Lost That Loving Feeling

[simmy_bull]

I know several farmers who have given up milking to do other things,a couple are now builders and one was a PCSO police officer.
All of them have said they miss there cows now and again but none of the regret the decision to get out

A bloke I know after he finished milking said he missed them once a month and not much more than that

 

[icanshootwell]

Too late for me then!

I,ve been trying to get out of sheep for the last 5 years, but there still here, even when the gate gets left open, they end up in the garden. Normally in February in the middle of the night, trying to lamb a ewe, i make up my mind thats it no more sheep, By the spring, all the lambs jumping about, it dont seem quite as bad. Around we go again

 

[Gatehouse Farm]

I,ve been trying to get out of sheep for the last 5 years, but there still here, even when the gate gets left open, they end up in the garden. Normally in February in the middle of the night, trying to lamb a ewe, i make up my mind thats it no more sheep, By the spring, all the lambs jumping about, it dont seem quite as bad. Around we go again

I got out of sheep just over 2 years ago, best thing I've ever done.

 

[Rossymons]

Friend of mines dad got fed up with sheep. Sold them all, took his wife and and the 3 boys to Disneyland for what was a "f##koff massive holiday". He didn't regret it - best holiday they ever had.

 

[hindmaist]

Back to the OP.Your dairy is a business venture.Treat it as such.If you don't want to manage it....DONT,because it won't be managed properly.Consider all the options and make your decision.

Excellent thread.We should all remember there will be an awful lot more folk going out than going in.

 

[Neuson510k]

Maybe you loved the struggle and the challenge has gone?

Sometimes the journey is better than the destination.

You have hit the nail on the head, the challenge has gone for me.

In the dairy industry I feel like a tortoise in a race, slowly moving forward but keep having to stop and use the protective shell in times of adversity,

It really has occurred to me that the big payday isn't coming in dairying and I'm just plodding along and getting bored of doing ok but not really getting anywhere.

Yes I could set myself the challenge of buying hundreads more acres and aiming for 1000 cows and myself and everybody looking in will think that I have 'won' at farming.......... na stuff that I would rather stand in the bookies everyday and waste money because at least I might get some excitement out of it lol

 

[ollie989898]

You have hit the nail on the head, the challenge has gone for me.

In the dairy industry I feel like a tortoise in a race, slowly moving forward but keep having to stop and use the protective shell in times of adversity,

It really has occurred to me that the big payday isn't coming in dairying and I'm just plodding along and getting bored of doing ok but not really getting anywhere.

Yes I could set myself the challenge of buying hundreads more acres and aiming for 1000 cows and myself and everybody looking in will think that I have 'won' at farming.......... na stuff that I would rather stand in the bookies everyday and waste money because at least I might get some excitement out of it lol

I am not sure all dairy farmers are looking to farm 1000s of cows either, it's not sustainable long term and the consumer doesn't like it.

I don't think anyone is convinced there is going to be some huge pay-day, but some years comes close to it, other years the milk price is very weak. Like you they just pull their claws in and weather the storm.

If you don't want to do it any longer, you can go into partnership with someone who does, or rent it out or sell. In so many ways, your choice is actually a straight forward one, if you removed the emotional angle from it at any rate.

The key question is are you going to be satisfied with life doing what you do, because we are all here once apparently, so it is not a place to be doing dress rehearsals?

 

[GrannyAching]

I read through this thread in the summer at a time when I was especially fed up with my job and it made me decide to really look at things. I worked out how many hours I actually spend teaching, planning, driving to and from and more importantly stressing about it. I am lucky that I only work three days a week but I am the main cash earner. I realised I would be better of in a local "living wage" job doing four days a week.

Given my notice in...........
Crossing off the days........

Grinning...........


Still keeping the sheep though!!

 

[newbie]

I read through this thread in the summer at a time when I was especially fed up with my job and it made me decide to really look at things. I worked out how many hours I actually spend teaching, planning, driving to and from and more importantly stressing about it. I am lucky that I only work three days a week but I am the main cash earner. I realised I would be better of in a local "living wage" job doing four days a week.

Given my notice in...........
Crossing off the days........

Grinning...........


Still keeping the sheep though!!

