Thinking of Dairying

Timmaay

blue5000 wrote: »

Tim was lucky, he escaped to 16:pac:

I was gonna say, I remember being dumped into the parlour for 4or 5days while my folks were on holidays when I was 13 ha (the frs milkers the previous holiday was less than useless ha). I am looking at everything with rose tinted glasses at the min, only in the pit 5 or 6 milkings a week, I could be utterly cursing another 20 heifers next March in snow etc ha.

Snowfire

blue5000 wrote: »

Tim was lucky, he escaped to 16:pac:

Was just thinking the same myself, I was bringing in the cows and small jobs aged 7 and milking on my own at 12

longgonesilver

And in some jobs you can retire after 40 years service but in farming you could double that.

davidk1394

Reggie. wrote: »

Going to give up the contracting?

Probably will if I head out there. I enjoy it but meet repayments and getting paid this year won’t be easy. Everyone is under financial pressure. I was talking with the parents and we discussed selling off all the sheep and lambs and buy cattle during the winter. Should pick them up right but then we were thinking is their any out there with grass for sheep ?
Maybe in a years time I might buy dairy heifer calves and ask the parents to rear them.

Reggie.

davidk1394 wrote: »

Probably will if I head out there. I enjoy it but meet repayments and getting paid this year won’t be easy. Everyone is under financial pressure. I was talking with the parents and we discussed selling off all the sheep and lambs and buy cattle during the winter. Should pick them up right but then we were thinking is their any out there with grass for sheep ?
Maybe in a years time I might buy dairy heifer calves and ask the parents to rear them.

Yeah the repayments are the thing alright. Bit heart stopping once you do the sums and your coming up short when a payment is coming up. Somehow it just works out here

davidk1394

Reggie. wrote: »

Yeah the repayments are the thing alright. Bit heart stopping once you do the sums and your coming up short when a payment is coming up. Somehow it just works out here

It’s crazy if you think about it. By the time you have a machine paid for it nearly has to be replaced again.

Reggie.

davidk1394 wrote: »

It’s crazy if you think about it. By the time you have a machine paid for it nearly has to be replaced again.

Not being smart but thats why only lads with a true love for the machines will stick at it.

carrollsno1

Reggie. wrote: »

Yeah the repayments are the thing alright. Bit heart stopping once you do the sums and your coming up short when a payment is coming up. Somehow it just works out here

A lad told me out here that you dont know how to work until you start losing money.

davidk1394

Reggie. wrote: »

Not being smart but thats why only lads with a true love for the machines will stick at it.

Exactly I think I’ll just do my own work and a few handy local jobs during the summer

davidk1394

Hello everyone. I saw a few dairy threads and decided I’d update on the year so far. The dry summer put a spanner in the works and the plan has changed a bit. Sold some sheep but the demand and price was poor. So we have decided to lamb down 400 in the spring and sell them at foot if we can. Also I decided to stay in Ireland. I don’t regret the decision and to be honest I’m happy out here.
I got a job offer on the dairy farms in Saudi but I sat down with my parents to discuss the options. I decided to stay here and get into cows.I had a man out talking about the layout of the yard and the farm to get a few ideas.
Rough figures going on milk prices, drawings and inputs. 100 cows will need to be milked on the farm. Getting quotes off different companies on cubicles, water tanks, slats, parlor, meal bin,fencing, concrete. It will cost €200-220k to convert the farmyard, sheds and fields from drystock to cows. That includes a grant on a parlor. I’ll go through figures in more detail next week.
But at the moment my main focus at the moment is to source good quality stock. I am undecided on whether to buy calves, heifers or lease cows. There’s pro’s and cons with both. What’s people’s thoughts ?

Mooooo

What are current facilities, how long till a parlour will be in place? Once the parlour is in I'd be of the opinion of get milk going out the gate so buying cow's would be my preference in that regard.

wrangler

davidk1394 wrote: »

Hello everyone. I saw a few dairy threads and decided I’d update on the year so far. The dry summer put a spanner in the works and the plan has changed a bit. Sold some sheep but the demand and price was poor. So we have decided to lamb down 400 in the spring and sell them at foot if we can. Also I decided to stay in Ireland. I don’t regret the decision and to be honest I’m happy out here.
I got a job offer on the dairy farms in Saudi but I sat down with my parents to discuss the options. I decided to stay here and get into cows.I had a man out talking about the layout of the yard and the farm to get a few ideas.
Rough figures going on milk prices, drawings and inputs. 100 cows will need to be milked on the farm. Getting quotes off different companies on cubicles, water tanks, slats, parlor, meal bin,fencing, concrete. It will cost €200-220k to convert the farmyard, sheds and fields from drystock to cows. That includes a grant on a parlor. I’ll go through figures in more detail next week.
But at the moment my main focus at the moment is to source good quality stock. I am undecided on whether to buy calves, heifers or lease cows. There’s pro’s and cons with both. What’s people’s thoughts ?

A friend has got similar figures for his development too and to expect a time frame of starting milking 2021, planning is notoriously slow and he's using a well known advisory crowd so they're probably very experienced.
He's early fifties and has told his son he'll only work for ten more years, he hopes to travel

GrasstoMilk

Mooooo wrote: »

What are current facilities, how long till a parlour will be in place? Once the parlour is in I'd be of the opinion of get milk going out the gate so buying cow's would be my preference in that regard.

