New venture- Livestock Farming without Livestock

[The Fenster]

Hi All,

Hopefull thread name will get some attention! Farm up the road has just become available , it’s ring fenced with housing and grazing for up to 300 cows plus followers and in addition around 400 ewes ( lambs fattened off farm in past) Very nice set up, relatively modern , all stock fenced etc. The owner wants to keep all BPS payments and environmental scheme payments and rent accordingly. Currently having just taken on a new tenancy I don’t have anywhere near the funds to stock it, my only thought was to get sheep and cattle in on keep and provide equipment and husbandry , care etc. Was thinking store cattle in the sheds etc, potentially get 400 ewes on keep and lamb down, provide year round care etc. Payments on a headage basis, paid monthly . Still finding funds for necessary equipment would be hard, so also thought about going in 50:50 with a partner to set up , 50/50 on rent, part on my contribution could /would be actually doing the necessary work valuing my time accordingly, profits would then be split 50:50 as well or according to relative contributions.
Interested to hear peoples views, could be complete pie in the sky, and understand it sounds complicated, please pick apart at will.
Best wishes
Fenster

 

[beltextexel]

Would you be interested in taking in 400 gimmer lambs in say August, then returning them to us a shearlings the following August? What I had in mind was us not paying any rent for them while they were with you, but you could lamb them and have the offspring to sell as your own. It would be completely down to you as to what tup you used and when they lambed, we’d pay haulage down there and you pay it when they’re coming back. We’d just want a guarantee that a certain number of shearlings were returned to us and had to be above a certain weight (realistic).

Don’t know if it would work or not, just thought it would be a good way of getting the sheep without investing any money.

 

[dairyrow]

milk cows. if you could get a contract.

 

[Woolless]

Have a look at 'No risk ranching' by Greg Judy, although sounds like this place is rather more developed than some that he took over. Dairy heifer rearing? Mart livestock finance? Buying in-lamb ewes might be a cheaper way in to some stock in the next couple of months?

 

[Estate fencing.]

Would you be interested in taking in 400 gimmer lambs in say August, then returning them to us a shearlings the following August? What I had in mind was us not paying any rent for them while they were with you, but you could lamb them and have the offspring to sell as your own. It would be completely down to you as to what tup you used and when they lambed, we’d pay haulage down there and you pay it when they’re coming back. We’d just want a guarantee that a certain number of shearlings were returned to us and had to be above a certain weight (realistic).

Don’t know if it would work or not, just thought it would be a good way of getting the sheep without investing any money.

That seems a really good idea to me, good way for some to get 300/400 store lambs without any money outlay and you get your own sheep back in 12 months.

 

[dannewhouse]

Would you be interested in taking in 400 gimmer lambs in say August, then returning them to us a shearlings the following August? What I had in mind was us not paying any rent for them while they were with you, but you could lamb them and have the offspring to sell as your own. It would be completely down to you as to what tup you used and when they lambed, we’d pay haulage down there and you pay it when they’re coming back. We’d just want a guarantee that a certain number of shearlings were returned to us and had to be above a certain weight (realistic).

Don’t know if it would work or not, just thought it would be a good way of getting the sheep without investing any money.

It sounds a good idea but what's the benefit to you/the person providing the sheep?

 

[Anymulewilldo]

It sounds a good idea but what's the benefit to you/the person providing the sheep?

They get suckled shearlings in the autumn at the same price as they assigned to their ewe lambs?

 

[dannewhouse]

They get suckled shearlings in the autumn at the same price as they assigned to their ewe lambs?

I'm not a sheep man so was thinking of it in terms of cattle, be like me sending let's say a 18m hfr (already run with bull just to compare as gestation too long for comparison) to calve at 24m and returned to me at 30month?
What is the price difference in gimmers Vs shearlings?

 

[AndrewM]

something like Berryfields Farm Ltd ? instead of building new buildings to expand their operation they were paying their neighbors to look after cattle. they provided cattle, feed, bedding and payed you to do the work. farmer made use of old empty cattle buildings and his staff had something to do all year round in between arable operations.

 

[beltextexel]

It sounds a good idea but what's the benefit to you/the person providing the sheep?

They get suckled shearlings in the autumn at the same price as they assigned to their ewe lambs?

Precisely this. Let’s us run a few more ewes whilst getting a shearling that knows it’s job at basically what it costs to get it from April to August in its first year. Certainly advantages for both parties. I’d be keen to have an arrangement like this if anyone was interested.

 

[unlacedgecko]

That seems a really good idea to me, good way for some to get 300/400 store lambs without any money outlay and you get your own sheep back in 12 months.

It's a great way for the shepherd to get high genetic merit ewe lambs, if starting a flock.

When I looked at some numbers 4 years ago it wasn't quite so economic when it came to fat lamb production. Ewe lamb scanning not high enough.

OP, look at renting stock.