Does size matter?

[gatepost]

People are banging on about adding value ive watched them come and ive watched them go, my experience of people i know selling their own beef/products at farmers markets is that to start with theyre telling you how great it is and more should be doing it then a couple years later theyre stopped, asked a college lad what went wrong he said sometimes cant shift the stuff too much competition appearing all in all a lot of extra work for no guaranteed sale, i sold over 100 store cattle at once privately on Monday i sold 1000t of grain off the combine last year im not standing about cold at a stall or spending money on advertisement, these diversification businesses are usually a flash in the pan

In many ways quite accurate, we did the markets for 3 yrs following FM, well worth the effort, also one thing about putting yourself next to the consumer, is that you quickly find out what our customers actually require, an exercise that every farmer should be made to do for a season.

 

[Bossfarmer]

Google Mainsgill farm shop that started out as how you say and look at it now under your rules they must not be proper farmers tho.

no doubt there are successful farm shops but its just that a shop, I could sell my cows and buy a shop in a busy area with a proven track record

 

[davieh3350]

no doubt there are successful farm shops but its just that a shop, I could sell my cows and buy a shop in a busy area with a proven track record

You could keep your cows and sell the meat in a butchers shop in a busy area..

 

[DrWazzock]

This sort of thread is like comparing apples and pears. Some people can make a living on a small farm, some can't. Some people can't make a living on a big farm. How big a living do people want anyway?
Some diversifications work, some don't. Some people like working part time, some full time. Who cares?

You really can't make a generalisation that farm size matters because it depends on many different variables so there is absolutely nothing to gained by arguing about it.

 

[davieh3350]

This sort of thread is like comparing apples and pears. Some people can make a living on a small farm, some can't. Some people can't make a living on a big farm. How big a living do people want anyway?
Some diversifications work, some don't. Some people like working part time, some full time. Who cares?

You really can't make a generalisation that farm size matters because it depends on many different variables so there is absolutely nothing to gained by arguing about it.

Well that's killed the thread, and ruined my Friday night, I had lit the fire and got a big bowl of popcorn ready to put in the microwave for an entertaining evening of arguing about how long a bit of string should be.
I'll have to go out now instead!
Thanks

 

[Bossfarmer]

This sort of thread is like comparing apples and pears. Some people can make a living on a small farm, some can't. Some people can't make a living on a big farm. How big a living do people want anyway?
Some diversifications work, some don't. Some people like working part time, some full time. Who cares?

You really can't make a generalisation that farm size matters because it depends on many different variables so there is absolutely nothing to gained by arguing about it.

How about this then, without including any diversification money or cottage income does farm size matter for beef, sheep or arable farming?

 

[Bossfarmer]

If it doesnt ill sell 1000 acres and live off whats left

 

[davieh3350]

If it doesnt ill sell 1000 acres and live off whats left

Sell a thousand acres and retire early.

 

[gatepost]

There's a saying in my family, Being your own boss is worth half a living, (so long as the half that's left pays the bills) also a study I read found that the people with the highest IQ did not necessarily have the highest incomes, conclusion, that the intelligent realise there is more to life than pound notes, and the perceived status they convey.

 

[davieh3350]

There's a saying in my family, Being your own boss is worth half a living, (so long as the half that's left pays the bills) also a study I read found that the people with the highest IQ did not necessarily have the highest incomes, conclusion, that the intelligent realise there is more to life than pound notes, and the perceived status they convey.

It could also be that the high IQ folk are clever, but not smart.

I'm neither, I'm getting by on luck

 

[gatepost]

It could also be that the high IQ folk are clever, but not smart.

I'm neither, I'm getting by on luck

I have come across plenty who could have split the atom, but not wash up a cup.

 

[Turra farmer]

Plough /work /drill 30
fert spead 5
spray 5x2=10
combine & cart 33
Total 78 /acre or about £25 /ton including fuel
I really dont think many large cereal growers would be much less with theirs labour power and machinery costs

Pretty low I think , only spraying twice , and £30 to plough seed and roll Is very cheap , will give you that to come and do mine

 

[pear]

Pretty low I think , only spraying twice , and £30 to plough seed and roll Is very cheap , will give you that to come and do mine

I read it as spraying x5 at £2. Could be wrong, usually am.

 

[Turra farmer]

I read it as spraying x5 at £2. Could be wrong, usually am.

