organic farming

Would not keep a suckler cow let alone a dairy one.Think organic meal is 680 a tonne at moment, pricing during week let you know, so work out meal costs per dairy cow from there. Decreased grass yield in organic but contractors costs the same alot of commercial organic based Expert REcommendations based on red clover silage multible cuts ie 3 or 4 per year like to see how that is comercially viable with diesel costs.

I intend changing to organics in spring 2023. I'm already gone organic with regard to the fertilizers but that was easily done as I only ever spread a bag/acre anyways so I'm not noticing any difference in grass supply. Silage is roughly 7-10 days behind but that's all it is.

My mian issue is accommodation, I'm going to put up another dry shed. I have a budget of 10k for a 60ft X 20Ft shed. After that I am reducing numbers by about 15% Anther issue is I have 10 hectares that I've always had on the 11 month conacre so unless I can get a long term lease then I can only farm 33 hectares Organically on paper

I intend continuing to keep sucklers and sell the weanlens in a mart as standard weanlens but I'll also have the option to sell them on to other organic farmers.

Once the initial costs are borne then after that the only new cost to organic farming for me will be the Straw bedding coming in at roughly €80/cow but I will have the Dung to put back on the land after.

I'm currently producing 1.5 Weanlens per hectare, this will reduce to 1.25 in organics

Current profit from Weanlens is roughly €255 which currently leaves me a profit of €380 / hectare

Under organics Weanlen profit will be €255 + money saved on fertilizer ~€70 but minus the extra straw cost €80 so profit is €245 or €306 / hectare in theory!

So for my own farm currently 45 Weanlens X €255 = €11,475 profit

Under Organics it will be 38 Weanlens X €245 = €9,310

That's a reduction of €2165 profit

Add on the extra payment of €170/hectare 33 X €170 = €5610

Minus Organic society fees €600

Bottom line Conventional profit per year €11,475

Organics €14,320 so I should be €3k better off for keeping 7 less cow pairs.

Hard to know is it really worth it, I am being told that margins from Organic are much better than conventional but I'll air on the side of caution for now and say the profit from each Weanlen is less

you are going back to reps. Under Glas you got paid for Organics too. I'm being told that the Organics payment is going to increase for the Suckler/dry stock side up to that of Dairy which would be €250 / hectare. But nothing official announced yet, we'll just have to wait and see the details but it looks like there is going to be a big push to get a lot of fringe Suckler farmers into the Scheme as it forces a reduction in the herd size

Will 10k do the shed?

Good assessment though. I have done similar.

Did you spread anything artificial on silage ground? If I recall from images your lands would be fairly good and you were grazing in January.

I have done similar assessment (18 cows and 26ha, some of the land very poor). My land type is what is putting me off in one way. As an example it’s impossible avoid damage at different times of the year. There was a down pour in April and the weanlings reddened two small meadows. This will be a mass of weeds and creeping buttercup etc if not sprayed at some point, which you can’t in Organics.

In organic and the issue is no demand for it. I killed cattle organic recently and they made 70 more organic than in an ordinary factory, all rest going to ordinary factory easier get in and partially as feel like spiting the factory as alot of spiel factorys cannot keep up demand for organic beef etc but just hot air not paying farmer for it.. Also meal is 680 to 720 a tonne in bulk bag. Also Organics is grand yar 1 year 2 etc but 10 years in and the land is very hungry. I got more for weanlings ordinary trade than in organic. So if farming not great if not farming just looking for cheque go for it

Ah now I've been well behaved lately, it's been over a month since I got a warning!

Don't have to do the course first. I'm after doing it online with https://nots.ie/ I think it's around €200 all done online. I was surprised by how many were already in Organics but were only doing the course now. I was one of the few who did it for investigation purposes first.

Course is ok, Andrew Chilton is the main speaker. I found him very good very knowledgeable and entertaining plus he will go out of his way to get answers to any questions you'd have he can't answer. Every part of the course was online even the "farm walks". Content wise it was good and well worth the entry fee.

My advice would be to do the course first, it will open your eyes. I'm still enthusiastic about organics but I will do a detailed evaluation before making a decision.

Have a notepad and ask every possible question, you are paying so get value for your money.

My main disappointment was a bit of a lack of Top of the range Suckler farmers in Organics. Yes plenty of good Organic dairy and Horticulture operations but the Suckler lads are a bit of a let down. Poor looking stock, and the places look a bit rundown.

Correct, you can't get payments for LIPP and organics on the same parcel. With the new AECM scheme replacing GLAS the hope is that you'll get paid for both. Organic bodies seem to think we will. Time will tell on that though as nothing is confirmed yet.

High input inflation hits conventionals alot harder - just look at the basket case the factory farmed pigs and poultry sector is.

Not saying it doesn't but high prices will reduce the spending power of the shopper and the dearer stuff will be left on the shelf. Wpuld be the same craic with any increase in volume the factories will take any margin to be had

Average suckler herd is 15 cows I think, and majority of beef farmers are not in dero and prob farm rel extensively as it is. Talks of input savings and schemes is all well and good but until the market can return a sustainable price for it, it won't get the take up.

We have "market failure" across the board in most agri commodities atm. Alot of it was caused by market distorting production subs from the 70's onwards. Tis why the CAP needs ongoing radical overhaul. Its not unique to the EU either - similar issues in the US and in rice producing countries across Asia. This was one of the reasons why the US diverted nearly half its corn crop towards the biofuel scam in the past 20 years. Good article in the latest issue of The Economist on these matters