More to life
Member
- Location
- Somerset
The best option to make a good living is dairy cows but there are so many hurdles to jump. Contact and Planning being two major ones.
300 acres starting from scratch
- Thread starter Baling Hay
- Start date
GeorgeK
Member
- Location
- Leicestershire
I have fun by coming on here and proving to the whole world that I am always right!
part time maybe, but still part of every day, and on call 24/7. so you can still forget holidays etc.
as a livestock farmer, i would strongly advise you to keep it all arable if at all possible.
Baling Hay
Member
Very true
holywell farmer
Member
- Location
- holywell, north wales
Make hay from some acres and sell the hay, although some summers could be catchy.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
£130/ac for letting someone else do all the work and having all the stressI did not make anything
like £130/acon a lot of ours last year, sometimes I have to question the sanity of not renting out and question even more the sanity of those paying high rents.
I’m sure you’ve seen the steady deterioration of many farms that get rented out to the big arable outfits. I’d have to move away rather than see that outside my door.
Sounds like you'll need 1500 ewes too , something to fill the day after 9am when the cattle jobs are done
Chae1
Member
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
We still have over 400. I agree with what's being said it's as much work as you make it. I don't really take much to do with them. Brother calves them and looks after them. Dad feeds them, checks them at grass in summer. Another fulltime guy mainly feeds/beds shifts fences in winter.
Could sell all calves at weaning in autumn would reduce workload. Dry cows we have outside until calving. If you had shed space could keep them inside and feed/bed fairly quickly. Calving would be peak labour requirement in springtime. Kick them out to grass and check over summer. Autumn take in and wean.
Assuming fences etc in good condition and contractors used for silage and field work, could be part time.
180 cows is a big capital investment, not sure the return on money would be that attractive at the moment. Probably better with sheep.
A day out at Burwarton takes a week to get over,that's their holiday entitlement surely
Seem to recall you had a bit of experience with sucklers, maybe your father??
- Location
- Fife
It is possible to employ people you know.
Baling Hay
Member
I used to run a 100 cow suckler cow herd, sold out in 2005.
In my experience, the stress of employing somebody to look after your own livestock surpasses the stress of doing it yourself, where you know it's actually done and done right. Not something I'd be comfortable doing again after past experiences.
- Location
- Fife
Then you never get a holiday or day off, and cannot expand.
I get a lot more done with me and 2 staff than when there was just the 4 staff, and now there is a chance of some profit, which definitely wasn't going to happen before. Very hard to find staff who care as much about the farm and livestock as the owner, without the owner being present.
More to life
Member
- Location
- Somerset
Suck cows look ok at the moment how often has that been the case in the last ten years ?
Unfortunately a number of Government Ministers are on record as wanting cheap food + all the other MP's who voted for imports not to have to conform to higher standards enforced on domestic produce ,so enjoy the money now and let's hope it continues
, but there are serious forces at work too undermine home production all in the name of profit and cheap food and sod UK Ag
So get someone else to do all the work and make it part time, I spose like that 1800 suck cows would be part time even 18000
Put a manager in and move to south of France and farm 18000 suck cows and do no work at all
Who said suck cows were hard work
Set up right how many ewes could be part time 18 million all that has to be done is count them if someone else does everything else