Long Days/Short nights

bob charles

Anyone else under the cosh. Cant afford to miss out on work during this spell of weather. Mixed farming systems really come under pressure this time of the year as its all go in the fields but animal work has to be kept up. Long may this weather continue, passed a baler today:rolleyes:

Muckit

Yes! And we've only a very small farm. I don't think that matters though. Because if your parttime, you've to fit the farming around your working day. Daylight was very precious up until lately. I do often find though that I'd be making 'problems' bigger in my head thinking about them at work!

It's not easy when you've to leave jobs until the evening or weekends. Evenings especially, you've to have all you need before the hardware, garages or other businesses closes. You need to be a good planner. Forget one small thing and you can't do that job:mad:

If it's not planning to get the time to get to jobs, it's wondering how your going to pay for it!

I just think ya just have to prioritise or you'd drive yourself silly. What are the most urgent items that need attention? Also not be looking or aiming for prefection in everything.

We all know how things should and could be done in an ideal world, but it ain't and it doesn't need to be

vanderbadger

bob charles wrote: »

Anyone else under the cosh. Cant afford to miss out on work during this spell of weather. Mixed farming systems really come under pressure this time of the year as its all go in the fields but animal work has to be kept up. Long may this weather continue, passed a baler today:rolleyes:

yep trying to get fertilizer out in evening after work and feeding, then there is the rolling to do, generally have a heap of things to do on a saturday and only ever get half of it done, longer evenings are definately a help

pakalasa

I was out yesterday at 6.15AM. It was after 8.30Pm, when I was in to eat dinner. That's over 14 hours. It was small things like tagging calves, taking BVD samples. Great weather and long evenings sure help though.

lakill Farm

On saturday morning i was out before 630am and inside at 1015pm

Feed calves twice, backed in the last of the silage, set up calf paddocks, cleaned and washed out water drinkers in the fields for yearlings( i let them out on sunday), got ready the silage wrap for collection, creocreted timbers for the new calf shed roof, primed the rsj steel for the shed, cut some timber with the saw, dug out a few stumps, and at night time i burnt all the branchs not suitable for firewood out of the trees.

On sunday i went out to the suck calves and lay down in the field with them soaking up the sun for all of 10 mins. its times like that it makes it worth while

Ardennes1944

having worked as a labourer on a big farm (the farmer was an arsehole) i can only say how much i admire you farmers for the job ye do for the small return you get. its ball breaking work and it never ends. some parts aren't bad at all to do and you are your own boss but in most cases you've no choice but to do all that it necessary.

PatQfarmer

lakill Farm wrote: »

On saturday morning i was out before 630am and inside at 1015pm

Feed calves twice, backed in the last of the silage, set up calf paddocks, cleaned and washed out water drinkers in the fields for yearlings( i let them out on sunday), got ready the silage wrap for collection, creocreted timbers for the new calf shed roof, primed the rsj steel for the shed, cut some timber with the saw, dug out a few stumps, and at night time i burnt all the branchs not suitable for firewood out of the trees.

On sunday i went out to the suck calves and lay down in the field with them soaking up the sun for all of 10 mins. its times like that it makes it worth while

How you didn't sleep for a few hours is a miracle:D
That's how it is for most part-timers, there's always some tidy-up/catch/up job overhanging everything else. Still though, what else would you be doing?
Good luck with the shed, lakill, hope prices of calves are more reasonable when you have it built:)

johngalway

Not enough hours in the day here, or night. Been doing fair weather jobs today, creosoting pens and sheds mostly, moving feed, feeding, grinding off bits of the transport box attachment thingies for the ould fella, then out after dark to look for my red friends.

bob charles

just past the half way point of my day :rolleyes:

leg wax

slippers on here:D.i dont get paid any extra for my weanlings if i work after 5.30.heck i think i only work at the sucklers 4 hrs average a day:D.

Tipp Man

leg wax wrote: »

slippers on here:D.i dont get paid any extra for my weanlings if i work after 5.30.heck i think i only work at the sucklers 4 hrs average a day:D.

