Working full time and farming

Mtx

Anyone else struggle to do it? , I work a good distance from home making it tough. Have you found ways to work around it? Or make it easier? Dry stock farm .

grassroot1

Mtx wrote: »

Anyone else struggle to do it? , I work a good distance from home making it tough. Have you found ways to work around it? Or make it easier? Dry stock farm .

Technology and addiction is the only way I keep going. It is complete madness but still very hard to stop

Reggie.

Mtx wrote: »

Anyone else struggle to do it? , I work a good distance from home making it tough. Have you found ways to work around it? Or make it easier? Dry stock farm .

Dry stick here. Only small scale. See it as a hobby really. Only way it can be done atm

tractorporn

Mtx wrote:

Anyone else struggle to do it? , I work a good distance from home making it tough. Have you found ways to work around it? Or make it easier? Dry stock farm .

It's a real struggle. Cutting cow numbers here to the BDGP reference and once the 5 years are up they are gone, the ewes too. Drystock is realistically the only way I can see farming and a full time job working out.

Cavanjack

It's a disease that there is no cure for.
Keep it simple. Drystock suits best if travelling a distance to work. Only a few groups of stock, cut out the rooting, spend money on things that will cut Your time doing jobs and use contractors as much as possible.
When You come home from work on a winters evening You don't want to have another nights slavery ahead of You. Plenty of lights, hanging gates and good wintering and handling facilities a must.

Reggie.

Cavanjack wrote: »

It's a disease that there is no cure for.
Keep it simple. Drystock suits best if travelling a distance to work. Only a few groups of stock, cut out the rooting, spend money on things that will cut Your time doing jobs and use contractors as much as possible.
When You come home from work on a winters evening You don't want to have another nights slavery ahead of You. Plenty of lights, hanging gates and good wintering and handling facilities a must.

Make it as much it a one man operation as ya can

Siamsa Sessions

Do many part-time people work full-time off-farm? As in, do you work 5 days a week and then farm part-time as well?

Or would it be more 3-4 days off-farm and then the rest on the farm?

kk.man

Have ewes and dry stock here. I tell ya I'm like a zombie going around and back to work on Tuesday. Don't think I'll lamb next year.

Dakota Dan

I know a few that were dairying with a full time job, I don't know how they did it. Life's too short for that misery.

Who2

I work full time, approximately 50 hrs per week and keep 50 sucklers. I went through a phase a year or two back where I couldn’t keep on top of things but I decided that if I was going to sacrifice other things in life to keep farming then I was going to try and do it as comfortably as possible. Extra gates, lights, calving camera, whatever was needed would be got and stop analyzing every last cent on the farm that I would spend. It’s made a huge reduction in the amount of effort I was having to put in. You get used to it . The real early morning is far better than pulling late in the evening, at least that way I get to see the kids a bit.

Mtx

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Do many part-time people work full-time off-farm? As in, do you work 5 days a week and then farm part-time as well?

Or would it be more 3-4 days off-farm and then the rest on the farm?

5 day week

Mtx

tractorporn wrote: »

Mtx wrote:

Anyone else struggle to do it? , I work a good distance from home making it tough. Have you found ways to work around it? Or make it easier? Dry stock farm .

It's a real struggle. Cutting cow numbers here to the BDGP reference and once the 5 years are up they are gone, the ewes too. Drystock is realistically the only way I can see farming and a full time job working out.

Bdgp reference?

Mtx

Who2 wrote: »

I work full time, approximately 50 hrs per week and keep 50 sucklers. I went through a phase a year or two back where I couldn’t keep on top of things but I decided that if I was going to sacrifice other things in life to keep farming then I was going to try and do it as comfortably as possible. Extra gates, lights, calving camera, whatever was needed would be got and stop analyzing every last cent on the farm that I would spend. It’s made a huge reduction in the amount of effort I was having to put in. You get used to it . The real early morning is far better than pulling late in the evening, at least that way I get to see the kids a bit.

How do you calve cows while being at work?

arctictree

Why have a full time job anyway? You are just working for the tax man. Better off to make the farm as profitable as possible and maybe have another part time source of income if needed.

Mtx

arctictree wrote: »

Why have a full time job anyway? You are just working for the tax man. Better off to make the farm as profitable as possible and maybe have another part time source of income if needed.

