Grain prices in Houston, and a question...

[cactus]

I thought I'd call around to check prices on bagged feed at some local feed stores. I live south of Houston - not a lot of heavy ag right here. I think most of these stores cater to folks who keep a couple of horses- and organic gardeners.

Within a 10 mile radius, I can get CM for $12.60 up to $21.50 per #50! The same place that sells it for $21.50 has cracked corn at $9/#50 - they say that the CM is being marketed for organic gardening, so the manufacturer has jacked the price up accordingly. If I expand my search radius out to 20 miles, I can get CM for $9.70.

I found one store with soybean meal at $17.95, and several who have cottonseed meal between $13 - $15 per #50. Alfalfa pellets also run between $13 - $15 per #50. Generic 10% sweet and pellet can be had for well under $9.

** I've read elsewhere that cottonseed meal is a pain to apply. Anyone here care to share experience with CSM - and what about the potential for acidifying the soil?

Thanks,
Patrick
Houston, Texas

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

Specifically where do you live? Toward Sugarland, Pearland, or League City? When you get past Sugarland to the SE, then you get into grass farms in Wharton. Their feed store sells corn meal as I recall. The place that sells it for $21.50 is probably selling corn gluten meal and not corn meal. There is a license fee to sell CGM as a horticultural material. That jacks the price up. Wharton is quite a drive unless you are in the Sugarland direction already. $9.70 is a good price. I paid that outside of San Antonio (20 mile drive from my house and past 3 other feed stores).

[cactus]

We're in Clear Lake City- just north of League City. The $21.50 number wasn't a mistake - I double checked when I asked for the price of cracked corn. There was another store down in League City that was selling it for ~$19/#40 under the name "Soil Mender", marketed for fungal control. They didn't carry brown-bag CM for use as feed. I didn't even ask about the price/availability of CGM.

The $9.70 price for CM was in Alvin. I don't mind driving a bit to pay less, or paying a little more to drive less, but no single store has everything at a good price. Mostly I need to decide between soybean and cottonseed meal for the next application.

-Patrick

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

I used to have a list of organic stores in Houston on another forum but the administrator apparently thought I had too many stickies so he released them. I'll see what I can find. The number of organic friendly nurseries in Houston used to be zero but has grown due to the popularity of some Saturday and Sunday morning radio shows. I'll see what I can resurrect.