Simple operation

[Stormy times]

First post here. bear with me please.
currently looking at a 150 farm to rent. (Yes I’m mad I know)
40 acre good ground and rest is headin up the hill.
Looking at keeping it simple as possible. 2.5 ewes to the acre medium sized hardy type tupped with terminal sire Dutch tex.and lamb from 15 April onwards.
probably sell lambs that finish of grass till end sept in the fat and sell rest store.
not wanting to be a machinery finatic and just have a skid steer for the yard jobs and contractor once a year to spread shed muck.
All crop bought in as we already run a artic for our other source of income and buy it cheaper than make it.
wanting to keep it as simple as possible.I have off farm income 1.5 days a week also. And the Mrs has her business too. Will it be sustainable and can it be done if things are kept very very simple and sticking the farm to its potential.
location is in the boarders and will be rented.
not looking for top price every week just a simple format that we can survive with.
many suggestions welcome.
many thanks.

 

[TripleSix]

Sounds like you've as good a chance as anyone to make it work, plenty of outside income, farm side should see a profit, definitely aim to be understocked with less input into the ewes unless you really want chunky pedigree stuff.

Don't underestimate the costs of spraying the fields and maintaining fences and buildings

 

[toquark]

I suppose the rent will dictate its viability to a large extent. System sounds good though.

 

[Formatted]

You can work full-time and have 150 acres

 

[le bon paysan]

Change plan, pivot loader better than a skid steer. Can go ' off road' with one.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Go hardy and lamb out doors .
Lambing inside with Texels lambs is not easy , you won't need a loader then

 

[Stormy times]

Thanks for replies. The pivot idea is good but don’t want to borrow to buy 1 so that won’t be for a while. (Mite sound odd not wanting to buy fancy kit but it all has to be paid back someday)
I just do t want to look stupid when the other people that are going for the farm will be pushing stock hard and and there plan will look better with bigger end prices etc. We have plenty of detail in ours profit loss and we have done a stress test too. The rent is on what we offer off our plan. Probably worrying to much and need to worry about us instead of trying to keep up with the next people.

 

[Highland Mule]

Skid steer not much use for offloading fodder. I’d be going a small loader tractor, assuming you can get it into sheds. Spend £10k on an older stockman special, if you can find a clean one. Means you can then muck out easier, maybe build up to loading and spreading muck yourself (you won’t have much, so a £500 barrel will do you a decade).

 

[roscoe erf]

You can work full-time and have 150 acres

Not legally you can’t truck driving is heavily regulated wtd etc

 

[Stormy times]

Not legally you can’t truck driving is heavily regulated wtd etc

There was nothing mentioned about driving full time. I help on another farm 1 and a half days a week but generally ends up a full day on the half day. The artic is the wife’s for her business.

 

[roscoe erf]

There was nothing mentioned about driving full time. I help on another farm 1 and a half days a week but generally ends up a full day on the half day. The artic is the wife’s for her business.

You mentioned running lorry’s you failed to mention the relevant facts

 

[neilo]

Thanks for replies. The pivot idea is good but don’t want to borrow to buy 1 so that won’t be for a while. (Mite sound odd not wanting to buy fancy kit but it all has to be paid back someday)
I just do t want to look stupid when the other people that are going for the farm will be pushing stock hard and and there plan will look better with bigger end prices etc. We have plenty of detail in ours profit loss and we have done a stress test too. The rent is on what we offer off our plan. Probably worrying to much and need to worry about us instead of trying to keep up with the next people.

Never worry about what anyone else is doing, the prices they are achieving or the shininess of their kit. You can’t see their accounts to know how much their costs are higher than yours.

 

[Stormy times]

Never worry about what anyone else is doing, the prices they are achieving or the shininess of their kit. You can’t see their accounts to know how much their costs are higher than yours.

Yh I know. Just eating me up abit the agent is going to look at there plan and go wow we tried for another place last year and the comment was it’s not very aspiring. My reply was it’s sustainable fair to say it didn’t go down well. Felt somewhat be Littled by the agent.

 

[Al R]

Yh I know. Just eating me up abit the agent is going to look at there plan and go wow we tried for another place last year and the comment was it’s not very aspiring. My reply was it’s sustainable fair to say it didn’t go down well. Felt somewhat be Littled by the agent.

Until a few years ago my dad had 900 ewes on 380 acre and 1 old tractor that did topping and rolling plus had a £15 bale spike for taking bales out. Contractor who baled stacked the bales and tractor and spike then took them out to field. No loader needed, same contractor would muck out at the end of lambing and spread it. Quads and a simple tractor is all he needed. I have a basic old telehandler for moving bales and mucking out now so the tractor only does rolling and topping. Dad was all ring fenced so no pickup or livestock trailer needed either

 

[Y Fan Wen]

Never worry about what anyone else is doing, the prices they are achieving or the shininess of their kit. You can’t see their accounts to know how much their costs are higher than yours.

College accounting lecturer, 'Remember, when you look over the hedge, you can't see the balance sheet!'.

 

[Agrivator]

There are many examples of farmers starting out mainly on their own, and by the sweat of their brows, ingenuity, worrying nights, hard work, and a bit of luck, have managed to survive.

But if after, say, 25 to 30 years, they haven't achieved financial security and a much easier and more mechanised life and are not able to pass a sound business on to the next generation, I would argue that they have failed.

 

[Fake it ‘til you make it]

There are many examples of farmers starting out mainly on their own, and by the sweat of their brows, ingenuity, worrying nights, hard work, and a bit of luck, have managed to survive.

But if after, say, 25 to 30 years, they haven't achieved financial security and a much easier and more mechanised life and are not able to pass a sound business on to the next generation, I would argue that they have failed.

I don’t disagree, but on a low input 150 (ringfenced?) acres, running 375 ewes, how much kit is necessary? Handling system, loader tractor, quad bike, dog, stick?