Full time farming won't ever come to close to my full time job. Maybe if you go into sheep in a big way. But who wants that misery?

Who2

arctictree wrote: »

Why have a full time job anyway? You are just working for the tax man. Better off to make the farm as profitable as possible and maybe have another part time source of income if needed.

That’s the great thing about farming it will keep the tax man well away.

memorystick

Who2 wrote: »

That’s the great thing about farming it will keep the tax man well away.

It's not as simple as that.


Keep drystock here and it's the only way. Putting in paddocks and hanging gates to make life simple. No maternity ward as don't live on farm and only go after work. It's working out for me.

Reggie.

memorystick wrote: »

It's not as simple as that.


Keep drystock here and it's the only way. Putting in paddocks and hanging gates to make life simple. No maternity ward as don't live on farm and only go after work. It's working out for me.

Same as that

Who2

memorystick wrote: »

It's not as simple as that.


Keep drystock here and it's the only way. Putting in paddocks and hanging gates to make life simple. No maternity ward as don't live on farm and only go after work. It's working out for me.

What’s not as simple?

tractorporn

Mtx wrote:

Bdgp reference?

We're in the scheme and you have to keep the number of cows from your reference year (Which for us is 30 cows) for the period of the scheme. We had 38 cows at the back end last year and had 4 empties earmarked for sale but then got locked up with TB. Gonna fatten those 4 and kill them and not replace them and hopefully sell 4 more once the calves are weaned.

Siamsa Sessions

arctictree wrote: »

Why have a full time job anyway? You are just working for the tax man. Better off to make the farm as profitable as possible and maybe have another part time source of income if needed.

That’s my thinking too. I work off-farm 4 days a week. We didn’t turn a profit since starting in late 2015 as we had to invest in stock, fencing, etc. but this year we will (in spite of the extended winter!)

So depending on what way finances go, I’d be looking to cut to 3 days a week off-farm rather than doing extra work and giving the extra cash to the taxman.

Mulumpy

I keep drystock as it ties in grand with my shift work job. Never gonna be rich but it's a relief to get out and away from the desk. An hour in the mornings and the odd day off keeps things going.

Panch18

Mulumpy wrote: »

I keep drystock as it ties in grand with my shift work job. Never gonna be rich but it's a relief to get out and away from the desk. An hour in the mornings and the odd day off keeps things going.

If I remember correctly you were dairying and working As well for a while?? How on earth did you do that?

Jimbo789

Is there any way of claiming back income tax as a PAYE worker if your farm business is making a loss?

Grueller

Jimbo789 wrote: »

Is there any way of claiming back income tax as a PAYE worker if your farm business is making a loss?

Yes. You must have the farm registered with the tax office though

anthony500_1

Work 39hr Mon to Fri here, 10min from home and job is very understanding if a cow needs checking they don't mind me tipping home to check her and if one is calving they just dock me the hours I'm gone. Small time farmer 8 cows, run a bull with them to cut down on watching for heats, have a further 8no, 12 to 30mth heifers, as I've said before here only started out in 2015, as another poster said due to setting up I've had to put all money earned back into farm, but that's the story with any startup business, I use a calving camera, I'm on agfood, in bord bia, not in glas or bdgp and I'm happy enough with the freedom it gives me that I'm not to tied entirely to the department and let's me do as I want with the farm. If my circumstances changed in the morning I'd hate to think I could not sell off the lot if needs be.

Dickie10

anyone ever annoyed by other farming people sort of whining at you for working off farm as well as farminig? its happened me twice in the last 6 months that girls have actually said "what the hell are u at?" didnt really want to go into my personal situation but i was a bit offended. lads dont seem to be as bad for some reason.

Mtx

Dickie10 wrote: »

anyone ever annoyed by other farming people sort of whining at you for working off farm as well as farminig? its happened me twice in the last 6 months that girls have actually said "what the hell are u at?" didnt really want to go into my personal situation but i was a bit offended. lads dont seem to be as bad for some reason.

People just think every farmer gets a large subsidy and in general most farmers are loaded.

