What's going on?

[Bald Rick]

Every day now, I am hearing of larger farms (500 cows plus) either scaling back massively or getting out completely.
Not even geographical.

Clearly there is a rapidly decreasing appetite for milking cows at scale and you don't hear of many (any?) expanding any more.

What hear you?

 

[Beef farmer]

Same. Only beat a man so many times
No loyalty with staff.
Slurry regs cranking up
Cows worth a bit
Land worth a bit
RT ramping up

 

[vantage]

I hear @Bald Rick is taking up the slack!
In all honesty, if the 250 kg/ha N derogation doesn’t get the go ahead after NFU Cymru’s legal challenge, a lot of farms, big and small will call time.

 

[buffalo_soldier]

Won't just be larger concerns, you just never hear of the little guy going out.
I had a consultant reckoning I would need a 90% drop in livestock numbers if every policy being thought up was enacted. Told her she was wrong as it would be 100% drop here

It's what this next generation of farmers all say though, there's gotta be a certain level of margin and lifestyle or they just won't do it. And all the power to them.
Going back a bit even on here and you would hear numpties talk about how little they could produce milk for. Never see much chat about that nowadays.

 

[Blue.]

Two neighbours packed in this year,local big herd is having staff issues,another big one went onto twice a day milking.

Time of year,I’d give up tomorrow if I could.

 

[nonemouse]

Regulation be it farm assurance or EA is getting tighter, finding staff that want to work, high rents and expensive purchased feed on the back of cereal prices ( don’t forget fert and energy prices too) get out while cows have a value, before the next world milk price crash.

 

[vantage]

Time of year,I’d give up tomorrow if I could.

Roll on the shortest day, my mood always improves when the days lengthen .

 

[vantage]

Regulation be it farm assurance or EA is getting tighter, finding staff that want to work, high rents and expensive purchased feed on the back of cereal prices ( don’t forget fert and energy prices too) get out while cows have a value, before the next world milk price crash.

Where’s the next Rabobank prediction when you want it?

 

[buffalo_soldier]

Roll on the shortest day, my mood always improves when the days lengthen .

For me it's when the bulls go in.
One went in with the hfrs on Monday and PD+'s are coming in on the cows now, so soon there hopefully

 

[ColinV6]

Staff and tightening regulations will be what does it for me. Thankfully both are hunky dory at the moment but rather than scrape beg and borrow from relief man to relief man the cows can jog on.

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Honest question, how much is milk retail (think it's 65p a pint so 114p a litre in our village shop) and what's the farm gate price?

 

[Scholsey]

When a general builder/labourer can be on £250 a day it certainly makes you question why you bother.

 

[Beef farmer]

Honest question, how much is milk retail (think it's 65p a pint so 114p a litre in our village shop) and what's the farm gate price?

Milk price is only 1 aspect.

 

[upnortheast]

Honest question, how much is milk retail (think it's 65p a pint so 114p a litre in our village shop) and what's the farm gate price?

Go to Cosco, you can get a 2 litre bottle for about 90p

 

[Tim G]

I should think there's a lot of working capital needed on these big units, costs have rocketed and the demand for that working capital will have too. Might be concentrating a few minds.

 

[In the pit]

With the cows gone ,are they selling the farms aswell or doing something else

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

Go to Cosco, you can get a 2 litre bottle for about 90p

Do these families even look at the price when they are buying several litres at a time?

Presume the supermarkets will just sell something else when they have finished squeezing the life out of the dairy sector?

 

[sidjon]

With the cows gone ,are they selling the farms aswell or doing something else

dont seem to be, cause the amount of herds sold there would be lots of farms on the market and theres not.

 

[In the pit]

dont seem to be, cause the amount of herds sold there would be lots of farms on the market and theres not.

So is it beef sheep arable there gonna do

 

[Bald Rick]

With the cows gone ,are they selling the farms aswell or doing something else

Big herd I heard of has the EA rock up every time they go to spread slurry. Can’t be bothered with the hassle so converting to arable.
I suspect that will be common … or let to someone else on FBT