Profit (!) Per Ewe.

[d-wales]

Is there any money to be made in suckler cows by time you buy fertilizer, straw/fodder, concentrates etc?
Loads of people getting rid of cows, 40-50 cow herds often being sold at local marts.
Surely there's a lot more money to be made from lambing ewes compared to calving cows?!
What are your thoughts please?

According to the booklet again the average beef herd loses over £1 per kg on an animal, and even the top third in the study and still losing 6p per kg

 

[Baling Hay]

According to the booklet again the average beef herd loses over £1 per kg on an animal, and even the top third in the study and still losing 6p per kg

So really becoming a better suckler farmer is all about damage limitation!

 

[Henarar]

Is there any money to be made in suckler cows by time you buy fertilizer, straw/fodder, concentrates etc?
Loads of people getting rid of cows, 40-50 cow herds often being sold at local marts.
Surely there's a lot more money to be made from lambing ewes compared to calving cows?!
What are your thoughts please?

don't buy concentrates or much fert for a start

 

[MF390T]

don't buy concentrates or much fert for a start

I like your thinking . But where is the feed going to come from then?

 

[GTB]

Is there any money to be made in suckler cows by time you buy fertilizer, straw/fodder, concentrates etc?
Loads of people getting rid of cows, 40-50 cow herds often being sold at local marts.
Surely there's a lot more money to be made from lambing ewes compared to calving cows?!
What are your thoughts please?

Hill farms get sheep sick without cattle.

 

[Henarar]

I like your thinking . But where is the feed going to come from then?

it seems to grow !! not sure what you mean

 

[Henarar]

Hill farms get sheep sick without cattle.

wouldn't any farm ?

 

[reverand]

its simple... cows and sheep that dont need provin . Grass that doesnt need fert. Animals only were you cant grow crops. Get those native breeds doing what its meant to do. grow crops to feed humans. it couldnt be easier

 

[neilo]

its simple... cows and sheep that dont need provin . Grass that doesnt need fert. Animals only were you cant grow crops. Get those native breeds doing what its meant to do. grow crops to feed humans. it couldnt be easier

I'd question whether small scale arable farming is particularly profitable. You either have to invest capital in your own machinery, or pay the contractor's profit margin for doing it. I do a bit of arable (70-80ac of cereals) as it fits in with providing fodder crops for cheap outwintering, and is marginally more profitable than anything I could make from beef. It certainly doesn't make a fortune though.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Neil, is that £35.65 AFTER labour or before? If it's after, it isn't too bad.

It's before rent and finance - some people's rent would swallow that £35/acre profit.
Don't know if it includes labour though.

 

[Kevtherev]

Is any small scale business profitable these days?
Farm shop prob be ok?
What do you think?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

They must be or what did you buy your Christmas lunch with

 

[neilo]

They must be or what did you buy your Christmas lunch with

Bank borrowings?

 

[neilo]

Neil, is that £35.65 AFTER labour or before? If it's after, it isn't too bad.

Sorry, didn't see that. I think it's including paid & casual labour, but not unpaid labour, IIRC.

At 3-4 ewes/ac, it doesn't leave much for rent, finance and drawings. On the plus side, there'd be no need to worry about having enough to pay tax.

 

[reverand]

Is any small scale business profitable these days?
Farm shop prob be ok?
What do you think?

id say like any business , if you do it right and produce the best you can with the resourses you have and sell it right you will make money.be sensible and watch the bottom line. i know why i farm and it isnt money. i love it.

 

[MRT]

Ok, what does IIRC stand for?

 

[bovine]

I'm still yet to meet a poor farmer. Farming is a very secret industry which good money can be made. I know farmers who buy houses to rent out as a way of getting rid of money. A thread on here says £6000 was made in a year from sheep, the majority of the year the sheep are self sufficient, for arguments sake sheep take 3 months of work per year if you add the days up, the rest of the year people don't sit a
about, they might be tending cattle which may earn another £6000, then a few month of tractor work another £6000, then arable work another £6000, at the end of the year all the grands here and there add up which equate to not a bad wage never mind all the little cash jobs here and there. Then the goverment handouts. Farmers annoy me who say there's no money in farming. Liberal with the truth is an understatement

I don't know. There is something funny about farmers. I'm sure they are not making huge amounts of money, but many of them drive new cars. New tractors, feeder wagons etc land in yards. Land comes up for sale and they suddenly find £200,000+ to buy it. Even if these things are bought on borrowed money there has to be some money there to pay back the bank.

 

[bovine]

Ok, what does IIRC stand for?

If I Remember (recall) Correctly.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I have no problem recalling correctly,

 

[JD-Kid]

wouldn't any farm ?

naaaa it's bull5hit old wifes tail about sheep sick we are sheep only and have been for years last place part of it sheep only for years 50+ if not more

as for profit ummm we just weaned twinning ewes 180% tailing avg weight 31.6 Kg's live weight worth $2.30 per Kg on the place singles 80+% tailing 34Kg Lw worth the same per Kg (140 % over whole flock )
toss in wool etc etc culls for total income
hell income per 100 would only be close to 6000 pound per 100 for us so there is no way in hell it's 6000 profit from 100 ewes as a stand alone system sounds like a add on system that other parts of the farm are funding a hobby