Dickie10

yeah but these girls were from farms they should know better!

satstheway

I'm self employed and dairy as well.
I do sometimes wonder when on a Friday evening I'm working in someone's house at 6 (or later) and they say your working late for a friday and little do they know I have a minimum of 2 hours work to do at home after.

memorystick

Dickie10 wrote: »

anyone ever annoyed by other farming people sort of whining at you for working off farm as well as farminig? its happened me twice in the last 6 months that girls have actually said "what the hell are u at?" didnt really want to go into my personal situation but i was a bit offended. lads dont seem to be as bad for some reason.

Family are the worst.

squinn2912

Farm 55-60 sucklers running around 150 cattle at the moment. I’m a teacher and my father is a building contractor so st least there’s 2. Talking about cutting cows down but it would be a shame to do that too. Great when I’m off you haven’t a care in the world but during the calving season it’s heavy and concentrating in school can be a challenge

Mulumpy

Panch18 wrote:

If I remember correctly you were dairying and working As well for a while?? How on earth did you do that?

Ya was milking up to 2015. When your doing it you don't think about it too much. Looking back it was madness and no worse off now cos it was all going to taxman. Haven't milked a cow since and don't ever plan on it.

TwoOldBoots

Sure don't you need a good job to be a farmer, how else would it pay ?

squinn2912

Would make you think. Are you better off lettin ground and pens and keep a few dry stock every year just to keep your hand in it?

farawaygrass

tractorporn wrote: »

It's a real struggle. Cutting cow numbers here to the BDGP reference and once the 5 years are up they are gone, the ewes too. Drystock is realistically the only way I can see farming and a full time job working out.

Is this only the second year or third of bdgp1?

farawaygrass

Mtx wrote: »

Full time farming won't ever come to close to my full time job. Maybe if you go into sheep in a big way. But who wants that misery?

What’s sheep in a big way-300,500,1500?

Angus2018

How in the world can you guys work full time during calving season? The amount of work this spring with the bad weather and lack of grass paired with calving cows at all hours and the work needed then. What do you do when there is a problem? Or a calf won't suck? Or one starts calving and you have to go to work? Just curious cause that's a lot of pressure.

Siamsa Sessions

farawaygrass wrote: »

What’s sheep in a big way-300,500,1500?

If you can generate a margin of €60/ewe you’d need 500 to make €30k (before income tax)

tanko

farawaygrass wrote: »

Is this only the second year or third of bdgp1?

Its the fourth year out of six, BDGP 1 finishes at the end of 2020 i think.

Mtx

farawaygrass wrote: »

Mtx wrote: »

Full time farming won't ever come to close to my full time job. Maybe if you go into sheep in a big way. But who wants that misery?

What’s sheep in a big way-300,500,1500?

Over 400 at least

Mtx

squinn2912 wrote: »

Farm 55-60 sucklers running around 150 cattle at the moment. I’m a teacher and my father is a building contractor so st least there’s 2. Talking about cutting cows down but it would be a shame to do that too. Great when I’m off you haven’t a care in the world but during the calving season it’s heavy and concentrating in school can be a challenge

How do you manage this? 60 cows calving any hour of the day and two people working full time. I would sell dry stock and go back into sucklers if i could manage to do this. Sucklers actually worked for us.

AntrimGlens

Going to go on a bit of a rant here, so bear with me.

I work FT and try to keep the farm, fences and handling facilities in as good as condition as i can (afford) just to make things as easy and labour efficient as possible.
However i have one neighbour who i have a boundary with that could be a mile long, between hill ground, mountain and field ground. Now over the past ten years i have re-fenced all the mountain and some fields that march his. However i refuse to do any more as he won't even offer to help with the fencing labour never mind buy any fencing materials, or offer the use of his digger to drive in strainers etc. There's a couple of bits of scrub ground that i outwinter hoggets on because its limestone rock and good and dry for feeding them on, but its very very rocky and steep. About 100 yards of the old fence is broken with trees falling from his side onto the fence and about twenty of my hoggs were constantly going through to his side and i said to him one day when i was getting them out that we need to fix this fence this spring. He never said anything, so when i was leaving i said it again and he still never said anything, as i knew he wouldn't.

Anyway i went off this morning to gather up the four remaining hoggs from his bit as i moved everything into field ground at the weekend and these ladies had evaded me.

