Farming Chit Chat

pakalasa

I saw beef steaks on special offer in Tesco yesterday. Two in a pack and total weight over 1.5 kgs. They were huge....

bob charles

pakalasa wrote: »

I saw beef steaks on special offer in Tesco yesterday. Two in a pack and total weight over 1.5 kgs. They were huge....

must have being specially packed for the Americans in town last week!!!

Black Smoke

bob charles wrote: »

pakalasa wrote: »

I saw beef steaks on special offer in Tesco yesterday. Two in a pack and total weight over 1.5 kgs. They were huge....

must have being specially packed for the Americans in town last week!!!

I was in south carolina last november. Went in a resturaunt one evening. The tuesday special was a 60oz steak!!! Eat it all and you don't have to pay!!
Sitting there picking at a bit of chicken and in comes three local police. Fellas with the big hats and brown uniforms. Two of them ordered the big one!!!! Polished it off no bother!!! Mind you, if they happened to sit on you, it would take a fair auld surgeon to put you back together again. -:)

Muckit

One thing i can't get my head around is this limitation on the size of a cut of meat..... perhaps someone can enlighten me and my ignorance.

If a steak is too big.... am .... can a knife not be used to portion it?

pakalasa

Ya, I've often thought the same, but when you see a full steak, it has a certain shape. Cut it and it just doesn't look right. A bit like shoppers not wanting small blemishes on their fruit and veg, I guess.

60 oz - that's just greedy..:D

bob charles

Thanks to the rozzers for doing a couple of boys working for me on the 1.5 miles of Motorway we have to use to avoid the city out of a 60 mile journey, earlier this morning. Yes I know you shouldn't be on a motorway with a tractor but there isn't an alternative route especially as all you need is one scumbag to throw a match or fag butt for their loads to go up in smoke. Happened us 2 yrs ago with and artic of straw in Cork city. Nice easy targets

Couple of massive showers during the night, have taken around a inch of rain in the last 24hrs

pakalasa

bob charles wrote: »

...all you need is one scumbag to throw a match or fag butt for their loads to go up in smoke.

I've seen this myself in Linerick city a few years back.

bbam

bob charles wrote: »

Couple of massive showers during the night, have taken around a inch of rain in the last 24hrs

Same here..
Damn cold too... only 5c on the dial in the jeep when i was out feeding earlier and a strong breeze... Really Autumnal morning

simx

what weight would you limit to casterating bulls? myself id say 350kgs be the max,was talking to a lad and he is going to attempt 430kgs,best of luck to him:D

bob charles

simx wrote: »

what weight would you limit to casterating bulls? myself id say 350kgs be the max,was talking to a lad and he is going to attempt 430kgs,best of luck to him:D

dont think your legally allowed to do over a certain age? that right?

I have done them allot heavier in the past but would not recommend it. is he going banding them or a bit of the bordisso or however you spell it

simx

bob charles wrote: »

dont think your legally allowed to do over a certain age? that right?

I have done them allot heavier in the past but would not recommend it. is he going banding them or a bit of the bordisso or however you spell it

could be something like that about age now you mention it,hes going squeesing them,did you band them,yeah? why wouldnt you recommend it? what weight were they?

DMAXMAN

simx wrote: »

what weight would you limit to casterating bulls? myself id say 350kgs be the max,was talking to a lad and he is going to attempt 430kgs,best of luck to him:D

made a mistake a few years back and missed a weanling and did not see him till followingmay.decided to leave him until near winter and we got the vet to castrate him. reckon he was about 650 kgs.vet gave him anastethic and big injection into the bag.he also gave him an epidural and something to stop swelling. castrated with burdizzo. you would not know by bullock next day. vet said his shoulders were sore for three weeks after.

Bizzum

bob charles wrote: »

dont think your legally allowed to do over a certain age? that right?

I think only a Vet can castrate over 6mths nowadays.