Good luck in your new job. Really happy for you. Life's way too short to be stressing about the unnecessary. Hope it all works out well xx

 

[michael N123]

Would a robotic milker thingy be the answer.. ive never had anything yo do with dairy cows tho

 

[czechmate]

I read through this thread in the summer at a time when I was especially fed up with my job and it made me decide to really look at things. I worked out how many hours I actually spend teaching, planning, driving to and from and more importantly stressing about it. I am lucky that I only work three days a week but I am the main cash earner. I realised I would be better of in a local "living wage" job doing four days a week.

Given my notice in...........
Crossing off the days........

Grinning...........


Still keeping the sheep though!!

Good luck.

Often wanted to ask, were you another Pratchet fan?

 

[GrannyAching]

Often wanted to ask, were you another Pratchet fan?

Oh yes whole family really enjoys him. Sam Vines is my favourite character with Moist not far behind. There's something magic (pardon) in all the disc world books, though. I love the whole steam punk science explanations experience, can you imagine a discworld version of robotic milking? @Pan mixer is a fan, too.

 

[Sharpy]

Me too!

 

[czechmate]

Oh yes whole family really enjoys him. Sam Vines is my favourite character with Moist not far behind. There's something magic (pardon) in all the disc world books, though. I love the whole steam punk science explanations experience, can you imagine a discworld version of robotic milking? @Pan mixer is a fan, too.

Death is definitely my favorite.
Still have the last book up my sleeve if things get desperate.

 

[Pan mixer]

Oh yes whole family really enjoys him. Sam Vines is my favourite character with Moist not far behind. There's something magic (pardon) in all the disc world books, though. I love the whole steam punk science explanations experience, can you imagine a discworld version of robotic milking? @Pan mixer is a fan, too.

I thought that @llamedos might be a fan too since there is a place on disc world called the same - a place of constant wind and rain if I remember correctly. However Llamedos is the backwards spelling first made famous by George Orwell as far as I remember.

It is good to know that there are other weirdos about.

Currently I am very much enjoying the books of J.A Sutherland which are a cross between Sci Fi and Hornblower. (the Alex Carew series)

 

[Pan mixer]

Death is definitely my favorite.
Still have the last book up my sleeve if things get desperate.

I was ever-so-slightly disappointed by the last book, don't leave it up your sleeve too long, he was definitely losing his sparkle then IMHO

 

[llamedos]

I thought that @llamedos might be a fan too since there is a place on disc world called the same - a place of constant wind and rain if I remember correctly. However Llamedos is the backwards spelling first made famous by George Orwell as far as I remember.

It is good to know that there are other weirdos about.

Currently I am very much enjoying the books of J.A Sutherland which are a cross between Sci Fi and Hornblower. (the Alex Carew series)

I was born from llareggub https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Milk_Wood and at the time of morphing into llamedos had not heard of TP - but it is very apt - Llamedos is a hilly and permanently rainy country on the main continent. It is the home of druidism and druidical music and lots and lots of cold, exceptionally wet rain (It even has rain mines). It is also home to some dwarf clans, who mine coal in its hill, although I disagree with us being a humourless lot! You need a good dose of humour in a place where we do not dip sheep as it is easier to wring them out.

 

[Cowabunga]

Just come across this topic and the sage advice given by several people as to taking three months or more off on holiday.

Bit late to book now, because as you see it is all sold out for the December start to the round the world cruise. You are flown out to Miami for the start and you could fly out early and spend some time in the USA before sailing.

https://www.vikingcruises.co.uk/oceans/world-cruise.html

I know, because I had the bumph, that it is a bit on the expensive side, but why not spend some of the kid's inheritance if they aren't too keen on the farm?

 

[unlacedgecko]

I was born from llareggub https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Milk_Wood and at the time of morphing into llamedos had not heard of TP - but it is very apt - Llamedos is a hilly and permanently rainy country on the main continent. It is the home of druidism and druidical music and lots and lots of cold, exceptionally wet rain (It even has rain mines). It is also home to some dwarf clans, who mine coal in its hill, although I disagree with us being a humourless lot! You need a good dose of humour in a place where we do not dip sheep as it is easier to wring them out.

And here was me thinking Llamedos was a Welsh village!

 

[llamedos]

And here was me thinking Llamedos was a Welsh village!

It can be anywhere you like.