Anyone else getting disincentivsed with farming?

[L P]

You should start a thread an put some pics up throughout the year I'd be very interested in following it

You'd revel in June onwards when those immaculate crops suddenly get a crop of thistles poking through. Happy to share it if you're interested.

 

[Spencer]

Yes, but... you'd need to get ATPLH to take reward for it, which is 300-350 hours and lots of ratings, plus if you want to earn top dollar you'll want an executive swing wing which will set you back 500k minimum....you could do "hooky charter" as a ppl under cost sharing basis in an r44 for instance... fine til it goes wrong, which normally comes down to weather outweighing talent. Rough maths takes you to 160k to get to ATPLH. But at that point you'd be salaried at 70k full time, so it's a good payback compared to cost of farm kit vs reward

Is 70k salary good for 660k outlay? Just have fond memories of Airwolf

 

[L P]

Is 70k salary good for 660k outlay? Just have fond memories of Airwolf

Salaried in someone else's I meant, so for cost of training that's what you could earn. Not sure what running cost of an a109 would be, suspect £700-1000/h, probably £1600-2k/hr charter cost, 500 hrs would be a lot a year but managable... 300k net

 

[Dan Powell]

I'm a bit of a grumpy shite if I'm not busy... that has a price to pay

Have you not got any docks to pull on your organic farm.... I've some some here if you're bored.

 

[Vader]

Went organic 8 years ago, that got rid of fertiliser spreading and spraying, which I enjoyed, but the figures work. Now looking at sfi which will likely fill in more gaps again... soon I won't much be needed for 3/4 of the year, ultimate streamlining maybe, and probably offensive to stock farmers... I can't sit idle for a day and I miss farming conventionally for the early starts spraying etc. Organic isn't easy to get right either... the middle bits I get rather bored quite quickly, no onus, no incentive...
I'm becoming frustrated that I should do more with myself, the farm is close to maximised IMHO, do I brave another incentivised job or is it too much?

Did organic for 12 years, then went back to proper farming ...

 

[Vader]

It's hugely intensive preparing ground for planting. Liberating I'm not sure, it's quite demoralising having time to watch crops struggle and grow away knowing there is a way to help them flourish... one chance for a whole season and its all in establishment

2 dry springs in a row ended my organic adventure....

 

[L P]

2 dry springs in a row ended my organic adventure....

I'm unsurprised, had dismal results on oats but barley took it well in the two dry springs here thankfully

 

[L P]

Did organic for 12 years, then went back to proper farming ...

Bet you learned a lot off it though, it's more interesting than spray can labels IMHO

 

[L P]

Have you not got any docks to pull on your organic farm.... I've some some here if you're bored.

You think that would ease things?! Docks don't seen to compete much, make the crop ugly, thistles are a bugger problem

 

[Thick Farmer]

Did organic for 12 years, then went back to proper farming ...

Same here

 

[Cowabunga]

Have you considered the priesthood?

Not even briefly! Not many priests here being Christian not Catholic Church... couldn't do worse than our vicar though

Start your own religion and church. That is where the money and power lies. Before you know it, you will have your own private jet in order to spread ‘the word’, financed by your loyal faithful growing congregation. Plenty of time to do your weeding and seeding, which is hard, especially as mother planted petunias.

 

[L P]

Start your own religion and church. That is where the money and power lies. Before you know it, you will have your own private jet in order to spread ‘the word’, financed by your loyal faithful growing congregation. Plenty of time to do your weeding and seeding, which is hard, especially as mother planted petunias.

Will you follow me @Cowabunga ?!

 

[Spencer]

Salaried in someone else's I meant, so for cost of training that's what you could earn. Not sure what running cost of an a109 would be, suspect £700-1000/h, probably £1600-2k/hr charter cost, 500 hrs would be a lot a year but managable... 300k net

Pulling dockings it is ..

 

[yoki]

You need to milk cows then you will not have any time to worry about!

Was thinking sheep myself.

But cows would do the job pretty well too!

 

[Cowabunga]

Will you follow me @Cowabunga ?!

I believe in twin celestial teapots. If you base your religion on that and make me your high priest and accountant, yeah, sure, why not.

 

[ollie989898]

How about the giving up farming and renting out your land to a neighbour for dairy maestro money/acre? Anyone done it and got any regrets? £200/acre in your back pocket and play farming simulator all day instead?

 

[Cowabunga]

How about the giving up farming and renting out your land to a neighbour for dairy maestro money/acre? Anyone done it and got any regrets? £200/acre in your back pocket and play farming simulator all day instead?

To net £50k before tax, which is a reasonable family annual income, [about one third of what a local general practitioner earns and half their pension] at least 300 acres need to be owned and rented out with zero debt to service, considering the ongoing maintenance costs for the landlord. What about those with only, say, 150 acres? The income just isn’t sufficient.
Far from everyone owns their land or house anyway. They rent. Therefore they cannot sub-rent and even if they could the gross margin would be tiny.

 

[T Hectares]

Damn tootin' right I am disincentivised with farming.

It appears that "profit" is a dirty word these days so instead we look for ways to reduce expenditure - either from environmental schemes or by cutting inputs/making do & mend

No way to run a business. Just pee!ng in the wind - which is blowing it straight back in to our faces bigly.

I thought that, according to the leading Scottish correspondent on here, Dairy’s biggest problem was what to spend the profits on ??

 

[Cowabunga]

I thought that, according to the leading Scottish correspondent on here, Dairy’s biggest problem was what to spend the profits on ??

A dairy farmer yourself are you? If not, why not?

As a bit of perspective, my dairy engineer has lost ten customers this year compared to last and expects to lose at least one dairy farm a month over the next year, and he is fearful that it could be double that or half his existing customers packing it in as a bad job.

You, on the other hand, seem like a prime candidate to make your fortune at it. Let us know how you get on.

 

[Bald Rick]

A dairy farmer yourself are you? If not, why not?

As a bit of perspective, my dairy engineer has lost ten customers this year compared to last and expects to lose at least one dairy farm a month over the next year, and he is fearful that it could be double that or half his existing customers packing it in as a bad job.

You, on the other hand, seem like a prime candidate to make your fortune at it. Let us know how you get on.

Think @T Hectares was referring to Boss Farmer.