Making a living from sheep and sucklers
- Thread starter Swaley
- Start date
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
If you didn’t have any rent, mortgage or borrowings to pay back, lived relatively frugally and retailed everything yourself, then maybe.
A couple of hundred ewes and 20 suckler cows is surely only a part time job anyway, so plenty of time to develop the butcher/retail side?
johnspeehs
Member
- Location
- Co Antrim
If you have a countryside of land, no debt and a decent basic payment it might be ok otherwise its a struggle.
Woolless
Member
- Location
- Berwickshire, Scottish Borders
Pretty much what I run plus 30 hours per week off farm. I don't often find myself with time lying heavy on my hands and the workshop and office could do with a good mucking out...
- Location
- East Sussex
It would be useful to know where you are and what land/buildings you have to make an opinion.
But basically as already pointed out if you don't spend any money and have another job you will make some money!
But basically as already pointed out if you don't spend any money and have another job you will make some money!
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
If you didn’t do the 30 hours a week off farm, would your workshop and office still need a good mucking out though? If I ran half the stock, mine still would.
Woolless
Member
- Location
- Berwickshire, Scottish Borders
They would never be spotless but a lot better than they are now! The problem is I take on a big job at the weekend after a few long days at work. By the time I'm finished, all I can be bothered doing is chucking the stuff in the workshop, locking the door and getting in the house for a cuppa. Repeat next weekend, without tidying away inbetween.If you didn’t do the 30 hours a week off farm, would your workshop and office still need a good mucking out though? If I ran half the stock, mine still would.
You would be surprised how many do.
That would be classed as a big farm this side of the pond,, plenty over here doing it on an even smaller scale,
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
It depends what you sell....or what your income is made up of. Products, services?
Selling 20 weaned calves and 350 lambs is a small income so your fixed costs need to be virtually zero. It's precariously close to volunteer work, even done well.
Selling 20 stud cattle and 3,500kg of meat boxes is quite a significant jump from that.
Add in wool and hide products, a summer grazing service... it all adds to something that isn't so dependent on what "the market" is paying because you are the marketer.
"Wool's worth nothing" but a ten jumpers sell for a grand .
Depends what you will do in order to succeed, most stop at blaming others for why they don't.
Selling 20 weaned calves and 350 lambs is a small income so your fixed costs need to be virtually zero. It's precariously close to volunteer work, even done well.
Selling 20 stud cattle and 3,500kg of meat boxes is quite a significant jump from that.
Add in wool and hide products, a summer grazing service... it all adds to something that isn't so dependent on what "the market" is paying because you are the marketer.
"Wool's worth nothing" but a ten jumpers sell for a grand .
Depends what you will do in order to succeed, most stop at blaming others for why they don't.
350 ish lambs at £80 each and 12-15k of cattle sales plus sub i would say a tidy living was being earnt.
Tidy living?
How can we know that without knowing the overheads? Might well be no living at all!
BELOWAVERAGE
Member
You could say that about any outfit though, no matter how big.
- Location
- Cheshire
I know of older farmers farming 300 ewes and 20 sucklers, selling everything as stores. They are into every environmental subsidy scheme going so they make a decent living.
Cut the sub off and I doubt there would be enough left too run a car for the year?
Cut the sub off and I doubt there would be enough left too run a car for the year?
- Location
- South Lanarkshire
And I think this the real out of europe issue if the sub which we have had goes then it’s a part time job that is needed which is why in our area central Scotland a lot of young ones don’t want to do it or are discouraged from it sad but true .unless our product becomes more valuable
- Location
- Bedfordshire
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I’m about the same, couldn’t be my only income with a mortgage and family.
In my opinion it wouldn’t be great for the mind either, it’s good to have other work for when the farming goes wrong.
I’m about the same, couldn’t be my only income with a mortgage and family.
In my opinion it wouldn’t be great for the mind either, it’s good to have other work for when the farming goes wrong.
Ok smart arse, i answered to the info provided. My mistake for biting on a thread that looks like a forum traffic creator, posting a thread but then not taking part in the debate is usually a giveaway. I will leave you to dream up what overheads he has
Sure, that isn't a lot of work. Gives you time to get a job somewhere
Ok smart arse, i answered to the info provided. My mistake for biting on a thread that looks like a forum traffic creator, posting a thread but then not taking part in the debate is usually a giveaway. I will leave you to dream up what overheads he has
Sorry Werzle, didn't mean to offend, just pull you up on -what I'd consider- a daft statement.
If yer man is annually selling £43,000 worth of stock, utilising (someone's) land assets of mebbe a million quid, plus his own time, deadstock, overheads and risk.....he'll need a lot of subs just to keep his head above water.
And that's the reality of UK sheep and beef farming isn't it?