your aims for 2017

whelan2

For 2017 I hope to
-Spread more lime
-Pay myself a bit more
-Get more milk from the cows I have
-Build new cubicle sheds for cows

Welding Rod

Do less work.
Drink more.

mahoney_j

Sell 7500 Ltrs per cow
Sell 600 kg ms per cow
Keep feed cost under 5 cent per litre
Get bull into ai
Strike a deal to buy 50% of next winters dry. Cow feed
Auto feeder and modify calf shed for spring 2018
Lots more I'll add later !!

blackdog1

mahoney_j wrote:

Sell 7500 Ltrs per cow Sell 600 kg ms per cow Keep feed cost under 5 cent per litre Get bull into ai Strike a deal to buy 50% of next winters dry. Cow feed Auto feeder and modify calf shed for spring 2018 Lots more I'll add later !!

Auto feeder will probably let you control feed costs and help you increase milk production more, on my list too but probably not for a year or 2 got cubicles to do first.

Keepgrowing

blackdog1 wrote: »

Auto feeder will probably let you control feed costs and help you increase milk production more, on my list too but probably not for a year or 2 got cubicles to do first.

What's an auto feeder?

mahoney_j

Keepgrowing wrote: »

What's an auto feeder?

For calves

degetme

Sucessfuly transfer farm assets from one generation to the next generation without Any upheaval so we can be all happy

Who2

I hope to be able to navigate the yard without getting covered in ****e. I also hope to be able to do a share of building work on the farm and have the farm pay for it and other than that come out the end of next year as content as I feel today. I'm pretty much loan free going into 17 and it feels great.

orm0nd

retire (officially)

Base price

Spend more time with my Mam (in NCD) and give my Sister a break as she looks after Mam full time. Unfortunately Mam has become more confused in the last few weeks and the incidences are happening on a daily basis.
Improve grass management and get OH on board with it. I finally got him to use a fencing reel and pigtails this Summer.
Get my C licence.
Keep the little business going.
Try and make time to get the boat out more often to do a bit of fishing.

Mooooo

Roadway and reseeding no1,
Tighten spring calving,
Get more help in/take time off
Increase accommodation for.stock
Find a woman to pay for it all

Base price

Mooooo wrote: »

Roadway and reseeding no1,
Tighten spring calving,
Get more help in/take time off
Increase accommodation for.stock
Find a woman to pay for it all

You probably have a better chance buying a Lottery ticket

KatyMac

Seriously thinking of getting an angus bull - fed up trying to catch cows while running to work, and then trying to juggle time so that I'm there for AI man, unfortunately OH not so keen as all he can think of is how dangerous a bull can be.

Buford T. Justice XIX

mahoney_j wrote: »

Sell 7500 Ltrs per cow
Sell 600 kg ms per cow
Keep feed cost under 5 cent per litre
Get bull into ai
Strike a deal to buy 50% of next winters dry. Cow feed
Auto feeder and modify calf shed for spring 2018
Lots more I'll add later !!

I'm just after biting that bullet this evening:)

I'm aiming to spread a lot of lime this year (and the next few too) and reseed close to 20 acres with a small bit of drainage (250m) hopefully and I'm thinking of extending a farm road (150m) to improve access to silage ground.

I would expect to close up the calving spread a lot this year now I have a handle on selenium and iodine deficiencies.

Other than that, do a few courses this year and spend a bit more time with the family as well.

I said

Spend more time with the kids. I've the place fully fenced so more paddock grazing let the cattle follow for fresh grass.
More lime and grow more grass.

A cow called Daisy

Similar to last year
Non-farm
(a) Try and maintain or improve health
(b) Get secession sorted
(c) Try and get an interest in what I'm at

Farm related
(a) See point c above
(b) Reduce work load through getting help even one day a week

Miscellaneous
(a) Quit posting irrelevant crap on boards

If I do 1 out of 6 I'd be happy enough.

darragh_haven

Nuclear option here. Get busy living or get busy dying. But nothing is changing till very late 2017, its either enter dairying or slowly wind down the beef enterprise and lease out the farm.

Buford T. Justice XIX

darragh_haven wrote: »

Nuclear option here. Get busy living or get busy dying. But nothing is changing till very late 2017, its either enter dairying or slowly wind down the beef enterprise and lease out the farm.

They're big long term decisions, Darragh. It's not an easy one to decide on.

I was on a farm on Tuesday to look at automatic calf feeders and the farmer took me to see the robots. I wouldn't have ever thought of them as an option until he started giving me a breakdown of the costings and management and I would say it might be an option for a lot of farms in the next five or so years. Just something to keep in mind as an option anyway.

Best of luck with it whichever way you decide to go.

