Off farm income

Strangelybrown · Mar 25, 2021

Hi all,

I've posted a few threads on here recently asking for advice on a farming career, so thank you to everyone who has contributed.

Just wondering, approximately what proportion of livestock farmers have off farm income? Is it relatively normal for livestock farmers to have day jobs, either full time or part time?

Cheers everyone

Bald Rick · Mar 25, 2021

Your primary responsibility is to your stock.
Therefore any job off farm must allow for you to tend your stock and to be able to respond to an emergency pdq.

Stock numbers will also dictate how much time you could devote to off farm activities
And age. All I want to do is eat and sleep after milking

kiwi pom · Mar 25, 2021

Fairly common round here for smaller farmers to also work off farm.
Stock checked and moved before/after work, extra jobs and putting up new breaks done on days off etc.
"small" probably describes places up to 200 ish acres.
Doesn't mean they don't make money, just that they're not full time.

Greythundercloudys · Mar 25, 2021

How can anyone have cows calving or ewes lmbing and not be around for hrs on end, if you don't check ewes every hrs or so they'll be trouble for sure especially in side or sh!t weather outside. Miss mothering, dead one. Your either a farmer or not.

kiwi pom · Mar 25, 2021

Greythundercloudys said:
How can anyone have cows calving or ewes lmbing and not be around for hrs on end, if you don't check ewes every hrs or so they'll be trouble for sure especially in side or sh!t weather outside. Miss mothering, dead one. Your either a farmer or not.

Perhaps they don't work off farm at lambing or take their annual leave then or have a partner at home or a neighbour that can check stock?
Maybe breeding stock that don't need as much help.

primmiemoo · Mar 25, 2021

Hello, not sure of the normality, but I had an off-farm job until first lockdown/end of first furlough. It made sense to have an income stream that comes from outside the perils and pitfalls of diversification, so that was the route taken.
Doesn't make me any less a farmer. The sensible thing is to choose your employer carefully. Flexible working times and seasonality can be carefully meshed together to work for both employer and employee.

Johnnyboxer · Mar 25, 2021

kiwi pom said:
Fairly common round here for smaller farmers to also work off farm.
Stock checked and moved before/after work, extra jobs and putting up new breaks done on days off etc.
"small" probably describes places up to 200 ish acres.
Doesn't mean they don't make money, just that they're not full time.

Popular in Europe too
See lots of farms in skiing villages
Not a sign that they are farming there - no animals or muck to be seen
Cows housed in dwellings in the basement yards
Farmers work on ski lifts or piste bashers full time, all day

Greythundercloudys · Mar 25, 2021

As l say your as easily lmbing 500 as 50 because you have to check them just the same, lv a nice set up ewes in a big shed 60 odd pens round the outside of it, but if l left them for more than 2 or 3hrs it would be nothing but trouble, especially when the floor space is crowded at the start.

BrianV · Mar 25, 2021

Strangelybrown said:
Hi all,

I've posted a few threads on here recently asking for advice on a farming career, so thank you to everyone who has contributed.

Just wondering, approximately what proportion of livestock farmers have off farm income? Is it relatively normal for livestock farmers to have day jobs, either full time or part time?

Cheers everyone

Unless you can manage to start in a fairly big way when starting out plan to do some outside contracting work of some sort, what you will earn & keep your cash flow moving will easily offset a few losses

kiwi pom · Mar 25, 2021

Greythundercloudys said:
As l say your as easily lmbing 500 as 50 because you have to check them just the same, lv a nice set up ewes in a big shed 60 odd pens round the outside of it, but if l left them for more than 2 or 3hrs it would be nothing but trouble, especially when the floor space is crowded at the start.

I know nothing about sheep but having them all in a tight space for lambing doesn't seem a good idea.
I believe on my mother in laws small sheep farm they spread all the ewes out over the farm at lambing and try not to disturb them as (they say) it causes mis mothering.
That doesn't mean they aren't there, just that they try not to interfere.

Formatted · Mar 25, 2021

Greythundercloudys said:
How can anyone have cows calving or ewes lmbing and not be around for hrs on end, if you don't check ewes every hrs or so they'll be trouble for sure especially in side or sh!t weather outside. Miss mothering, dead one. Your either a farmer or not.

I've got a full-time job, keep 20 sucklers and 40 stores. You're not working hard enough

primmiemoo · Mar 25, 2021

Greythundercloudys said:
As l say your as easily lmbing 500 as 50 because you have to check them just the same, lv a nice set up ewes in a big shed 60 odd pens round the outside of it, but if l left them for more than 2 or 3hrs it would be nothing but trouble, especially when the floor space is crowded at the start.

Perfectly true, which is why peak lambing happens during school holidays. In the before covid times, I only accept one off-farm stint during that time because I'd been doing it for so many years it could be done on autopilot.

Greythundercloudys · Mar 25, 2021

The stores will be fine, and if you don't have any trouble being at your job at calving time your a lucky man.

poorsheepfarmer · Mar 25, 2021

Greythundercloudys said:
As l say your as easily lmbing 500 as 50 because you have to check them just the same, lv a nice set up ewes in a big shed 60 odd pens round the outside of it, but if l left them for more than 2 or 3hrs it would be nothing but trouble, especially when the floor space is crowded at the start.

There are 50 weeks of the year with no lambing

puppet · Mar 25, 2021

Depends on your job and how flexible you are. Perfectly possible to have a job and pop home for lunch hour, quick sort out of problems and away though best to arrange some time off to keep you sane. We don't look at sheep inside 11pm to 6-30am anyway and outside from 8pm they are on their own.
My attitude to lambing has gradually changed from obsessional to just getting through and accepting there will be disasters

BrianV · Mar 25, 2021

Greythundercloudys said:
As l say your as easily lmbing 500 as 50 because you have to check them just the same, lv a nice set up ewes in a big shed 60 odd pens round the outside of it, but if l left them for more than 2 or 3hrs it would be nothing but trouble, especially when the floor space is crowded at the start.

If you are starting out & are foolish enough to like sheep then go for an outdoor easy lambing breed & lamb late March early April, friend of ours has a couple of thousand Highlander sheep which he houses during the winter & turns out in the fields to lamb with very little intervention

toquark · Mar 25, 2021

Greythundercloudys said:
Your either a farmer or not.

Say what you think why don’t you

delilah · Mar 25, 2021

An on farm income would be nice.

Derrick Hughes · Mar 25, 2021

You can farm without livestock

2tractors · Mar 25, 2021

Had off farm full time job for 18 years, ran 400 ewes, rearing 750 lambs. Took 3 weeks off for lambing, stock seen morning and evening every day.
Key is keeping the system simple, have good handling system and reliable contractors for all the heavy stuff. Only did field work and fert spreading. Wife worked 3 days as well, no other labour except lambing time.

Off farm income

Member

Moderator

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

0 %

Up to 25%

25-50%

50-75%

75-100%

100% I’ve had enough of farming!

Share this page