Is there a living in suckler cows

Top Tip.

Member
Location
highland
Sitting here wondering if there would be a living to be made with suckler cows, on rented ground and rented sheds, with bought in fodder
With calves sold store.
Devil is in the detail,what rent are you paying and have you got a cheap source of fodder. You also have to work with cheap cows none of the £2000 + outfits, as long as they have milk they will do. If you can pull all these things together you have a chance.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
In theory if everything went right there could be a tiny tiny margin. But you only need one death, or a big vets bill to turn it into a loss and you can just about guarantee that happening.
My best cows were native breed, lived on nothing and produced stores for grazing enviro schemes. First year was alright, then second year old age of the cows started costing. All profit from first year wiped out.
 

Werzle

Member
Location
Midlands
Devil is in the detail,what rent are you paying and have you got a cheap source of fodder. You also have to work with cheap cows none of the £2000 + outfits, as long as they have milk they will do. If you can pull all these things together you have a chance.
Cheap to keep cows produce a lower value calf so you need alot of them to make a lump of money, better quality cows produce higher value calves so you need less of them🤷.
 
With a bit of Lean management… there is something, marginal but something.
My own personal belief is that If I wanted to keep elephants I would open a zoo so I keep small cows who eat less and preform.
Have a notion of returning to multi suckling next year to for my sins too.

Always had this crazy idea of a once a day milker/suckler hybrid to try to squeeze that little bit extra out of them
 

Werzle

Member
Location
Midlands
With a bit of Lean management… there is something, marginal but something.
My own personal belief is that If I wanted to keep elephants I would open a zoo so I keep small cows who eat less and preform.
Have a notion of returning to multi suckling next year to for my sins too.

Always had this crazy idea of a once a day milker/suckler hybrid to try to squeeze that little bit extra out of them
Watched a program once about salers in france suckling calves and being milked to produce butter or cheese, very labour intensive
 

john432

Member
Location
Carmarthenshire
Hardly anyone kept suckler cows before the 1970's. Beef was bucket reared beef crossed on the dairy cows... Payments to get out of milk, grants for buildings and headadge subsidies built the sector.. are they viable without subsidies?
Rearing dairy heifers on a known weekly rate would be a better option in my opinion.
 

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