Keepgrowing

Get bottom performing paddocks to above average line.
Sell 2000 Kgs Ms per ha that would be 1500 on whole farm
Set 30 acres of rye grass with red clover in silage ground
Get more of the first calvers back in calf
Maintain fixed costs at current level
Reseed 30% of farm
Resurface some more roadways
Streamline calf rearing further
Restart milk recording
Plant a new hedge at farm entrance
Extend the bale area
Work smarter

visatorro

Non farming related.

Give up fags
Lose weight
Sort out a couple of health issues
More sex (not with myself)
More days out with kids
Worry even less about what I can't control
Give as little money to solicitors as possible

Base price

KatyMac wrote: »

Seriously thinking of getting an angus bull - fed up trying to catch cows while running to work, and then trying to juggle time so that I'm there for AI man, unfortunately OH not so keen as all he can think of is how dangerous a bull can be.

I can understand your OH's concerns. However I have had several stock bulls over the years and only had one with an iffy temperament and he didn't last long about the place.
If a bulls temperament is iffy - cull him. If you are not comfortable walking through your herd cause he is making his presence apparent - cull him.
As an aside a local suckler farmer with 60+ cows has replaced both stock bulls - Lim and CH - with 2 Angus bulls . Only reason that I know it is because I did the runs to collect them in the jeep/trailer. He bought an older experienced bull (5/6yo) ex a dairy herd from Mayo and a younger bull nearer to his home.

Timmaay

Base price wrote: »

Spend more time with my Mam (in NCD) and give my Sister a break as she looks after Mam full time. Unfortunately Mam has become more confused in the last few weeks and the incidences are happening on a daily basis.
Improve grass management and get OH on board with it. I finally got him to use a fencing reel and pigtails this Summer.
Get my C licence.
Keep the little business going.
Try and make time to get the boat out more often to do a bit of fishing.

Know the feeling, my mum has spent 3yrs battling stomach cancer, really degraded her quality of life. I got offered a month volunteering abroad next summer but decided to defer it for a year or so, family is more important.

On the farm front, build a new slatted tank and shed extension (to upgrade of the existing setup, but without too much hassle I can add in another 60 cubicles if needed moving forward)

Soil tests tell me I still need plenty of lime, p and k, drive on forward with the application of all 3. Continue reseeding 10/15% of the farm (direct drill, and do this in early summer)

Add on another 10/12 milkers. Pull back the end of breeding by 2wks. Prescan all cows who have difficulty calvings (18% empty rate unacceptable next year to say the least).

On a personal front, finish off my new "farm office" (converting the old milking parlour at the min). Do more outside of the farm, I'm involved in a local sports club, and another charity group from my college days, both extremely rewarding work. The cows will always be here and looked after, my time won't necessarily be!

simx

Spread more lime
Reseed a bit
Maybe get a slurry tank
Sell all calves out of yard
Give up fags
Have tighter calving
Cull hard any cows don't like(have nice few replacements in 2018)
Spend plenty time with family
Have farm bit more effiencent
Stop buying machinery
Make quality silage if possible

darragh_haven

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

They're big long term decisions, Darragh. It's not an easy one to decide on.

I was on a farm on Tuesday to look at automatic calf feeders and the farmer took me to see the robots. I wouldn't have ever thought of them as an option until he started giving me a breakdown of the costings and management and I would say it might be an option for a lot of farms in the next five or so years. Just something to keep in mind as an option anyway.

Best of luck with it whichever way you decide to go.

Big decision alright, my full time job is going to dictate it really. And my dad has to be on board with it too. But interesting times ahead.

Muckit

..... to hit the bowl first time, every time.

simx

Muckit wrote: »

..... to hit the bowl first time, every time.

Ah me man ya may try at least be realistic with your goals

kevthegaff

simx wrote:

Spread more lime Reseed a bit Maybe get a slurry tank Sell all calves out of yard Give up fags Have tighter calving Cull hard any cows don't like(have nice few replacements in 2018) Spend plenty time with family Have farm bit more effiencent Stop buying machinery Make quality silage if possible

5 and 11 are tough ones

cacs

whelan2 wrote: »

For 2017 I hope to
-Spread more lime
-Pay myself a bit more
-Get more milk from the cows I have
-Build new cubicle sheds for cows

Grow more grass
Reseed
Lime
Increase stocking rate

Reggie.

For me..
It's to increase the contractor side of things.
Invest in a twin rotor rake
Get into min till reseeding
Try to increase/grow the business more
Get healthy again

Pretty much abandoned increasing cattle side of things

simx

kevthegaff wrote: »

5 and 11 are tough ones

11 might be easier ha

visatorro

darragh_haven wrote: »

Big decision alright, my full time job is going to dictate it really. And my dad has to be on board with it too. But interesting times ahead.

What does Mrs haven think of milking?
Will she feed calves if you're on a Job overseas?!?!

rangler1

darragh_haven wrote: »

Big decision alright, my full time job is going to dictate it really. And my dad has to be on board with it too. But interesting times ahead.

