Plans for 2020

whelan2

farawaygrass wrote: »

I hate it too. Herself does Tesco online now most weeks. Saves an awful lot of hassle especially with young ones.

I find if I have someone to help me bring the stuff in out of the car when I get home it's not as bad. Pain in the hole though the whole process

K.G.

Base price wrote: »

Same as turf

1 lifting
2 turning
3 loading into the trailer

4 unloading off the trailer

5 filling the bucket/scuttle for the fire

6 throwing them into the fire
7 carrying the ashes from the grate

I said to someone lately id be.more lonesome for the coal than the timber uf the stove ban came in.but they said you have the timber free.it is hole by the time you have in the fire its away dearer

Lime Tree Farm

whelan2 wrote: »

I find if I have someone to help me bring the stuff in out of the car when I get home it's not as bad. Pain in the hole though the whole process

I find that I buy too many special offers, arrive home and try cramming them into the fridge or the freezer.

Water John

Lists are a great discipline. Makes a lot of tasks easier and unclutters the brain.
It's half done once it's down on paper.

Lime Tree Farm

Water John wrote: »

Lists are a great discipline. Makes a lot of tasks easier and unclutters the brain.
It's half done once it's down on paper.

can't teach an old dog new tricks, Chocolate Santas were half price today in Aldi, 65Cent, indulged in a half with a cup of coffee.

Dinzee Conlee

Water John wrote: »

Lists are a great discipline. Makes a lot of tasks easier and unclutters the brain.
It's half done once it's down on paper.

I don’t mind doing the grocery shop, but would always have a list. You do tend to come home with ****e and no proper meals unless you have a list...

But then, I also like lists

Water John

Blue, as I'm new to this red clover crop, how many bales per acre should I expect over the four cuts?

mr.stonewall

Water John wrote: »

Blue, as I'm new to this red clover crop, how many bales per acre should I expect over the four cuts?

Ps blue what type seed mix Italian,prg or hybrid and where to you get the seed

tractorporn

Water John wrote: »

Blue, as I'm new to this red clover crop, how many bales per acre should I expect over the four cuts?

I have just over 260 bales of RC silage from just over 9 acres cut 4 times this year. Although the last cut might be mostly water. I think when going again I will just go with a short term ley mix and add white clover to it to allow a bit of flexibility for cutting and grazing, instead of the red clover.

Water John

I was being conservative and budgeting for 18. That's good news. I'm going organic, so no bag fertiliser.
Thanks for that.
If I buy weanlings each year to finish, I'll have to budget silage for 2 winters.
Alt is to buy year old cattle, in the spring. It's the price difference v's the cost of the bales. I'm budgeting 2/2.5 bales per weanling.

roosterman71

My plans for the farm was to continue as per last year. But the father is thinking of renting out the place. Has been made an offer to set it to a beef man. If it happens, that will be the end of our farm. It would mean a sale of machinery and tools in the next year or 2 then as well. So I'm a bit all over the shop as to what's best

Ard_MC

roosterman71 wrote: »

My plans for the farm was to continue as per last year. But the father is thinking of renting out the place. Has been made an offer to set it to a beef man. If it happens, that will be the end of our farm. It would mean a sale of machinery and tools in the next year or 2 then as well. So I'm a bit all over the shop as to what's best

Is it your Dad that's farming it or have you any interest in it apart from the machinery side?

wrangler

roosterman71 wrote: »

My plans for the farm was to continue as per last year. But the father is thinking of renting out the place. Has been made an offer to set it to a beef man. If it happens, that will be the end of our farm. It would mean a sale of machinery and tools in the next year or 2 then as well. So I'm a bit all over the shop as to what's best

There's probably more available so put it on the open market at least, Your enetitlements will be at risk too after next CAP reform in 2001, they're unlikely to be left with landlords

roosterman71

Ard_MC wrote: »

Is it your Dad that's farming it or have you any interest in it apart from the machinery side?

