How many cows are you milking?

[BobbySusie]

I know this a loaded question, but how many cows are people milking.
What system are you using, AYR, Autumn, Spring.
How are you milking, rotary, abreast robot etc
What are the top 3 things you would change, money being no object.
Are you making it work financially,and do you work off farm.

 

[lazy farmer]

270 spring. Herringbone.
I would change the date we started to convert to spring calving to a decade earlier.i would/am working on improving my communication skills Otherwise very happy.
Financial it works very well we have off farm investments but don’t work off farm.

 

[Farmer_1994]

All of them but dries..

AYR

Double 12 parallel parlour

More kgs fat shipped per cow
More space per cow
Cow comfort

Its working, always improving, and dont work off farm. If it came to that I figure we may as well pack up shop.

 

[BobbySusie]

270 spring. Herringbone.
I would change the date we started to convert to spring calving to a decade earlier.i would/am working on improving my communication skills Otherwise very happy.
Financial it works very well we have off farm investments but don’t work off farm.

270 spring. Herringbone.
I would change the date we started to convert to spring calving to a decade earlier.i would/am working on improving my communication skills Otherwise very happy.
Financial it works very well we have off farm investments but don’t work off farm.

Nice size herd, what would the cost be to transition to spring milk.

 

[lazy farmer]

Nice size herd, what would the cost be to transition to spring milk.

Depends what you have in place already. First
Question is what sort of milk contract do you have and what would the seasonality or a/b penalties be.
Secondly does your farm
Lend itself to grazing?ie soil type,rainfall, when it rains. And the potential grazing layout of the farm. Would autumn suit better?
Thirdly the type of cow. Proper Holsteins are unlikely to work so I would swap herds to
A grazing herd before starting. It was an option that didn’t exist back In the day.
Fourthly infrastructure will you need tracks?. Have you paddocks and water already In place? How big is your parlour. For me quick simple milkings are a big Benefit of calving cows In one group.
Sorry I’m not giving figures but would need more detail. Plus you need to
Allow for cash flow interruptions in the first yr of transition and factor in the capabilities and attitude towards change of current staff.

 

[lazy farmer]

Hopefully @early riser will be along soon to give a different perspective.

 

[early riser]

Bit of a strange set of questions, but here you go @lazy farmer

140 AYR moving to autumn block

Herringbone milked

Things I would change

1, Higher output parlour (In the planning)
2, More management time (see above)
3, More off farm investment to spread risk

Yes it is working for me financially, otherwise quite simply I wouldn’t do it. Key is to keep things simple, keep a lid on overheads and not to indulge in toys you don’t need to impress people you don’t even like!

No I don’t work off farm, the above is enough to keep me out of mischief

 

[BobbySusie]

Bit of a strange set of questions, but here you go @lazy farmer

140 AYR moving to autumn block

Herringbone milked

Things I would change

1, Higher output parlour (In the planning)
2, More management time (see above)
3, More off farm investment to spread risk

Yes it is working for me financially, otherwise quite simply I wouldn’t do it. Key is to keep things simple, keep a lid on overheads and not to indulge in toys you don’t need to impress people you don’t even like!

No I don’t work off farm, the above is enough to keep me out of mischief

What toys, fancy machinery, how many labour units to milk 140 cows

Thanks

 

[Beef farmer]

Money being no object......1000 acre ring fence with no footpaths and residential dwellings near by, also in the south west but with slightly more summer rainfall than present location.

 

[Fergieman]

270 milking 315 cows

AYR calving Fairly level supply.

28:28 milking parlour.

6 months outside 6 months inside

Calving interval of 360days at the moment,

More inportantly rear every calf born on the farm to sell either store or fat, sell fresh calved hfs and lim x bulling hfs.

Need to invest in more cow tracks to try and extend the grazing season

 

[BobbySusie]

Money being no object......1000 acre ring fence with no footpaths and residential dwellings near by, also in the south west but with slightly more summer rainfall than present location.

ha ha

 

[BobbySusie]

270 milking 315 cows

AYR calving Fairly level supply.

