All things Dairy

[pappuller]

Several reasons, so I may only have 80 milkers but I have 150 sheep and another 200 cattle as well, we do all our own silage and cultivations and put our own sheds up, do all our own concreting etc
The problem with milking is, if I have to be back at half 4 every day it doesnt give me very long in the afternoon to get stuff done, especially if I'm at dads place as it's a 45 minute round trip there and back with a tractor, so only have a couple of hours in the afternoon to get mowing done or whatever else I need to do, I also cant milk any later due to our collection time, plus as much as I love milking it would be nice to have a break once a week, currently done just under 13 milkings a week ever since we started up, and that 1 evening a week is spent racing around trying to get stuff done

Have you sat down and costed each portion of your business? See what profit each produces and maybe look at ditching the least profitable to ease the workload

 

[More to life]

Have you sat down and costed each portion of your business? See what profit each produces and maybe look at ditching the least profitable to ease the workload

it will be tractoring

 

[pappuller]

it will be tractoring

I didn't like to say

 

[HasthorpeGrange]

Would 100% agree, just had devastating news over night our 35 week of pregnancy daughter has died ,now kicking myself I missed the scan on Wednesday because I was baling, I really should have got a contractor to do it so I could have gone, now trying to get someone to milk, so I can go up to Southampton.

Devastating to hear that my condolences to the two of you. If I weren’t 180mile away and having to milk her tonight I would have come milked for you to be with your Mrs. I had a child in December and it changes your perspective on everything.

 

[sidjon]

Devastating to hear that my condolences to the two of you. If I weren’t 180mile away and having to milk her tonight I would have come milked for you to be with your Mrs. I had a child in December and it changes your perspective on everything.

Thank you for your kind offer, have got milking sorted, you sure find out who your mates are, this will be our 3rd premature baby/birth and unfortunately none have survived , it doesn't get any easier.

 

[Milkcow365]

Thank you for your kind offer, have got milking sorted, you sure find out who your mates are, this will be our 3rd premature baby/birth and unfortunately none have survived , it doesn't get any easier.

My thoughts are with you today

 

[Martyn]

Would 100% agree, just had devastating news over night our 35 week of pregnancy daughter has died ,now kicking myself I missed the scan on Wednesday because I was baling, I really should have got a contractor to do it so I could have gone, now trying to get someone to milk, so I can go up to Southampton.

So sorry to read, as a parent can't imagine anything worse.

 

[buffalo_soldier]

Can't add anything but just offer my condolences @sidjon

 

[lazy farmer]

So sorry @sidjon

 

[More to life]

so sorry @sidjon

 

[In the pit]

Several reasons, so I may only have 80 milkers but I have 150 sheep and another 200 cattle as well, we do all our own silage and cultivations and put our own sheds up, do all our own concreting etc
The problem with milking is, if I have to be back at half 4 every day it doesnt give me very long in the afternoon to get stuff done, especially if I'm at dads place as it's a 45 minute round trip there and back with a tractor, so only have a couple of hours in the afternoon to get mowing done or whatever else I need to do, I also cant milk any later due to our collection time, plus as much as I love milking it would be nice to have a break once a week, currently done just under 13 milkings a week ever since we started up, and that 1 evening a week is spent racing around trying to get stuff done

So what does you’re dad actually do, or is he in control same as the two brothers on the other thread

 

[In the pit]

Would 100% agree, just had devastating news over night our 35 week of pregnancy daughter has died ,now kicking myself I missed the scan on Wednesday because I was baling, I really should have got a contractor to do it so I could have gone, now trying to get someone to milk, so I can go up to Southampton.

My daughter gave birth to our first grandchild at 20 weeks and we lost him a week later to complications.it’s been two years now but the sadness still makes it feel like yesterday
So sorry for your loss..

 

[pappuller]

Thoughts are with you @sidjon

 

[upnortheast]

That is terrible @sidjon . Our thoughts are with you

 

[Rossymons]

Desperately sad news to read @sidjon.

But well done on being brave enough to share with us. I don't know that I would have been. I hope you and your partner can get through this and get there in the end.

 

[betweenthelines]

I'll give an example of what currently happens
My current relief is supposed to get here at 8, work the morning until 12, he has lunch until 1 and then works until 5 when he milks
He would be paid £80 for the general farm work and then £25 on top of that for the milking to make £105/day

So would that be the same as what you're saying I should be paying or are you saying I should be paying £150 for the day including the evening milking?

That's £105 for an 11 hour day. Even if you take out the hour for lunch you are only paying £10.50/hr. Knock off 20% if he's Self Employed (for his tax, NI pension etc) and he's on less than minimum wage. That confirms 2 things in my mind:

You're a farmer
You're Cornish.

And there's nothing tighter than a Cornish farmer

 

[Wee Willy]

@sidjon really sorry for your loss. I've been there. As hard as you may think it is,it's 100 times worse for your wife/partner. Yes you have to grieve but the sooner you can get back to some sort of normality, the sooner the healing starts.
Our child was not premature. Seeing my son in a coffin and putting it in the grave gave my life a whole new perspective. In some ways wife and I are closer and stronger. Brighter days ahead.

 

[betweenthelines]

Several reasons, so I may only have 80 milkers but I have 150 sheep and another 200 cattle as well, we do all our own silage and cultivations and put our own sheds up, do all our own concreting etc
The problem with milking is, if I have to be back at half 4 every day it doesnt give me very long in the afternoon to get stuff done, especially if I'm at dads place as it's a 45 minute round trip there and back with a tractor, so only have a couple of hours in the afternoon to get mowing done or whatever else I need to do, I also cant milk any later due to our collection time, plus as much as I love milking it would be nice to have a break once a week, currently done just under 13 milkings a week ever since we started up, and that 1 evening a week is spent racing around trying to get stuff done

First thing that needs to be done is decide who works for who, are you in a family partnership, employed or what?

From the above it looks like you work for your father (certainly at his beck and call by what you say) and someone (You, father, both of you? ) employs a p/t worker.

If you are independent, it sounds like you are employing someone to do work you should be doing while you work for your father-why doesn't your father just employ someone to do what you do for him so you can look after your own farm?

And TBH, 13 milkings/week at your age isn't exactly the end of the World.

 

[Tim G]

That's £105 for an 11 hour day. Even if you take out the hour for lunch you are only paying £10.50/hr. Knock off 20% if he's Self Employed (for his tax, NI pension etc) and he's on less than minimum wage. That confirms 2 things in my mind:

You're a farmer
You're Cornish.

And there's nothing tighter than a Cornish farmer

Clearly you've never been to Scotland.

 

[BELOWAVERAGE]

If your impling I just sit on my arse and do nothing you are far from right. Current projects include buying 31 acres next door, setting up a glamping pod for the mrs, getting planning for an ag tie house, getting planning on an off building and I've just submitted my sfi application and organised several farmer meetings about sfi. If anything going oad has given me a brighter future where I've got time to do the bigger picture, future proofing jobs.

Definitely not suggesting (although you could have been implying) but he needs to push on, not sit back like you appeared to be suggesting.