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anyone milk and work full time??

  • 25-07-2014 3:08pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 588 ✭✭✭


    Just out of interest, does anyone work full time during week 9-5 etc and milk cows as well, is it feasible and realistic. What numbers do you work with if you do ?


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,083 ✭✭✭bogman_bass


    Tried doing it with 30 cows and couldn't hack it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 588 ✭✭✭MFdaveIreland


    Tried doing it with 30 cows and couldn't hack it.

    Tough? What did you find hardest? Thanks


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,316 ✭✭✭tanko


    I know a couple of lads that do it who "work" for the department, flexi-time I think it's called:rolleyes:.
    Another lad is a self employed builder milking 50 cows. He's basically full time farming for three months in the spring for calving etc.
    I can't see how a fixed hours job working for someone else and milking your own cows would work. You'd need a lot of flexibility in the other job to do it or have "the aul lad" at home doing all the work:D.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,313 ✭✭✭✭Sam Kade


    I don't know how anyone does it pure slavery. When you are at work you'll spend the whole time wondering is everything alright at home and when you're at home you will worry about getting finished in time for work. I know a few farmers that worked the campaign in mallow sugar factory when it was going and milking as well but things were quieter on the farm when they were working €1000/week for 8 hour shifts was fairly enticing too :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,489 ✭✭✭✭mahoney_j


    Extremely hard but not impossible to do both,mulumphy dose it.i did it for a while and wouldn't fancy it again.you need a good modern set up and an ultra reliable relief Milker.relief Milker would be easiest thing once u find a good obe.but I found it was everything else,silage grass management ,fertliser,slurry calf rearing ,calving ,breeding etc the hardest.you need to be there as much as possible especially in spring.as some other pointed out you could turn into a slave with unsociable work hours which the birds ain't fond off.!!!.life and a couple of years can pass you by pretty quick and they can't be got back.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,471 ✭✭✭Panch18


    Tried doing it with 30 cows and couldn't hack it.

    so did ya ditch the cows or the Job


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,471 ✭✭✭Panch18


    It sounds like pure torture and I imagine is only sustainable in the short term


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,493 ✭✭✭Greengrass1


    My secondary school teacher did it. Hardy ****er. Up at 5 in the morning milked 60 cows and put them off to grass. Used a bull.
    Used contractor for fertiliser and his father looked after calves


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,551 ✭✭✭visatorro


    mahoney_j wrote: »
    Extremely hard but not impossible to do both,mulumphy dose it.i did it for a while and wouldn't fancy it again.you need a good modern set up and an ultra reliable relief Milker.relief Milker would be easiest thing once u find a good obe.but I found it was everything else,silage grass management ,fertliser,slurry calf rearing ,calving ,breeding etc the hardest.you need to be there as much as possible especially in spring.as some other pointed out you could turn into a slave with unsociable work hours which the birds ain't fond off.!!!.life and a couple of years can pass you by pretty quick and they can't be got back.

    Your right. Milking will be done by someone, but it's management that suffers. I'm on too much money to walk away from at the minute, even thou I'm strongly thinking of going farming fulltime. my job is on a year to year contract, possibly another three years.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 817 ✭✭✭Mulumpy


    As Mahoney said im at it but I work Four cyclefrom mid march to Christmas. Have very good lad that helps me in spring and does nearly half the milkings for the summer. Pretty well set up but love the job and in all honesty id give the cows up before the job but will hang tough for few more years.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,396 ✭✭✭✭Timmaay


    Slightly different question here, does anyone manage a dairy farm and work full time also? I wouldn't mind going back to my previous career at some stage down the line, however how much of a back seat could I afford to take on the farm, if I say had a chap who did all the milking and most the tractor driving (likes of feeding, bedding, fertiliser/topping etc) ? Would I still end up like a blue arsed fly trying to work and keep the farm together?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,954 ✭✭✭C0N0R


    Timmaay wrote: »
    Slightly different question here, does anyone manage a dairy farm and work full time also? I wouldn't mind going back to my previous career at some stage down the line, however how much of a back seat could I afford to take on the farm, if I say had a chap who did all the milking and most the tractor driving (likes of feeding, bedding, fertiliser/topping etc) ? Would I still end up like a blue arsed fly trying to work and keep the farm together?

    Father done that all his life and I'm not keen of going the same road. Worked hard monday to Friday and then milked and farmed at the weekends to give the manager time off. Says he doesn't regret it but would possibly do things differently if he was going again. Manager does everything on the farm, great lad been here 28 years does make it easier.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 378 ✭✭KCTK


    Interesting thread, I have got a few offers in last week or so from recruiters I dealt with in my previous life to go back working on 2/3 month contracts, seriously looking at it as all silage etc finished up now so if I get a relief milker in I should manage and the few months of a wage will come in very handy over the long dry winter (because of quota..) Will have to decided on way or the other by middle of next week.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 57 ✭✭Roundbale


    C0N0R wrote: »
    Manager does everything on the farm, great lad been here 28 years does make it easier.

