Arla/McDonald’s grant info

[nonemouse]

Have I been asleep, what is R500

Arla's farmer knowledge transfer and benchmarking groups (which should be a good thing)

But seems to be designed as another way of erradicating single person dairy units

 

[dairyrow]

lets be honest kite shouldnt be running these groups. If it was lean management and more precision grazing or graise consultancy. Id most probably go myself. Why cant these things be put on the internet as online tutorials. most probably milk sure should be as well. large units arent going send all there milkers on these courses.

 

[Ducati899]

lets be honest kite shouldnt be running these groups. If it was lean management and more precision grazing or graise consultancy. Id most probably go myself. Why cant these things be put on the internet as online tutorials. most probably milk sure should be as well. large units arent going send all there milkers on these courses.

There would be a mutiny if things went online,farmers in their droves would be up in arms about missing a “free” pasty

 

[dinderleat]

Arla's farmer knowledge transfer and benchmarking groups (which should be a good thing)

But seems to be designed as another way of erradicating single person dairy units

Your totally wrong in your understanding of these groups.
It’s about using ideas from other farmers to help your own business no matter what size.

Besides I think this year has shown smaller units to be more adaptable to circumstances than larger units.

Perhaps next time trying going or joining one of these groups before making sweeping statements.

 

[stablegirl]

Attended R500 last week myself, it was pretty good, it does depend on the group.

It couldn't be done online, although in sure Milksure could be, as with all things it cant suit everyone but i thought it pretty useful.

 

[coomoo]

R500 is the first group of this type I’ve done. Went in unsure what to expect and it’s already benefited me and my business hugely. Personally think Arla and kite have come up with great content and informative discussions. I work with a different consultancy firm but am impressed with kite. Benchmarking against some top farmers I’d look up to has given me even more drive to improve.

 

[nonemouse]

Your totally wrong in your understanding of these groups.
It’s about using ideas from other farmers to help your own business no matter what size.

Besides I think this year has shown smaller units to be more adaptable to circumstances than larger units.

Perhaps next time trying going or joining one of these groups before making sweeping statements.

I did say farmer discussion groups are a good thing.

I have been involved with a lot of farmer discussion groups over the last 30 years (LIC grazing groups, arla/ASDA aligned producer group, the prince’s dairy iniative group and various other robot users groups etc) I have got ALOT out of these groups, been involved with benchmarking and even our current collaborative arrangement for silage making comes from our old Asda group.

The problem I have, is how the R500 is arranged makes it very difficult and expensive for me to attend. All other groups I have been involved with are scheduled so it is possible to attend between morning and evening jobs.
As a true one man unit (70cows 1 robot plus 90 young stock, plus arable, contracting etc) to attend, I need to employ somebody to be on call ( including overnight) as well as evening feeding up following routine morning work. Whilst I have somebody that does cover for me to get an occasional day or weekend off and that he can cover in an emergency, he has to fit in with his own work.
I did attend the initial meeting about the introduction of the R500 groups, and was told in no uncertain term that if I couldn’t commit to attend every meeting and if I couldn’t manage the overnight part of these meetings there would be no po8nt me attending.
I know I am not the only small producer that feels that these meetings effectively by their design exclude the small producers ( who probably have the most to gain from such groups)

 

[coomoo]

I did say farmer discussion groups are a good thing.

I have been involved with a lot of farmer discussion groups over the last 30 years (LIC grazing groups, arla/ASDA aligned producer group, the prince’s dairy iniative group and various other robot users groups etc) I have got ALOT out of these groups, been involved with benchmarking and even our current collaborative arrangement for silage making comes from our old Asda group.

The problem I have, is how the R500 is arranged makes it very difficult and expensive for me to attend. All other groups I have been involved with are scheduled so it is possible to attend between morning and evening jobs.
As a true one man unit (70cows 1 robot plus 90 young stock, plus arable, contracting etc) to attend, I need to employ somebody to be on call ( including overnight) as well as evening feeding up following routine morning work. Whilst I have somebody that does cover for me to get an occasional day or weekend off and that he can cover in an emergency, he has to fit in with his own work.
I did attend the initial meeting about the introduction of the R500 groups, and was told in no uncertain term that if I couldn’t commit to attend every meeting and if I couldn’t manage the overnight part of these meetings there would be no po8nt me attending.
I know I am not the only small producer that feels that these meetings effectively by their design exclude the small producers ( who probably have the most to gain from such groups)

Can’t agree with this at all. The reason you must turn up is to keep it fair with disclosing intimate details of your business. Mines is 3 hours away, milk feed ai from 4am, shower jump in pickup pay relief pm, am and pm although back to help tidy up ai etc. Bloody bargain compared to my monthly consultant fee

 

[O'Reilly]

I did say farmer discussion groups are a good thing.

I have been involved with a lot of farmer discussion groups over the last 30 years (LIC grazing groups, arla/ASDA aligned producer group, the prince’s dairy iniative group and various other robot users groups etc) I have got ALOT out of these groups, been involved with benchmarking and even our current collaborative arrangement for silage making comes from our old Asda group.

The problem I have, is how the R500 is arranged makes it very difficult and expensive for me to attend. All other groups I have been involved with are scheduled so it is possible to attend between morning and evening jobs.
As a true one man unit (70cows 1 robot plus 90 young stock, plus arable, contracting etc) to attend, I need to employ somebody to be on call ( including overnight) as well as evening feeding up following routine morning work. Whilst I have somebody that does cover for me to get an occasional day or weekend off and that he can cover in an emergency, he has to fit in with his own work.
I did attend the initial meeting about the introduction of the R500 groups, and was told in no uncertain term that if I couldn’t commit to attend every meeting and if I couldn’t manage the overnight part of these meetings there would be no po8nt me attending.
I know I am not the only small producer that feels that these meetings effectively by their design exclude the small producers ( who probably have the most to gain from such groups)

I agree, relief staff hard to guarantee round here, so didn't do it. Know of at least one other round here who has same problem. Didn't have any dates to work to from the outset either.

 

[watcher72]

Unsuccessful here too.

Anybody see this in last week's FG.........

View attachment 745024

There will be a lot of Arla farmers very disappointed after submitting very high quality applications for projects with huge animal welfare benefits to find they have been giving grants to others for things like a bloody straw spreader , something which is a standard bit of agricultural kit!

For heavens sake, don't know why I bothered

I've spoken to a farmer who got this grant to put up roller screens on the front of a calf shed to aid calf growth, brilliant idea. But he told me he over priced the screens and got all the internal pens Very very cheap.

Well done Kite.

 

[dairyrow]

most probably a kite customer

 

[John1975]

Open again until may 10th, sounds like the only way to gain the grant is use Kite, I shall ask for a no win no fee deal

 

[coomoo]

Open again until may 10th, sounds like the only way to gain the grant is use Kite, I shall ask for a no win no fee deal

Yeah applied first round, didn’t last time can’t see that changing