Activating my own herd number, or not?

Buncha Fives

Just to give a quick background to the situation…I am 33 and I work full-time off farm but any spare time I have is spent working at home on the family beef farm. I keep a few cattle myself (only ten as I sold a couple recently) and I would like to buy in some more and build up my numbers.

I have my own heard number since I finished Ag. College years ago however I never activated it because I always put the animals I bought into my fathers herd number, I am just wondering though would I be better off farming as a separate entity to my father to build up entitlements etc. and is there any incentive in terms of grants or the likes to go this route rather than farm away in my father’s herd number?

They may seem like silly questions but it isn’t something I have really thought about until recently and I know very little regarding entitlements or grants etc.?

J.O. Farmer

I'm doing something similar with my granny's herd number. The problem I see is can you have 2 herd numbers farming the same land with respect to say TB and the like or do I misunderstand and you have separate land and only putting the cattle through your dad's herd on paper.

J.O. Farmer

I'm doing something similar with my granny's herd number. The problem I see is can you have 2 herd numbers farming the same land with respect to say TB and the like or do I misunderstand and you have separate land and only putting the cattle through your dad's herd on paper.

Buncha Fives

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

I'm doing something similar with my granny's herd number. The problem I see is can you have 2 herd numbers farming the same land with respect to say TB and the like or do I misunderstand and you have separate land and only putting the cattle through your dad's herd on paper.

I could easily rent a bit of land and an out house off my father for the purpose of proving that myself and my father run separate enterprises, see at the moment the way I am farming is a problem because the money I get out of the farming goes through the parents books and after I sell animals the cheque is made out to my parents who then have to transfer the money to my account and when I am buying animals I have to transfer money to my parents account, these one off payments between us are causing problems with the accountant. I do however have a great relationship with my parents so their is no problem what so ever with that regard.

I am also wondering is their anything to be gained in terms of going it alone with my own herd number, in terms of grants etc. thanks

Farrell

I know where you're coming from, being there (well most Farmer's Children have).
You're current set-up is working good for both you & your Parents, apart from the Accountant has a bit of hassle, but if you go down the route of additional herd Number, you'll need seperate handling facilities, B&B for wintering, unless you rent some place else, which could take up your spare time & mean you'll not be able to help your parents as much.
Personally I'd stick as is, unless you want to expand & would like your independance.
Is this much different to robbing the farm to pay a household bill, or taking money from personal savings to keep the farm a float

Toplink

I have a few cattle in dads herd number aswell.

His teagasc advisor was telling me to put my name in with herd number?

Whats the advantage of this?

Toplink

I have a few cattle in dads herd number aswell.

His teagasc advisor was telling me to put my name in with herd number?

Whats the advantage of this?

Toplink

I have a few cattle in dads herd number aswell.

His teagasc advisor was telling me to put my name in with herd number?

Whats the advantage of this?

JohnBoy

I would think a herd number is a disease control/management tool.

I think you have two options.....

You can have a joint herd number. This would mean you could run your own business as your name should be on the cards also you should have no problem selling.


Alternatively enquire with the DVO can you have linked herd numbers. this would mean from a disease point of view you're one herd but the cards are in your own name.

This is not a unique situation, nor are you trying to don anything wrong or illegal, so I'd have no fears about asking the DVO.

razor8

if using dual names does it mean you double the Disadvantages area you can claim or does it have to a partnership to do that?