300 Cow Greenfield Dairy

[Baling Hay]

Hello all,

If one were to build a 300 cow autumn calving greenfield dairy set up with the following:

• Cubicle House with sand bedded cubicles and feeding around the outside.
• 24 a side basic swing over parlour with ACR's, no in parlour feeding as plan would be TMR in winter and just grass at turnout
• Lined lagoon slurry storage for 6 months
• Earth walled silage clamp

What sort of money do you think this would cost in this day and age?

Thanks in advance.

 

[In the pit]

You’re probaly getting to the 7 figure mark .dont think earth bank silage clamp is allowed now
Can you use sand and have a lined lagoon ,,NO ,,so you would need some kind of separation system

 

[Baling Hay]

You’re probaly getting to the 7 figure mark .dont think earth bank silage clamp is allowed now
Can you use sand and have a lined lagoon ,,NO ,,so you would need some kind of separation system

Earth walled not allowed even with side sheets?

 

[In the pit]

I might be corrected but no you’re not allowed

 

[Wesley]

Earth walled not allowed even with side sheets?

The floor would need to extend outside of the banks to allow effluent to be caught. So not really worth it with concrete & groundwork costs involved. Better off either putting the money towards suitable walls or just have no walls at all & a flat concrete pad.

 

[Farmer Keith]

I might be corrected but no you’re not allowed

No you’re correct, thing of the past. Concrete pad with a perimeter drain would be the cheapest way these days but you’re going to collect a lot of rain water with it.

 

[More to life]

Wait and see what the new planning laws are as it's a pretty difficult thing to do at the moment. Permited development might be your friend.

 

[More to life]

No you’re correct, thing of the past. Concrete pad with a perimeter drain would be the cheapest way these days but you’re going to collect a lot of rain water with it.

I wonder what's best big pad massive lagoon. Walls with a smaller lagoon.

 

[Wesley]

I wonder what's best big pad massive lagoon. Walls with a smaller lagoon.

Put down a pad, put silage on it & then get a grant for roof. Put in walls when you put the shed up.

 

[Boysground]

Big pad no walls then when you can afford it put the walls up. If it was me i’d go a mimimum of 8 months slurry storage

Bg

 

[frederick]

• Cubicle House with sand bedded cubicles and feeding around the outside.
• 700000-1000000 cost will be higher end with channels etc for slurry. Shed alone will be 350-400
• 
  
• 24 a side basic swing over parlour with ACR's, no in parlour feeding as plan would be TMR in winter and just grass at turnout
• Might get this done for 250-300 depends how much is uncovered.
• Lined lagoon slurry storage for 6 months
• Might get simple hole lines for less than 100k. A lined hole will probably want a separator certainly want to plan for it in the long run. Add another 100k. You would get a round tower covered and separator system for 400k. Long term possibly better solution
• Earth walled silage clamp
• Can't do earth walled unless in Scotland. 1500m2 50*30 two pits 15m wide covered probably 350k. Might get 100k grant for the roof

So I would say 1.5 million is probably about as cheap as you can go doing the job properly with a 40 plus year planned life.

Built the slurry store. First part of 300 cubicle shed going up as we speak. Silage pits in for planning. So these are a bit more than educated guesses.

Parlour is the one I might have significantly wrong. My ballpark for 60 bail rotary is north of 600k but that's a long time in the future.

 

[frederick]

Just see your sand bedding. Separator and sand lanes will be a must so that will be 150-200k

 

[Baling Hay]

Thanks for the replies so far.

Let's pose it another way, what would be the most cost effective build for 300 cows? Cow kennels with straw bedding?

Outwintering is not an option unfortunately.

 

[Farmer Keith]

Thanks for the replies so far.

Let's pose it another way, what would be the most cost effective build for 300 cows? Cow kennels with straw bedding?

Outwintering is not an option unfortunately.

The reply’s so far give an indication of why so many new herds go down the spring calving route, although the net is certainly tightening up there will be savings to be made by going for a simple grass based system. Even bales over clamp might look more cost effective in the short term these days?

 

[More to life]

The reply’s so far give an indication of why so many new herds go down the spring calving route, although the net is certainly tightening up there will be savings to be made by going for a simple grass based system. Even bales over clamp might look more cost effective in the short term these days?

No ones mentioned milk contract and spring calving isn't the route to one of them. I guess there might already be one in place.

 

[vantage]

Thanks for the replies so far.

Let's pose it another way, what would be the most cost effective build for 300 cows? Cow kennels with straw bedding?

Outwintering is not an option unfortunately.

Move to a country where no housing is needed!
Junior is in NZ, 700 cows, a parlour and calf shed.

 

[Baling Hay]

Move to a country where no housing is needed!
Junior is in NZ, 700 cows, a parlour and calf shed.

It's a good point, but what is their milk price in comparison?

 

[vantage]

It's a good point, but what is their milk price in comparison?

I don’t know, but I do know they’ll be keeping a decent chunk of it, something you may not achieve by spending heavily in a higher milk price environment.

 

[Bald Rick]

No ones mentioned milk contract and spring calving isn't the route to one of them. I guess there might already be one in place.

Nobody has mentioned buying the stock either …

 

[mixed farm]

I think it's grassman 247 who has done a lot of building with a lot of cows but posted on here last week that he can't get away for 2 days to go to the ploughing in Ireland. Maybe more cows does not equal a better life.