Is anyone in beef and sheep willing to invest money?

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
I’m not looking to invest in capital projects here (rented farm), but I am still steadily increasing ewe numbers to fit with ground/sward improvements, but without increasing costs. All machinery that I’m likely to want to bring most things in house is now mostly here, so not much more likely to be going out on anything but repairs (& the rest of the finance on some of them) to go out now. Aged pickup was planned to stop here for another 5+ yrs, until it went bang in a big way, so an unexpected replacement needed there, as tends to happen.

I’ve pulled all but the essential fencing projects from Glastir now, as the payments don’t cover costs now stakes have shot up in price. One new 180m fence to go up to split a grazing field, but pretty well everything else down to just ‘fix when necessary’ now, unless new enviro schemes are more generous (as promised).

Probably dropping my early lambing group, to knock everything back to make better use of Spring grass and further reduce the relatively small concentrate bill I still have. AI would stop at the same time, apart from to bring in any genetics via semen. Future of my Beltex experiment is very much under review.

I will be continuing to invest in genetics and in maintaining soils & grassland of course, which I see as the main drivers in my/any livestock business.
 

Cowmangav

Member
Location
Ayrshire
So this is the question.

Up until a few years ago a few grand on a shed or a sheep pen or even some shiny new equipment to make the jobs easier would be tempting to improve efficiency or at least a bit of expansion to help turnover.However I’m feeling more and more that I can’t see the reasoning in spending a chunk of money at all on anything big to maybe improve farm capacity/output.

The food industry in general only seem to want the cheapest food and will source it from anywhere even if it is a factory producing fungal slime.

In fact the only way forward I’m seeing is reducing investment and reducing costs and importantly also reducing output.

Apart from the dairy industry which seems to be doing quite well what are other people’s thoughts?
Have you talked to many dairy folk lately ? I'm out now , but those I speak to seem uncertain of prospects , and the flow out of the sector continues.
 

Yale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Have you talked to many dairy folk lately ? I'm out now , but those I speak to seem uncertain of prospects , and the flow out of the sector continues.
You wouldn’t think that around here,the large dairy farms are expanding at a pace,hoovering up land and spending big money.

You only have to look at the figures,the poorest years in milk seem to be better than other sectors.
 

Yale

Member
Livestock Farmer
I’m not looking to invest in capital projects here (rented farm), but I am still steadily increasing ewe numbers to fit with ground/sward improvements, but without increasing costs. All machinery that I’m likely to want to bring most things in house is now mostly here, so not much more likely to be going out on anything but repairs (& the rest of the finance on some of them) to go out now. Aged pickup was planned to stop here for another 5+ yrs, until it went bang in a big way, so an unexpected replacement needed there, as tends to happen.

I’ve pulled all but the essential fencing projects from Glastir now, as the payments don’t cover costs now stakes have shot up in price. One new 180m fence to go up to split a grazing field, but pretty well everything else down to just ‘fix when necessary’ now, unless new enviro schemes are more generous (as promised).

Probably dropping my early lambing group, to knock everything back to make better use of Spring grass and further reduce the relatively small concentrate bill I still have. AI would stop at the same time, apart from to bring in any genetics via semen. Future of my Beltex experiment is very much under review.

I will be continuing to invest in genetics and in maintaining soils & grassland of course, which I see as the main drivers in my/any livestock business.
Yes,this is along my line of thinking,grassland and genetics to get more from less without cost and massive investment.
 

Llmmm

Member
You wouldn’t think that around here,the large dairy farms are expanding at a pace,hoovering up land and spending big money.

You only have to look at the figures,the poorest years in milk seem to be better than other sectors.
Uk will not have enough milk after brexit so milk outlook looks good
 

Andrew1983

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Black Isle
I have just invested in 3 new sheds. Reshaping yards and a new access road into the farm. Will take me 15 years to pay off. I was told by my brother in law (in 2017)who is an ag consultant to wait until after brexit is done with to see if it’s wise but being young and stupid I ploughed on regardless with the investment starting back in 2018. Things are tight right now, there will be no new machinery this year, We have been doing a fair bit of fencing and I hope to continue that to some extent and put a decent bit of drain in a particularly wet field. With regards the buildings side of things, I justified it to myself as if I tried to save for 15 years to pay for it all Or do it bit at a time I’d only be starting to get the benefit off it in my 50s. Happy to have them up and the place on it’s way to being tidy. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that I get a good year or 3 to help pay off some of the dept or update some kit that’s going to be creeping older than I’d like. It would also help massively if subsidy is maintained at current levels.
 