28:28 milking parlour.

6 months outside 6 months inside

Calving interval of 360days at the moment,

More inportantly rear every calf born on the farm to sell either store or fat, sell fresh calved hfs and lim x bulling hfs.

Need to invest in more cow tracks to try and extend the grazing season

What sort of yield are you getting and breed of cow?

 

[pappuller]

I know this a loaded question, but how many cows are people milking.
What system are you using, AYR, Autumn, Spring.
How are you milking, rotary, abreast robot etc
What are the top 3 things you would change, money being no object.
Are you making it work financially,and do you work off farm.

180 cows, housed but access to pasture march to October
Milked with 3 Lely robots
All coos served to blue and calves sold at 2/3 weeks of age.
Replacements purchased as fresh or dry cows
Land split over 6 blocks up to 4 miles away.
Low outside labour requirement
Looking at possibly purchasing a forage wagon to improve grass silage quality and possibly ceasing zerograzing

 

[mixed farm]

110, 75 spring 35 autumn. 10 unit herringbone. 95 acre grazing platform, grazing under 8 months. No diet feeder, don't zero graze. 4 outside blocks, 1 30 miles away. Improvements, make better silage and improve grass and solids. Must improve water system. Financially it is working. Money no object, 250 acres in 1 block. Then milk either 150 like I do or 100 with no bagged fertiliser. And all cows under one roof. All concrete roadways too. And a full time mechanic and handy man on call to fix the things that I can't (which is almost everything!)

 

[nonemouse]

65 cows, AYR calving, 1 robot, grazing up 8 months a year if weather behaves. No mixer wagon.
Closed herd, all nonbreeding youngstock reared bulls sold 5-6 month old beef heifers 18-20 months.
Also have 200 acres land in arable and stewardship. Do a bit of contacting work on neighbouring farms mainly cultivations/drilling/spraying.
Financially it works, survived the poor milk price years and just finished off paying the bank for the last chunck of land bought 9 years ago.
Considering doubling up to 2 robots and less arable, not sure at my age Im up to the hassle and extra work, unless I find a keen good worker, (been running as a 1 man unit for last 9 years with just a bit of part time help plus my supposedly retired nearly 80 yearold father)

 

[som farmer]

tried most way's, outed the hols 3 yrs ago, mainly j jx or fr frx now, xbreds much easier and cheaper to run, this yr, over the winter we have moved to spring from autmn block, simply cannot get labour, and with my son doing 90% of the work, not on. 24/24 parlour, 170 cows down from 250, 180 acres round farm, looking forward to easier life

 

[dinderleat]

170 cows 9500 4.2bf 3.5pro Ci 364 autumn biased grazed 6-7 months partial tmr all year round fed to yield in 16/16 parlour. Rear all replacements and more as trying to exspand plus rear all calves through to fat grow 60 acres of wheat 60 acres of maize which is fed back to milkers and beef cattle. Tenant farmer plus small bit of bought land a few years ago.
Trying to improve everything on a shoe string but will get there one day currently a new calf shed is being built and second hand parlour in shed ready to extend to 24/24.

 

[jersey lou79]

370 kiwi cross
spring block calving
24/48 swingover herringbone
Need to finish upgrading tracks and water. Few more cubicles would help too. Far to many loose houses for too long

 

[Cows 'n grass]

Money being no object......1000 acre ring fence with no footpaths and residential dwellings near by, also in the south west but with slightly more summer rainfall than present location.

You'd best try South West Scotland rather than South West England then, it's forgotten how to rain down here.

 

[Cows 'n grass]

540 spring calvers, predominantly jerseys. Bugger all infrastructure on an ex arable and beef farm.

I'd like a lot more infrastructure and then some more concrete on top of that. Farming with the bare basics is for idiots.