Friday, July 31, 2009

State of the Economy

Here's a sight you wouldn't have seen until this last year: A UPS Freight truck hauling a load of hay.

Yep, that's right, it's really UPS Freight. I sure did a double take.

It turns out that these UPS trucks are subcontracted to take loads of pipes from California to Utah. But in order to make the trip worthwhile, they need to haul something back to California (that's called a backhaul). Someone figured out that hay would be a good load.

So a couple of the UPS trucks showed up on our ranch yesterday and got loaded with hay.

This friendly driver said they started backhauling hay about a year ago. She seemed to really like her job.

I guess you might say that some creative options are being explored to make a profit in the current economy. Have you seen some other creative ways to make a buck?

3 comments:

  1. That's some nice looking hay. I can almost smell it!

    If the water ever dries up there (let's HOPE not), a clever person might try their hand at drought-tolerant herbs rather than alfalfa, like they are doing out toward Reno and in Utah. Probably too cold for wine grapes where you are, but gosh they can be grown in awfully hot, rocky, dry soil (like Southern France around Chateauneuf where there IS no soil per se, just rocks).

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  2. I wonder if those drivers wear the khaki shorts too. LOL

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  3. Whatever their reasons are I'm glad to see your hay on the truck because that means you sold hay. I know ranching isn't a career that allows you to roll in dough.

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