It's a team effort. Our business is grass - grow grass and supply it as bales (silage/hay) to others around so they don't have to. It's a good business, and makes a bit of money for us. So most of the time there isn't a huge workload to be done. And it's me who does it!

wrangler wrote: »

There's probably more available so put it on the open market at least, Your enetitlements will be at risk too after next CAP reform in 2001, they're unlikely to be left with landlords

True. It's just so a big decision. Big change to our family. And I'd be half afraid if someone else had it, it would mean my father would have less to be at and to keep himself occupied, which would lead to more sitting on his arse and eventually the mind will go, and nature takes it's course.

wrangler

roosterman71 wrote: »

It's a team effort. Our business is grass - grow grass and supply it as bales (silage/hay) to others around so they don't have to. It's a good business, and makes a bit of money for us. So most of the time there isn't a huge workload to be done. And it's me who does it!


True. It's just so a big decision. Big change to our family. And I'd be half afraid if someone else had it, it would mean my father would have less to be at and to keep himself occupied, which would lead to more sitting on his arse and eventually the mind will go, and nature takes it's course.

I take it that you've a job and help out in your free time, otherwise you wouldn't consider setting leasing, I farmed for 50 years and was sick of it, maybe your father is the same
I amuse myself now at maintenance and fencing etc, I'm sure your father wouldn't be idle either.

alps

roosterman71 wrote: »

My plans for the farm was to continue as per last year. But the father is thinking of renting out the place. Has been made an offer to set it to a beef man. If it happens, that will be the end of our farm. It would mean a sale of machinery and tools in the next year or 2 then as well. So I'm a bit all over the shop as to what's best

If you're interested in farming, make him an offer to lease it. Let him know you want a go at it. If its leased out to another party, it'll end up like many of the sob stories going on another thread.

Act decisive and fast....dont let the notions of leasing out fester, while you are still a relevant player...

Water John

There needs to be a good discussion there, Rooster. A third party, your father would trust might need to be brought in on the discussion.

funkey_monkey

How old are you Roosterman - 49? Are there any siblings involved?

Was this a decision he came to without discussion with yourself and what is his rationale for renting it out? If your business is to supply grass, what do you do with the land in the winter months?

I'd agree with the above - sit him down (with a 3rd party as a mediator if either of you are a bit headstrong and short-fused) and go over the reasons for renting and put out a plan for yourself to take it over - if that is what you want to do.

roosterman71

Ah it was just an offer that was made when bills were being paid. He's just thinking about it. 75% of the place is already rented out. The rest is for the other job of silage/hay (and to answer a question, the place is rented for sheep in the back end of the year).

I was just kinda taken aback by the suggestion. I mean just last year we bought a new tractor. Have a relatively new mower, rake and bale handler too. Not to mention the tanker we got last January. So to suggest abandoning all that investment was a shock to the system!

It's probably the way things will go eventually. He's getting older, I'm not there all week either. And when he's not able to get out and about, the place would go to ruin!

Agreed though, we need a chat on things. It must be the hardest chat for anyone to bring up. Any tips?

wrangler

roosterman71 wrote: »

Ah it was just an offer that was made when bills were being paid. He's just thinking about it. 75% of the place is already rented out. The rest is for the other job of silage/hay (and to answer a question, the place is rented for sheep in the back end of the year).

I was just kinda taken aback by the suggestion. I mean just last year we bought a new tractor. Have a relatively new mower, rake and bale handler too. Not to mention the tanker we got last January. So to suggest abandoning all that investment was a shock to the system!

It's probably the way things will go eventually. He's getting older, I'm not there all week either. And when he's not able to get out and about, the place would go to ruin!

Agreed though, we need a chat on things. It must be the hardest chat for anyone to bring up. Any tips?

Mightn't be that hard to bring it up, it's obviously on his mind,
Not saying that it's the same as here but I bought a new tractor in 2016 here for my retirement, looks mad but a few months after buying it I collapsed one day dipping sheep and when investigated I was told I had to cut back, simple as that, I'm at the stage now if I put in any effort I don't feel well.

_Brian

Farm: if the digger is close by we may do another bit of drainage, some soil sampling and get some lime out. Plant some trees. Kill more rushes.

Work: just keep tipping away, it’s not a dynamic job, no progression or promotion involved so just do the job and go home.

Personal: keep up activity, dropped 4kg year gone, down 16kg from my heaviest, hope to drop another 4kg this year and then hold.
Towards back end of year hoping to buy a van and diy a campervan over next winter. Keep stress and insomnia under control.

Jb1989

_Brian wrote: »

Farm: if the digger is close by we may do another bit of drainage, some soil sampling and get some lime out. Plant some trees. Kill more rushes.

