Money out of Dairy Farming???

jocotty

C0N0R wrote: »

Christ were milking 60 cows and we only have a Ford 6600! We must be losing money!! This is the problem I see with Irish dairy farming, everyone thinks they need to go bigger to make money, the first thing you have to do is be efficient, control your costs and don't spend needless money on stupid things. I'd say that guy runs a fine outfit and is as happy as a pig in ****e, if he went off and spent 50k on a new tractor how would he make more money? He would be worse off, new tractor will drink more diesel, more expensive to run/service/fix and still only do the same job. Sure he would be able to listen to joe Duffy while spreading fert but that won't make him anything. He will be worse off. Typical Irish attitude, got to keep up with the neighbours.

yes, your right, 100%, but im just amazed at how "the neighbours" can do it, spending money like its goin out of fashion, on a farm milkin about 50 cows - its the same all over Ireland, and cant be justifiable, as far as I can see, unless im missing out on something HUGE!! that's exactly my point.

Sam Kade

And the big question is, is he married does he have children?

yellow50HX

sometimes i do scratch my head when i see lads buying new machinery, but its all how its used (or not used in some cases). there is a neighbour of mine who only ever buys new machinery but then its might be on the farm for 20-30 years. he has ford 4600 bought new by his dad back in the 70's which is still purring like a kitten, he bought a new mower this year which replaced one that was bought in the mid 80's.

my ol lad thought i was nuts when i bought the digger about 10 years ago espically when i told him it was for the farm and that i wasnt planning on going out on sites. it is by far and away the most used bit of kit on the farm now (and has been for the last 10 years). its so much easier to do loader work in then the tractor and using the shuttle is a lot easier on the knees. My dad has farmers knee (like most farmers his age) and the constant pressure on the knee from heavy clutches over the years means that he'll have to get a knee replacment at some stage. If he was still rooting and tearing with the tractor he would probably be after having the operation by now.

There is a lot to be said for having a bit of comfort in your work enviorment and when you spend a fair bit of time in a tractor its nice to have a quite cab a radio and comfortable seat, power steering etc, you just dotn need to be buyign a brand new tractor to get it. that said the radio's in both our tractor and digger are both bust and have been for a number of years (keep saying i'll fix them but havent yet) and the moutings in teh seat of the tractor need to be fixed too was spreading fertizler the other evening and it was like falling down a stairs.

jocotty

Sam Kade wrote: »

And the big question is, is he married does he have children?

he is ya, 4 children under the age of 5 !

Sam Kade

jocotty wrote: »

he is ya, 4 children under the age of 5 !

He'd want to be making good money so.

whelan1

Sam Kade wrote: »

He'd want to be making good money so.

wait til they get older:rolleyes: i need a money tree for my lot

agriman27

I'm only a fairly new entrant to this profession and I am finding it difficult enough to know what to spend money on too. Could be doing with buying some necessary machinery (eg fertiliser spreader, topper) and don't know if its better to buy new stuff. The land needs drainage and reseeding. Just hard to know don't want to get into debt though. It's hard to balance the budget:pac:

Timmaay

agriman27 wrote: »

I'm only a fairly new entrant to this profession and I am finding it difficult enough to know what to spend money on too. Could be doing with buying some necessary machinery (eg fertiliser spreader, topper) and don't know if its better to buy new stuff. The land needs drainage and reseeding. Just hard to know don't want to get into debt though. It's hard to balance the budget:pac:

Fencing, reseeded, stock, and probably in that order! What do you have at the minute? Debt isn't a bad thing at all in fairness, once its good debt that let's you grow the business! You'll get a usable 2nd hand spreader for between 500 and 1000, and a topper for about 1000 also. About all you need machinery wise to start, contract out the rest of the machinery jobs and save your cash for things that actually generate you money! (grass and milk!)

agriman27

I'm don't milk I keep beef cattle but I just found this thread interesting. Seeing the different opinions on machinery and investment. I think the land has to be main priority to get right and work from that.