When there were no such regulations I squeezed some hardy bucks betimes.
I was never a fan of leaving the jaws closed on them for too long, bang, bang, two rapid closures on each side and onto the next one.

reilig

Anyone else go to Marty Lenehan's Better Farm Walk in Sligo yesterday?

I thought it was a good display. It just goes to show how much extra revenue a little bit of attention to detail can yield. His gross margin has increased by almost €24000 in 3 years, his total weinling weights have increased by almost 12,000kg and his variable cost per cow has been significantly reduced.

He only ownes 16 acres. The rest is rented (135 acres). It gives me belief that, when he can do this on rented land, suckler farmers who own their own land and can adopt some of the practices being promoted here have a future.

Only 2 criticisms of the day:

1. Bringing us to the 16 acres that he owns - probably some of the finest quality land in the country was like serving take away chips on the family silver. It would be nice to see his "heavy land" in the flesh and see how it is managed.

2. The majority of farmers in this country are part-timers. Teagasc could have a far better attendance if they ran something like this on a saturday. In saying that, I'd estimate that there were over 500 people at the morning session.

lakill Farm

pakalasa wrote: »

Ya, I've often thought the same, but when you see a full steak, it has a certain shape. Cut it and it just doesn't look right. A bit like shoppers not wanting small blemishes on their fruit and veg, I guess.

60 oz - that's just greedy..:D

I think spurs restuarant in Liffey valley have eat a 60oz in 60mins for free. (no affliation to mentioned establishment :rolleyes:)

I reckon after a day in the bog or a day at square bales you would ate 60oz

Birdnuts

lakill Farm wrote: »

I reckon after a day in the bog or a day at square bales you would ate 60oz

I'd want a helluvalot of asparagus and beer to get all that down me and be well in the morning:eek::D

who the fug

What the feck is 30 oz in a real money, gave up on that Imperial yoke in third class.


I knows a hundred weight is 50 Kgs as I loaded enough bags of fertilizer, but have no concept of what 30 Oz is

One imperial measure I do remember was the old Guinness bottle contained one dose for cattle

pakalasa

1Kg is 35 Oz, so 60oz is 1.7 Kgs. A lot of chewing....

JohnBoy

Question for the wesht cork boys.

I'm looking for a JCB man at short notice for this Saturday, have tried a few but no one's available.

Any suggestions/reccomendations near bandon send me a PM.

Bigbird1

Was at roscommon mart last nite,great trade for bulls with the top bulls over 400kg making from 700 to 1000e with the weight,heifers were generally making from 350-400 with their weight.

tanko

Does anyone know what time the open day in grange starts at tomorrow?

reilig

tanko wrote: »

Does anyone know what time the open day in grange starts at tomorrow?

Tours start from 11am.

wesleysniper38

reilig wrote: »

Anyone else go to Marty Lenehan's Better Farm Walk in Sligo yesterday?

I thought it was a good display. It just goes to show how much extra revenue a little bit of attention to detail can yield. His gross margin has increased by almost €24000 in 3 years, his total weinling weights have increased by almost 12,000kg and his variable cost per cow has been significantly reduced.

He only ownes 16 acres. The rest is rented (135 acres). It gives me belief that, when he can do this on rented land, suckler farmers who own their own land and can adopt some of the practices being promoted here have a future.

Only 2 criticisms of the day:

1. Bringing us to the 16 acres that he owns - probably some of the finest quality land in the country was like serving take away chips on the family silver. It would be nice to see his "heavy land" in the flesh and see how it is managed.

2. The majority of farmers in this country are part-timers. Teagasc could have a far better attendance if they ran something like this on a saturday. In saying that, I'd estimate that there were over 500 people at the morning session.

I dont know man. I cant see a living on that kind of enterprise...
He's a hard goer no doubt but unless he's renting that land at approx 80e an acre then hes chasin his tail to get a wage.

Muckit

reilig wrote: »

Anyone else go to Marty Lenehan's Better Farm Walk in Sligo yesterday?
.........

