Milk Price III

Now is not the time to be looking for new markets, they should have been at that ages ago.

Areabawn board were there last year ….nonissue with it nor should you with your board ….albeit timing this year with all the cuts isn’t good …these trips don’t happen every year

All the indications are that they all want milk circa 30 or below by end of year …..real life is starting to come into markets again ….albeit from a low base ….real pressure needs to be put on board members to use there influence to hold milk prices now …..I’d be fully expecting a rebound by time we start again early next year

Are we even a year since we had posters explaining why dairy men should be paying at least 500 an acre to passive landowners for the pleasure of working that ground?

You would have to feel sorry for lads who were starting out and put in big money and locked in high price long term leases to hit some sort of scale.

Praying for some sort of miracle uplift in global prices and for that to be actually filtered in here

You'd be on a road to nowhere with 60 cows these days to be fair. If you are already in your system and have no major expense then it might see you out, but I wouldn't like to be settling on 60 cows in my 20's and hoping that will see me out to retirement. It's sad, but reality. That said, 750k seems a bit out of proportion to be spending in one go. Two robots and a new shed though and you'd be a long way towards it. I'm guessing he did something like that? He might have looked at it as saving a labour unit if he has something else going on the side.

If it works out, he's a smart man who was brave enough to do it. If it doesn't, he's an eejit. Hindsight is 20:20 vision.

I remember your man Daragh McCullough having an article in the paper years ago about 80 acres of land that his father lost to the banks in the 80's. He was making the point that even though he drives by it every day, it doesn't bother him. He also said in the article that his father came from somewhere else to buy their farm back in the 50's or 60's and he planted it with spuds and the first year was such a bumper year that he made his money back in that year.

Well he might not have borrowed it all. I wouldn't take the risk myself though

You wouldn't get the sniff of land at 4/5k per cow these days!

What was there before might have an impact too. The previous setup might have been struggling with the 60 cows. The 60 could have been 30 or 40 before quotas were lifted.

Might have been an old small 4-unit parlour and old sheds etc. Straw bedded, stone floors....just waiting for an inspector to drop in

Partnership with parents and €80k tams refunded too maybe.

Sounds like he might have the landbase to expand, even with existing restrictions.

About 200 acres that would be mixed, any time I’ve talked to him he maintains he’ll never milk over 100 milking 70 this year will have the 100 next year with heifers he has bought.

If you're going to milk cows for the rest of your days you might as well have some comfort doing it. Who are we to judge what other lads at at. Let them at it