US Dairy Herd

[unlacedgecko]

Cheap oil

They why I'd like to do the calorific comparison

 

[Dead Rabbits]

They why I'd like to do the calorific comparison

If you’ve the time it wouldn’t be too difficult to work out from your desk. Should be some data online. Irrigation consumption, crop consumption and harvest transportation vs output. Per acre or cow.

All anyone cares about is carbon though. Using current metrics it always makes intensive confinement look really good.

Our industry is currently busy selling us down the river while beating us with a stick that we grew and gave to them.

 

[ollie989898]

If you’ve the time it wouldn’t be too difficult to work out from your desk. Should be some data online. Irrigation consumption, crop consumption and harvest transportation vs output. Per acre or cow.

All anyone cares about is carbon though. Using current metrics it always makes intensive confinement look really good.

Our industry is currently busy selling us down the river while beating us with a stick that we grew and gave to them.

It's a shame because the American's pioneered originally ranching cattle extensively and followed the rains. Needed nothing but a saddle and a horse to do it. Now it seems farmers are obliged to use every known advance going and fill an increasing line-up of company coffers: John Deere, Ag-leader, BASF, pioneer, etc. I wonder if people are genuinely making a lot more money on the back of all this?

 

[Dead Rabbits]

It's a shame because the American's pioneered originally ranching cattle extensively and followed the rains. Needed nothing but a saddle and a horse to do it. Now it seems farmers are obliged to use every known advance going and fill an increasing line-up of company coffers: John Deere, Ag-leader, BASF, pioneer, etc. I wonder if people are genuinely making a lot more money on the back of all this?

Same as always. Top 20% make the money. There is no doubt it’s more challenging though

 

[Boysground]

It's a shame because the American's pioneered originally ranching cattle extensively and followed the rains. Needed nothing but a saddle and a horse to do it. Now it seems farmers are obliged to use every known advance going and fill an increasing line-up of company coffers: John Deere, Ag-leader, BASF, pioneer, etc. I wonder if people are genuinely making a lot more money on the back of all this?

Have you not watched Yellowstone @ollie989898 the only other thing you need is a few guns (and an ex Navy Seal as a son)

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[ollie989898]

Have you not watched Yellowstone @ollie989898 the only other thing you need is a few guns (and an ex Navy Seal as a son)

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There is shed loads of TV I keep intending to watch, never happens. I just don't get time unfortunately.

 

[sheepdogtrail]

There is shed loads of TV I keep intending to watch, never happens. I just don't get time unfortunately.

Maybe the time will come when you are 137 years old. That is what I keep telling myself anyway.

 

[daveydiesel1]

Just be realistic about the market you are in. Market price will settle somewhere around what the big boys globally can produce it for.

What is your competitive advantage in milk production ? Every farm needs a competitive advantage in their market

Suppose it would be no wages to pay to others or ground rent

 

[Andrew_Ni]

I was on a few very large dairies in Wisconsin and South Dakota last year. If you’re starting from scratch, your minimum is a full tanker load of milk a day. Fill the truck or you won’t get a milk buyer. But even at that a tractor and feeder cost the same to buy if you’re milking 7-800 cows or 3000 cows. Also, it’s inefficient apparently to have your parlour not milking or washing (never turns off). Keep dedicated staff only milking for a 12 hour shift. The take home message “it gets easier the bigger you get”.

 

[daveydiesel1]

I was on a few very large dairies in Wisconsin and South Dakota last year. If you’re starting from scratch, your minimum is a full tanker load of milk a day. Fill the truck or you won’t get a milk buyer. But even at that a tractor and feeder cost the same to buy if you’re milking 7-800 cows or 3000 cows. Also, it’s inefficient apparently to have your parlour not milking or washing (never turns off). Keep dedicated staff only milking for a 12 hour shift. The take home message “it gets easier the bigger you get”.

So there is no place for 1 man band operations then?

 

[Andrew_Ni]

Wisconsin had a lot still milking in a byre or as they call them stanchion barns. Cows chained full time. They seem to be disappearing fast. Struggle to get labour and manage the swings in milk price. They’ve the farmers that have been at it a while and in areas with more smaller farms so part loads are more common.
For the big operators all feed is bought in and heifers are raised offsite just focus on milkers and dry cows and operate a high input : high output system.

 

[Andrew_Ni]

Not a great quality photo but at the bottom right if the feed face is a skid steer. I think that unit was 2000 cows. Unless your out there, it’s hard to take in the scale of some farms.

 

[daveydiesel1]

Wisconsin had a lot still milking in a byre or as they call them stanchion barns. Cows chained full time. They seem to be disappearing fast. Struggle to get labour and manage the swings in milk price. They’ve the farmers that have been at it a while and in areas with more smaller farms so part loads are more common.
For the big operators all feed is bought in and heifers are raised offsite just focus on milkers and dry cows and operate a high input : high output system.

Growing feed and selling it to them sounds like a nice job if it pays well enough

 

[Andrew_Ni]

Growing feed and selling it to them sounds like a nice job if it pays well enough

They work out the potential grain yeild and then get paid a price per tonne based on that. Crop sold standing. The crop farmers like it as they get the slurry and also don’t need to worry about drying, storing and hauling grain over the winter.

 

[DaveGrohl]

It’s the Pareto principle in real time.


They are largely all expanding because they have to. Everyone has different motivations and I won’t pretend to know them all, but raw milk production is very simple.

New technologies allow more capital and labor efficiencies, adopt these to lower your cost of production and the rest of the industry does too. If you don’t keep improving to remain competitive you fall behind. Some are happy enough with this but some aren’t. Unfortunately a business that is not expanding is slowly dying. It may be a slow death, but death it is.

Twas ever thus. And yet the public are presented with a mirage of how things "could be". Economics trumps high minded daydreaming ultimately.

 

[daveydiesel1]

They work out the potential grain yeild and then get paid a price per tonne based on that. Crop sold standing. The crop farmers like it as they get the slurry and also don’t need to worry about drying, storing and hauling grain over the winter.

Is this wheat,corn or grass your talking about? Growing corn or grass for them would be a nice job

 

[Andrew_Ni]

Is this wheat,corn or grass your talking about? Growing corn or grass for them would be a nice job

Mostly maize.

 

[Andrew_Ni]

Rodney Elliott was one of the farmers we visited. Left county Fermanagh in 2005 and now milking 6500 cows. He said his next logical step would be to 10-10,500 cows.
During covid he did a good webinar for the ulster grassland society.

 

[NFI]

View attachment 1167634
Not a great quality photo but at the bottom right if the feed face is a skid steer. I think that unit was 2000 cows. Unless your out there, it’s hard to take in the scale of some farms.

I wouldn't want to sheet that one down.

 

[ollie989898]

I wouldn't want to sheet that one down.

I visited a farm in Eastern Europe where they didn't bother to sheet down huge silage clamps. They just took off the top layer (dread to think how many tonnes) and put it into their AD plant!! In high summer the top of the clamp was growing a carpet of wild oats 6 feet tall!