SMALL FARM -ADVICE NEEDED

2pack

Hi,

I just have about 15 acres of land which (could do with ploughing but overall its fairly good land if not a little exhausted with about 4.5 acres of wetish ground) due to college and then working away from home never done much with it.
Anyway Back near home again and would like to get back into it more now as work 4 days per week but now finish up at 3pm so have plenty of daylight and time now to do a bit of work on the land but i am not really sure how to go about making it profitable with such a small holding.
I getting a small disadvantaged payment but that really it,
I do have a herd number but at present no cattle
I don’t want to let it out either.
Any ideas from the experienced on here would be very welcome.

Ta

kevthegaff

Personally id buy reared calves(a steal at the moment) or weanlings and sell them off the grass in October. Id try to reseed it maybe in 3-4 stages to increase growth. U seem not to have sheds so it would be all grass based.

Dampintheattic

kevthegaff wrote: »

Personally id buy reared calves(a steal at the moment) or weanlings and sell them off the grass in October. Id try to reseed it maybe in 3-4 stages to increase growth. U seem not to have sheds so it would be all grass based.

What do you class as a reared calf? Do you mean runners?

bbam

I always thought you needed a min stock level for the DAA payment??

Anyway..
As the lads advised there is great value to be got in small stock. Lads seem to be avoiding buying anything that will need to be fed next winter, I presume in the expectation that feed will be scarce and expensive again..

But the question is how will the prices be in the Autumn?

2pack

bbam wrote: »

I always thought you needed a min stock level for the DAA payment??

Anyway..
As the lads advised there is great value to be got in small stock. Lads seem to be avoiding buying anything that will need to be fed next winter, I presume in the expectation that feed will be scarce and expensive again..

But the question is how will the prices be in the Autumn?

No cattle on it for the quite a while when my brother had it.
He is in Australia now working and will not be back as loves it over there.
Was there an extra yearly payment too for keeping so many cattle on it too but think the deadline was last month?

So what would be the best to buy then, age, breed etc and what would i expect to have to pay for them

Ta

lakill Farm

Would you not take 2 cuts of silage off it this year?

with the money, then reseed in back end of the year and have a lifestock plan for next year in place then?

mf240

lakill Farm wrote: »

Would you not take 2 cuts of silage off it this year?

with the money, then reseed in back end of the year and have a lifestock plan for next year in place then?

I agree and sell off the field in Bales if doing this . Don't hold them till winter.

hugo29

lakill Farm wrote: »

Would you not take 2 cuts of silage off it this year?

with the money, then reseed in back end of the year and have a lifestock plan for next year in place then?

agreed but probably 1 cut at this stage, soil test it now fertilize accordingly, cut silage then lime it and spray it and clean it off, you would be surprised how much that will help the grass and you may not need to reseed
also get your fencing in order before you buy cattle and you will need a holding pen, good crush and small shed for any sick animals