Milking parlour options

trixi2011

Looking at options at putting in a parlour on some land at the moment . Land will be rented and money is tight enough . Could you buy 2 old 8 unit parlours and piece them together to make a 16 ?
How much have people spent much putting in parlours on rented farms ?
Is there any parlour companies doing parlours on fianace ?
Land would most likely be leased for 10+ years
Looking at milking 150+ cows

Timmaay

I wouldn't rule out a new bog basic parlour and tank under the grant. Likes of a 4ft6 centre, no swing overs/acrs etc, get pig feeders and a meal bin under the grant also. You can always sell on the whole lot after the lease is up. Easy enough to claim the grant on all this, biggest issue is having to bridge the full cost until you get the vat and grant back. If I remember correctly them bog basic parlours come in around 2k/unit. Go with a very basic shed, largely just a roof, the pit and holding yard, however make sure it's in a sheltered spot, and if you can put it up against an existing shed better again.

Mooooo

I wonder if a basic enough 20 unit, perhaps acrs being only extra, was put in but design the frame or roof so the whole lot can be lifted out on to a lorry bed if needing to be removed in the future? Price around I guess is the only thing. Probably plenty of 10 units replaced in the last number of years. If putting second-hand or two parlours together the lad installing and servicing would be the main part in that equation I'd imagine

trixi2011

Timmaay wrote: »

I wouldn't rule out a new bog basic parlour and tank under the grant. Likes of a 4ft6 centre, no swing overs/acrs etc, get pig feeders and a meal bin under the grant also. You can always sell on the whole lot after the lease is up. Easy enough to claim the grant on all this, biggest issue is having to bridge the full cost until you get the vat and grant back. If I remember correctly them bog basic parlours come in around 2k/unit. Go with a very basic shed, largely just a roof, the pit and holding yard, however make sure it's in a sheltered spot, and if you can put it up against an existing shed better again.

Yep sounds like a good option alright. financing the build might be the problem as will be maxed out with the banks due to having no owned land to secure against

Mooooo

You have the stock in your name I take it? That and the lease agreement and your experience may help. Is there much else required on the farm housing wise?

trixi2011

Mooooo wrote: »

You have the stock in your name I take it? That and the lease agreement and your experience may help. Is there much else required on the farm housing wise?

Would have over half the stock at the moment will need to borrow for additional stock and some working capital . Haven't secured a lease as of yet just looking at options for a few farms I walked .

GrasstoMilk

Know of one parlour that was running 2 different parlours. 8 unit 4x0 pulsation and 10 unit 2x2 pulsation. No issues.
You'll do it cheap if you want to.
Talk to a few parlour companies, they might be able to help you out

Sugarbowl

Would you not consider getting up and running with the stock you have and accumulate some sort of funds yourself before buying more stock? It might save some of the borrowings needed.

Nekarsulm

You'd probably be best to buy and install the two ten units ( or whatever) and keep them separate from each other.
To try and combine them into a single 20 unit would mean the milk line and wash lines etc etc will be far too small.
Changing them to a single big line will cost a good deal of money.
No jars, simple swing over, straight rail , 90 degrees to the pit, laid out so that cows don't have to make sharp turns when entering/leaving ...

K.G.

For that type of setup you need to find the right opportunity with alot of the facilities in place.its one thing to add maybe 4 units to a 10 unit but starting from scratch will soak alot of cash.add in stuff like roadways and water systems and housing soaking cash.try and work with whats there as much as you can.there isnt alot of spare cash in dairy farming like there was .

K.G.

I posted a couple of days ago about a place/partnership in cork that grasstec have up on youtube.looks like all it needs is the right man to take it on

Buford T. Justice XIX

Nekarsulm wrote: »

You'd probably be best to buy and install the two ten units ( or whatever) and keep them separate from each other.
To try and combine them into a single 20 unit would mean the milk line and wash lines etc etc will be far too small.
Changing them to a single big line will cost a good deal of money.
No jars, simple swing over, straight rail , 90 degrees to the pit, laid out so that cows don't have to make sharp turns when entering/leaving ...

If you were buying two 10 unit parlours to join together, wouldn't you have to change the milk line and wash line anyway as the chances are both the older ones would be suitable for 10 units and not 20?

And 2 x 10 units parlours would still need 2 men, 1 in each parlour all year while 1 x 20 unit could be done by 1 man for most of the year?

Mooooo

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

If you were buying two 10 unit parlours to join together, wouldn't you have to change the milk line and wash line anyway as the chances are both the older ones would be suitable for 10 units and not 20?

And 2 x 10 units parlours would still need 2 men, 1 in each parlour all year while 1 x 20 unit could be done by 1 man for most of the year?

I'd say he means 2 10 units in the one pit to make 20 units? Don't link them at all till going to the tank or cooler maybe? I could be way off?

trixi2011

K.G. wrote: »

I posted a couple of days ago about a place/partnership in cork that grasstec have up on youtube.looks like all it needs is the right man to take it on

I saw that alright didn't quite stack up 220 acres and only the ability to milk 140 cows with robots must find out more about it

smallcows

The second hand parlour would need to be nearly free before I would consider it. Better to go for a low spec new machine

jaymla627

Mooooo wrote: »

I'd say he means 2 10 units in the one pit to make 20 units? Don't link them at all till going to the tank or cooler maybe? I could be way off?