Ye sucklers have it fair cushy i'll tell ya:D

dar31

an hour into the 2nd shift
all kids fed, washed, dressed and homework done,
better feed my self now

1chippy

theres always something to be done but it sometimes more profitable to get set people in who know their job rather than spend twice as much of your own time getting it wrong.

leg wax

1chippy wrote: »

theres always something to be done but it sometimes more profitable to get set people in who know their job rather than spend twice as much of your own time getting it wrong.

my father always said "there's only 1 man fit for a army and thats a soldier "

bob charles

Just after throwing in the towel for tonight after the teleporter wouldnt start even though it got a new battery and alternator yesterday:mad:,

Its all well and good saying have man power but its near impossible to get guys to work unsociable hours these days. Talking to a haulier the other day and he said he has the same problem as no one wants night work. My guy wants to head home at 6 in the evening and its fool here that has to do the graveyard shift. It would be nice to have an extra large tractor at this time of the year but or farm just can justify it so we try and work it for as many hours in the day as possible.

lakill Farm

Well last night i dosed the yearlings and cut there tails, they looked dirty, so i cleaned them up. Afraid of maggots but its probably to early.

Also dehorned the calves. i used my new calf crate, great job but needs adjusting. and i managed to burn my hand with the gas dehorner but im ok.

So tonight i have a lad coming to skull a few cattle and squeeze the yearling bulls. sore heads of 2 types

7

bob charles wrote: »

Just after throwing in the towel for tonight after the teleporter wouldnt start even though it got a new battery and alternator yesterday:mad:,

Its all well and good saying have man power but its near impossible to get guys to work unsociable hours these days. Talking to a haulier the other day and he said he has the same problem as no one wants night work. My guy wants to head home at 6 in the evening and its fool here that has to do the graveyard shift. It would be nice to have an extra large tractor at this time of the year but or farm just can justify it so we try and work it for as many hours in the day as possible.

Bob I had a similar problem with a manitou, it might seem like its a battery problem but its actually a fuel one. There is a small gauze filter on the engine that just needs to be cleaned. Worth a try.

Tipp Man

bob charles wrote: »

Just after throwing in the towel for tonight after the teleporter wouldnt start even though it got a new battery and alternator yesterday:mad:,

Its all well and good saying have man power but its near impossible to get guys to work unsociable hours these days. Talking to a haulier the other day and he said he has the same problem as no one wants night work. My guy wants to head home at 6 in the evening and its fool here that has to do the graveyard shift. It would be nice to have an extra large tractor at this time of the year but or farm just can justify it so we try and work it for as many hours in the day as possible.

Bob only fools are running self employed businesses now. You work all the hours under the sun, bare all of the risks of investment and the rewards are often less than the employees are getting

Employees nowadays are too fond of the good life - work as little as possible but expect to be paid top money. And most of it is dictated by EU law which are weighted way to heavily in favour of the employees. It has made Europeans lazy and inefficient - which is a major reason why our economies are lagging behind

lakill Farm

Its all down to risk and reward.:o

Surely the employee is entitled to go home afer his days work. When i was in college i worked with a farmer and at 6pm i went home. I would stay late sometimes to roll, or topping as i wa on my ass driing, but afte shearing sheep, or cleaning sheds with a grape come 6pm i was wrecked anyway. I was always free come covering pits of silage etc. Its a bit of give and take on both parties. And i have experience of both sides

Tipp Man wrote: »

Employees nowadays are too fond of the good life - work as little as possible but expect to be paid top money. And most of it is dictated by EU law which are weighted way to heavily in favour of the employees. It has made Europeans lazy and inefficient - which is a major reason why our economies are lagging behind

Tipp Man

lakill Farm wrote: »

Its all down to risk and reward.:o

Surely the employee is entitled to go home afer his days work. When i was in college i worked with a farmer and at 6pm i went home. I would stay late sometimes to roll, or topping as i wa on my ass driing, but afte shearing sheep, or cleaning sheds with a grape come 6pm i was wrecked anyway. I was always free come covering pits of silage etc. Its a bit of give and take on both parties. And i have experience of both sides

Yes but the problem is that the risk reward relationship is severly broken. So the rewards a business owners gets are not enough compared to the risks he takes - and especially when compared to the employees who have minimal risks