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Better start buying the Irish farmers journal for the better farm drystock pages and advice on getting profit out of sucklers!! Not sure if it will get you a 10 per cent return though?
Hi Cowcorn, hows your winter going? Been easy here, and although it might turn nasty yet....they can't take away what you've already had.
My problem with chasing at profit from sucklers is that it would be so marginal that really focusing on it would-by comparison to any other way of spending my time- be piddling diminishing returns.
Since FMD I've kept it as a hobby in my mind, and farmed to lose as little as possible....and I enjoy my livestock so much more.
As a reminder, and mental exercise, I sometimes imagine farming a mythical 100 lowland sucklers, which i manage really well, and sell 100 yearlings off, each at £1000.
Goodness what a clever cow farmer I'd be.
But i'd be tying up land worth -maybe- most of a million quid, plus all the infrastructure and deadstock. I'd be managing an operation not without risk, to a fairly high degree of competence, relying on a fickle market and a fair amount of bought in creep feed (the'ye pretty bulgy, these mythical calves),
......and all to gross £100k?
Not for me I'm afraid.
I do get a return on my investment, but the farming element is....er....barely nil. (i suppose there's the potential for capital growth, should the world suddenly run short of hairy arse Galloway cows)