What size parlour, how many cow's and how many people milking?

[Kiwi Pete]

@Kiwi Pete what would your bactoscan be like in the shoulders of the year? I think multipower is organic like me and I guess he is on a similar bacto bonus so wants to keep it low?

Usually, really good.
Would sometimes creep up if we used a lot of emollient, or the liners got a bit stuffed and we thought we'd just hold out til the end then I learnt to change them late autumn so they'd be slightly broken in for those badly swollen heifers.
Worst bactos were either from folks pulling the filters and letting cheese into the plate cooler, or when the tank didn't wash properly, and we had a mystery one that was from the changeover tap on the back of the tank not washing due to a blocked hose in its own little wash injector.. oh and one of the auto drains in the rotary didn't seal off and sometimes used to suck dirty water in
It's a wonder I still drink milk
Short answer - really good.
Long answer says there's always bloody something to go wrong!!
Oh and sometimes silage would spike it, but that was rare.
I am a fussy one.
First job was always study the docket for a pattern.

 

[thewalrus]

16:16 one person(obviously)
60 cows an hour average over the year.
Predip, wipe, unit on, post dip

 

[cowsmart]

Why do you want it a 1 person job?

 

[multi power]

Why do you want it a 1 person job?

Due to not having a suitable second person

 

[cowsmart]

Due to not having a suitable second person

If you put too much on one person the standards will drop and you could end up with no suitable persons lol.....

 

[Headless chicken]

How many extra cows are being milked in order to pay for the assistant? if you could loose a few then things would be much easier

 

[lazy farmer]

How many extra cows are being milked in order to pay for the assistant? if you could loose a few then things would be much easier

that's a goooooood question

 

[Devon lad]

How many extra cows are being milked in order to pay for the assistant? if you could loose a few then things would be much easier

That's what we're doing next year 350 this year 300 next year, less of everything but hopefully similar profit

 

[Headless chicken]

That's what we're doing next year 350 this year 300 next year, less of everything but hopefully similar profit

I think for a lot of people this could well be the way to go sometimes. Trouble is at say 100 cows you can't cut back much more.

My ideal system is running 100 cows less than the system was designed for.

 

[multi power]

Trouble is people make the mistake of assuming more cow's or / more litres = more profit

 

[Headless chicken]

Trouble is people make the mistake of assuming more cow's or / more litres = more profit

Exactly and with your employers other interest it's not like he's short of cows

 

[Err0l]

Trouble is people make the mistake of assuming more cow's or / more litres = more profit

Don't forget the bigger manhood

 

[Sparkymark]

Having the right size herd to match the size of farm is a consideration overlooked sometimes.
Too many folk are obsessed with turnover, when its 'leftover' that matters!

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Don't forget the bigger manhood

If it has size in the title, he'll be along presently...

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Trouble is people make the mistake of assuming more cow's or / more litres = more profit

Aye - and then moan like feck is after them, about "large scale farming, and the race to the bottom"
Better to have productivity over production where I'm from.
IMO you'll get more reliable profit from keeping the basics right, every year running.

Feet, Fat, and Fertile beats "a nice head"
(unless it's on a pint, or a brunette)

 

[pappuller]

Aye - and then moan like feck is after them, about "large scale farming, and the race to the bottom"
Better to have productivity over production where I'm from.
IMO you'll get more reliable profit from keeping the basics right, every year running.

Feet, Fat, and Fertile beats "a nice head"
(unless it's on a pint, or a brunette)

Get better before you get bigger !!!!

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Get better before you get bigger !!!!

That certainly seems to be getting forgotten down here by a few!
Size does matter.
When you're in control of your operation, making money, and still know your cows without delving into a database, then what more is there?

Sure, extra staff can share workloads etc but it's never all quite what it's cracked up to be when the price drops.
It's not always the case, but it's often the case.
On another thread FT says "the romance has gone out of farming" and that's exactly what I see on the bigger units. That relationship between the cows and the people is lost, and it starts looking like "work".
I bet it does to the cows, too.

 

[Ducati899]

That certainly seems to be getting forgotten down here by a few!
Size does matter.
When you're in control of your operation, making money, and still know your cows without delving into a database, then what more is there?

Sure, extra staff can share workloads etc but it's never all quite what it's cracked up to be when the price drops.
It's not always the case, but it's often the case.
On another thread FT says "the romance has gone out of farming" and that's exactly what I see on the bigger units. That relationship between the cows and the people is lost, and it starts looking like "work".
I bet it does to the cows, too.

One of my favourite posts of the year I love the fact dad & myself can walk in our cubicle house and identify every cow

 

[Kiwi Pete]

One of my favourite posts of the year I love the fact dad & myself can walk in our cubicle house and identify every cow

It's the best feeling there is, to me.
I love animals, not just what they can do for us, but just the connected feeling as a farmer with the land, the animals; I'd do it all for free, if the world was different.

In the really big herds you only get to know 'those ones', and that's not for me.

Good on those who can hack it, I reckon; but it's sad to see the little farms with the tiny little old roofs rusting away forgotten -a great big 'centrifuge' with many hundreds of cows waiting for a turn, and more coming in.

Must say I'm pretty happy here with our 100ac, despite everyone asking "are you going to expand??"

"Not if I have a say."