Starting to farm

BobCat123

Looking for some guidance please. Have 20 acres of family land currently leased but want to start using it myself,in my 20s. Looking to start a small bit but just wondering who should I contact re grants etc and what not and also if anyone was in the same boat,any advice? Thank you

endainoz

BobCat123 wrote: »

Looking for some guidance please. Have 20 acres of family land currently leased but want to start using it myself,in my 20s. Looking to start a small bit but just wondering who should I contact re grants etc and what not and also if anyone was in the same boat,any advice? Thank you

Best thing to do would be to talk to a tegasc advisor to see what your intentions are. Might be worth looking into doing the green cert to see if you can qualify for the young farmers scheme. Start with the advisor though.

jd_12345

I would think twice about starting too quickly till you’re financially in a strong position as the capital to start farming is large. If you start too soon you won’t be able to make full use of the benefits of being a young farmer with TAMS etc. Also watch the industry for a while and figure out what would suit. IMO what you describe sounds ideal to contact rear heifers for a dairy farmer working off farm with say 60 cows, 12 maidens and 12 heifer calves. Constant income and no start up capital required
Edit: talk to a variety of Farm advisors and see what similar sized farms in your area are doing. I know it’s obvious but 20 acres will never be much more than a minimum wage hobby but when ran right can be a nice little hobby to have. Not too much work ! Hope I don’t sound degrading or insulting to people in similar circumstances!

BobCat123

Thank you both for the advice and insight

Siamsa Sessions

What do you want to do? As in, do you like cattle? Sheep? Calves?

Are there sheds on site? Is it fenced or divided into paddocks?

What’s the current tenant using it for?

What type of soil is it? Dry, prone to flooding, etc.

How much time per week do you have to spare?

Have you a girlfriend or boyfriend? Are they interested? Will they be OK with you taking on extra work?

There’s lots of options depending on what you want to do. But it’s a change in lifestyle and mindset when you start looking after animals. That’s what I was looking for when I started farming 10 acres with a few sheep in 2015.

It’s had ups and downs but I’m delighted overall.

All I’m saying is that you should be prepared for it changing your life and those around you.

Best of luck and feel free to DM me if you want to ask any questions or just chat in general.

Ask loads of questions on here too. The farming community on boards is a great source of technical advice and a bit of craic too.

BobCat123

Thanks for the response. Calf’s/cattle would be the preference. There is a farm yard and with a few hours work it would be fenced up well. Currently used for grazing just. Ground is mostly dry on high ground. Would have a few hours in the evening and weekends. I understand the lifestyle change to it. I think if I at least give it a go and if it works,great. If not, at least I tried. Just trying to figure out where to the start but the advise on this has been great to get an idea.

Good loser

Buy 8 or 10 Fr bull calves this Spring. You'll learn fast that way. Vaccinate for pneumonia. Get a coccidiosis treatment. And a thermometer. Straw bed and let out on grass early.

FintanMcluskey

As the post above.

Buy some stores in spring and sell in Autumn.

Don't Winter any stock so you won't have the requirement for fodder.

cjpm

My opinion…

Start of with yearlings from a farmer you know. Either Heifers AA or HE or else FR bullocks.

Buy around paddy’s day. When the grass starts slowing down in August start them on meal and build them up gradually. Sell to factory in October.

Keep Nov Dec Jan Feb stock free as you’ll have time for work, study, skiing holidays etc. Plus the days are short and the weather is Shiite.