Only 2 criticisms of the day:

1. Bringing us to the 16 acres that he owns - probably some of the finest quality land in the country was like serving take away chips on the family silver. It would be nice to see his "heavy land" in the flesh and see how it is managed.

2. The majority of farmers in this country are part-timers. Teagasc could have a far better attendance if they ran something like this on a saturday. In saying that, I'd estimate that there were over 500 people at the morning session.

No didn't go Reilig. I half thought about it, but even the evening session would require taking a half day off work and I'm down to the wire with days off this year. Any photos??

Your criticisms would be criticisms that I would apply to a lot of farm walks I've been on. Yes it's nice looking at the powerwashed sheds and the nicely topped paddocks on the best of their land. Just don't be afraid to show us the other things not looking their best. The few cattle that didn't thrive for one reason or another, ruts that were made in heavy paddocks and the rushes that are starting to come. Explain to us 'the plan' for these. It would give a more rounded perspective on things and lads wouldn't be going home as disillusioned and putting themselve under pressure to acheive the impossible.

Re Saturday events. I totall agree. There should be more of them Perhaps they intentionally do this to limit attendance? Or perhaps it is geared towards full time guys. I don't know.

JohnBoy

Or perhaps they're organised by civil servants?

reilig

wesleysniper38 wrote: »

I dont know man. I cant see a living on that kind of enterprise...
He's a hard goer no doubt but unless he's renting that land at approx 80e an acre then hes chasin his tail to get a wage.

Well, in talking to him, he told us that 3 years ago, before he started in the better farm program, he was just about making a profit without touching his SFP from his enterprise when his rental costs were deducted from his gross margin. In 3 years, he has turned things around and is making almost €24,000 + his SFP (amount undisclosed) on top.
When you consider that the majority of suckler farmers in this country aren't making profit at all from their farming enterprise and most are having to use some of their SFP to run their farm, then I think that he is doing very well and unless his fixed costs are huge (such as tractors and machinery), he is getting an ok wage from it. At the end of the day, fixed costs like tractors and machinery are a choice of his own - he chooses to spend this money as opposed to having to spend it to run the farm.

reilig

JohnBoy wrote: »

Or perhaps they're organised by civil servants?

I believe that may be the root of the problem.

vanderbadger

reilig wrote: »

Well, in talking to him, he told us that 3 years ago, before he started in the better farm program, he was just about making a profit without touching his SFP from his enterprise when his rental costs were deducted from his gross margin. In 3 years, he has turned things around and is making almost €24,000 + his SFP (amount undisclosed) on top.
When you consider that the majority of suckler farmers in this country aren't making profit at all from their farming enterprise and most are having to use some of their SFP to run their farm, then I think that he is doing very well and unless his fixed costs are huge (such as tractors and machinery), he is getting an ok wage from it. At the end of the day, fixed costs like tractors and machinery are a choice of his own - he chooses to spend this money as opposed to having to spend it to run the farm.

what type of cows was he running reilig?

bob charles

reilig wrote: »

Well, in talking to him, he told us that 3 years ago, before he started in the better farm program, he was just about making a profit without touching his SFP from his enterprise when his rental costs were deducted from his gross margin. In 3 years, he has turned things around and is making almost €24,000 + his SFP (amount undisclosed) on top.
When you consider that the majority of suckler farmers in this country aren't making profit at all from their farming enterprise and most are having to use some of their SFP to run their farm, then I think that he is doing very well and unless his fixed costs are huge (such as tractors and machinery), he is getting an ok wage from it. At the end of the day, fixed costs like tractors and machinery are a choice of his own - he chooses to spend this money as opposed to having to spend it to run the farm.

but its easy enough to show to a crowd that you are making money, making a GM of such and such. Remember seeing a piece about one of them guys in the IFJ and it showed a picture of a job he just done. Firstly it was downright dangerous (thats another matter) and then it gave the price of the job, you could see exactly from the photo the materials used and there his complete price for the job was only about 60% cost of materials

nashmach

I really can't understand this fascination with Gross Margin.

Net Profit should be the key figure - you don't live off Gross Margin.