Beef / Lamb & Pig Price Tracker

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
Its these type of farms that are ruining it for everyone else. How many cows do you need to have to make a decent living? and to have time off,holiday and sick cover.I think 300 should be the limit in housed all year round herds kept on one farm place.And 500 grass fed x breds,grazing minimum of 180 days/year.............and even these numbers might be too many. Once you get past 500,in my opinion,its just pure greed. Milking times in ordinary parlours shouldnt take much more than 2 hours.More than that and it just becomes a bind, with less or no enjoyment in the job.
seen how fit some of those guys are ? Next diversification, generators on their hamster wheels.
 

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
Its these type of farms that are ruining it for everyone else. How many cows do you need to have to make a decent living? and to have time off,holiday and sick cover.I think 300 should be the limit in housed all year round herds kept on one farm place.And 500 grass fed x breds,grazing minimum of 180 days/year.............and even these numbers might be too many. Once you get past 500,in my opinion,its just pure greed. Milking times in ordinary parlours shouldnt take much more than 2 hours.More than that and it just becomes a bind, with less or no enjoyment in the job.
The dairy unit next door, father & son, the sons wife & a relief Milker. 500 acre grass farm, all bought in the last 25 years. 1/8 holstein blood in cows, rest is BF with splash of Danish red. Milking 200 plus dairy followers, plus all the beef calves too 15 month old stores (this is a recent change). They reckon there’s no point milking more than 200, because they would need an extra man, then they’d need even more cows too make his wage up, then another man because the cows wouldn’t be getting seen too properly. Everything in that yard is spotless, the cattle are all expertly cared for. Both father and Son are proper clued up too their jobs. They enjoy a good work/life balance, have holidays at the right times of year and make a decent living.
Son did sell the sheep flock 3years ago as he said they had enough work in the spring without lambing sheep too. Fair enough, he takes my sheep on tack now. Reckons it’s the best sheep have paid them for years!
 

lloyd

Member
Location
Herefordshire
The dairy unit next door, father & son, the sons wife & a relief Milker. 500 acre grass farm, all bought in the last 25 years. 1/8 holstein blood in cows, rest is BF with splash of Danish red. Milking 200 plus dairy followers, plus all the beef calves too 15 month old stores (this is a recent change). They reckon there’s no point milking more than 200, because they would need an extra man, then they’d need even more cows too make his wage up, then another man because the cows wouldn’t be getting seen too properly. Everything in that yard is spotless, the cattle are all expertly cared for. Both father and Son are proper clued up too their jobs. They enjoy a good work/life balance, have holidays at the right times of year and make a decent living.
Son did sell the sheep flock 3years ago as he said they had enough work in the spring without lambing sheep too. Fair enough, he takes my sheep on tack now. Reckons it’s the best sheep have paid them for years!

So they are doing really well on a combined milk and beef unit with
mostly British friesian traits who would have thought.;)
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Its these type of farms that are ruining it for everyone else. How many cows do you need to have to make a decent living? and to have time off,holiday and sick cover.I think 300 should be the limit in housed all year round herds kept on one farm place.And 500 grass fed x breds,grazing minimum of 180 days/year.............and even these numbers might be too many. Once you get past 500,in my opinion,its just pure greed. Milking times in ordinary parlours shouldnt take much more than 2 hours.More than that and it just becomes a bind, with less or no enjoyment in the job.

I wouldn't necessarily disagree, but is nobody allowed to be ambitious any more?

How many sheep should anyone be allowed to keep in this Socialist utopian world where the state tells you how much time off you will have?
 

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
Not that well if they can’t afford to employ someone 😂
His exact words were “if £30k and a house doesn’t attract good staff we might as well not bother with any” they had the same workman for 20 years, he decided too try something new. They advertised for 12 months and couldn’t get a decent workman from anywhere. So decided to change the system and buy the kit too manage well enough without. That’s when the ewes went.
 

RMSLLOYD

Member
Thank god there not getti g 40+ pence- can u imagine........ Every other farm would be trying to milk 1000 cows, maize everywhere eroding the soils going rate for renting land would be £500/acre £25,000/acre to buy then don't start me on where all the slurry would be going............!!?? Us poor beef & sheep bunters wouldn't get a look in......!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
That's happening now ( apart from the £500 rent.... just)
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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    Votes: 81 42.2%
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    Votes: 30 15.6%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.6%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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