Full time farming to part time?

onesiedale · Dec 18, 2022

Magik22 said:
Thanks for the input so far, Interesting to hear everyone’s views.

The only trouble with getting advice is that everyone’s situation is different. I’m on an AHA tenancy, 2nd generation, if I owned the farm it would be a whole different ball game. Currently running 500 ewes and 80 sucklers, all minimal input.

Definitely agree, I’ve been moving the system in that direction for a while now, which is why I’ve realised it’s possible to do something different. Also the new young family definitely gets you thinking!

Definitely not my strong point unfortunately!

This is the crux of it for me, in an ideal world I’d be pushing hard with the stock, but the margins don’t make any sense.

just be careful about your off-farm income, and how visible it may be to your landlords agent.
Try to make it happen through your farm somehow. It would be a shame to jeopodise your AHA tenancy for the next generation . That is extremely valuable to you.

Derrick Hughes · Dec 18, 2022

Sid said:
You've dabbled in most thing in your "career"
Dairy
Trial plots
bull beef
Sheep
Potatoes
Forage trading
Seeds
Letting out land
Reclaiming land.

Have I missed anything

Which was the most successful?

Poultry , Rabbits , Cereals, Pigs , Suckler Cows think that's about it
Most Successful
Dairy Farming , but dad told me that in 1964

Lakes Nash · Dec 18, 2022

Adeptandy said:
It’s not all that much fun at times working on an external boiler in minus temps or up in a loft with dusty insulation at + 30*C

You never see a poor plumber!!

B R C · Dec 18, 2022

I am still very much running the farm but using contractors for all field operations, I look after grain drying and storage, hedge cutting and topping stewardship. I spend a lot of time doing building works converting sheds for commercial lets and a fabrication business. There are a lot of hidden benefits to using contractors like being extremely flexible in what you do or don’t do cropping wise in that you only pay for work done with low machinery overheads, potentially better timeliness, set costs so you are not tempted to spend on machinery if you have a good year, not to mention no late nights!

som farmer · Dec 18, 2022

l think most farmers could streamline their businesses, quite substantially, the problem is, most are quite happy doing things the way they do.

it's all well and good to say 1 man can look after 1,000 ewes, or more, 500 cattle etc, the truth is something has to give, to enable that, usually welfare, because he can't check each animal everyday, it's a quick glance over the gate, that's all the time he has.

perhaps on huge ranches, checking by helicopter, and not worrying about odd dead/sick ones.

or geared up to an ultra efficient automated system, like chicken, or pigs.

in today's ultra welfare times, l don't think it's possible for anyone to look after 500 cattle, and 2,000 ewes, with a full time job, and do the job properly. What happens when there is a problem ? Take a day off, as holiday ? And the person that says they don't have problems crop up, is a liar.

Estate fencing. · Dec 18, 2022

som farmer said:
it's all well and good to say 1 man can look after 1,000 ewes, or more, 500 cattle etc, the truth is something has to give, to enable that, usually welfare, because he can't check each animal everyday, it's a quick glance over the gate, that's all the time he has.

I think that rubbish, I will have 1700 ewes and 3500 dry sheep to look after on my own, won’t take more than 3 hours to check every sheep and sort any problems.

Wood field · Dec 18, 2022

Depends on the job and what you call looking after the stock on your own really.
Before I went full time on our farm I was self employed servicing and repairing food and dairy machinery
Phone call at 2 am “the f ing fillers packed in can you get here”
Drive to back end of nowhere, and sort the machine out , it’s not going to happen if your lambing 50 sheep let alone 500
Same as saying I look after x amount.., but mum dad uncle Joe and my mate keep an eye on them
I find enough to do with 600 ewes and a handful of cows ..
Plus fencing, muck spreading, mowing etc etc

Daddy Pig · Dec 18, 2022

I gave up milking 25 years ago, moved to sucklers and went part time lorry driving, girlfriend was working at local racing stables so one of us at home most of the time, as time went on diy livery took over from cows, then we opened a boarding kennels, girlfriend (now wife) trained as a dog groomer and is very busy doing that, Son now 13 started a sheep enterprise 2 years ago which is going well, and I'm still doing a spot of lorry driving between jobs around the farm and kennels.

som farmer · Dec 18, 2022

Electricfencer said:
I think that rubbish, I will have 1700 ewes and 3500 dry sheep to look after on my own, won’t take more than 3 hours to check every sheep and sort any problems.

fair play to you, if you can.
chuck in a load of cattle, as well, 500 was the figure mentioned, and have a full time job, cannot see how it can be properly done, without compromising something.

and depends on how big problems are, some can take hours to sort out, with all due respect, you are near/at/past maximum numbers, lot depends on youth, as well.

we gave up our sheep, we had 1 person, ring up RSPCA, every time we had a lame sheep, and RSPCA used to come out several times a month. They knew there wouldn't be anything wrong, and very often called me, to say they were coming. And never found anything out of normal, for sheep.