Sam Kade

whelan1 wrote: »

wait til they get older:rolleyes: i need a money tree for my lot

Yep that's for sure. My youngest finished secondary school this year.

whelan1

Sam Kade wrote: »

Yep that's for sure. My youngest finished secondary school this year.

my eldest just starting.....

jersey101

Do all our own work here, only reason we do is because we could never get jobs done when we wanted or there would be no fences left in the place, i have very little interest in machinery but there is alot to be said for being able to your own silage when you want to. More than likely wont be doing too much of our own work in years to come as i just prefer to look after the cows and will have very little time with numbers increasing

bob charles

Getting contractors to do most nowadays, including fert and topping and still caught for time

moy83

bob charles wrote: »

Getting contractors to do most nowadays, including fert and topping and still caught for time

Probably all the holidays you're taking bob:P

Juniorhurler

whelan1 wrote: »

wait til they get older:rolleyes: i need a money tree for my lot

My two are young, but jaysus child minding is as bad as a second mortgage

Mulumpy

bob charles wrote: »

Getting contractors to do most nowadays, including fert and topping and still caught for time

Half considering getting a permanent milker for next year might work out a lot cheaper than a couple a week and me still flat out. Be nice to free up time for other things.

Timmaay

moy83 wrote: »

Probably all the holidays you're taking bob:P

Probably having 18 different groups of animals Bob? (at least that's what you said you had before!).

bob charles

Timmaay wrote: »

Probably having 18 different groups of animals Bob? (at least that's what you said you had before!).

I never said that, I was using an example

whelan1

Mulumpy wrote: »

Half considering getting a permanent milker for next year might work out a lot cheaper than a couple a week and me still flat out. Be nice to free up time for other things.

would you orgainise that through frs as well?

kevthegaff

jes people think all dairy farmers are rolling in it! only have 200 euros in my savings account:D Its mostly established dairy farmers with no loans, lots of quota do well

tabby aspreme

There must be loads of money in dairying, lad near me milks 35 cows has 3 good tractors for his own use only 70, 95, and 110 hp, and a nice Massey loader , good jeep 12 reg car, makes his own silage in the worst egg shaped bales I've ever seen, and has 3 young kids and a TEACHER wife

Timmaay

bob charles wrote: »

I never said that, I was using an example

Picked ya up wrong, sorry!



But tabby, that chap must have either won the lotto or sold about 5sites or something to that tune, because there is now way he could spend like that from milking 35cows.

whelan1

but his wife is working, i am the main earner here, husband does lorry work but 90% of that money goes back into the lorry....makes a hell of a difference

bob charles

ah come guys admit it - your making a fortune

kowtow

Juniorhurler wrote: »

My two are young, but jaysus child minding is as bad as a second mortgage

Isn't it just.

Mine are on holiday this week with their Mother... and I still have the cash in my pocket I had when I dropped them at the airport. That would never happen with the children around!

Mind you I can't get the hang of that white cupboard in the kitchen where she keeps all the plates and mugs and stuff. The one with all the switches and dials on the front.

bob charles

kowtow wrote: »

Isn't it just.

Mine are on holiday this week with their Mother... and I still have the cash in my pocket I had when I dropped them at the airport. That would never happen with the children around!

Mind you I can't get the hang of that white cupboard in the kitchen where she keeps all the plates and mugs and stuff. The one with all the switches and dials on the front.

you mean she left you all on your own, what are you doing for food?

Mulumpy

whelan1 wrote: »

would you orgainise that through frs as well?

Not sure will talk to accountant plus see what sort of deal FRS would give me.

Sam Kade

kowtow wrote: »

Isn't it just.

Mine are on holiday this week with their Mother... and I still have the cash in my pocket I had when I dropped them at the airport. That would never happen with the children around!

Mind you I can't get the hang of that white cupboard in the kitchen where she keeps all the plates and mugs and stuff. The one with all the switches and dials on the front.

You mean their mother around them women have no value on money

kowtow

bob charles wrote: »

you mean she left you all on your own, what are you doing for food?

I'm eyeing up one of the bigger bull calves.

nashmach

bob charles wrote: »

you mean she left you all on your own, what are you doing for food?

He is living off the hot food counter in the local shop !!!