Zero grazing

Bass Reeves

Tonynewholland wrote: »

Everyone is different some people love work and it’s what makes them happy.

Loads of farmers complain if being time poor and workload. Having a lifestyle costs money. It costs money to retire. I am retired , I reckon it cost me 100-150k in real terms to retire now as opposed to working to 65. You cannot have it both ways

richie123

Tonynewholland wrote: »

Everyone is different some people love work and it’s what makes them happy.

When you have lots of them types of people they **** it up for everyone else.
Larry Goodman loves them ..sure where else would he get his cheap supply of beef ?

Tonynewholland

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Loads of farmers complain if being time poor and workload. Having a lifestyle costs money. It costs money to retire. I am retired , I reckon it cost me 100-150k in real terms to retire now as opposed to working to 65. You cannot have it both ways

I don’t see what retiring has to do with it. The point was some people not just farmers like to work and it makes them happy.

Tonynewholland

richie123 wrote: »

When you have lots of them types of people they **** it up for everyone else.
Larry Goodman loves them ..sure where else would he get his cheap supply of beef ?

Retired people keep cattle part time people with good off farm jobs keep cattle dairy farmers are also in the beef game in some form but it’s the lads that work to hard that have the price of beef where it is today 🙄

Jb1989

Tonynewholland wrote: »

Retired people keep cattle part time people with good off farm jobs keep cattle dairy farmers are also in the beef game in some form but it’s the lads that work to hard that have the price of beef where it is today 🙄

Any farmer complaining about beef prices simply needs to bow out of beef themselves.
Well and good complaining about part timers and retired pulling down prices, but the full time guys are doing the same.
Every beef farmer is just another number, with their scale haveing little difference on finishing price.

Don't like beef price? Then don't supply.

I know I won't, from now on.

Bass Reeves

Tonynewholland wrote: »

I don’t see what retiring has to do with it. The point was some people not just farmers like to work and it makes them happy.

Lifestyle choices cost money is the point I am making. Trying to do everything yourself is unsustainable long-term. If anything goes wrong it's a total f@@kup.

My point about MF's zero grazer is that lads don't compare like for like. If any business cannot sustain reasonable cost thinking that buying a machine will change the economics is not necessarily the answer. It unlikely that he is buying the exact same size as the contractor. Contractors vary some are good some are below average. Often it's a case of finding a he right lad.

Dinzee Conlee

richie123 wrote: »

When you have lots of them types of people they **** it up for everyone else.
Larry Goodman loves them ..sure where else would he get his cheap supply of beef ?

Not having a go Richie - but Larry is getting cheap beef from everyone... if you supplied beef cheap last year, and you got back into the beef game again this year, with all the price uncertainty about - what does that say?

Like I say, not having a go. I am only a hobby farmer, so maybe my view is skewed too...

richie123

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Not having a go Richie - but Larry is getting cheap beef from everyone... if you supplied beef cheap last year, and you got back into the beef game again this year, with all the price uncertainty about - what does that say?

Like I say, not having a go. I am only a hobby farmer, so maybe my view is skewed too...

Your finest ...Im talking specifically about machines not hobby/partime lads.machines that work 24/7 and then wonder why they need the knee done or hip replaced at 60.
Doing 3 times the work of a normal hard working person.

richie123

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Not having a go Richie - but Larry is getting cheap beef from everyone... if you supplied beef cheap last year, and you got back into the beef game again this year, with all the price uncertainty about - what does that say?

Like I say, not having a go. I am only a hobby farmer, so maybe my view is skewed too...

And I will hold my hands up I supply beef for half nothing too ...but I have cut back a lot and stopped winter finishing.

Bass Reeves

richie123 wrote: »

And I will hold my hands up I supply beef for half nothing too ...but I have cut back a lot and stopped winter finishing.

The lads ahead if the game are stopping winter finishing. Margins are too low in it. However when a calf hits the ground if it is not exported as a calf or a weanling then he will end up hanging in a factory cold room.

At this stage all any lad can do is have a margin and maintain it. I have no issue with a lad using a few cattle to draw his payments or keep control of his place. Like you I got out of winter finishing as there was no margin in it when you replaced them in springtime. Ya I have a few left over every year that get hung out of the shed around Christmas. This year I had 70 in total and over 10 are being slaughtered out if the shed. I reduced my store numbers to 60 so as to get this number back to 4-6 cattle.
With Friesians you might be as well to let them back to grass as a three year old as winter finishing costs are too high


Maybe other lads finishing costs are lower than mine or are getting 20c+)kg more but with ration above 250/ ton feeding costs are not well north of 2 eyro/day. Are lads betting on another 100/ head slaughter subsidity this year.

Like you say there is lads out there spending 20-40 hours per week in the marts and racing around in the morning and evening to feed a few cattle or milking the cows for very poor money per hour worked