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Biggest dairy farm/herd in Ireland

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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 6,843 ✭✭✭kevthegaff


    Lads with all the talk of expansion, what numbers are ye thinking of increasing to? I have 210 acres around the parlour(190 near enough) v hilly land, good in the summer but later. Im going from 90 to 110+ this year. I have 160 cubicles and a 12 unit parlour ( plan on renovation when loans have reduced) I plan on 140 in the next 3 years. What are yer plans? And do any of ye milk on hilly ground?


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,920 ✭✭✭freedominacup


    kevthegaff wrote: »
    Lads with all the talk of expansion, what numbers are ye thinking of increasing to? I have 210 acres around the parlour(190 near enough) v hilly land, good in the summer but later. Im going from 90 to 110+ this year. I have 160 cubicles and a 12 unit parlour ( plan on renovation when loans have reduced) I plan on 140 in the next 3 years. What are yer plans? And do any of ye milk on hilly ground?

    Define hilly. It's flat on average around here.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,843 ✭✭✭kevthegaff


    Define hilly. It's flat on average around here.
    I need a cover for the fertilliser spreader!!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,551 ✭✭✭keep going


    I'll put it a different way, planning to milk almost double my quota this year and exceed that the year after.nomagic number after that lets see how it goes


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,135 ✭✭✭kowtow


    Jimlh86 wrote: »
    What would the opinion be on this, 30 acres, good land, in one block no dairy facilities in place with very little housing. Could a lad set up and milk a few cows but not have massive overheads? This is just curiosity at the moment so don't jump down my neck!!!!

    on a more serious note, if you are planning to sell commodity milk only then on paper it would be difficult to see the return on investment if you need to build housing / parlour etc. - at least if you never plan to expand beyond that 30 acre block (whether by an outfarm, or whatever). No question that 30 cows incur many of the same overheads (and usually the same daily labour) as 50 or 60.

    On the other hand, if you want to milk cows, go do it - our grandparents would have given their eye teeth for what you have to start out with and everyone has to start somewhere. Work out a setup with the absolute minimum of fixed costs, run things with a sharp pencil, invest only where you have to, buy everything second hand, learn something every day and let the cows tell you when to expand.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,135 ✭✭✭kowtow


    kevthegaff wrote: »
    I need a cover for the fertilliser spreader!!

    Just while working?

    Or when parked?


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,920 ✭✭✭freedominacup


    kevthegaff wrote: »
    I need a cover for the fertilliser spreader!!

    That said though your land is mostly workable from a grass management point of view so experience will tell you over time what your most efficient sr is which might not be the absolute max you can carry. The last 10% of output can be very expensive to achieve.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,069 ✭✭✭visatorro


    kevthegaff wrote: »
    Lads with all the talk of expansion, what numbers are ye thinking of increasing to? I have 210 acres around the parlour(190 near enough) v hilly land, good in the summer but later. Im going from 90 to 110+ this year. I have 160 cubicles and a 12 unit parlour ( plan on renovation when loans have reduced) I plan on 140 in the next 3 years. What are yer plans? And do any of ye milk on hilly ground?


    cant expand any more unless I buy zero grazer, sow maize or supplement with quality bales all year from out farm. or feed 28 tonnes of meal!! none of those options are cost cutting so ... cant see a point really


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