loss leader to them so they can compete with the likes of Tesco?

We used to have government regulation so there was a minimum price for essentials like milk and bread and I assume that was used to make sure that farmers got a minimum income too. I think Mrs T got rid of that and left us to market forces, although the EU presumably still has some sort of subsidy scheme - or does it?

You see, this is the kind of thing I'd like to hear on The Archers. Properly researched storylines about farming, money, people's working lives, career choices, all sorts of everyday dilemmas that people have to grapple with. The kind of storylines that could help us make better sense of our own day to day lives as well as being entertaining stories. We didn't get it much under the old editor and I'm not holding my breath that it will be any different with this one.

was that the milk marketing board?

i tell you what though, i'm about to do a roy and resign from my job with nothing else to go to

not because i've slept with my boss i hasten to add

it feels v risky and irresponsible though it is well thought through in reality

Ooh Petula how exciting! Are you resigning today? What will you do? feel free to ignore nosy questions

Oh lucky you petula. Ive been on the verge for years now but dh keeps changing job and scuppering things!!

Good luck, Petula! I changed jobs a year ago and it was wonderful. I did have something to go to, though.

Don't know much about the Milk Marketing Board except that it doesn't exist now.

thanks i plan to resign on friday. i am studying to hopefully change career direction, and i will temp for a bit if necessary while i look for another permanent role. i do need to get another job but i can't manage this one any more - commute is 1.5hrs each way and the 5.30am starts are killing me, and i can't focus on the studies that i'm really enjoying. i am very lucky that we are in a position for me to take the (hopefully short-term) risk

Wasn't the MMB a quango, ego evil .... except some of them actually did serve extremely useful functions.

i know nothing at all about the MMB, it reminds me of "yes, minister" i think

Why don't they ever discuss politics in a non partisan way (being bbc and all). Surely they could reminisce about the mmb for example

I generally buy the Duchy milk rather than waitrose own as most supermarkets don't sell unhomogenised milk. I think 4 pints is just shy of £2. I didn't realise waitrose own brand was as cheap as everywhere else. Is surprising as they are normally hot on ethical sourcing.

Would be very interested to know if the farmers producing milk for duchy are getting a good price or is it just duchy and waitrose pocketing the extra.

Definitely agree they need to start being a bit more topical on TA, recent attempts have been a bit half hearted.

Good luck Petula it will be so liberating!

I assumed Helen had an income from the shop rather than a wage and presumably it is viable for the business to pay whatsername to be in Helen's place, though it will reduce profit I suppose. Hadn't thought about the cheese...

There is still an EU subsidy though its not linked to production any more, just paid based on the area of land you farm. It is probably going to be phased out in the long run but ultimately it contributes to the income of a farm and if it wasn't there the cost of food would be higher. Farmers can also receive payments for participating in environmental schemes.

Waitrose do pay better, I believe. The processor we supply our milk to has other milk suppliers on specialist Waitrose contracts, though there are more hoops to jump through apparently. The price we are being paid is dropping all the time, over 5p per litre since June.

Oh and as for referring to a farmer's wife... See my username... He was a farmer when I married him, I was a manager in an agricultural store... So I became a farmers wife. I am now a partner in the farm but he is the full time farmer and I work part time on the farm. I would find it weird to introduce myself as a farmer but I would say 'we farm'.

thanks dairyfarmerswife - i love it when you post and give us real details! that was presumptive of me re farmer's wife, and i can understand why you would term yourself such under the circumstances - presumably he would have called himself a farmer's husband if it had been the other way round . i would probably call you a farmer until you described yourself otherwise. does ruth call herself a farmer?

Good luck Petula !

We get through 20 pints minimum each week (more if we have lasagne for example). My compromise is 8 pints organic milk from Tescos (as part of weekly delivery) as organic milk has higher welfare standards and 4+8 pints on two different days from the milkman. Its not organic but is providing local employment and spreads our milk over the week as only have room for 8 pints in the fridge. Also means no popping to Tesco express late at night for milk and spending 20.

I don't know if Ruth calls herself a farmer but she's a lot more hands on than me so she probably should! I don't milk or drive tractors on the basis that those things usually happen when I have the children, which wouldn't be practical. I feed calves, run errands, do paperwork and help out when and where I can though.

Just caught bits of the repeat and I noticed Rob's response when Helen said it wasn't the same without Tom and Kirsty. He said something like 'isn't it?' sounding a bit smug, as though he had orchestrated the whole thing... He did put doubts in Tom's mind, didn't he, and arrange the job in Canada?

The rob actor did a very good job at sounding wholly insincere!!

I wish I could have a milkman - we only use 10 pints a week but would be great to get a couple of pints a day.

I thought Hellin would carry on cheese making, but give up the shop. Isn't the cheese making just a part-time thing?
I liked Jill's reasonable, open-minded reaction to David and Roooth's ridiculous suggestion - in contrast to Heather's total intransigence. I think Heather will either see reason when she hears what Rooth is proposing or die (depending on the budget - or she could move to Ambridge and communicate through the medium of competitive simnel cake making).