Work: just keep tipping away, it’s not a dynamic job, no progression or promotion involved so just do the job and go home.

Personal: keep up activity, dropped 4kg year gone, down 16kg from my heaviest, hope to drop another 4kg this year and then hold.
Towards back end of year hoping to buy a van and diy a campervan over next winter. Keep stress and insomnia under control.

Buy another van or is your new to you van not ideal?

Gods Gift

On the keeping fit thing. Everyone has Fitbits now and on st Stephens day was out with gf, and her friends were takin the piss out of me cause I’m a farmer sitting on my arse all day on a tractor. One said she got in her 3000 steps. My gf asked for my phone which is an iPhone 7. She showed me the health thing on it which counts your steps. Me the farmer sitting on my arse in the tractor all day done 14000 steps up to 7pm that day. 11000 Xmas day. Averaging 17000 the previous weeek.
Seemingly 7000 is average in Ireland.
I’d say there are farmers doing 3 times that.

_Brian

Jb1989 wrote: »

Buy another van or is your new to you van not ideal?

Buy another van.
I recently bought a Peugeot Partner, but I’m planning to buy a large van and convert it into a 4 berth camper.
Not sure what yet, Boxer-Ducato-Expert-Sprinter are all on the mix.

Grueller

Gods Gift wrote: »

On the keeping fit thing. Everyone has Fitbits now and on st Stephens day was out with gf, and her friends were takin the piss out of me cause I’m a farmer sitting on my arse all day on a tractor. One said she got in her 3000 steps. My gf asked for my phone which is an iPhone 7. She showed me the health thing on it which counts your steps. Me the farmer sitting on my arse in the tractor all day done 14000 steps up to 7pm that day. 11000 Xmas day. Averaging 17000 the previous weeek.
Seemingly 7000 is average in Ireland.
I’d say there are farmers doing 3 times that.

I don't know the steps but I have averaged 21km per day over the Christmas holidays. But I also ate to compensate for it and now I fear the scales.

_Brian

Grueller wrote: »

I don't know the steps but I have averaged 21km per day over the Christmas holidays. But I also ate to compensate for it and now I fear the scales.

Never fear the scales, it’s just a measurement, what you can measure you can change.

Grueller

_Brian wrote: »

Never fear the scales, it’s just a measurement, what you can measure you can change.

Ah yeah I know that better than most. I am now 87kg but I was 106kg at my best. I was grading a U but in danger of being cut on fat score.
I have been as low as 81kg when training but it is too light to maintain except when doing north of 50 miles a week.
I am 6'3" by the way so not in bad shape per se but not in as good as I would like. I am back out on the road again with a 10 mile road race in April in my sights and want to be back in half marathon shape for a June race.

Mooooo

Got a fit bit at Xmas as well, dunno how accurate it is. Hitting 10k steps only doing half days work at the minute. We prob do more work moving our arms than others do so prob pushes the count up. Will be interesting come spring time. Also need to get fit here, not fierce over weight prob a half stone or a bit with it but eat too much rubbish. Have heifers eating out of a bale trailer in a yard and was turning them in out of the way to move it and clean up and they were right giddy, I was near out of breath chasing em around the yard. It's the heart and lungs I need to work on and keep healthy. If I can get a routine going that I can call back into after Feb to mid March period

mahoney_j

Mooooo wrote: »

Got a fit bit at Xmas as well, dunno how accurate it is. Hitting 10k steps only doing half days work at the minute. We prob do more work moving our arms than others do so prob pushes the count up. Will be interesting come spring time. Also need to get fit here, not fierce over weight prob a half stone or a bit with it but eat too much rubbish. Have heifers eating out of a bale trailer in a yard and was turning them in out of the way to move it and clean up and they were right giddy, I was near out of breath chasing em around the yard. It's the heart and lungs I need to work on and keep healthy. If I can get a routine going that I can call back into after Feb to mid March period

According to the step thing in my I phone last spring was clocking up 25/37 k steps most days last week/10 days 7/12 k per day

whelan2

I dont think the Fitbit are really accurate. Have a Garmin watch, got it from one of the kids. The fitbit added on steps when I'm driving the tractor or digger. Vary from 10k to 30k steps a day here. A good few days I'd have more steps than eldest lad who runs every evening