It would be an awful lot of messing, you can buy a 2x2 full pulsation sysytem with control box for 20 units and 10 double interplus pulsator for well under 3 grand installed, these will work with the old type delavel clusters that are two a penny on donedeal, vari-speed pump plate cooler and recieving jar plus pipework to tank will be around 10k, vaccum pump and say a 3 inch milkline/vaccum line would be another 6ish k and then stallwork around 5k, another 4k for wiring plus around 5k for your washdown pump plus troughs etc and another 4k to your parlour installer you"d have a good capacity 20 unit in for 2 grand a unit, biggest issue would be building work and holding yard youd have no change out of 70k if going the contractor route at the bare minimum

alps

Is the parlour the only investment? What way is the place for housing, storage and calving facilities?

mahoney_j

Best of luck with it Trixi but starting from scratch with a small budget and little security is going to be very tough your parlour ,tank shed,plumbing ,esb/electrical collecting yards drafting slurry/dirty water storage etc will cost I reckon 70/100 k before u even think about roads ,cubicles paddocks water etc doing it on shoe string budget your hours will be long and you’ll most likely have to be working in sub standard conditions for few years maby your happy to do that if so best of luck but Not for me

K.G.

mahoney_j wrote: »

Best of luck with it Trixi but starting from scratch with a small budget and little security is going to be very tough your parlour ,tank shed,plumbing ,esb/electrical collecting yards drafting slurry/dirty water storage etc will cost I reckon 70/100 k before u even think about roads ,cubicles paddocks water etc doing it on shoe string budget your hours will be long and you’ll most likely have to be working in sub standard conditions for few years maby your happy to do that if so best of luck but Not for me

But its nearly coming to the stage where green field dairy conversion s are a non runner.really trix should.only look at up anf running units with good.facilties where the owner wants to step back.when you get down to the nuts and bolts of the figures there is no wrigle room.if he is financing the cows i dont think he could finance much capital expenditure. We have bought well over half the land we own and are renting 2/3 s of the land we farm so i have a fair idea of of what it takes to get going.heard a fella one day talking about running second and third units he was adamant the facilities had to be in place

mahoney_j

K.G. wrote: »

But its nearly coming to the stage where green field dairy conversion s are a non runner.really trix should.only look at up anf running units with good.facilties where the owner wants to step back.when you get down to the nuts and bolts of the figures there is no wrigle room.if he is financing the cows i dont think he could finance much capital expenditure. We have bought well over half the land we own and are renting 2/3 s of the land we farm so i have a fair idea of of what it takes to get going.heard a fella one day talking about running second and third units he was adamant the facilities had to be in place

Second third units ......one is enough thanks

Timmaay

Decent few young lads coming through in dairying around me thankfully, most are sons of farmers etc I'll admit. I've seen very little what I'd call crazy expenditure, the only lads who are spending big are well use of being heavily borrowed across the years so are obviously comfortable with the risk. But most recent dairy startups are either lads getting back in who were in before, or taking over an existing beef farm that only really needs a parlour etc. If you have the right block you don't need to go crazy on the infrastructure, one cowlane will work grand on most farms, if you have a lane way to half your milking land that's enough to start with, pigtail fences will get you the rest, water always usually is available on existing beef/sheep farms, just upgrading ballcocks and afew larger drinkers (which can just be ibcs to start with) will often make a huge difference. Your parlour/tank, cows cows cows and get milk out the gate are the main things you need to focus on 1st year or so, other stuff will fall into place over time.

Around me the beef lads have very little appetite the last 2 years, the only real land competition is between dairy and tillage farmers, personally I don't value land at anymore than 150e/ac, I do see potential in more dairy startups locally if the right situation works out (between the land owner and young farmer), I'd say the ball is in the court of the young farmer ,plenty of options for them and they should know their worth in terms of the alternative of instead taking the likes of a management job in a larger farm etc.

patsy_mccabe

Rather than start a new thread, I thought I'd add this here. Spotted this parlour design on The Sheep Game's channel on YouTube. What do you dairy guys think of it?

It looks really impressive to me. Simple design, very bright and airy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgtFHOkBnDA&t=319s

Tonynewholland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120208607#Comment_120208607

Everything on that farm looks impressive

jaymla627

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120208607#Comment_120208607

On a greenfield site to erect that building, sequential bailing and put in your parlour, I'd say half a million euro wouldn't do it

Mooooo

8k a unit for rapid exit with feeding I was told, acrs and a share of extras in that, just the machine no building/ wiring etc. Don't know how accurate that is now

There an option alright but whether they improve cow flow much or not is debatable I spose. Prob for longer parlours alright but if you start heading for 30 units plus a rapid exit starts coming close to rotary money esp as shed would have to be similar sized or even bigger and prob better off heading that way then

Parlours with no feeders are way nicer to milk in alright. Cows are way calmer, no fidgeting looking for meal and then less shite to deal with as well. If was indoor full-time wouldn't have feeders in the parlour at all.