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making a living out of sheep

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Comments

  • #32
    Maphisto
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,014 ✭✭✭Maphisto


    tomwaterford wrote: »
    I got bit on my hand last year was brown for week after:( cant be good for you....its some strong stuff...puts hair back/burns hair on face and usually clears any that gets on doug
    have used it on neighbours lamb and it was bad enough and cleared it....*should point out im not involved with his company :)
    last year was first year I seen it anywhere

    Least you should be safe from orf ;)


  • #33
    farmingmad10
    Closed Accounts Posts: 137 ✭✭farmingmad10


    Wooly Admirer wrote: »
    €50 profit per lamb will not happen. Top third of Teagasc profit monitor farmers making €20 profit per ewe. Stock at 10 per Ha = €200/Ha. With this performance you'll have your 25K with 125HA (1250 ewes).

    No payments included here of course.

    Jeez that's quare bad profit. so if you had 500 ewes you would only make €10,000??
    Shur that's not worth a damn. A huge waste having sheep on good soils. If you only made 2c/l profit milking british friesan cows well say at 6000 litres over 305 days at a cow per acre you'd still make more money out of your land. Compare that €200/ha (What the best sheep farms making) to what the best dairy farms make well then it really is a huge waste. Cattle done well would make more than that


  • #34
    Username John
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,237 ✭✭✭Username John


    farmingmad10 wrote: »
    Jeez that's quare bad profit. so if you had 500 ewes you would only make €10,000??
    Shur that's not worth a damn. A huge waste having sheep on good soils. If you only made 2c/l profit milking british friesan cows well say at 6000 litres over 305 days at a cow per acre you'd still make more money out of your land. Compare that €200/ha (What the best sheep farms making) to what the best dairy farms make well then it really is a huge waste. Cattle done well would make more than that

    Ah - don't be saying that... ;)

    Sheep can do very well on good land, and they mix 'fairly ok' with an off farm - cows and off-farm job wouldn't mix very well I would have thought?

    EDIT : Was thinking about this, and comparing sheep and cows isn't really a worthwhile comparison. Yes there is more money in cows, no doubt about it. But the setup / entry costs, and commitment for both are very different as well.


  • #35
    farmingmad10
    Closed Accounts Posts: 137 ✭✭farmingmad10


    Of course you would make more money with a job than sheep. But if you had a big block of good land sheep won't give much of a return. €20/ewe haha shur what good is that. If I had a job i still wouldn't keep them for that sort of money.


  • #36
    Username John
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,237 ✭✭✭Username John


    farmingmad10 wrote: »
    Of course you would make more money with a job than sheep. But if you had a big block of good land sheep won't give much of a return. €20/ewe haha shur what good is that. If I had a job i still wouldn't keep them for that sort of money.

    No - I meant sheep+off-farm job isn't a bad mix. Cows+off-farm job, whilst more profitable wouldn't be the best mix I imagine (from a life perspective)

    In your view, what's the most profitable option for part-timers? (And don't say rent it to some big dairy lad) ;)

    I don't keep cattle, but from threads in the main area, it seems beef farming is almost loss making?

    But you're right - you wont make your millions sheep farming on the side ;)


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  • #37
    farmingmad10
    Closed Accounts Posts: 137 ✭✭farmingmad10


    I don't think sheep would be great with a part time job. Imagine them breaking out & they need watching then the lambing would be hard with job on. Buying Aberdeen Angus calves & finish them at 21 months off grass with minimal inputs. Get premium with them keep about 3 cattle per ha. Those systems are profitable breeds that finish off grass with good premiums of upto 20c/kg available.


  • #38
    Username John
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,237 ✭✭✭Username John


    farmingmad10 wrote: »
    I don't think sheep would be great with a part time job. Imagine them breaking out & they need watching then the lambing would be hard with job on. Buying Aberdeen Angus calves & finish them at 21 months off grass with minimal inputs. Get premium with them keep about 3 cattle per ha. Those systems are profitable breeds that finish off grass with good premiums of upto 20c/kg available.

    Don't you need to keep a certain number to qualify for those bonus?
    Also - I know you're looking at this from the figure of 20euro / ewe profit, but would that system leave much more?

    Ah - I dunno why am asking really tho. I have no facilities for cattle, so would be a non runner for me. :)

    Just interested to know is all... ;)


  • #39
    rancher
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,142 ✭✭✭rancher


    Username John wrote: »
    Don't you need to keep a certain number to qualify for those bonus?
    Also - I know you're looking at this from the figure of 20euro / ewe profit, but would that system leave much more?

    Ah - I dunno why am asking really tho. I have no facilities for cattle, so would be a non runner for me. :)

    Just interested to know is all... ;)

    Just happen to have the Farmers Handbook 2014 here in the office, they have projected net profits before SFP here for 2014. They go through all the enterprises
    100 acre calf to beef carrying 70 livestock units and beef price of €4.20/kg has a net profit of €8472.
    100 acre midseason sheep flock carrying 400 ewes lambing 1.5 with a lamb price of €4.50/kg has a net profit of €15422.
    Haven't studied the figures , stocking rate looks about the same for both, just noticed that the fixed costs on the sheep farm are the same as my own, sheep farm gets an extra €2000 das
    Just to sicken you now a dairy farm with 150 cows employing one man, selling every thing except replacements is making €80,000 here


