Hobby Farm Profits?

He is not well, his wife is not well.

I'd like to see him run 3 beef finishing farms in 3 countries, not easy or cheap.

Oh Gaybo you had me worried there for a moment. Off OP's topic slightly, I actually read TG's book written by Frank Connolly. Well worth a read. TG was a great fella. RIP.

Profit? You be farming unicorns then?

OP

It's tough making a margin on 25 acres. First thing it not all about making a profit. You are allowed to farm at a loss for three years and write off losses against PAYE income.

You should definately do accounts. You can allow phone, electricity, car expenses......even cat and dog food against your business accounts.

You can do your own accounts but if you have all receipts in order an accountant might do them for 400 ish euro ( tax deductible as well).

Technically you do not need to buy entitlement for all you land units ( hectares), you can draw, greening and CRISS with a single bliss entitlement

They will amount to about 100-110/ unit or 40/ acre( 1.1k in total approx). If the lad is in a disadvantaged area you will get another 100 ish/ HA or another 1k.

It's very hard ( but not impossible) to make money on a summer grazing system. Most lads hold until late in the autumn, I be more inclined to have grass in February/ March and get cattle into your land early and start to sell in Late August/ September and have grass for early the following year.

Buy light runners in January/ February,around 180-220kgs and summer graze. You can do paddocks with pigtails and reels. A few posts here and there for strainers, put your water troughs in the middle of the fields. Cattle need to go into fresh grass every 4-6 days.

It's all about weight gain. You need to buy hungry runners and put 200 kgs on them.

I bought Friesians in late January ( mind you I have a shed and finish cattle so they did not get priority access to grass during the spring ( did not get to grass until late March) They were 280 ish ( a bit too well done for my liking) and are probably above 450 kgs at present. Dosing is important. I started to use the multi-min injection this year it's seems to be an effective injection and it improves growth IMO. It's expensive at 4.5/ head approx

It takes time to buy cattle but LSL is great when you get used to it.

On repayments. The CU is about your best bet. Interest will be 6-7%, it will probably be better to tell them.its for house improvements as it may be easier to get. Repayments about 13-13.5k/year. Highly unlikely you will earn the repayments to pay it off.

Not to be pedantic but it's 360 degrees and not 180. I've made that mistake myself in the past.

Had a dealer out looking af few of my bullocks.... 2 year old chx...he was offering less than paid for them last year... Not to mind guys who have cattle bought this spring...

All talk about how we all have to take a loss on the cattle we bought. I'm lucky I don't depend on it as its just not sustainable. I just draw down payments and enjoy clearing mind after day job.

So in summary of planning on farming for money then I suggest not to.

Different people would see it different ways, my logic would be if you started at a position and went 180 you’d be at the opposite side (opposite opinion) of a circle and if you went 360 you’d be back at square one where you started and nothing would have changed.

When buy cattle you have to buy what is profitable not what you want to buy. As well weanling to store systems are not compatible with profitability as the margins on cattle are too small. Pick the wrong mart and it's a case of it makes no sense to bring them home unless you have your own transport.

Took cattle for the BIL to the mart. Doing a calculation from the time my box left the yard to the time I bought it back it cost me over 20 euro in diesel along. A hauliers would charge 12+/ head. For cattle that use up the three movements if they are all through marts it's 66-68 in mart fees and if the cattle are by paid transport on four if the six trips it another 50+ euro. Give 6/ head for diesel and wear and tear on the other two trips

Finally when the animal goes to the factory there is about 11 euro in deductions and add 15++ if needing to use a hauliers.

Finally as an aside it's costs about 5/head to test cattle, with all the movements it probably means at least one extra herd test the animal goes through so 4 for its life instead of three. That is twenty euro.

Add it all up buying, selling, transport,slaughtering and testing costs and you are above 150 euro and just below 200/ animal probably in the 180 euro mark. If farmers moved cattle less there would be 100 more in farmers pockets

Well maybe its a case of if you can't beat them join them.

Im farming 150 acres (30 rented) of very good land. Im probabaly a gobshite not to be dairying. i have my off farm job, i wouldnt fancy keeping two houses and families going on just the farm. beef and sheep here.

Farming about 68 acres, 4-5 of reed, 2 acres in a fort so about 60 net. Kill about 60/ year, hold onto all the SFP and the Glas/Acres,net margin is 350+/head. Simple store to finish system. Not caught up in what I buy or when I hang them. Most Friesians the last 3+ years, switching to coloured cattle this year but avoiding as Musa's possible AA/ HE., Will still have 20 ish Friesian cattle