Milk collection Galway

[jimmer]

Who operated the equipment to pry the money from your fingers?

There is a crude answer
And the clean one is the same person

 

[Tim G]

There is a crude answer
And the clean one is the same person

How's the direct selling going? Think I've been seeing it on Instagram /Facebook.

 

[Buford T. Justice]

I'll be working off farm aswell I have a 9.30 to 4.30 job already, no intention of giving that up for a LONG time, but if necessary will go part time

There's plenty working full time and farming part time in the evenings and weekends. It's doable when you're young but it starts to get more difficult as you get older but that's an issue for down the line. I did it here for long enough but was lucky to get the opportunity to go full time after a few years.

As regards a milking machine, I'd be going 7 unit at least, 3 rounds of cows and easy to build numbers with. You'll have time between rounds to get a shot of calves fed while the round is milking.

I still think the distance between housing and parlour is going to be an issue for you at the shoulders of the year but it may be one you'll have to tolerate, very few set ups are ideal so we all have to work around issues until they can be sorted.

 

[BA38]

The winter housing is something that I can look at for sure maybe outdoor cubicles with an open shed beside the parlour, my biggest stumbling block or fear is the initial investment to get set up , will it be worth it, it's something I've always wanted to do I know I can make it work, the fear of going for it is huge

 

[dinderleat]

Sell your 40 acres buy a bigger farm all ready setup

 

[jimmer]

How's the direct selling going? Think I've been seeing it on Instagram /Facebook.

Yeah going well so far thanks
Yes the girls are doing a good job on the socials

 

[ranger]

maybe not exactly on topic, but this video is well worth a watch for many,

 

[BA38]

Great video his enthusiasm is infectious, not a bit negative

 

[Dead Rabbits]

I’ve seen a few of his videos. I would have to strongly disagree with his point about partnerships. Equity pooling for example can be an incredible tool in agriculture. It needs to be done right and can go wrong and badly wrong, but to count that out is a poor choice. More than a few on here would not be going without some sort of partnership. It can accelerate what one person could do alone dramatically.

 

[Buford T. Justice]

The winter housing is something that I can look at for sure maybe outdoor cubicles with an open shed beside the parlour, my biggest stumbling block or fear is the initial investment to get set up , will it be worth it, it's something I've always wanted to do I know I can make it work, the fear of going for it is huge

You won't be allowed outdoor cubicles any more, according to the talk on the new Nitrates derogation discussions. The slurry at least will have to be covered but there's talk that slats would count towards covering, for now anyway. Down the line, though, I doubt uncovered cubicles will be allowed but that's a problem for further down the line.

It surely is a big investment for you, but you can consider other ways of generating profits within the system. Like maybe buying a good share more of friesian heifer calves, rearing them, putting them in calf and selling them either to calve or calved. Calved to sexed semen would give you more heifer calves to continue the cycle for less disease risk. One main thing is to use what you have efficiently and fully before you build more.

One thing dairy will teach you quickly is grassland management, you'll see the results in the tank the same day. I'd say get really good at that before you think about expansion outside what you already have. The average beef farm is growing about 7-7.5t DM/Ha, dairy is over 9 on average, the best lads are growing 12T+ and the very best are growing 15T+. Again, this will need investment as well, along with water and fencing and roadways but they can be done cheaply with pigtail posts and polywire, plastic troughs to supplement bigger concrete ones, spur roadways with maybe a good cover of sand on it and there's little damage in wet weather and I've seen silage cut over those on farm walks.

For what you're thinking of doing, grass and lots of it will be key, I think? Good silage from bales from surplus paddocks for milkers silage at the shoulders to supplement grass and out early and late with on-off grazing to keep grass intakes high. Again, using what you have as well as you can and improving as much as you can.

 

[BA38]

I saw something on line where a farmer built an entire dairy system for 2600 a cow I reckon I could do it even cheaper, including some of the above suggestions

 

[jimmer]

I saw something on line where a farmer built an entire dairy system for 2600 a cow I reckon I could do it even cheaper, including some of the above suggestions

100 cow set up for 260k is easily doable
20 cow setup for 56k will be a struggle

 

[BA38]

Why

 

[jimmer]

Economies of scale
Providing both start from the same point, many things will cost the same whether its 100 or 20 cows and many other things won't be a fifth of the price

 

[BA38]

20 cows is just a starting point I'd hope to eventually build to maybe 40 or 50, my whole idea is start small and then get bigger, without huge borrowings what I make will be my own not the banks

 

[Tim G]

20 cows is just a starting point I'd hope to eventually build to maybe 40 or 50, my whole idea is start small and then get bigger, without huge borrowings what I make will be my own not the banks

If you can, go with 40/50 to start with. Lot of work in twenty, won't be twice as much with 40, okay feed costs ect would be double but other costs would be spread over more cows. Costs as much to wash down a parlour having milked twenty as forty. Twice the milk chepue too.

 

[Thompyd]

Rent land out for £150/acre over 40 acre you'll earn £6000/year. Add to that whatever SFP you currently get per year and invest the money you get from selling the suck cows into a static caravan for you and the family when your laying with your feet up at the weekends.....on that point with 20 cows it will never pay to bring in someone else to milk. You say you want to leave something for the kids? I think the kids would appreciate having a father who's not tied to his farm 24/7 whenever he's not doing his other part time work.

 

[BA38]

One thing is for sure I wouldn't rent out my 40 acres never, farming is in my blood I'm obsessed with it, my thinking is why have a beef system or sucklers, and loose money coz it's impossible to make money off them, and instead milk let's say 40 cows (same work in all 3 systems mentioned above if you ask me) meet all my payments and then what's left is mine

 

[kiwi pom]

One thing is for sure I wouldn't rent out my 40 acres never, farming is in my blood I'm obsessed with it, my thinking is why have a beef system or sucklers, and loose money coz it's impossible to make money off them, and instead milk let's say 40 cows (same work in all 3 systems mentioned above if you ask me) meet all my payments and then what's left is mine

I might have missed this, sorry if that's the case but do you know anything about running a dairy farm?
As some one else said, can you sell your 40 acres for a deposit on a bigger, already set up dairy or buy a herd with the money and share milk somewhere?
Setting up for 20 cows sounds crazy to me.

 

[Jdunn55]

I might have missed this, sorry if that's the case but do you know anything about running a dairy farm?
As some one else said, can you sell your 40 acres for a deposit on a bigger, already set up dairy or buy a herd with the money and share milk somewhere?
Setting up for 20 cows sounds crazy to me.

I reckon that 40 acres could handle 70 cows and a robot as long as theres access to extra rented silage ground nearby and then you could really make a go of it and have flexibility to spend time with your kids because you're not tied to milking