Yale

Member
Livestock Farmer
I have just invested in 3 new sheds. Reshaping yards and a new access road into the farm. Will take me 15 years to pay off. I was told by my brother in law (in 2017)who is an ag consultant to wait until after brexit is done with to see if it’s wise but being young and stupid I ploughed on regardless with the investment starting back in 2018. Things are tight right now, there will be no new machinery this year, We have been doing a fair bit of fencing and I hope to continue that to some extent and put a decent bit of drain in a particularly wet field. With regards the buildings side of things, I justified it to myself as if I tried to save for 15 years to pay for it all Or do it bit at a time I’d only be starting to get the benefit off it in my 50s. Happy to have them up and the place on it’s way to being tidy. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that I get a good year or 3 to help pay off some of the dept or update some kit that’s going to be creeping older than I’d like. It would also help massively if subsidy is maintained at current levels.

I‘m 48 so almost a generation older.

I do feel that there is not as much certainty in agriculture as there was 15 years ago however there were bad times then,BSE,Foot and mouth twice but there was always government support for maintaining production and the incentives which came with it.

Now government seems willing to hang us out to dry with the foot certainly off the production pedal.

So message wise I can’t see investments really panning out.

I‘m investing in things which can be resold and make my life easier,not huge capital projects to dramatically intensify the farm.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
with an uncertain future for farming, is it not time to decrease our outgoings ? Get sorted out before the big changes come, then you are ready to go forwards if oppurtunities occur, and 1/2 way down the survival root if they don't.
 

z.man

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
central scotland
with an uncertain future for farming, is it not time to decrease our outgoings ? Get sorted out before the big changes come, then you are ready to go forwards if oppurtunities occur, and 1/2 way down the survival root if they don't.
Possibly, but if you don’t invest when you can what chance do you have when you really have your back to the wall , better off doing something all the time rather than waiting for better days, in my experience delaying a project can become expensive as well, how much more is a shed today than it would have been 10 years ago ?
 

Nearly

Member
Location
North of York
Possibly, but if you don’t invest when you can what chance do you have when you really have your back to the wall , better off doing something all the time rather than waiting for better days, in my experience delaying a project can become expensive as well, how much more is a shed today than it would have been 10 years ago ?
On with a few shed extensions etc to make more space.
In 10 years time these can become micro industrial units to pay me back.
Already have a lad looking for workshop space since I concreted mine.
Cows might be long gone. I might be too.
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
Make sure it's detailed in the accounts so you get the depreciation on it (y)

After doing a cashflow projection, I have decided to invest in a new seat for my 15 year old quad bike. @unlacedgecko's suggestion of using a dead ewe has been a successful temporary measure but it's time to invest for the future.

If you skin them and just use the hide it's almost a permanent fix.
 

czechmate

Member
Mixed Farmer
We’ve just put in an order for a new tractor. Changing brand to the nearest dealer (Deutz) as I am, after many years, fed up with JD and certainly our nearest (JD) dealer.
Had just bought a new rake, bedder and mill.
Being pure bred limousines, it’s easy to lower and raise herd size, which we seem to do regularly.

Avoiding tax is and simplifying life are the leading drivers here :unsure:
 
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LAMBCHOPS

Member
Always been Dog and stick mainly with sheep one twenty year old 4wd Tractor to put feed out and one forty year old tractor . Contractor does the rest. Just bought a light 4wd car to do bike work as its in the hundreds instead of 1000s. Minimal machinery . Will be building a dipping tub perhaps a second one, might change box otherwise no fancy shiny things on tick will be bought. Lease a car but apart from that we have not got much but its all paid for with minimal borrowings. After sorting our flock out which is reasonably big Bought 1500 store lambs happy to have slogged with extra work especially over Xmas period.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
Possibly, but if you don’t invest when you can what chance do you have when you really have your back to the wall , better off doing something all the time rather than waiting for better days, in my experience delaying a project can become expensive as well, how much more is a shed today than it would have been 10 years ago ?
possibly, but what we are looking at, is a probable reversion of what we have known, for 40 years, in this case, get your house in order, and you could be well placed to go forwards, or, the opposite.
 

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