Any Future.

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Is that wise?
Is it wise to stand still and ignore all the external hype?
Maybe.
This farm used to establish all the crops with one plough, one power Harrow and one drill and two tractors all of which didn’t amount to £10k.
We have messed about with just about every alternative system since that time for no increase in profit.
That’s a fact lurking beneath the hype.
There is a lot to be said for tried and tested systems and there is a danger of making changes purely out of “boredom” or listening to snake oil salesmen.
 

Bald Rick

Moderator
Livestock Farmer
Location
Anglesey
I cant see rents falling either and are much more likely to increase substantially.I wouldnt like to be negotiating a 3 year rent review now,with record sheep prices,cattle at 400p,wheat at £200/t,and milk at 30p. How the hell are you going to justify a rent reduction? There is still huge competition for land,either rent short or long term,or to buy.

Pffft ...... milk at 30ppl? I should coco. Only if you're one of the chosen on an aligned contract or an Arla supplier. Quite a lot of us are paddling about in the mid 20s thankee.

Anyway, it doesn't really matter what you're getting as costs are rising equally or greater so it's only churning.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Which tells you something?

Plenty people are optimistic about the future of agriculture.

If the op is doubting the future of agriculture. Move over. There will be a queue of people lining up to take over.
There is a queue alright.
Farm across the road from us has bankrupted 2 businesses and seen off 3 over the last 60 years.
Yet the price paid for the land has gone from £150 per acre to £7000 per acre.
Where would we be without optimists?😆
 

Northern territory

Member
Livestock Farmer
I think we are in the calm before the storm currently though. Commodities are bound to drop at some point in the future and with rising costs post subsidies it is going to be very tight. I fancy a change in systems here but do you go and invest a lot like most seem to be doing or sit it out and see what opportunities lay ahead.
 

Pilatus

Member
Location
cotswolds
Been in the indrustry since i was 14 now 51. The constant bombardment from organisations, groups and people i ask myself is there any future in this indrustry?
Perhaps the best farmers to give there views are those that are running a business ( not connected with farming) as well as there farm. They should be able to give a comparison of reward versus effort for their two or more businesses. .
 

Danllan

Member
Location
Sir Gar / Carms
It is that i agree but im finding it harder and harder lately to find any motivation to carry on in the job. Its all i ever wanted to do since i was 4yrs old when i had my first pedal tractor.
Buy a new pedal tractor and see if it re-inspires you*, you'll certainly be eyecatching. (y)




*I had a try on one a few weeks ago and they seem to be smaller than was once the case... :(
 
Pffft ...... milk at 30ppl? I should coco. Only if you're one of the chosen on an aligned contract or an Arla supplier. Quite a lot of us are paddling about in the mid 20s thankee.

Anyway, it doesn't really matter what you're getting as costs are rising equally or greater so it's only churning.
I’ve had higher summer milk prices with the MMB than I had last summer
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
There'll be a future for folks like me who treat it like a hobby.:cool:
Hobby is slightly ruined when it comes to selling produce, but hey-ho.
Probably a future for big farming companies.
There also seems to be quite a few in the industry who get erotic feelings down loading and filling in Red Tractor templates. Not my bag, but each to their own.🤷‍♂️
100%

You like elderly blue tractors and I like little cattle, nothing stopping us from doing what we like to do.

Best thing about giving up producing, is that there are choices now. So many. Will I drive out there or will I walk? Or take the bike?
It's like being paid to enjoy rural life, and farming "properly, like", well it was like being paid f**k all to do lots, and feeling the need to do more and more and more to survive.

I quite like to do much less, and live more
 

czechmate

Member
Mixed Farmer
100%

You like elderly blue tractors and I like little cattle, nothing stopping us from doing what we like to do.

Best thing about giving up producing, is that there are choices now. So many. Will I drive out there or will I walk? Or take the bike?
It's like being paid to enjoy rural life, and farming "properly, like", well it was like being paid fudge all to do lots, and feeling the need to do more and more and more to survive.

