Milk Price Tracker

[Cowabunga]

Kgs Of solids be more interesting

Margin over all feed per acre would be even more.

 

[Friesianfan]

Bottom line would be best!

 

[Cows 'n grass]

Bottom line would be best!

Dont be so silly, the most important thing is just to pick one KPI that makes you look good then just ignore all the rest.

 

[Cowabunga]

Dont be so silly, the most important thing is just to pick one KPI that makes you look good then just ignore all the rest.

The margin over purchased feed and over all feed per cow and per acre are the important ones for me. I'm not interested in a business's overheads, depreciation, debt or profit. That's nothing to do with herd performance and very personal, although at a private level I'm fascinated by the vast differences between businesses and how they relate to age, family demographics and attitude to risk, not least by luck and timing.

 

[Cows 'n grass]

The margin over purchased feed and over all feed per cow and per acre are the important ones for me. I'm not interested in a business's overheads, depreciation, debt or profit. That's nothing to do with herd performance and very personal.

But you have to realize that without seeing the other figures, or at least have a physical walk around the farm to see the system that is being operated, it is 100% meaningless.

 

[Cowabunga]

But you have to realize that without seeing the other figures, or at least have a physical walk around the farm to see the system that is being operated, it is 100% meaningless.

I beg to greatly differ. Herd performance is herd performance. The rest is comprehensively variable and none of anyone's business unless volunteered. Obviously nobody has to volunteer herd performance either but it is what is relevant to the herd of cows as opposed to the farm.

 

[Jdunn55]

Forage wagon? Nah, you're better off with a baler?

I beg to greatly differ. Herd performance is herd performance. The rest is comprehensively variable and none of anyone's business unless volunteered. Obviously nobody has to volunteer herd performance either but it is what is relevant to the herd of cows as opposed to the farm.

But surely herd performance is influenced greatly by what's going on on the rest of the farm?

For instance herd performance would be greatly compromised if you only had enough cubicles for 100 but had 200 cows. Doesnt mean that the cows are rubbish though

Edit: not sure how I managed to quote the first post!

 

[Cows 'n grass]

I beg to greatly differ. Herd performance is herd performance. The rest is comprehensively variable and none of anyone's business unless volunteered. Obviously nobody has to volunteer herd performance either but it is what is relevant to the herd of cows as opposed to the farm.

I do a bit over 4000 litres on 750-1000kg cake. I bet my MOPF would put me in the bottom 10% but I'm pretty confident that in terms of bottom line I would be quite a long way from the bottom 10%.

 

[Cowabunga]

I do a bit over 4000 litres on 750-1000kg cake. I bet my MOPF would put me in the bottom 10% but I'm pretty confident that in terms of bottom line I would be quite a long way from the bottom 10%.

Could well be but as I said, herd performance has nothing to do with your overheads. 4000 litres even at 38ppl brings in £1520/cow income, less £300 of concentrates to give a margin over purchased feed of just over £1200 at a wild guess. No idea why 4000 litres needs a ton of cake, but there you go.
I do about 8200 litres on about 1.8 tons of cake at £0.27 = £2214 less £387 for feed which gives a margin over feed per cow of £1827 and I keep a cow per acre. Which is very average indeed these days.

All kinds of things impact on whether a living can be made at this level, either level of course. These include how much rent is paid, if any. Capital repayments and interest on debt, if any. Amount of labour hired in, if any above family. The number of cows. The number of acres farmed in total, although any concentrate grown on the arable side should be sold at commercial prices to the dairy enterprise.
There's all kind of management reasons why you may live better than I or I better than you and it isn't the performance of the cow. Although all other things being equal it certainly is the performance of the cow and the milk contract price that brings in the dough to pay the bills.

