Is anyone in beef and sheep willing to invest money?

delilah

Member
I did ask my dad & he though it was abit extravagant buying a new fork but I think sometimes you have to go for it & take the risk. It's going to cost me more in the long run because next months Investment budget will be spent on a new handle for the old fork, just to give him something to do ;)

I think you may have just outed yourself.



Treg: son of Trigger :)

triggers broom 2.jpg
 

Chae1

Member
Location
Aberdeenshire
Why would they want grass fed? Takes longer to finish cattle on grass than cereals?

Cattle are destroying the planet, so the powers that be want them here for as short a time as possible.

I argue that the fertiliser/chemicals diesel burnt producing the cereals to finish them quicker negates any benefits.

Supermarkets want them finished as quickly as possible.
 
I'm not man enough for a 5 prong fork , bad enough trying to fork silage in with a 4 pronger ;)

You could always cut out the two middle ones and just weld one in the centre to make it a three pronger to make life easier. But I’d wait for it to get out of warranty first. Also let insurance company know of modifications otherwise you may not be covered.
 

GeorgeK

Member
Location
Leicestershire
I broke our pitch fork the other day,very annoying,it was holding a gate open in the wind at the time and I ran over it.

Question is as this equipment is used rarely these days can I justify a new one or do I spend the time and put a new shaft in it.....hmmmm.:unsure:
You need to consider what the neighbours will think. Buy a shiny new fork and leave it propped up somewhere visible. The way gossip goes there'll soon be rumours you've got 100 acres gone for houses
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
Can, the right grassland farm fatten beef up just as well as a cereal diet?
been speaking to a chap, his last job, 300 +sucklers, av weight 450kg, everything fatten off grass, hit all spec etc. Fell out with his last boss, a London banker, new job 1 mar, they sort him out ! But conts wont finish off grass alone !
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
been speaking to a chap, his last job, 300 +sucklers, av weight 450kg, everything fatten off grass, hit all spec etc. Fell out with his last boss, a London banker, new job 1 mar, they sort him out ! But conts wont finish off grass alone !

Google Robert Fleming cattle. Or listen to his pasture Pod episode.


There are some excellent grass farmers producing 2,000kg DW of beef per ha of grass, on all grass finishing systems.
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
I listened to that the other week. It was incredible the grass he grew and the performance he was getting from his cattle.

He's getting better performance every year.

His farm has an excellent grass growing climate and he's a top operator. But good grazing management will allow most farms to return a healthy profit.

In terms of profit and ROI, intensive grazing done right seems to best all other farming types on a per ha basis.
 
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mark perego

Member
Location
in a river
cap is going to change, it has to, its an enormous drain on the EU coffers, made considerably worse, by the departure of the worlds 5th largest economy, the vote here, was more about people fed up with Brussels, as is a common trend throughout Europe, unless Brussels can demonstrate that they are not a bunch of crooks, lining their pockets, and start actually listening to people, other countries might start to think about leaving ! The worlds 3rd largest economy is Germany, and their economy is rather shaky, so, they have lost the 2nd largest contributor to the EU, can Germany afford to pick up the drop, will it want to ? While the commission is saying it will take years to sort out a trade deal, politicians, are beginning to realise the enormity of what Brexit means to them, and the comments from them, are somewhat different, right down to a recent comment, that it is sad we have left, and we must work hard, and to keep us close, in the hope, that we may wish to rejoin, and to be welcomed back. Trade deals will be influenced by elected politicians, not Brussels commission. If the EU starts to fall apart, and it is remarkable how they spoke as one, during the Brexit break, which the commission, really didn't get it right, we may, may be glad we came out ! Only time will tell.
It’s not the cap I’m worried about per se. It’s the way open market that we’re going to be flooded with.
Ugandan beef-chlorinated chicken-hormone fed beef..but hey we’re free of that protectionist EU.
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
It’s not the cap I’m worried about per se. It’s the way open market that we’re going to be flooded with.
Ugandan beef-chlorinated chicken-hormone fed beef..but hey we’re free of that protectionist EU.

Being free of protectionism is what Brexit is all about. If you can't compete on price it might be a good idea to come up with some other way for your product to be differentiated from imports.
 

Yale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Being free of protectionism is what Brexit is all about. If you can't compete on price it might be a good idea to come up with some other way for your product to be differentiated from imports.
You have to admit though not everyone has the opportunity to differentiate,has to be done through organisations which then cream off the profit,soil association,freedom foods,red tractor etc.

You are right,in the right place,population dense regions,things like pasture for life,boxed beef etc. Can work but if you are say a large place with thousands of sheep a hundred miles from anywhere,including an abattoir.

Still can be done but needs resources which you can’t just magic.

So if now there is the serious risk of let’s say beef being mass imported at way below the cost of UK production due to our stringent regulation then what effectively can be done.

We can’t all open a farm shop or do boxed beef and lamb.

We know the answer,the industry will just wither away.
 

unlacedgecko

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Fife
You have to admit though not everyone has the opportunity to differentiate,has to be done through organisations which then cream off the profit,soil association,freedom foods,red tractor etc.

You are right,in the right place,population dense regions,things like pasture for life,boxed beef etc. Can work but if you are say a large place with thousands of sheep a hundred miles from anywhere,including an abattoir.

Still can be done but needs resources which you can’t just magic.

So if now there is the serious risk of let’s say beef being mass imported at way below the cost of UK production due to our stringent regulation then what effectively can be done.

We can’t all open a farm shop or do boxed beef and lamb.

We know the answer,the industry will just wither away.

If it can't compete on price, then yes I expect it will.

But I don't see why it can't compete on price, with the right genetics and management.
 
Investment all depends on individual circumstances . Built a new shed for cattle in autumn 2018 . But it's designed to be multi-functional . It's an asset to the owned property and was paid for from monies held . If I had had to borrow money .... No way , £s barmy . If I was a tenant ... No way to even consider project in first place !
 

dannewhouse

Member
Location
huddersfield
No reason to be put off sensible investment,
If the system is profitable, why not expand it?
For me with sucklers through to finish any expansion has to reduce work per head, feeding another pen of cattle takes no extra time so should leave equal profit to existing pens?

Next shed I put up will be a slatted tank but will be laid out so cubicles could be put in just incase a dairy change comes!
 

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