How many cows are you milking?

[jimmer]

150 jer and kiwi crosses on 200 acres of tenanted in a block, calving April to June
First year here, will look to calve earlier when more familiar with farm, aiming for 6000l from 1t of cake
Ex tenant was AYR, housed at night herd, so very basic grazing infrastructure, not enough water and tired leys
Also have 100 autumn calvers on farm opposite
In an ideal world I would run off with the landlords daughter, and live happily ever after rent free
But my wife doesn't see it in the same light

 

[Beef farmer]

150 jer and kiwi crosses on 200 acres of tenanted in a block, calving April to June
First year here, will look to calve earlier when more familiar with farm, aiming for 6000l from 1t of cake
Ex tenant was AYR, housed at night herd, so very basic grazing infrastructure, not enough water and tired leys
Also have 100 autumn calvers on farm opposite
In an ideal world I would run off with the landlords daughter, and live happily ever after rent free
But my wife doesn't see it in the same light

Wife might run off with the landlord and do away with you

 

[jimmer]

Wife might run off with the landlord and do away with you

He can have her for the princely sum of 200 acres

 

[I thats it]

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.

Farm with Dad and brother on 3 separate but ring fenced units total 600owned (funded with rather large borrowing) and 600 rented. Milk on 2 units 100 and 160 milkers total 1000 head of cattle everything reared to 2 years, plus 100 bought in calves per year. Ayr calving but waited to autumn.
20/40 rapid exit and a 14/28 herringbone
Changes
1 purchase the land we rent
2 a good calf rearing set up for both dairy units (it's an area we are really trying to focus on, but with second class facilities)
3 give up agricultural contracting to focus more at home.
It's working so far even made a small profit selling milk to first milk in the really bad year!
The farming is done by us 3 full time plus 1 part time and our wives who are invaluable (don't tell them, they'll want paying)
Off farm we do ag contracting and get part time help from 2 relatives with that

 

[dinderleat]

Farm with Dad and brother on 3 separate but ring fenced units total 600owned (funded with rather large borrowing) and 600 rented. Milk on 2 units 100 and 160 milkers total 1000 head of cattle everything reared to 2 years, plus 100 bought in calves per year. Ayr calving but waited to autumn.
20/40 rapid exit and a 14/28 herringbone
Changes
1 purchase the land we rent
2 a good calf rearing set up for both dairy units (it's an area we are really trying to focus on, but with second class facilities)
3 give up agricultural contracting to focus more at home.
It's working so far even made a small profit selling milk to first milk in the really bad year!
The farming is done by us 3 full time plus 1 part time and our wives who are invaluable (don't tell them, they'll want paying)
Off farm we do ag contracting and get part time help from 2 relatives with that

Why don’t you milk more cows?

 

[I thats it]

Why don’t you milk more cows?

We're uping cows but rightly or wrongly doing it slowly. Some of the rented land is poor grazing only fit for sheep and bullocks. Plan to increase total milking cows from 260 up to 360-400 but not increase total amount of cattle from the current 1000, will stop buying in calves and sell some stores sooner.

 

[dinderleat]

We're uping cows but rightly or wrongly doing it slowly. Some of the rented land is poor grazing only fit for sheep and bullocks. Plan to increase total milking cows from 260 up to 360-400 but not increase total amount of cattle from the current 1000, will stop buying in calves and sell some stores sooner.

Sounds like a plan, though you could probably milk both herds on your own with only 8 sides through each parlour at the moment

 

[Cowcorn]

100 cows, ayr herd half british friesian quarter holstien and quarter jersey cows mostly . Yield 600 kgs of solids on 1.2 ton of meal . Cheap cereal based in summer soya in winter . Winter forage is mostly maize and fodder beet . Have a very fragmented farm with only 35 acres for grazing around the parlour so zero graze from another block 2 miles away when grass is scarce . Does it work? Yes its hard work but its well paid , also have 220 acres of arable cropping on half owned half rented ground . Dont work of farm and neither does my brother or our wives .

 

[Llmmm]

100 cows, ayr herd half british friesian quarter holstien and quarter jersey cows mostly . Yield 600 kgs of solids on 1.2 ton of meal . Cheap cereal based in summer soya in winter . Winter forage is mostly maize and fodder beet . Have a very fragmented farm with only 35 acres for grazing around the parlour so zero graze from another block 2 miles away when grass is scarce . Does it work? Yes its hard work but its well paid , also have 220 acres of arable cropping on half owned half rented ground . Dont work of farm and neither does my brother or our wives .

Would your crossbred cows not be fertile enough to calve in spring in a block to make best use of grass seems a good cross was thinking along the same lines.

 

[celtis man]

53 cows in milk.
Milked through a 12 tie Cow house direct to line ( pipeline )
16 in calf heifers
200 various cattle in total beef taken through to fats
200 breeding ewes
Need a better milking set up [emoji848]
New loose housing built for the cows last year.

 

[Cowcorn]

Would your crossbred cows not be fertile enough to calve in spring in a block to make best use of grass seems a good cross was thinking along the same lines.

Very fertile no problem getting in calf. Im on the slow road to spring block calving and a smaller autumn block. Shortage of grass or more like shortage of ground keeps me from going the whole hog at spring calving . Also winter bonus and high solids deliver a milk price that covers the winter costs .

 

[jendan]

53 cows in milk.
Milked through a 12 tie Cow house direct to line ( pipeline )
16 in calf heifers
200 various cattle in total beef taken through to fats
200 breeding ewes
Need a better milking set up [emoji848]
New loose housing built for the cows last year.

Where are you? and who do you sell your milk to?

 

[unlacedgecko]

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.

I bet it's profitable though.

 

[Kingofgrass]

Family run company of two farms milking 260 cows at each Ayr (Tesco,yew tree) 490acre owned 110acre rented. Zero debt,cash positive,one bank account.closed herds rear all heifers,Tb clear.grow grass and maize.busy life but love it.dad and uncle directors but I’m the only one interested in carrying it on,be hell of a split when we do split it up.turn a good profit every year.does make you wonder tho return on investment.both brilliant setups although there’s always improvements all the time

 

[daibach57]

400 spring calvers through 40 point rotary, should have made the change sooner ie 40 years ago. Would be nice to have it all in a ring fence but when you expand you have to take what you can.

 

[Llmmm]

Very fertile no problem getting in calf. Im on the slow road to spring block calving and a smaller autumn block. Shortage of grass or more like shortage of ground keeps me from going the whole hog at spring calving . Also winter bonus and high solids deliver a milk price that covers the winter costs .

As a herd have you cows with more jersey or more ho fr than you would like. what bull would use on say 50 fr 25 ho 25 je.

 

[daibach57]

Cows are kiwicross, very efficient grazers, not so good for calves or barren prices but thats not where you make money unless you think you are a beef farmer

 

[Llmmm]

Cows are kiwicross, very efficient grazers, not so good for calves or barren prices but thats not where you make money unless you think you are a beef farmer

Are you using kiwi cross bulls or recipricol crossong

 

[celtis man]

Where are you? and who do you sell your milk to?

In Cornwall
Last of the mixed farming families left.
We are arla members [emoji16][emoji123]

 

[Bossfarmer]

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.

are the jerseys proving to be more profitable than arable? youll be milking once a day?