    How much do you have to pay the manager a year? Surely he'd be getting between 30 - 40k a year if it's his full time job. That's a big chunk out of the milk cheque.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,083 ✭✭✭bogman_bass


    Panch18 wrote: »
    so did ya ditch the cows or the Job

    The cows. Went suckling instead.

    Was in my mid-twenties and was finding it really hard to keep hold of a social life.
    The thing with dairying is if slomething goes wrong it throws everything out of kilter and it offers little flexibility. There is more to life than work.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,828 ✭✭✭yellow50HX


    Working full time plus sucklers at the mo and wouldn't be able to do it without the boss man still being around. No way I would be able to do dairy cows. Work about 50-60 hrs a week in the summer and that can up to 70-80 in the winter/calving season.

    Have looked in to and unless you can get some one in to do a fair bit of the milking and you have a top notch set up you will end up getting burned out. Might be feasible for flexible working hours and ideally family help. Did chat with OH about it and she reckoned if she was at home full time she could help out but work wise not an option for her.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,954 ✭✭✭C0N0R


    Roundbale wrote: »
    How much do you have to pay the manager a year? Surely he'd be getting between 30 - 40k a year if it's his full time job. That's a big chunk out of the milk cheque.

    Circa 30k on 60 cows. Father's earning potential was considerably higher than 30. He probably doesn't take alot out of the farm, mother would argue the farm takes money off his pay check but that might be a slight exaggeration.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 588 ✭✭✭MFdaveIreland


    many thanks for the replies,


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,244 ✭✭✭sea12


    many thanks for the replies,

    Yep very interesting thread. I think you should try be a master of one profession rather than trying to make halves of yourself. You would end up paying allot of your new earnings on relief labour / contractors for work and not getting to enjoy the best parts of farming.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 588 ✭✭✭MFdaveIreland


    I understand sea12.
    I was thinking what the most profitable method of maintaining a farm as well as working , dairying would keep the farm and house etc. and wages would hopefully supplement the incomes. just my thoughts


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,264 ✭✭✭✭Nekarsulm


    Tried it for 4 or 5 years, didn't work out. SCC etc hard to manage when your doing everything at a run. Suit recently divorced fellow, or those with no interest in opposite (or same) sex.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,545 ✭✭✭✭Reggie.


    I'm on full time work. Running my own little farm (very small by most of posters standards) and also a bit of a contracting business aswell. Around this time of year it's just mayhem.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 588 ✭✭✭MFdaveIreland


    Reggie. wrote: »
    I'm on full time work. Running my own little farm (very small by most of posters standards) and also a bit of a contracting business aswell. Around this time of year it's just mayhem.

    Hi Reggie, what numbers would you be talking about thanks, I would be small also


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,701 ✭✭✭moy83


    I milked twice a day and worked full time since I left school and sometimes went back to do nixers after the evenings milking . It was grand but when the first child came along it was too much time away from home so we got out .
    The father did all the feeding and fence changing so that made it easy .
    We are thinking of going back at it again now that the kids are older , dont know if the wife will be too impressed :D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,545 ✭✭✭✭Reggie.


    Hi Reggie, what numbers would you be talking about thanks, I would be small also

    I myself have only 12 dry stock cattle but the father in law next door has over 100 sucklers so I bounce between the two but only worry about my own farm mostly. Hop into the FILs farm for calving, silage and the likes.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 453 ✭✭caseman


    Would once a day milking be a option.
    looked into robotic but the costs are high.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,278 ✭✭✭frazzledhome


    Case, look at Milking Smallholding thread. Interesting post by EamonKK


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,278 ✭✭✭frazzledhome


    Can I make another suggestion?

    Bring your cows to a larger herd through an equity agreement and milk and work full time there. Wages and skin in the game!!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,701 ✭✭✭moy83


    Can I make another suggestion?

    Bring your cows to a larger herd through an equity agreement and milk and work full time there. Wages and skin in the game!!

    Not a bad suggestion at all , could be a good runner for someone looking to expand beyond what their own farm can carry .
    Replacement heifers on the home farm then ?
    I must say "skin in the game " is one I never heard before .


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,433 ✭✭✭darragh_haven


    moy83 wrote: »
    Not a bad suggestion at all , could be a good runner for someone looking to expand beyond what their own farm can carry .
    Replacement heifers on the home farm then ?
    I must say "skin in the game " is one I never heard before .

    Skin in the game is from the "anglo tapes". Its like make up a number in your head, and some asks where did you get that figure "I plucked it outta my hole".... that's also from the anglo tapes


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 30,213 ✭✭✭✭whelan2


    Can I make another suggestion?

    Bring your cows to a larger herd through an equity agreement and milk and work full time there. Wages and skin in the game!!
    would be interested in somrthing like that here


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,158 ✭✭✭jimmy G M


    Skin in the game is from the "anglo tapes". Its like make up a number in your head, and some asks where did you get that figure "I plucked it outta my hole".... that's also from the anglo tapes

    A bit like the difference between "involved" and "committed" when using the pig & the chicken analogy and the full Irish breakfast?

    The chicken is "involved" (the egg) but the pig is "committed" (the rasher):pac:


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