Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

Why when someone questions something it's immediately shouted down as bitterness? Im milking over 220, we do our own silage, feed our stock, fertiliser, slurry etc. Only hedgecutting and reseeding is contracted out. Own 300 acres and lease in 80.

I must be doing something wrong as I don't see how I'd have much left over after paying contractors to do everything, pay the lease on the majority of the land if i didn't own it and pay relief milkers as well as meeting any repayments.

Personally I wouldnt be investing on the strength of land I didn't own. All figures done here and cubicle spaces etc are based on owned land only.

Are there actually figures or accounts put forward by these farms through teagasc?

Everyone has their own situations, and everyone has to make the most of those situations if they want to. Some cases are more advantageous than others but such is life.

There is likely not one of us here where what we have done would fit someone else's place or situation bang on or in some cases even any way close.

Grand to discuss things but throwing out aspersions is pointless imo.

That lad has held plenty discussion groups not just open days or whatever and answers away questions fine. Has worked hard to get where he is and it hasn't happened overnight, he put in time milking close to 20 rows of cows while pouring concrete etc the same day. Timing had a part too as it was done back before things went mad cost wise, the cost of construction alone might make it unviable today

Different ways of doing things and obv to apply things to your own situation you may have to read between the lines. Stuff done differently ways can lead to different outcomes. In my own case I bought ground boundsing that would only come up once in a lifetime but the the repayments on it if were put towards renting ground would rent 3 times the land area and could prob have put more towards facilities. Obv positives and negatives to every way of doing things

This is the quote I said was bitterness, I don't see any question there, just a snide remark

He's dyed in the wool farmer of the year teagasc incorporated

The importance of a second income on large farms is been way overstated here. A farm milking 200 cows will be costing over 300k to run, if the farm isnt profitable no off farm job will save it.

I was on the farm at a farm walk years ago and it was stated that land had been used as security, also that farm has made some saving on building costs front loading development at a fraction of current building costs

Where do the bull calves on these farms go? Genuinly interested as i dont see it mentioned in any of the articles. I've no problem in saying we rear most of ours to finishing and we sell some as well. Sold some 5 week old holstein bull calves last week. 130 euro from yard to local farmer.

I don't know for him but I'd imagine it's sexed semen, leaving him with a handful of jex bull calves

The phrase coined a few years ago for farm walks and PR purposes was "we sell them all to a local farmer".

It reminds me of the song "Not exactly lyin' but she's careless with the truth!"

Mighten necessarily be a lie if the facility their going to, owners had farming interests also, it brings up another scenario in rearing costs and facilities on these farms where double the number of calves from this spring on will have to be carried, but that's a hornets nest teagasc are steering clear from bar rambling on about sexed semen and using high dbi bulls

We are a 220 zone. 106kg herd. I will rear the majority until it drops to 170kg then il sell most and drop back cows if needed. Will need to sell more next year now as the limit has dropped.

Every situation is different, I just treat leased land as if It could be gone in the next few years.

Weekly shop here would be averaging 300 euro, so ballpark 15k a year, done out of farm account, contrast that to a situation where the wife is picking up the shopping, paying it out of her salary, if going for a loan the above will have a huge bearing on calculating repayment capacity, with the 1st example having 15k less repayment capacity contrasted with the 2nd example everything else been equal drawings wise

Sometimes less is more …..u go spending big money on yards ,storage etc for compliance based on a lot of rented ground **** hits fan if u loose ground or rent goes up ….land would want to be secured on 10/15 year lease

I hear you. Between getting help and everything cutting your own silage for most isn't practical. But surely spreading fert, spraying weeds, giving in silage to the cows is a part of dairy farming.

When I hear of machinery trouble this gives me a laugh.

Two kids off with the flu today so daddy day care is on his phone too much

sure very few of us would be farming if we worried about the what if all the time

planning going in here for another slatted tank in the new year. It can be offset against tax and it’s needed

Im making plenty of money never need advice from accountantant to run my farm i use my own brain not like some and if things go wrong i dont blame accountant teagasc.Hasnt kevin moran said lately his buisness isnt viable if derogation goes wud u not think that wud have been in some of those buisness plans