Starting new dairy farm??

twin27

Hi all

I'm looking for some advice on dairying as I have it in my head to change from sucklers.
I have 30 acres around the house and 15 acres 4 miles away . It's all been reseeded in last two yes and is very good ground.I'm working full time 7 to 7 and in the evenings I farm 20 sucklers and only making maybe 10,000 profit and still work from 7 in morning til 9 or 10 at night .
I would like to give up day job as it's also crippling my health and get into milking , was thinking 30 cows ? But I would have to put in sheds , parlour etc

I would appreciate if ye could give yer opinions on if it would be possible or if ye think I would be just mad !

Look forward to some suggestions
Thanks

blue5000

10k profit from 2/3 hours work ain't bad from suckling. How much do you think you'd make from milking 30-40 cows?

sh1tstirrer

You are just mad.

keep going

sh1tstirrer wrote: »

You are just mad.

lad do you see where he is from,a couple of questions what stage in life are you what facilities are in place

twin27

keep going wrote: »

sh1tstirrer wrote: »

You are just mad.

lad do you see where he is from,a couple of questions what stage in life are you what facilities are in place

Late twenties,the main reason is I'd like to farm full time but not possible from sucklers,I've two slatted units but not suitable for milks cows , no cubicles.
I'd prob have to build new slatted unit and cubicles and parlour.could do alot of the labour myself except wiring and plumbing

funny man

Why do you think that milking 30 cows will allow you to pay back on the new investments and provide you with an income that will rival a full time job and a "€500"/cow profit from sucklers, the better guys are supposedly making €800/cow in dairying so i recommend you talk to someone who has the figures before you rush in (dairy/beef advisor). Dairy farming mighten be any kinder on your health.

twin27

funny man wrote: »

Why do you think that milking 30 cows will allow you to pay back on the new investments and provide you with an income that will rival a full time job and a "€500"/cow profit from sucklers, the better guys are supposedly making €800/cow in dairying so i recommend you talk to someone who has the figures before you rush in (dairy/beef advisor). Dairy farming mighten be any kinder on your health.

I will def talk to an advisor , just said I'd put it out here and try to get some feedback from the guys that are milking , no income all ye from sucklers only when ya load up weanlings for the mart once a yr !!anyone have rough figures on the amount of a milk cheque per month for 30 cows , then I could do my sums !!

whelan1

milk cheque is fine but what about the costs, i assume your costs in suckling are minimal, i also assume your current sheds could be adapted to put in cubicles, talk to a local dairy farmer or advisor and see what they think

F.D

twin27 wrote: »

Hi all

I'm looking for some advice on dairying as I have it in my head to change from sucklers.
I have 30 acres around the house and 15 acres 4 miles away . It's all been reseeded in last two yes and is very good ground.I'm working full time 7 to 7 and in the evenings I farm 20 sucklers and only making maybe 10,000 profit and still work from 7 in morning til 9 or 10 at night .
I would like to give up day job as it's also crippling my health and get into milking , was thinking 30 cows ? But I would have to put in sheds , parlour etc

I would appreciate if ye could give yer opinions on if it would be possible or if ye think I would be just mad !

Look forward to some suggestions
Thanks

10 k profit from 20 cows? is that including sfp and other payments, if not what its it if you leave them out

twin27

F.D wrote: »

twin27 wrote: »

Hi all

I'm looking for some advice on dairying as I have it in my head to change from sucklers.
I have 30 acres around the house and 15 acres 4 miles away . It's all been reseeded in last two yes and is very good ground.I'm working full time 7 to 7 and in the evenings I farm 20 sucklers and only making maybe 10,000 profit and still work from 7 in morning til 9 or 10 at night .
I would like to give up day job as it's also crippling my health and get into milking , was thinking 30 cows ? But I would have to put in sheds , parlour etc

I would appreciate if ye could give yer opinions on if it would be possible or if ye think I would be just mad !