£2 per acre to spray , not expensive , be needing to to 15 acres an hour plus to make that pay , contractors £4

 

[New Puritan]

@davieh3350 - sorry to rake up an old thread...

Class senator bought for £850, new belts for it £450, fit to do 50 acres a year no problem. Seed drills 4-500 quid on ebay or throw the seed on with a fert spreader... Or don't bother with either and throw it on by hand. claas square baler from neighbour for a mornings help with his cattle (ten days hobbling after from a kick though) a few thousand for an old 2wd international, few hundred quid for an old tipping trailer, I bought a full built in grain drying set up, drying floor, burner, blower, elevators conveyors and a bin for 600 quid and a couple of days to help strip it out.

Did you start up from scratch then? That's what I am doing, and it has made me wonder how many others have done this. I always assume most people who farm grew up on farms and can borrow / inherit machinery from their family.

 

[opininionated]

People are banging on about adding value ive watched them come and ive watched them go, my experience of people i know selling their own beef/products at farmers markets is that to start with theyre telling you how great it is and more should be doing it then a couple years later theyre stopped, asked a college lad what went wrong he said sometimes cant shift the stuff too much competition appearing all in all a lot of extra work for no guaranteed sale, i sold over 100 store cattle at once privately on Monday i sold 1000t of grain off the combine last year im not standing about cold at a stall or spending money on advertisement, these diversification businesses are usually a flash in the pan

I don't think you sold 1000 t off the combine, I think you rang a merchant up and told him you had 1000 t, and he told you how much he would pay you for it.

 

[davieh3350]

@davieh3350 - sorry to rake up an old thread...



Did you start up from scratch then? That's what I am doing, and it has made me wonder how many others have done this. I always assume most people who farm grew up on farms and can borrow / inherit machinery from their family.

Hmmm... From scratch, not really...
The ground I have now was fathers before me, all rented, plus I managed to persuade a Christian trust to lease me 30 acres that had say idle for years. All pretty cheap though. £40 per acre for the 30 acres for the trusts ground is the highest I have to pay.
I was in a grazing scheme before father retired. I did the guys tractor work and I used his kit to do my work. It was an ok deal to get going.
The cattle... The guy I did work for was giving up his cows, I got a loan for from mother to buy the 12 cows, and I worked off the value of the rest of the young stock at a good price. Bought out fathers cows with the calf sale money over a couple of years.
Been lucky enough to get some subsidy money so bought the 3350 with that. Beef sales paid for the baler and turner, the mower was funded by a welding job.
Got the 15 Hebridean sheep for nothing from the same lad as I got the cows from as he was moving and couldn't take them with him.

It's slow progress but going ok, given up most of my welding work now to spend more time farming

Edit... Read what I said earlier... The wee square baler was picked up from a neighbour for helping him with his cattle. The round baler was bought with beef money. The old Nash could've been had for a couple of grand, but it actually came from father, borrowed it one day and never gave it back..

 

[Pasty]

People are banging on about adding value ive watched them come and ive watched them go, my experience of people i know selling their own beef/products at farmers markets is that to start with theyre telling you how great it is and more should be doing it then a couple years later theyre stopped, asked a college lad what went wrong he said sometimes cant shift the stuff too much competition appearing all in all a lot of extra work for no guaranteed sale, i sold over 100 store cattle at once privately on Monday i sold 1000t of grain off the combine last year im not standing about cold at a stall or spending money on advertisement, these diversification businesses are usually a flash in the pan

I was reading in FW that the average loss per cow for beef is £128. Maybe you should have only sold 50 as you would have done better........
Have a look on eBay. There are 'businesses' on there selling everything and anything at a loss. I assume they are either avoiding VAT registration or simply running up huge credit with suppliers before pulling the plug.
I'm afraid boasting about turnover does very little for me these days.

 

[Bossfarmer]

I was reading in FW that the average loss per cow for beef is £128. Maybe you should have only sold 50 as you would have done better........
Have a look on eBay. There are 'businesses' on there selling everything and anything at a loss. I assume they are either avoiding VAT registration or simply running up huge credit with suppliers before pulling the plug.
I'm afraid boasting about turnover does very little for me these days.

that's no doubt based on a high rent notional figure/contractor figures and paying all the labour the national wage??

 

[Pasty]

that's no doubt based on a high rent notional figure/contractor figures and paying all the labour the national wage??

I don't know. I have no idea how they come to these figures. It was in an article about shorthorns or similar I think.