what have you learnt this year?

whelan1

i have learnt how to teat spray cows... that just when you think it cant rain anymore it does:rolleyes:

TEAT SQUEEZER

that 4 wd really is worth the extra few quid

rs8

buy a boat not a tractor

mf240

That 2009 was a picnic and having survived this year myself and my moo moos say bring on 2013.

Also that a calendar is just twelve pages of lines and squiggles.

mahoney_j

That just when you think it cant get any wetter ....it did

delaval

That farming in partnership is a really good place to be. Missed a lot of days this year for various reasons and all wheels stayed on the wagon.
Oh yea HexBugs are great fun got them for kids today. I know Santa is coming soon but 'I' wanted to get them something.............soft I know

Muckit

...It's all possible with the love of a good woman?

(long live the honeymoon period says you !! )

Seriously though... loads. I think the day you stop learning, you might as well burn the wellies!! I was watching a repeat of farming Sunday there 'on the sky' and a lad had been farming over forty years and every year he was still learning more and more!

Boards, google, TV, IFJ, the 'oul lad', experience..... all great sources for learning

1chippy

fair play muckit,is she not sick of you yet? The cookings getting very laid back here.
Learnt too much to type it here (most was sourced here anyway).

blue5000

whelan1 wrote: »

i have learnt how to teat spray cows... that just when you think it cant rain anymore it does:rolleyes:

I've learnt that sh1te silage lasts twice as long as good silage:p

Think if it's sunny in the last week of May in 2013 every mower will be busy.

nashmach

Cut silage in the last week of May even if it is light instead of heavy not so nice stuff six weeks later

bob charles

I learnt,
- that I havnt learnt from my mistakes and still finish animals,
- that the best of silage can be made during a worst of years,
- there is always someone desperate enough;).
- dont get winter forage contract grown,
- wheat would be €300t by the turn of the year

Tippman - the saying of "too much bad stuff, is better than half enough good stuff" rings true,

oh and Whelan is a wannabe farmer, and is in fact post princess who hangs around fancy hotels!

whelan1

delaval wrote: »

That farming in partnership is a really good place to be. Missed a lot of days this year for various reasons and all wheels stayed on the wagon.
Oh yea HexBugs are great fun got them for kids today. I know Santa is coming soon but 'I' wanted to get them something.............soft I know

what is hexbugs

MfMan

nashmach wrote: »

Cut silage in the last week of May even if it is light instead of heavy not so nice stuff six weeks later

+1 to that. The importance of cutting earlier and wilting more is really becoming apparent this year.

Also, don't pay too much for stock mid-summer.

Also, pay attention to drainage and the alleviation of wet spots in fields.

Also, double-check that you've closed the gates and to have proper gates hung onto public roads instead of trying to get the last year out of a rusted one.

fastrac

Half your herd going down with TB is not the end of the world.

Hopefully.

Farfield

...I've learnt that with the weather we are getting, under stocking rather than over stocking is easier on man, land and winter fodder and more profitable!!

pakalasa

...that an electric fence tape reel is a very handy thing to have.

bbam

• Good cattle can be bought too dear :eek:
  
• Its never finished raining, its just pausing to gather more for later
  
• Make better silage

td5man

bbam wrote: »

• Good cattle can be bought too dear :eek:
  
• Its never finished raining, its just pausing to gather more for later
  
• Make better silage

I think make better silage is the most important thing that was learnt this year.

kealar

That sucklers are hard work and there is such a thing as "Beginners Luck"..but learning all the time....:)

td5man

kealar wrote: »

That sucklers are hard work and there is such a thing as "Beginners Luck"..but learning all the time....:)

Everyday is a schoolday

freedominacup

That the rest of the country wasn't coming in under quota:(

Grecco

Sadly that no matter how much farming you do you cant give up the day Job

KCTK

Grecco wrote: »

Sadly that no matter how much farming you do you cant give up the day Job

Hoping to try proving the opposite of that next year Grecco, handed in notice here last week for end of January, then its off to full time Dairy land, hopefully if Whelan1 asks this question again this time next year I wont have an answer of "don't give up the day job to go dairy farming!!!!

freedominacup

KCTK wrote: »

Hoping to try proving the opposite of that next year Grecco, handed in notice here last week for end of January, then its off to full time Dairy land, hopefully if Whelan1 asks this question again this time next year I wont have an answer of "don't give up the day job to go dairy farming!!!!

Best of luck+ all the smileys

Manoffeeling

KCTK wrote: »

Hoping to try proving the opposite of that next year Grecco, handed in notice here last week for end of January, then its off to full time Dairy land, hopefully if Whelan1 asks this question again this time next year I wont have an answer of "don't give up the day job to go dairy farming!!!!

Best of luck. Keep away from the ones who say you are mad! Shure they are saying that about everyone!

td5man

KCTK wrote: »

Hoping to try proving the opposite of that next year Grecco, handed in notice here last week for end of January, then its off to full time Dairy land, hopefully if Whelan1 asks this question again this time next year I wont have an answer of "don't give up the day job to go dairy farming!!!!

Hope your right,dont have much of a day job anymore.