I quite like to do much less, and live more


That is my biggest problem.
Just returned from loading 10 fat bulls at the other farm. Probably having their throats cut as I write😕. I don’t know if I can carry on much longer breeding animals just to be killed🥺
 

Kiwi Pete

Member
Livestock Farmer
That is my biggest problem.
Just returned from loading 10 fat bulls at the other farm. Probably having their throats cut as I write😕. I don’t know if I can carry on much longer breeding animals just to be killed🥺
There are few opportunities in the world where someone who owns tools, will happily pay you weekly to borrow their tools as long as you keep them in good nick.

I've sent nothing to slaughter this year, we might send a couple of fat steers away before winter but we might not. Will see what the price does.

Heifers are off to China to calve down and learn manadarin versions of "come on, miss"
Steers went back home
Lambs went away with their mums

Walk in skinny, walk out fat, their owner can battle with the meat companies... I'm oot
 

Highland Mule

Member
Livestock Farmer
That is my biggest problem.
Just returned from loading 10 fat bulls at the other farm. Probably having their throats cut as I write😕. I don’t know if I can carry on much longer breeding animals just to be killed🥺

Do you ever take any of your produce back for yourself? I find that this helps - I see the difference my care has made to the animals coming through in the meat quality, and also (since I sell direct to customers) get feedback from the ultimate consumer. Whilst the extra money from retailing helps, the positive customer feedback and knowledge that my animals have nourished a customer/ friend makes a huge difference too.
 

czechmate

Member
Mixed Farmer
Do you ever take any of your produce back for yourself? I find that this helps - I see the difference my care has made to the animals coming through in the meat quality, and also (since I sell direct to customers) get feedback from the ultimate consumer. Whilst the extra money from retailing helps, the positive customer feedback and knowledge that my animals have nourished a customer/ friend makes a huge difference too.

We did one and that was a few years ago. Yes, extremely good quality.
But it’s not for us. For one thing we don’t really eat meat any more and commercially there are a lot of small young french farmers doing direct sales so we will always struggle with the french market. Then, there are a lot of ex pat farmers doing that with AA for ex pats, (there are a lot of ex pats), well I didn’t come to the Limousin to work with AA’s for the ex pat trade.
No, I know what needs to be done. The farm (where we don’t live) can grow good crops on most of the ground (it just needs a lot of drainage issues dealing with) , the problem is our home farm, it’s not good enough for cropping. So selling hay is an option but frankly, the only market would be to beef and sheep farmers - so purely hypocritical🙄
Maybe one of my family will use it for a sanctuary 🧐
We could send hay to the elephants but I’m assuming they don’t pay...
 

Highland Mule

Member
Livestock Farmer
We did one and that was a few years ago. Yes, extremely good quality.
But it’s not for us. For one thing we don’t really eat meat any more and commercially there are a lot of small young french farmers doing direct sales so we will always struggle with the french market. Then, there are a lot of ex pat farmers doing that with AA for ex pats, (there are a lot of ex pats), well I didn’t come to the Limousin to work with AA’s for the ex pat trade.
No, I know what needs to be done. The farm (where we don’t live) can grow good crops on most of the ground (it just needs a lot of drainage issues dealing with) , the problem is our home farm, it’s not good enough for cropping. So selling hay is an option but frankly, the only market would be to beef and sheep farmers - so purely hypocritical🙄
Maybe one of my family will use it for a sanctuary 🧐
We could send hay to the elephants but I’m assuming they don’t pay...

If you're not getting pleasure, then move back to the old place and rent out/ sell the new one. Life is a one off so don't give yourself angst when you needn't.
 

Chickcatcher

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
SG9
Simple example, I had a single rake and bought a twin rake. Obviously not essential but halves the time doing the job
Oh Czechmate I do like your above, its the sort of thing I have done in the past but what did I do with the time I saved. Decided to take on cutting grass in the grave yard and village sports ground. and now thinking I need a BIGGER mower so it dosen't take 9 hrs a week out of my spare time.
 

czechmate

Member
Mixed Farmer
Oh Czechmate I do like your above, its the sort of thing I have done in the past but what did I do with the time I saved. Decided to take on cutting grass in the grave yard and village sports ground. and now thinking I need a BIGGER mower so it dosen't take 9 hrs a week out of my spare time.

do they call it “a hamster wheel”?😂
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 43.2%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 63 34.4%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.4%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

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

    Votes: 5 2.7%

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

  • 1,286
  • 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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