All things Dairy

[vantage]

My time is valued at £0/hour for now

Fair enough! Did read you had 40 or so to start, going to 90 so I understand. My milkers will do 140- 230 depending on calving.

 

[Jdunn55]

Fair enough! Did read you had 40 or so to start, going to 90 so I understand. My milkers will do 140- 230 depending on calving.

When I get there there would be anywhere between 30-40 calved I think but within a couple of months I'll be north of 80 before being at 90 by the end of summer, hoping to buy some more in-calf heifers at the back end of the year and get north of 100 next year but we shall see

 

[Moorlands]

Thanks for all the replies, in terms of work I think it's going to have to be a bit of trial and error and see how things go, I've got someone who's going to be doing 3 days a week for me and would be doing some relief milking - its just how much that I'm as yet undecided on, I like milking and am a massive fuss ass when it comes to cow management and wouldnt want to upset him by being a control freak which is why I'm kind of thinking the less he does the less I have to worry about but if he does 2-3 it's less risk for me to worry about but still enough that should I be on silage or want to go out I can ask him to milk for me. The other problem I've got at the minute is all I can see are pound signs, I hate owing people money and would like to get to ther point of not having to rely on the bank and finance companies for everything, and for every 4 milkings is save £100, which if I do that every week it adds up to over £5,000 which is the equivalent of 3-4 cows/heifers... I've also got someone keen on doing an apprenticeship, so I've said that he can come and do every saturday with me until the summer holidays when we can decide if he wants and if I want him to do an apprenticeship with me which would help me out next year. I've only got 90 cows this year and very little in the way of youngstock but still have all the sucklers and sheep to do as well. I've got a contractor coming for first cut, budgeted to have someone come and serve the cows but I am hoping to do a refresher course next month to serve them myself but if i cant cope i can ask the tech to do them (or even a 50:50 split!). So I'm fairly certain that itll be ok.
I want to work hard and pay this bloody loan off and once that's done I can relax a bit but currently I'm phoning the bank manager every other week to keep him updated ( albeit on a voluntary basis as i feel it's best to keep him in the loop!) and i always feel like hes my keeper at the minute and I don't like it - not the fault of my bank manager hes brilliant and would be highly recommended! I havent got a family to support at the minute and if I work hard now should that change I'll be in a much better state financially to support them

Thankyou @Agrispeed for the offer but for now I'm going to see how it goes as I should be fairly well sorted, especially as I'll only be milking 30-40 to begin with but if I get there and find it too much I'll send you a message.

Best of luck
Dreams don’t work unless you do

 

[som farmer]

When I get there there would be anywhere between 30-40 calved I think but within a couple of months I'll be north of 80 before being at 90 by the end of summer, hoping to buy some more in-calf heifers at the back end of the year and get north of 100 next year but we shall see

when we restarted, our first milking was 12 beef hfr/cows, then squeezed 10 proper ones in, at about 11.55pm, before the F&M movement ban came in. Those few beefers, needed two people to milk them. If you want to get on, you have to work hard, or win the lottery, you sound pretty determined, so seriously good luck to you.

 

[sidjon]

Two more popped out, Cogent must be putting too much in the straws .

 

[som farmer]

different animal, but friend syncs his early ewes, bit unhappy this year, 300 ewes, 40 sets of quads, a lot of triplets, very very few singles, forgotten how many x3, but was a lot.
Great day today, putting up fences for turnout tomorrow

 

[lazy farmer]

Filling up nicely.

 

[lazy farmer]

This yrs concrete extension

 

[Beef farmer]

Autumn reseed grazed out today. Feels like 20th March not 2nd beautiful

 

[sidjon]

Still hill mist here, but cow's enjoying the grass.

 

[early riser]

View attachment 944660This yrs concrete extension

you’ve probably been asked a million times but how thick are you laying it and is it for cows only or all farm traffic?

 

[som farmer]

this is the first year i have not watched the cows going out for the first time, stuck in office, sorting out the next insurance quote, feel very disappointed.
We have now calved 9 hfrs, AI to convention semen, from 1 jersey bull, and have had 9 hfr calves, just beginning to think they supplied sexed, not conventional. The only certainty is it won't continue like that !

 

[crashbox]

There is a podcast called “How I built this” where people who started companies tell their story of starting a business. It’s very enlightening. The amount of money borrowed, lost and spent is staggering. The amount of effort and emotional toll it took on many will make you think.

Farmers aren’t the only ones with long hours. Elon musk I think said one time if you aren’t willing to work 16-18 hours per day every day for a very long time then the start up game isn’t for you.

There is one about stoneyfield, a yogurt maker and Mr.Dyson is on there too. 4+ hour milkings you need something to listen to.

What do you listen to the pod casts on? I've got a Makita radio but struggle to hear it over the pulsators. Music fine but talking shows... Forget it

 

[crashbox]

View attachment 944656 Filling up nicely.

Like the look of that barrel feeder any chance of a close up?

 

[Dead Rabbits]

What do you listen to the pod casts on? I've got a Makita radio but struggle to hear it over the pulsators. Music fine but talking shows... Forget it

iPhone with headphones that come with it. Get enough phone calls I just keep one in all day.

 

[lazy farmer]

you’ve probably been asked a million times but how thick are you laying it and is it for cows only or all farm traffic?

150 mm for cow only traffic 200 mm for tractor crossing points.

 

[lazy farmer]

Like the look of that barrel feeder any chance of a close up?

 

[pine_guy]

View attachment 944676View attachment 944677

Looks good. Are they standard peach teats and you’ve added the pipe?

 

[lazy farmer]

Looks good. Are they standard peach teats and you’ve added the pipe?

 

[Cowmansam]

We do the same