  • #40
    farmingmad10
    Closed Accounts Posts: 137 ✭✭farmingmad10


    rancher wrote: »
    Just happen to have the Farmers Handbook 2014 here in the office, they have projected net profits before SFP here for 2014. They go through all the enterprises
    100 acre calf to beef carrying 70 livestock units and beef price of €4.20/kg has a net profit of €8472.
    100 acre midseason sheep flock carrying 400 ewes lambing 1.5 with a lamb price of €4.50/kg has a net profit of €15422.
    Haven't studied the figures , stocking rate looks about the same for both, just noticed that the fixed costs on the sheep farm are the same as my own, sheep farm gets an extra €2000 das
    Just to sicken you now a dairy farm with 150 cows employing one man, selling every thing except replacements is making €80,000 here

    Don't believe them figures tbh. Teagasc e profit monitors done on sheep farms show the top 3rd of sheep farms have a net profit of €20 per ewe or €200/ha at a stocking rate of 10/ha


  • #41
    farmingmad10
    Closed Accounts Posts: 137 ✭✭farmingmad10


    Username John wrote: »
    Don't you need to keep a certain number to qualify for those bonus?
    Also - I know you're looking at this from the figure of 20euro / ewe profit, but would that system leave much more?

    Ah - I dunno why am asking really tho. I have no facilities for cattle, so would be a non runner for me. :)

    Just interested to know is all... ;)

    Well do keep the angus out of our holsteins & tbh done well with good grazing system you would comfortably make €200 profit/head


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  • #42
    farmingmad10
    Closed Accounts Posts: 137 ✭✭farmingmad10


    rancher wrote: »
    Just happen to have the Farmers Handbook 2014 here in the office, they have projected net profits before SFP here for 2014. They go through all the enterprises
    100 acre calf to beef carrying 70 livestock units and beef price of €4.20/kg has a net profit of €8472.
    100 acre midseason sheep flock carrying 400 ewes lambing 1.5 with a lamb price of €4.50/kg has a net profit of €15422.
    Haven't studied the figures , stocking rate looks about the same for both, just noticed that the fixed costs on the sheep farm are the same as my own, sheep farm gets an extra €2000 das
    Just to sicken you now a dairy farm with 150 cows employing one man, selling every thing except replacements is making €80,000 here

    Also 150 dairy cows done well would earn over €100,000 or €1,800/ha profit


  • #43
    rancher
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,142 ✭✭✭rancher


    farmingmad10 wrote: »
    Don't believe them figures tbh. Teagasc e profit monitors done on sheep farms show the top 3rd of sheep farms have a net profit of €20 per ewe or €200/ha at a stocking rate of 10/ha

    I put up my gross margins here, showing €100/ewe in 2011(normal year) and €60 in 2012(the wettest year that came in a long long time and grass didn't grow till mid may as well) our fixed costs are approx. €30/ewe, so theres €30/ ewe and €70/ewe ......both over €20

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057143213

    Sheep are as good as what is out there in drystock, they're clean, they're easy handled.
    If you have a cross compliance problem with sheep, I'd say you deserve a penalty....very easy comply.
    Don't know why you're so down on sheep


  • #44
    rancher
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,142 ✭✭✭rancher


    farmingmad10 wrote: »
    Also 150 dairy cows done well would earn over €100,000 or €1,800/ha profit

    Those three examples would be average performance, should be at least 90lu on the beef and 5-600 ewes on the sheep but who'd be bothered with income tax as it is. We paid a whopper of a tax bill on 2011 (for a sheep farmer) bought a hilux and tunnel since......it won't happen again


  • #45
    farmingmad10
    Closed Accounts Posts: 137 ✭✭farmingmad10


    Are them figures from your profit monitor?


  • #46
    rancher
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,142 ✭✭✭rancher


    farmingmad10 wrote: »
    Are them figures from your profit monitor?
    yes


  • #47
    farmingmad10
    Closed Accounts Posts: 137 ✭✭farmingmad10


    €70 profit would be v good. How many lambs per ewe did you get for that what price?


  • #48
    rancher
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,142 ✭✭✭rancher


    farmingmad10 wrote: »
    €70 profit would be v good. How many lambs per ewe did you get for that what price?

    A third of our ewes are ewe lambs, we'd usually lamb about 1.5 to the ewe. I have it all forgot, 2011 was a good year, 2012 was sh..e so just put them up as an average, There's loads of opportunities in my system to cut costs,eg could cut the meal bill by 10% just by buying bulk, making silage from overgrown paddocks.....its not an efficient system, but I won't be changing


  • #49
    farmingmad10
    Closed Accounts Posts: 137 ✭✭farmingmad10


    Still not convinced tbh. I think €20 is what the best are making


  • #50
    rancher
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,142 ✭✭✭rancher


    farmingmad10 wrote: »
    Still not convinced tbh. I think €20 is what the best are making
    Had a National Event here in 2012 and Darren Carthy (farmers journal) went through the 2011 one in detail, checked everything before he put it up on the display boards, so that one is right whatever about the 2012 one


  • #51
    AnFeirmeoir
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 397 ✭✭AnFeirmeoir


    . Enough depressing figures out there. If someone has a figure to say I'm not wasting my time that's good news and I'll take it.


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  • #52
    farmingmad10
    Closed Accounts Posts: 137 ✭✭farmingmad10


    Suppose their would be a bit of variation even in the top third of producers profits. That's good, that €20/ewe figure is depressing if you a sheep man


  • #53
    derferjam
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 197 ✭✭derferjam


    rancher wrote: »
    Had a National Event here in 2012 and Darren Carthy (farmers journal) went through the 2011 one in detail, checked everything before he put it up on the display boards, so that one is right whatever about the 2012 one

    Did you happen to go to national sheep conference this year and see their figures i was ill and missed it.


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