Well what a fcuking torture that was. I got them into one of his fields and then tried to get them out after mixing with his ewes and lambs. There is not a single gate on his place that isn't held together by twine and i don't mean its just tied closed with twine or rope, the rusted broken bars are tied to the one above with wire or twine, none of them are hung using a hanger, all tied in untieable knots and the fences are a couple of strands of rusted broken barb that are also tied up using twine.

If there's a big gap, then he's usually cut a whin bush or sally tree and used it to block the gap, which is alright when its fresh and in bloom, but when the flowers and spines fall off then it has absolutely no gap blocking properties.

The sheds are held together with whatever bits and pieces he can source off a building site as he's a joiner and then mcgivered to make some contraption. Upturned pig crates seem to make up the largest item used for sheep hurdles around the yard and the whole place just looks like a post apocalypse scene. Well it took me over an hour to try and get my ewes out and in the end i had to give up as i hadn't a knife to cut twines and gates fell over and my dog just stood and looked at me as if to say fook this.

How anyone would possibly have the patience to try and farm in these conditions when they're out working is beyond my comprehension.

And yes i know it's none of my business how he operates, but i've given up caring today if my sheep break into him just because he won't offer to fix march fences.

Rant over...

Panch18

Mulumpy wrote: »

Ya was milking up to 2015. When your doing it you don't think about it too much. Looking back it was madness and no worse off now cos it was all going to taxman. Haven't milked a cow since and don't ever plan on it.

Good man, it’s one thing being a slave to the farm but when you’re a slave to the taxman as well then it’s time to have a re-think

It’s amazing how many lads say thy don’t miss the cows 1 but once they get out, maybe that says something

tractorporn

tanko wrote:

Its the fourth year out of six, BDGP 1 finishes at the end of 2020 i think.

Yeah everyone is contracted up to 31/12/20

squinn2912

Mtx wrote: »

squinn2912 wrote: »

Farm 55-60 sucklers running around 150 cattle at the moment. I’m a teacher and my father is a building contractor so st least there’s 2. Talking about cutting cows down but it would be a shame to do that too. Great when I’m off you haven’t a care in the world but during the calving season it’s heavy and concentrating in school can be a challenge

How do you manage this? 60 cows calving any hour of the day and two people working full time. I would sell dry stock and go back into sucklers if i could manage to do this. Sucklers actually worked for us.

Well 35 calve in spring and 20-25 autumn. It varies slightly year on year with heifers empties and whatnot. You’re gonna laugh at me but we don’t have cameras either. We’ve lost 1 set of twins this year so we don’t lose many. My was out of action in Jan and some of feb and we had a death in the family on NYE (in England so the funeral dragged out 3 weeks). So this was a stretched year. We do a few things I suppose. Cows are always in good nick for calving - minerals etc. calving pen is up to standard though not perfect. We have good easy calving lim bulls. Usually we share the night shifts. We help most cows but a fair few calve themselves. If there’s a need during the day then my father stays about home and farms and he can instruct the boys on site. Building is a bit slower now and he usually works local. We have great neighbours and now and again get a hand and that’s aboit it I guess.

Farm365

Has anyone tried synchronizing cows? I was thinking of running a teaser ram with the ewes and pulling the rams after 3 wks to tighten up lambing and synchronizing the cows. I can take two weeks off work in Spring and it would be great to have the majority of the lambing and calving done in those two weeks.

Sheep breeder

Angus2018 wrote: »

How in the world can you guys work full time during calving season? The amount of work this spring with the bad weather and lack of grass paired with calving cows at all hours and the work needed then. What do you do when there is a problem? Or a calf won't suck? Or one starts calving and you have to go to work? Just curious cause that's a lot of pressure.

Choice of cow and the bull is the key and have the cows fit to calf and feed cows at night to push out night calving.

grassroot1

I dont find the calving to be the problem its the scour outbreak or pneumonia or tractor that wont start that fecks things up.
We coil the cows here but its more to cut down the labour for AI rather than calving. The coiled cows will calve over about 3 weeks so you need plenty of calving pens.

tanko

How much does that cost per cow?
What percentage of them is it sucessful with?

charolais0153

tanko wrote: »

How much does that cost per cow?
What percentage of them is it sucessful with?

Its 25 per cow with our vet. Success varies. Its aroumd 60%