When Butterville Farms in Adams, New York, switched feed companies in late 2023, they took a chance to cut costs.
“You really couldn’t say no to the price of feed, but the distance was a big factor,” says Tim Keck, a partner at Butterville Farms.
Located just 10 miles from their previous feed mill, the farm had concerns about potential logistical issues with switching to their new supplier, Phoenix Feeds and Nutrition, which is four hours away.
“Like, what’s going to happen on Christmas or what’s going to happen if it’s before a weekend, what’s the schedule going to be like? Or if the truck breaks down, what will happen?” Keck questioned.
Seven months after switching, the farm has found Phoenix Feeds to be consistent, reliable, and accommodating, “So far, Phoenix Feeds has come through on everything they said they would. The drivers are nice, and everyone is easy to work with,” Keck said.
Butterville Farms employs 20 people and cultivates over 4,000 acres of corn and alfalfa, chopping around 1,200 to 1,300 acres and converting the rest into combined corn.
The farm purchases a feed mix for lactating dairy cows from Phoenix Feeds to add to their TMR, which boosts the diets of their 1,500 milking cows and increases their productivity.
Keck says the quality of the feed has also been consistent, “I haven’t felt like we have had any bad batches of feed, which we have definitely gotten in the past from a couple of other places.”
The predictable delivery schedule has also eased their worries. “I don’t have to worry when feed will be there. I know a truck is coming every Tuesday and Thursday,” Keck said. “We have enough storage to take full tractor-trailer loads, and I think that helps, especially because of the distance. Everything has been painless.”
Keck says the cost savings have been significant, saving the farm about 10 percent a month on its feed bill.
An added benefit is that Phoenix is able to purchase and market corn from the farm. Last year, Butterville Farms sold about 1,000 tons of corn to Phoenix.
“At the time, we were behind the ball on trying to market our corn, and the mills we had reached out to already had contracts, so nobody was treating us like a priority. Phoenix said they could take our feed, so we gave that shot, and everything was awesome,” Keck said.
When a Phoenix Feeds truck was emptied during the farm’s twice-weekly feed delivery, it was refilled with corn, which was particularly beneficial when the farm was struggling to market its corn.
“We needed it out because our bins were full when we were trying to combine. Even if they only had two Phoenix trucks coming to our farm a week, they would send other trucks that were going to other farms in the area to our farm to pick up the corn.”
Switching to Phoenix Feeds has brought peace of mind and significantly cut costs for Butterville Farms, making their operations smoother and more profitable.
“It [the farm] has been pretty much been the same without the stress of worrying about feed coming in and the cost of it,” Keck said.
Contact us to learn more about how working with Phoenix Feeds can help you save money and boost farm profitability.