Probably more efficient to concentrate on your full time job, and fairer on your employer too (if you're not selfemployed) not to have distractions.
Be a long time before you'll have a fulltime income out of dairying, very easy waste ten years farming nowadays

carrollsno1

Non farm related keep up the gym work push myself as hard as I can leave the rugby league fighting try find a woman who can put up with my sh#t spose I'd be hoping to travel again this year new New Zealand this time hopefully if I don't do it this year ill try get more involved in macra at a national level maybe

Mulumpy

Pretty much same as last year.
Keep head above water farming.
Keep looking for payrise in work.
Keep family happy and healthy.

patsy_mccabe

Farmwise -
Increase suckler cow numbers a little
Spread lime
Do some drainage
Some building work

farisfat

darragh_haven wrote: »

Big decision alright, my full time job is going to dictate it really. And my dad has to be on board with it too. But interesting times ahead.

I started milking in 2015 like yourself it was let the farm or run myself into the ground trying to keep everything going.

Happy with the decision i made income is down alot but Im in the house every evening now.i was a stranger to the kids before now.
I also was in a good financial place with very little borrowings and alot of valuable stock to sell at the time.

I said

I said wrote: »

Spend more time with the kids. I've the place fully fenced so more paddock grazing let the cattle follow for fresh grass.
More lime and grow more grass.

If not this year next more slatted accommodation

Dozer1

1) keep fighting the idiots in the council to get planning for a house
2) get money from somewhere to build it
3) keep cow numbers at current rate and cull hard
4) try enjoy life a bit more currently its tough small baby in the house and busy at work so its all toil for me and the wife
5) buy a tractor to a) speed up jobs and b) increase comfort
6) finish GLAS work
7) figure out do I build another shed or put a tank somewhere that it might be in the way in years to come
8) finish off putting in paddocks

if I got 1, 2 and 4 done I'd be happy

Bellview

Bought some land near house so need to do some fencing ploughing and building in 17... to hit all I need to get to be really good buddies with a bank manager

GrasstoMilk

- Reduce spring breeding season to 10 weeks
while keeping the 7% empty rate
- Renegotiate lease on outfarm and reseed it fully
- Take a holiday
- Reseed last 20 acres of MP that hasn't seen a
plough in 50 years
- Get whole farm MS up over 1000/ha
- Grow 16t of grass on MP ( mightn't happen with
all those acres out for 6-8weeks)
- Get the 5 acres of overgrown scrub ground we
cleared 6 years ago into grass production
- Get meal fed per cow back to about 500kgs
with the use of maize silage and quality bales
at shoulders
- Hit 90% calves in 6 weeks

I've a busy year ahead
Few more to add to that too

flutered

for me its a simple one, i hope to celebrate the ringing in of 2018

trixi2011

1 . Hope to stay fit and healthy
2. Have a successful first year in business/ farming in my own right
3. Getting married all going well
4. reduce meal fed while maintaining output per cow
5 get the farm looking the way I want it
6 Try and reduce lameness
7 be in a position to increase  my stock numbers again this year
8 keep in touch with friend and family at home more often
9 Stay off the smokes

ABlur

Buy low and sell high

pedigree 6

Build an office in the farmyard for the ever increasing paperwork and not have Bord Bia and dept officials going over work at the kitchen table.

(I might put this new gas cooker in it as well).

Grueller

visatorro wrote: »

Non farming related.

Give up fags
Lose weight
Sort out a couple of health issues
More sex (not with myself)
More days out with kids
Worry even less about what I can't control
Give as little money to solicitors as possible

All very noble aims.

WexfordFarmer

Drink more and smoke less and buy in a 40 calfs or so :cool:

Mooooo

pedigree 6 wrote: »

Build an office in the farmyard for the ever increasing paperwork and not have Bord Bia and dept officials going over work at the kitchen table.

(I might put this new gas cooker in it as well).

Will it work without power for the safety switches

pedigree 6

Mooooo wrote: »

Will it work without power for the safety switches

I still haven't got it plumbed up yet (as weather not as bad as forecasted early on) but it looks like it will work without power. There is a plug on the back but I think it only works a light and the clicker.

farmerjj

My aim would be to have the same year as this with milk to go up in price by a third or more so I can finish what I started this yr

Ashill5

Hope to do an extra bit of fencing, spread lime, buy in about 20 texel ewes & improving grass.

Non farm related
Lose a bit of weight

Grueller

Farm related :
Knock and replace a temporary shed that was threw up 20 years ago.
Get 4t/ac lime out in two dressings on the out farm.
Culling those cows that are over 400 days calving interval.

Non farm related:
I love running and want to make more time to do it. However I am 6'2"/3" and weigh 13st even so I want to maintain weight when doing it as I look like ano Auschwitz survivor when I go under 12st 10lb.