Ag at the moment.

ihatetractors

Well,as a student of agricultural science, and if we pass the next few budget with our lives hopefully a future (although most likely partime farmer). I was wondering what the consensus was on ag among the rank and file is. Twas after a lively debate 'with a few a de lads' we all goin well future Farmers dont think its quiet as bright as all the present propaganda from the Govt. More so them just taking credit for not COMPLETELY bankrupting every sector(god knows they tried) and so everybody else think sher farmers are always rich lets do ag.
Farmin has it's ups an downs, tis jus tryin to reap the harvest when its good, survive the storm when its bad.

LostCovey

ihatetractors wrote: »

Well,as a student of agricultural science, and if we pass the next few budget with our lives hopefully a future (although most likely partime farmer). I was wondering what the consensus was on ag among the rank and file is. Twas after a lively debate 'with a few a de lads' we all goin well future Farmers dont think its quiet as bright as all the present propaganda from the Govt. More so them just taking credit for not COMPLETELY bankrupting every sector(god knows they tried) and so everybody else think sher farmers are always rich lets do ag.
Farmin has it's ups an downs, tis jus tryin to reap the harvest when its good, survive the storm when its bad.

Das roite

whelan1

take yesterday for example , most people started the day happy that they had gotten their sfp and then the day turned sour with the news of 2 on farm deaths.... too true ups and downs

johngalway

The future is what it's always been.

Do more.

With less.

Maximize your profits, minimize your inputs.

Buyers groups and selling your produce differently than the traditional middlemen method are two ways of helping to achieve this.

From farm to fork is completely right, anyone in the mix between that is taking a nice fat cut of money that otherwise could be in your pocket.

The_Conductor

johngalway wrote: »

From farm to fork is completely right, anyone in the mix between that is taking a nice fat cut of money that otherwise could be in your pocket.

The future is for farmers to understand how to add value to their products and engage with end users- rather than selling livestock to factories etc. We really need a massive expansion of farmers markets, along with an education programme geared at the end user- so they better understand how our products are superior to the crap on offer in the supermarkets.

reilig

smccarrick wrote: »

The future is for farmers to understand how to add value to their products and engage with end users- rather than selling livestock to factories etc. We really need a massive expansion of farmers markets, along with an education programme geared at the end user- so they better understand how our products are superior to the crap on offer in the supermarkets.

That's good advice Shane.

Funny, along the same lines, my father never had an interest in farmers markets. Thought that they were for "alternative farmers", not proper farmers.
Now that he has retired, his head is working overtime and he has started doing some research into farmers markets and is in the process of booking himself a place at one or 2 in the coming weeks. He sees money to be made from selling Holly Wreaths coming up to christmas alongside the extra potatoes from the organic crop of sarpo mira that he planted this year. he laso had a bumper crop of carrots. On top of that, we have sold chopped and bagged full lambs to neighbours and friends in the last few years. This year, we have a huge demand for them, but not many lambs - so he wants to explore the options of selling meat at a farmers market in order to assess if it would be viable to keep extra lambs next year. He recons that he could have a good income from doing only 2 markets per week. Will let ye know how it goes. I'm sure we'll be looking for advice on it in the coming weeks.

johngalway

I'd be interested in how he goes with that Reilig I know two farmers who're into the markets now. One is selling fudge and jams after a career of arguing over the price of a pen of sheep in the dark on a frosty night with the like of me (knew he didn't like the cold, got a good deal that evening ), doing well with his 09 jeep! Another is going the Organic route with "mature lamb", he's just started up mind you so I don't know how that's going yet.

reilig

johngalway wrote: »

I'd be interested in how he goes with that Reilig I know two farmers who're into the markets now. One is selling fudge and jams after a career of arguing over the price of a pen of sheep in the dark on a frosty night with the like of me (knew he didn't like the cold, got a good deal that evening ), doing well with his 09 jeep! Another is going the Organic route with "mature lamb", he's just started up mind you so I don't know how that's going yet.

The old man wouldn't have organic lamb. It would be just grass fed lamb 45kg to 50kg live weight. Right now, we sell lambs to neighbours for €130 for a whole lamb (Chopped, bagged and labeled). After paying the abatoir, we have a good profit out of this per lamb. My father is interested in selling whole lambs (€130 each), half lambs (€70 each) or quarter lambs (40 each) in a box, ready for your freezer. Its less than half the price that you will pay a butcher or a supermarket meat counter if you were to buy each piece individually. Right now for a 45kg organic lamb - (and he will be fairly mature when he gets to that age), chopped and bagged, you will pay over €220. Sales are very slow for them. He recons that there is an opening there for the ordinary farmer to sell ordinary food at an ordinary price - and a reasonable profit to be made from it.

johngalway

I'm trying to bring my farm in the same direction (rotational grazing thread) to finish my own lambs. Organic isn't an option for me and TBH I wouldn't be interested in it.