Look forward to some suggestions
Thanks

10 k profit from 20 cows? is that including sfp and other payments, if not what its it if you leave them out

No that includes all payments so I'd like to know roughly what I would get for milk for 30 cows , then I can sit down and do the figures

funny man

twin27 wrote: »

No that includes all payments so I'd like to know roughly what I would get for milk for 30 cows , then I can sit down and do the figures

30 cows X 5,500litres 165,000 X .27cent = €44,550 plus €4950 culls and calves less replacements less costs .21cent =€34650 would leave you with €14,850 before tax/prsi/usc, capital payments and then your own labour. this is for a medium cost producer with an average milk price of 27 cent/year it can be done alot better but it isn't easy to achieve.

polod

twin27 wrote: »

Hi all

I'm looking for some advice on dairying as I have it in my head to change from sucklers.
I have 30 acres around the house and 15 acres 4 miles away . It's all been reseeded in last two yes and is very good ground.I'm working full time 7 to 7 and in the evenings I farm 20 sucklers and only making maybe 10,000 profit and still work from 7 in morning til 9 or 10 at night .
I would like to give up day job as it's also crippling my health and get into milking , was thinking 30 cows ? But I would have to put in sheds , parlour etc

I would appreciate if ye could give yer opinions on if it would be possible or if ye think I would be just mad !

Look forward to some suggestions
Thanks

Ideally you should be aiming to milk at least 60 cows .....30 cow dairy farms would probably be the 'smallest' these days ....there is not that many of them left around here, most have expanded to roughly 80 cows or gone into sucklers.......aim high I dont think it would be worth going into dairy unless you are going to.

bbam

I've no doubt you'll make money...but.
You'll be limited to the 30 cows due to farm size...

The 30 Cow herd will surely earn enough net profit to service the debt and keep you ticking over.. The problem is I doubt there will be much left after repaying your debt... Probably back to your €10K

The problem is you'll be misssing out on economies of scale.. Similar debt would run 50-60 cows which would leave you with a living after all is accounted for..

Sacrilegious as it may sound.. Could you sell to get your hands on a bigger working dairy farm ?? If your young and really want it, explore every avenue that could make it happen

mossy1

Didnt no where to post this as i cant start a thread yet. My uncle asked me the other day how he would get into milking before 2015. He doesnt have the green cert done he is in his mid 40s, just out of a job,after inheriting 170 acre farm from his late uncle which was once run as a dairy farm but not in the last 8 year. So the question is really how would he go about gettin quota, i told him i didnt think it was possible but i said id put it on here to see what ye think!

funny man

Just my opinion but i don't know of any way bar buying a farm with quota.
Whats the hurry anyway why not wait until 2015?

PMU

mossy1 wrote: »

Didnt no where to post this as i cant start a thread yet. My uncle asked me the other day how he would get into milking before 2015. He doesnt have the green cert done he is in his mid 40s, just out of a job,after inheriting 170 acre farm from his late uncle which was once run as a dairy farm but not in the last 8 year. So the question is really how would he go about gettin quota, i told him i didnt think it was possible but i said id put it on here to see what ye think!

contact your local co-op

6480

twin27 wrote: »

Hi all

I'm looking for some advice on dairying as I have it in my head to change from sucklers.
I have 30 acres around the house and 15 acres 4 miles away . It's all been reseeded in last two yes and is very good ground.I'm working full time 7 to 7 and in the evenings I farm 20 sucklers and only making maybe 10,000 profit and still work from 7 in morning til 9 or 10 at night .
I would like to give up day job as it's also crippling my health and get into milking , was thinking 30 cows ? But I would have to put in sheds , parlour etc

I would appreciate if ye could give yer opinions on if it would be possible or if ye think I would be just mad !

Look forward to some suggestions
Thanks

I know two lads that had 60 sucklers each and got into milk this year and they wish they never seen a dairy cow , the milk cheque is fine but its hard earned , alot more mangement , on cows , grass , and animal health , i think 30 is not wort while to milk .if it was me i would try and improve your sucklers in performence , numbers , and weight of weaned calves for sale

mossy1

I dont think there is any hurry other then he has the money now to get started nd the fact that he is out of a job at the moment. How easy do you think it will be get into dairy farming after 2015, i mean getiing a co op to take your milk funny man?
How did those 2 lad get into dairying was it through the new entrants 6480?

6480

mossy1 wrote: »

I dont think there is any hurry other then he has the money now to get started nd the fact that he is out of a job at the moment. How easy do you think it will be get into dairy farming after 2015, i mean getiing a co op to take your milk funny man?
How did those 2 lad get into dairying was it through the new entrants 6480?

i think they got in on the new entrants as they bought quota at 5c/litrebut only got about 60000 litres which a good 40 cow herd would supply in 3 months and no milk cheque since midd august .From what i took away from a recent icmsa meeting is that quatos wont go too far in this country after 2015, ok u can supply at a lower price once u fill your quota but your current quota will base your proccesing rights to supply milk but i could be wrong .