Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

The above is more of a sign, that milk recording is been dropped because of the cost/money not their to pay for it and hassle of it, in a tough year.

Theirs a echo chamber on here re profitability levels in dairying at the minute, and sneering the average dairy farmer whos losing money/breaking even, the 2023 income survey results clearly show this…

Where the blind optimism coming from that their wont be a huge amount of exits in the next 2 years given the amout of stressors in play

The number of dairy farms will drop, how much that affects the milk pools of the coops remains to be seen.

Dairy farm numbers collapsed from the introduction of milk quotas. We Supply aurivo, which came from connacht gold. When NCF merged with kiltogery coop to form Connacht gold in 2000 there were 2200 dairy farms supplying the two coops. Today the same region would hardly have 600 dairy farms.

The only thing that stopped the fall in numbers was quotas going and new entrants starting. New entrants have been incredibly important to the dairy industry . We would have some mess of an industry if quotas stayed and no new entrants star

Agree 100%. I run 72 cows (75 atm) and have a simple system with almost all debt being wiped next year. Have off farm income as well as the cows and let me assure you I'll be running for no exit door. I won't be a millionaire from it but I'll be snug enough.

Talk in the locality was one of the largest operation nearly in the county I'd say going wallop with unpaid land rents and whatnot. Farmer had a name for being mad for cows and doing their stint in new zealand and operating like there in taking green field sites all in rent and building fresh milking and housing facilities on them. Like greenfield but with housing systems. Don't know any more after but for the average joe the name was always mentioned by the thousand acre tillage farmers in opposition for land and the small dairy farmer just keeping their head down.

Labour, development, land cost, machinery, increased hassle it all adds up.

I'm not anti big farmer. Plenty successful people expanded and will flourish. Just don't right off the little lad yet!! And smaller farms will get out no doubt about it either.

It did wonder for the Jews in the bible.

Id say the weather and the bullshitification of farming by ever increasing regulations have made a few consider their future , but some may just have got to an age to retire and have no sucessor.

The big lad here is getting bigger. Built a new 30 a side parlour a few years ago which is to be taken out this winter and moved to a block of land he's leased for 15 years. Currently the sheds are being built, pits already in and full. Water and roadways all in. Fencing on going. A new rotary is coming to replace the parlour being moved and groundworks well underway for that too. He's in the 500 cow bracket, keeps all replacements and all work contracted out. Only machine he has is an old Massey and a quad. Fair operation though. Has to draw silage about 15 miles though from another farm he's on a long term lease