Manoffeeling

I learnt that the lifetime of stakes is not what I was told!

td5man

Manoffeeling wrote: »

I learnt that the lifetime of stakes is not what I was told!

Tanalised post are all falling over here being replaced with creosoted octo posts hope they last longer.

KCTK

Manoffeeling wrote: »

Best of luck. Keep away from the ones who say you are mad! Shure they are saying that about everyone!

Sure saying that about myself also!!!:D

Timmaay

Manoffeeling wrote: »

Keep away from the ones who say you are mad!

Ah sure all us dairy folk are mad :P, milking 24/7, we are only letting them know what they are in for! Best of luck though KCTK, stick to the rule that turnover is vanity, profit is sanity and you should be grand!

Which nicely brings me to what I learnt this year ha! I only started taking more control at the business end of the farm this year, certainly some of what drew me back into the whole farming sector was post quotas 2015, full steam ahead and ramp up to 200cows etc etc! Whereas I learnt that improving what I have now, and becoming more efficient before I gain 1 extra cow is probably 90% of the battle!

bob charles

Timmaay wrote: »

stick to the rule that turnover is vanity, profit is sanity and you should be grand!

that rule is complete tripe, turnover will keep a business afloat whereas just because you are turning a profit wont.

Manoffeeling

bob charles wrote: »

that rule is complete tripe, turnover will keep a business afloat whereas just because you are turning a profit wont.

Tis great to be an authority on everything :rolleyes:

freedominacup

Manoffeeling wrote: »

Tis great to be an authority on everything :rolleyes:

But when you're right you're right.

I think the thing is not to let acheiving a good turnover blind you to real cost overruns and to where you are actually making a good return.

pakalasa

bob charles wrote: »

that rule is complete tripe, turnover will keep a business afloat whereas just because you are turning a profit wont.

WHAT? Explain this one please. If you're running a business at a loss, how can you survive?

Manoffeeling

freedominacup wrote: »

But when you're right you're right.

I think the thing is not to let acheiving a good turnover blind you to real cost overruns and to where you are actually making a good return.

No hassle with people being right. But it's painful to have to endure sweeping statements from economic experts who don't know the poster's position. The next thing he will be telling us that he advises Mick OLeary

Only joking bob

bob charles

pakalasa wrote: »

WHAT? Explain this one please. If you're running a business at a loss, how can you survive?

with a good turnover you can survive in business during lean periods without profits, having a good cash-flow is everything for a business . if you have a low turnover but making a profit it can be very hard to survive lean periods. a good turnover is probably more important the larger the size of any business.
its just that phrase really winds me up. Im much happier with a decent turnover and able to pay amounts as they fall due instead of telling a supplier i cant pay you as agreed but all is okay as im making a profit. obviously a low turnover with high profits is the place to be but hey where in the farming business. IMV looking at short term profits is of little benefit, especially in farming.

bob charles

Manoffeeling wrote: »

Tis great to be an authority on everything :rolleyes:

well he started it:D with his sweeping statement, I just countered argued, this a forum where on after all.

Manoffeeling

bob charles wrote: »

well he started it:D with his sweeping statement, I just countered argued, this a forum where on after all.

Teacher,teacher, he's picking on me.

bob charles

Manoffeeling wrote: »

The next thing he will be telling us that he advises Mick OLeary

Twas me who got him into the Angus's, told him there was a fortune to be made at the game, and how right I was

Manoffeeling

bob charles wrote: »

Twas me who got him into the Angus's, told him there was a fortune to be made at the game, and how right I was

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
Oh for the love of jesus.

grange mac

Have learned money be wise with money as when dole comes it has a new more coveted meaning

case 956

KCTK wrote: »

Hoping to try proving the opposite of that next year Grecco, handed in notice here last week for end of January, then its off to full time Dairy land, hopefully if Whelan1 asks this question again this time next year I wont have an answer of "don't give up the day job to go dairy farming!!!!

did you get quota after kctc??

delaval

Firstly kctc all the best with the cows its a great life.............If you are serious about profit the skill you will need as much as being a good milker is grass measuring. the sooner you master this the sooner you will be profitable.
Profit is essential but turnover ie. sales are vital just be sure you aren't buying turnover

tabby aspreme

I learnt I have to dose for fluke in august and not to buy diesel before the budget as it has come down since

KatyMac

I learned that having a few good beasties is better than having loads of only middlin ones. Bought a red cow cuppla years ago and now have her daughters (and herself) in herd and they are oozing quality. Looking forward to seeing their calves next year. (Or is that counting your chickens or in this case calves?)

maxxuumman

It after 11:11am and we're still here
.... so I learnt that the Myans didn't know jack sh1t

whelan1

maxxuumman wrote: »

It after 11:11am and we're still here
.... so I learnt that the Myans didn't know jack sh1t

milkman comes around 4am eldest lad came tearing over to me that the world was ending

awaywithyou

i learned that in order to really enjoy farming i will have to buy a farm near Stanflt....!

stanflt

i learnt that im very very lucky to live and farm where im from:)

keep going

that 2009 was very handy for income averaging with last years accounts otherwise the tax would really have hurt.we in our bizz seem- even in 2012, to be moving to a stage where its better to make life a little easier rather than paying tax.