Been on here on a few occasions, lots of different articles and so on, I'm looking back at the previous year and to be fair I think the cows have paid reasonably well 120 cow herd, plus 20 heifers all home bred with all progeny fattened males as bulls at about 15 months, heifers at 22 to 26 months, cows calve outside end of April for 9 weeks, housed and weaned end of November on slats or cubicles, working on 650 a cow a year with fixed costs bulls averaged 1480, heifers 1240, no rent no paid labour just little old me I'm thinking I'd struggle to buy a good weanling for 650 and would have fixed costs on top of that purchase price, and if I bought a dairy x say at 550 600 it would be worth 150 200 less come to sale time, just a lot of negative information about suckler cows surely must be someone else out there who thinks they're cows are paying aswell
Suckler cow profitability
- Thread starter DanMidWales
- Start date
- Location
- East Sussex
Whilst I don't doubt your figures...... I've got a few thoughts in my mind that aren't meant to be offensive or awkward but here goes!
Do you have a young family?
Do you get away with them much?
How many weekends off?
How do you handle big operations with the cattle such as calving, tb testing etc on your own?
what happens if you cant work due to illness or accident?
I only ask because I could be far more profitable if I didn't employ one man full time and a student on occasion but I would never have time to do 'my things'. We need to be fair to ourselves and paint a realistic picture of our lives to the world at large.
I did chuckle at the title because, if I'm honest, I couldn't make it pay without other income.
Do you have a young family?
Do you get away with them much?
How many weekends off?
How do you handle big operations with the cattle such as calving, tb testing etc on your own?
what happens if you cant work due to illness or accident?
I only ask because I could be far more profitable if I didn't employ one man full time and a student on occasion but I would never have time to do 'my things'. We need to be fair to ourselves and paint a realistic picture of our lives to the world at large.
I did chuckle at the title because, if I'm honest, I couldn't make it pay without other income.
If I'm honest never have a weekend off knock off early on a Sunday afternoon perhaps, 3 kids all under 6 try and get a few days away in August, calving not bad outside and go around twice maybe 3 times a day if I loose one I loose one always a few twins to adopt and if she doesn't rear she's down the road tb testing isn't bad always a neighbour comes to help and I help them with silage or sheep like they help me with the sheep, and then there's always the wife if I can't get anyone, I see quite a few Tennant farms around here 40 60 cows 500 600 ewes full-time workman plus all the toys you can think of and fresh stuff to how do they make it pay with 20 25k wage to pay and probably something similar in rent
Slats/ cubicles will have helped, with straw expensive this autumn/ winter
Woolless
Member
- Location
- Berwickshire, Scottish Borders
If you're working nearly all day, every day, on your own then they have to pay!
Last edited:
CopperBeech
Member
- Location
- A Welsh man lost in England
I love how every one is always so desperate to prove there is no money in farming 
Not if I had to build it all at once but if I have a bit spare I always try and spend to better the place am considering another slat shed for youngstock this year and maybe convert the current shed into another sheep shed
BELOWAVERAGE
Member
Surely the question with a one man band and 120 single sucklers is, what do you do after breakfast ?
- Location
- Scottsih Borders
If you were to employ a full-time stockman, you would have time to study English Grammar and Punctuation.
Maybe I should do what I've seen a few north Wales boys do and sell all the sucklers cut the sheep to by half and milk 250 300 cows it seems what the banks want you to do spend 500 to a million on a dairy set up, good luck to those that do but I'd need to find at least 50k a year in wages and no guarantee the milk price will hold up but it seems that what the banks and advisors keep pushing for or a chicken shed
Do what works for you, not the bank
- Location
- Lincolnshire
To the OP. Well done. You have honed a system that works for you. If I were you I'd stick with it and not be tempted to spend a lot of capital on high risk and uncertain returns.
- Location
- West Somerset
Didn't realise the grammar police were on ere!
dinderleat
Member
- Location
- Wells
If your making a profit and happy with what you do crack on 
perhaps a little bit of extra help on a weekly basis might be worth it or even an apprentice. And don’t worry about your neighbours shinny kit is a terminal disease.
perhaps a little bit of extra help on a weekly basis might be worth it or even an apprentice. And don’t worry about your neighbours shinny kit is a terminal disease.- Location
- East Ayrshire
Why do Grammar and Punctuation have capitals?
Timbo
Member
- Location
- Gods County
Please consider employing someone at weekends or reasonably regualrly to allow you to spend time with your wife, your kids, and importantly, with yourself.
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Yes, if nothing else it helps to have somebody on standby who knows the ropes just in case of an emergency.
The London Palladium event “BPR Seminar”
This is our next step following the London rally 
BPR is not just a farming issue, it affects ALL business, it removes incentive to invest for growth
Join us @LondonPalladium on the 16th for beginning of UK business fight back
lwtheatres.co.uk
BPR is not just a farming issue, it affects ALL business, it removes incentive to invest for growth
Join us @LondonPalladium on the 16th for beginning of UK business fight back
BPR Summit | LW Theatres
lwtheatres.co.uk