End of the Road for Small Livestock Farms?

On 10 acres of grass here we had 10 cows. Sold calves at 10 months old weaned off when they came in in November. Price about £650 each on average. You’d be lucky to gross £650 an acre growing wheat here and would have maybe £300 per acre costs to grow the wheat. I didn’t think the cows did too badly financially and would have been better if we hadn’t screwed up the management of body condition. We were straw off the rest of the farm which we hardly noticed and they ate rough hay that the horse folks wouldn’t buy. I reckon they can fit in, but a couple of big vets bills can see the profit disappear. Arable isn’t all sunshine and profit. It’s big spend, high risk and slim margins.
wat u reckon it costs u to keep a cow
 

digger64

Member
i would say its a non starter on rented ground, haul them yourself, shouldnt cost much on labour/vet
the thing is you be could caught by both rising values between seasons and falling values whilst you are grazing where as the cows would protect you against market changes a little and should handle poorer quality land /fodder better .
wat u reckon it costs u to keep a cow
 

Werzle

Member
Location
Midlands
interesting lets do some maths

buy in may at 350kg at 250ppk for £875, sell in oct at 462kg at 230ppk for £1062 leaving £187 margin, take £40 for commission £30 for fert £17.50 for mortality and £20 for fences/water/fuel leaving £79.50, stock at 1.5 per acre so £120/acre profit, sound about right?
Anything that was 375kg and bought for £875 in the spring will be worth £1150+ at 462kg
 
A 50 acre place couldn't buy in store cattle in the spring and run them until they were finished or the grass ran out and move them on?
No machinery needed, move them after work etc.
Grow feed and fatten a batch of store lambs, graze dairy heifers something simple like that?
The profit from that dog and stick model isn’t enough to pay the rent on a lot of places. Grazing cattle are too expensive for it to work, unless it’s bought and paid for land, ideally with £80/ acre sub. This place may be different if arable isn’t an option due to terrain, soil type etc.
 

Werzle

Member
Location
Midlands
On 10 acres of grass here we had 10 cows. Sold calves at 10 months old weaned off when they came in in November. Price about £650 each on average. You’d be lucky to gross £650 an acre growing wheat here and would have maybe £300 per acre costs to grow the wheat. I didn’t think the cows did too badly financially and would have been better if we hadn’t screwed up the management of body condition. We were straw off the rest of the farm which we hardly noticed and they ate rough hay that the horse folks wouldn’t buy. I reckon they can fit in, but a couple of big vets bills can see the profit disappear. Arable isn’t all sunshine and profit. It’s big spend, high risk and slim margins.
Your cows paid well but you cant live on £6500 . Things are definatly going to change, small farms that have houses, sheds, fences in deaperate need of repair and any sort of debt already are pretty much finished. Farming is getting into fewer and fewer hands now and a great many either need a lotto win or some houses passed to put them right. A large percentage would be better off getting a job and running a few store cattle/sheep as a top up
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
I know, just having a laugh
And the upper hill ground
IMG_20210614_150751__01.jpg
 

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

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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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