We couldn't say for certain, who the lady was, the RSPCA wouldn't tell us, sensibly, nor could they not 'come' out. Each time was an hour or so, wasted. So, things happen, to all of us, that are outside of our control, we only had 600 ewes, 5200 just increases the risk, of something being wrong.

som farmer · Dec 18, 2022

Daddy Pig said:
I gave up milking 25 years ago, moved to sucklers and went part time lorry driving, girlfriend was working at local racing stables so one of us at home most of the time, as time went on diy livery took over from cows, then we opened a boarding kennels, girlfriend (now wife) trained as a dog groomer and is very busy doing that, Son now 13 started a sheep enterprise 2 years ago which is going well, and I'm still doing a spot of lorry driving between jobs around the farm and kennels.

and have a nice balance between work and farm, no doubt.

we looked at a cattery, no barking dogs, but l/lords/trustees, stopped us doing that, was thinking about including all small animals, from hamsters to chicken, offering a service for them.

15 years on, still not sure if they did me a favour, by blocking it, or not, They were looking at it from IHT point, but it was so 'small' it wouldn't have made any difference, l reckon spite was a lot to do with it.

but there are plenty of good ideas, of things that are relatively low cost, and can be run from your farm, that can be profitable. The biggest advantage of all, is the fact you have the space/ground to do something, many have to acquire/rent that space, before they start.

Adeptandy · Dec 18, 2022

Lakes Nash said:
You never see a poor plumber!!

Depends if they have a farm

BELOWAVERAGE · Dec 18, 2022

Electricfencer said:
I think that rubbish, I will have 1700 ewes and 3500 dry sheep to look after on my own, won’t take more than 3 hours to check every sheep and sort any problems.

What happens if someone runs over the one dog, the other runs off cause he thinks the neighbours on heat bitch is more interesting, the quad won't start, you get a delayed reaction from drinking too much Thatchers, and someone leaves a gate open and the 3500 dry sheep ransack the local village, and the local dog walkers lose control of a couple of pooches in the 1700 ewes and lambs and there's half a dozen dead ewes and ten lambs without mother's that need catching ?

BELOWAVERAGE · Dec 18, 2022

And that's just before breakfast.

Lakes Nash · Dec 18, 2022

Adeptandy said:
Depends if they have a farm

That’s where their missing out, you have best of both worlds!!

Devil's advocate · Dec 18, 2022

Magik22 said:
I’ve been thinking that with a few changes in stock numbers and infrastructure, I could quite easily free up enough time to generate more income away from the livestock business. However, I’ve been full time since I left school and have very few qualifications that lend well to off farm income.

I thought it would be interesting to hear from anyone who’s been in a similar situation and taken the plunge? Wether it’s heavily into diversification or employment/self employment off the farm. How’s it gone? Any Regrets? Any advice? Thanks

In a later post you say 80 suckler cows & 500 ewes.

If that is not a full time wage, pack it up.

Where abouts are you, type of land?

Devil's advocate · Dec 18, 2022

Whenever I leave the farm it seems to cost me a fortune.

An animal dies, a spray application is missed or I get a visit from the pikeys.

Its not what you earn, its what you might lose. I'm not keen on this part time farming.

Estate fencing. · Dec 18, 2022

BELOWAVERAGE said:
What happens if someone runs over the one dog, the other runs off cause he thinks the neighbours on heat bitch is more interesting, the quad won't start, you get a delayed reaction from drinking too much Thatchers, and someone leaves a gate open and the 3500 dry sheep ransack the local village, and the local dog walkers lose control of a couple of pooches in the 1700 ewes and lambs and there's half a dozen dead ewes and ten lambs without mother's that need catching ?

Just have to deal with it. No worse than what I have at them moment of 1000 ewes 1000 dry ewe lambs and 500 stores on 8 different farms.

serf · Dec 18, 2022

Electricfencer said:
Just have to deal with it. No worse than what I have at them moment of 1000 ewes 1000 dry ewe lambs and 500 stores on 8 different farms.

Bet you'll start to steady up when you head towards 50 , and jobs feel a lot more difficult to do compared to having youth on your side

Adeptandy · Dec 18, 2022

Devil's advocate said:
Whenever I leave the farm it seems to cost me a fortune.

An animal dies, a spray application is missed or I get a visit from the pikeys.

Its not what you earn, its what you might lose. I'm not keen on this part time farming.

That’s my problem

kiwi pom · Dec 18, 2022

Adeptandy said:
It’s not all that much fun at times working on an external boiler in minus temps or up in a loft with dusty insulation at + 30*C

We have a lot a houses built on piles here, so add in crawling under houses on damp mouldy earth and bugger all room to your list. Not a job I'd want, milking cows much nicer in my opinion.
Industrial work not easy either.

ploughman1963 said:
Having watched Severn Trent contractors operating the last week, I am reminded that most ‘trades’ seem to work 9-3.30 - Perhaps I should try that

All jobs look good to outsiders, some are, some aren't. You never know unless you try. Go get some tickets

Full time farming to part time?

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Up to 25%

25-50%

50-75%

75-100%

100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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