I would agree. Get your parlour and paddocks/roadways right and the rest will come. Work with what you have till you cant any longer We only got cubicles in here this year, everything was kept on slats or straw until this year. It did the job . We converted existing sheds to cubicles this year and built a new tank..easily half the cost of going complete new build

yewtree

davidk1394 wrote: »

Hello everyone. I saw a few dairy threads and decided I’d update on the year so far. The dry summer put a spanner in the works and the plan has changed a bit. Sold some sheep but the demand and price was poor. So we have decided to lamb down 400 in the spring and sell them at foot if we can. Also I decided to stay in Ireland. I don’t regret the decision and to be honest I’m happy out here.
I got a job offer on the dairy farms in Saudi but I sat down with my parents to discuss the options. I decided to stay here and get into cows.I had a man out talking about the layout of the yard and the farm to get a few ideas.
Rough figures going on milk prices, drawings and inputs. 100 cows will need to be milked on the farm. Getting quotes off different companies on cubicles, water tanks, slats, parlor, meal bin,fencing, concrete. It will cost €200-220k to convert the farmyard, sheds and fields from drystock to cows. That includes a grant on a parlor. I’ll go through figures in more detail next week.
But at the moment my main focus at the moment is to source good quality stock. I am undecided on whether to buy calves, heifers or lease cows. There’s pro’s and cons with both. What’s people’s thoughts ?

I know new entrants getting in for a lot less than that. Is the 220 including stock? As other posters have said use what you have, you can save series money by converting what you have.

davidk1394

That’s including stock. 3 straw bedded sheds and that’s its. All the old stone buildings will be knocked. Fencing, roadways, and digging tanks can be done by ourselves with very little cost. Adding an extra 2 spans onto a hay barn with a lean too either side. That will house 100 cubicles and an L shaped feed barrier on a slatted tank. Looking at putting in a 16 unit parlor

Dakota Dan

carrollsno1 wrote: »

A lad told me out here that you dont know how to work until you start losing money.

So that lad works harder when he loses money, I think he’s going the wrong way about it.

Dakota Dan

wrangler wrote: »

A friend has got similar figures for his development too and to expect a time frame of starting milking 2021, planning is notoriously slow and he's using a well known advisory crowd so they're probably very experienced.
He's early fifties and has told his son he'll only work for ten more years, he hopes to travel

Will his son be taking over in 10 years?

wrangler

Dakota Dan wrote: »

Will his son be taking over in 10 years?

Father and son working together for next ten years and then father says he'll be gone......might come back for the spring is the plan but intends to travel, the father would be a top farmer

davidk1394

wrangler wrote: »

Father and son working together for next ten years and then father says he'll be gone......might come back for the spring is the plan but intends to travel, the father would be a top farmer

If they get on and work well together it can be a very enjoyable 10 years. Going setting up a 5 year partnership here. Luckily both parents are excited about the new venture.

Buford T. Justice XIX

davidk1394 wrote: »

That’s including stock. 3 straw bedded sheds and that’s its. All the old stone buildings will be knocked. Fencing, roadways, and digging tanks can be done by ourselves with very little cost. Adding an extra 2 spans onto a hay barn with a lean too either side. That will house 100 cubicles and an L shaped feed barrier on a slatted tank. Looking at putting in a 16 unit parlor

If you can, leave a bit of room for a few more units at the back. It might never happen but, if it does, the hassle of doing it will be very small.

wrangler

davidk1394 wrote: »

If they get on and work well together it can be a very enjoyable 10 years. Going setting up a 5 year partnership here. Luckily both parents are excited about the new venture.

Very true, I know another case where the father won't let go even though they're in a partnership, father has loads money so it's not as if the son will leave him broke if he makes a costly error, I also hate hearing fathers complaining about their sons/daughters on the farm

carrollsno1

Dakota Dan wrote: »

So that lad works harder when he loses money, I think he’s going the wrong way about it.

Works smarter and more efficient was what i gathered.

Dakota Dan

wrangler wrote: »

I also hate hearing fathers complaining about their sons/daughters on the farm

I don’t have that problem as I have a son and daughter that have zero interest in farming.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Dakota Dan wrote: »

I don’t have that problem as I have a son and daughter that have zero interest in farming.

You could go again, Dan, third times a charm:D

wrangler

carrollsno1 wrote: »

Works smarter and more efficient was what i gathered.

Losing money concentrates the mind and that's for sure

Mooooo

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

You could go again, Dan, third times a charm:D

Land with twins who both want it then lol

Dakota Dan

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

You could go again, Dan, third times a charm:D

I’d have to trade in the wife to do that which would cost half the farm 😀

Water John

Dakota, with modern tech almost anything is possible. Just make sure a 'farm' gene is included this time.

carrollsno1

wrangler wrote: »

Losing money concentrates the mind and that's for sure

He was the worst person ive ever worked for, in terms of safety, wages (mediocre hourly rate and low hours) and everything was rushed but the job was still drawn out.

wrangler

carrollsno1 wrote: »

He was the worst person ive ever worked for, in terms of safety, wages (mediocre hourly rate and low hours) and everything was rushed but the job was still drawn out.

Who you talking about or have you quoted the wrong post