 

[Cows 'n grass]

Could well be but as I said, herd performance has nothing to do with your overheads. 4000 litres even at 38ppl brings in £1520/cow income, less £300 of concentrates to give a margin over purchased feed of just over £1200 at a wild guess. No idea why 4000 litres needs a ton of cake, but there you go.
I do about 8200 litres on about 1.8 tons of cake at £0.27 = £2214 less £387 for feed which gives a margin over feed per cow of £1827 and I keep a cow per acre. Which is very average indeed these days.

All kinds of things impact on whether a living can be made at this level, either level of course. These include how much rent is paid, if any. Capital repayments and interest on debt, if any. Amount of labour hired in, if any above family. The number of cows. The number of acres farmed in total, although any concentrate grown on the arable side should be sold at commercial prices to the dairy enterprise.
There's all kind of management reasons why you may live better than I or I better than you and it isn't the performance of the cow. Although all other things being equal it certainly is the performance of the cow and the milk contract price that brings in the dough to pay the bills.

I think its safest to say that I/we agree to disagree because I still disagree with all of your points.

 

[Cowabunga]

I think its safest to say that I/we agree to disagree because I still disagree with all of your points.

I fail to see how you possibly can if you are a savvy businessman.

 

[Cows 'n grass]

I fail to see how you possibly can if you are a savvy businessman.

Never said I was.

My cows spent the day here and are back to grass tonight, I have a very little infrastructure. How would MOPF tell you anything about my bottom line when compared to an 8000l ww herd with a 200 day winter?

 

[vantage]

Never said I was.

My cows spent the day here and are back to grass tonight, I have a very little infrastructure. How would MOPF tell you anything about my bottom line when compared to an 8000l ww herd with a 200 day winter?

View attachment 918523

Add some cows to the pic and put in all things dairy!

 

[Beef farmer]

My feed rate is embarrassing. But like to think we've a fair handle on fixed costs.

I recon I could be bottom 10% feed rate.
Still here....

 

[som farmer]

at the end of the day, only 1 figure counts, profit/loss
I can see your point, of margin over purchased feed etc, it indicates how your herd is performing, but all the other points, rent, labour, debt etc, deeply influence how that margin, can be higher, or lower. Farmers are an independent lot, and we all run/cost are businesses, in differing ways. It is profit/loss, that dictates whether it's the right way, or not.

 

[More to life]

I do a bit over 4000 litres on 750-1000kg cake. I bet my MOPF would put me in the bottom 10% but I'm pretty confident that in terms of bottom line I would be quite a long way from the bottom 10%.

The year on 3x really boosted your performance

 

[Cows 'n grass]

Add some cows to the pic and put in all things dairy!

That will have to be tomorrow. They were already in by the time I got to the kale today.

Spot the quad.

 

[Tirglas]

Vanity, sanity and reality......

 

[lazy farmer]

Margin over all feed per acre would be even more.

[QUOTE="dairydurham, post: 7218704
Whyy? What does that have to do with profit?

 

[yin ewe]

Could well be but as I said, herd performance has nothing to do with your overheads. 4000 litres even at 38ppl brings in £1520/cow income, less £300 of concentrates to give a margin over purchased feed of just over £1200 at a wild guess. No idea why 4000 litres needs a ton of cake, but there you go.
I do about 8200 litres on about 1.8 tons of cake at £0.27 = £2214 less £387 for feed which gives a margin over feed per cow of £1827 and I keep a cow per acre. Which is very average indeed these days.

All kinds of things impact on whether a living can be made at this level, either level of course. These include how much rent is paid, if any. Capital repayments and interest on debt, if any. Amount of labour hired in, if any above family. The number of cows. The number of acres farmed in total, although any concentrate grown on the arable side should be sold at commercial prices to the dairy enterprise.
There's all kind of management reasons why you may live better than I or I better than you and it isn't the performance of the cow. Although all other things being equal it certainly is the performance of the cow and the milk contract price that brings in the dough to pay the bills.

How come a ton of @Cows 'n grass meal costs 300, but 1.8t of yours is only 387, or have I missed something, organic perhaps?