Sucklers Or Diary (Thinking of Getting back into Diary)

JohnBoy

JohnBoy wrote: »

I can't see how part time dairying can work.

it's doable sure, but at what cost to yourself?

If you want a part time option then become as efficient as possible at the suckler game


Tipp Man's suggestion is quite good for a full-time job

Coming back to my point about part time dairying not being feasible, someone planted a seed recently and I've done some reading since into Once a Day milking.


lower volume/higher solids cows when milked once a day for a number of years can produce up to 90% of the milk produced on twice a day milking. They generally tend to have less fertility and foot issues and are consuming less meal. They are in many cases also producing more solids than on twice a day.

Adding everything up it can give at least as good, and if done perfectly right maybe even better margin than twice a day.


It's not a system that suits all farms, (racehorses are out for a start) but it is an interesting one. I'm still not sure you could work a forty hour week along with it, but it requires more studying I think.

Tipp Man

JohnBoy wrote: »

Coming back to my point about part time dairying not being feasible, someone planted a seed recently and I've done some reading since into Once a Day milking.


lower volume/higher solids cows when milked once a day for a number of years can produce up to 90% of the milk produced on twice a day milking. They generally tend to have less fertility and foot issues and are consuming less meal. They are in many cases also producing more solids than on twice a day.

Adding everything up it can give at least as good, and if done perfectly right maybe even better margin than twice a day.


It's not a system that suits all farms, (racehorses are out for a start) but it is an interesting one. I'm still not sure you could work a forty hour week along with it, but it requires more studying I think.

10% of dairy farmers in NZ are once a day i believe.

I think you would need a large Jersey influence in the cows or SCC would go through the roof - if rearing calves to cattle was to be part of the plan then the jersey influence wouldn't be desirable

JohnBoy

no, but I suppose if you're looking at some sort of part-time enterprise then doing one job would be enough without trying to rear calves too.


I wonder how would traditional british freisans cope with it? or is there such an animal anymore? are friesans all holstein to some degree or other?

5live

JohnBoy wrote: »

Coming back to my point about part time dairying not being feasible, someone planted a seed recently and I've done some reading since into Once a Day milking.


lower volume/higher solids cows when milked once a day for a number of years can produce up to 90% of the milk produced on twice a day milking. They generally tend to have less fertility and foot issues and are consuming less meal. They are in many cases also producing more solids than on twice a day.

Adding everything up it can give at least as good, and if done perfectly right maybe even better margin than twice a day.


It's not a system that suits all farms, (racehorses are out for a start) but it is an interesting one. I'm still not sure you could work a forty hour week along with it, but it requires more studying I think.

Tis all right, john boy. If you mention JERSEY, i'll back you up:D

pakalasa

John_F wrote: »

......robots have become part of most areas of production with a long time, trouble with cows is there cows and unpredictable haha. Some have one arm that works between two cows (GEA and galaxy)......

Yes, that's what I had in mind alright. Now, those robots are earning their keep.

F.D

just on the OAD milking, i just cant get my head around why you would hold more cows with less output, i know where your coming from with the milk solids but, would less cows with more breeding towards milk solids and twice a day milking still be more economical ?

Tipp Man

F.D wrote: »

just on the OAD milking, i just cant get my head around why you would hold more cows with less output, i know where your coming from with the milk solids but, would less cows with more breeding towards milk solids and twice a day milking still be more economical ?

I don't think there is any doubt that OAD will produce less milk but i suppose other factors come into play when considering it. Labour availability and lifestyle seem to me to be the main reasons for it

It would be fair cushy in the summer for the average irish farmer, in summer your day would be like - Up at 7, cows milked by 9, fert spread and topping done by 10, fences moved calves feed by 11, potter around yard till lunch. And then nothing to do in the afternoon.

I can imagine for a young family with wife working that it would be something to consider as the father could collect kids from school/creche and be with them for the afternoon

handy for young fellas as well who are fond of a bit of porter on a Saturday night - can stay in bed till dinner and then milk the cows, no harm done;)

jeff greene

Don't want to rehash the whole OAD thing but I'd hire in a lad to do it at the reported loss of production because I don't think the evening milking is the issue with part time dairy farming. I think its more the point of being around because most days there is little to do anyway, but on others, things can get busy, if cows are calving, animals sick, calves break out, milking machine break down etc.

JohnBoy

the interest I have in it is almost the exact scenario tipp man has suggested. except rather than the wife working she could be milking

Your day's work done in time to collect the kids from school and spend the evening with them.


Also I look at everything from a margin perspective, not a turnover one. and often times in a small business you earn very little extra margin on that final 10-20% of turnover.

I think this can be especially true when dealing with livestock. if you can achieve 80% of the output on 50% of the input costs then you can often be making as much, if not more money than going all out for 100% output.

yellow50HX

sorry to get back onto the orginal plot but dairyign is a lifestyle choice. my dad was in the excat same boat and got out and went into the sucklers, have tought about getting back into dairyign but i can handle sucklers and still have sundays to myself once they are checked. like my folks always said "dairy farmers are married to the cows"

just a few points i have been wondering about;
if your going milking again whose gonna milk them? you said your dad retired if so he cant milk them for you (would have to hand back the pension)

your current set up looks good as your wont need to build too much else other then probaly upgrade the parlour.

once a day milking proably give you lower volume but depends on what way you wanna sell you rmilk by voulme or by quality (these can balance out your cost per milking)

if your home farm can be used for the cows and the other place for sillage and dry stock great, but it'll stop you from expanding in a few years time.

dont dimiss the robot thing for irish conditons, saw an english guy who has a robot milking organic cows, no water in the fields so they have to come in to drink then go back out to the fields, i reckon this could be the way to do it for irish conditions as your not using meal to get them in. think about the cows would still be walkign that distance twice a day anyway for convential milking. if your going to stay working you'll need all the extra time you can get.

i know a few people that are thinking of getting back into cows but all are thinking of getting in someone to milk them which then uses up your profit.

keep going

to be honest if you are worried about work dont bother going milking.did the whole parttime milking thing and its only a runner if you intend to go fulltime eventually or have a good wife.at the end of the day it has to be in you,if you want to do it you will and the work wont bother you.that said you are in a very good position as regards facilities but could do with more of the land being around the parlour. security and prospects in your job come into it as well. so decide what you like doing and worry about money afterwards

keep going

F.D wrote: »

Have you still got the quota?
Are you prepared to milk all year round? (dont be fooled into this low cost summer milk that will leave dairy farms and creamerys shut down for the winter malarkey)
ah yes why make more money and invest less with less work.who in their right mind wants 2 months off milking and produce at a lower cost