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So what are your plans for 2018

2

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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,018 ✭✭✭davidk1394


    Travel to Australia. Experience a bit of the world. Set up a farm partnership with my parents.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,757 ✭✭✭enricoh


    At times, I really question what the hell I'm at. Everyone of my farming friends are telling me to go dairy farming, and Jack in the day job. And that my place would be well set up for 100 to 120 cows. I don't know is it fear or stupidity that is stopping me doing it.

    Oul lad was talking to a lad that installs milking machines, they are booked solid for the next 18 months. Loads of lads all there lives at tillage sticking up to a million n more into going milking. Fair balls to them, but it struck me like it was 10 years ago n everyone buying the second n third investment property. If everyone's running​in one direction, I'd go the other.


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,174 ✭✭✭✭Muckit


    Everyone of my farming friends are telling me to go dairy farming. I don't know is it fear or stupidity that is stopping me doing it.

    Or the reality of the commitment. And no more than rearing children you never know that til you're stuck in the middle of it!


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,640 ✭✭✭✭patsy_mccabe


    enricoh wrote: »
    ..... Loads of lads all there lives at tillage sticking up to a million n more into going milking. .......

    I think we need to plan for having no straw in the future.

    'The Bishops blessed the Blueshirts in Galway, As they sailed beneath the Swastika to Spain'



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,313 ✭✭✭TITANIUM.


    Another year of heavy consolidation beckons for me. Took on a sizeable enough(for me anyway) farm loan a few years back when I took things over after the auld lad passed away,in 2018 it'll be done n dusted thank God.
    Any improvements will have to be done by myself.
    I will have some nice heifers coming on stream and I kept all the ewe lambs this year so they'll be going to the Ram in October.
    Steady as she goes I suppose.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,642 ✭✭✭squinn2912


    Get reseeding done that we missed last year.
    Do AI course and get some experience at that with the replacement heifers. Consider turning the bull into sweeper.
    Try out some first cross dairy stock.
    Improve book keeping and work on benchmarking.
    2 non farming ones;
    Run a 2:55 marathon.
    Maintain 100% pass rate in school.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,174 ✭✭✭carrollsno1


    squinn2912 wrote: »
    Get reseeding done that we missed last year.
    Do AI course and get some experience at that with the replacement heifers. Consider turning the bull into sweeper.
    Try out some first cross dairy stock.
    Improve book keeping and work on benchmarking.
    2 non farming ones;
    Run a 2:55 marathon.
    Maintain 100% pass rate in school.

    Heifers would generally be harder to get than cows as a beginner. Would it be possible to use a bull with the cows and AI aswell, calves could be genomic tested to see whos the daddy. Would be pricey but cheaper than a low conception rate.

    Better living everyone



  • Registered Users Posts: 11,394 ✭✭✭✭Timmaay


    squinn2912 wrote: »
    Get reseeding done that we missed last year.
    Do AI course and get some experience at that with the replacement heifers. Consider turning the bull into sweeper.
    Try out some first cross dairy stock.
    Improve book keeping and work on benchmarking.
    2 non farming ones;
    Run a 2:55 marathon.
    Maintain 100% pass rate in school.

    Would be a very tidy marathon, I take it it's not your 1st?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,642 ✭✭✭squinn2912


    squinn2912 wrote: »
    Get reseeding done that we missed last year.
    Do AI course and get some experience at that with the replacement heifers. Consider turning the bull into sweeper.
    Try out some first cross dairy stock.
    Improve book keeping and work on benchmarking.
    2 non farming ones;
    Run a 2:55 marathon.
    Maintain 100% pass rate in school.

    Heifers would generally be harder to get than cows as a beginner. Would it be possible to use a bull with the cows and AI aswell, calves could be genomic tested to see whos the daddy. Would be pricey but cheaper than a low conception rate.
    Is that due to the cow being that bit more opened up? My plan is to do the training - I've been on a waiting list since the summer… and then take it from there. At the moment I'm just interested in it if I don't take to it so be it but it'd be a light load to carry. I don't think I'd go into testing the calves just yet but the bull is Lim so wouldn't be hard to see how successful I'd been - might not put the results up here!!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,642 ✭✭✭squinn2912


    Would be a very tidy marathon, I take it it's not your 1st?

    Thanks. You're right the next one will be number 12. I've done 5 below 3 hrs so next one I hope to take on a different target. Love it as a release from school work and farming but it does cut into Saturdays a lot. Still, everyone has some sort of hobbie


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  • Registered Users Posts: 9,159 ✭✭✭tanko


    squinn2912 wrote: »
    Is that due to the cow being that bit more opened up? My plan is to do the training - I've been on a waiting list since the summer… and then take it from there. At the moment I'm just interested in it if I don't take to it so be it but it'd be a light load to carry. I don't think I'd go into testing the calves just yet but the bull is Lim so wouldn't be hard to see how successful I'd been - might not put the results up here!!!

    The cervix of a heifer is very small compared to a cow. Im doing my own Ai for 16 years and still find some heifers tricky enough. I'd only have 6 or 7 every year and would get the local Ai man to do 2 or 3. Cows are easy enough done once you get the hang of it. Its handy to be able to do them when it suits yourself.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,642 ✭✭✭squinn2912


    THats what I'm thinking it would be great to have control over it to serve at the optimum time etc
    I'll keep the ai mans number though!


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,349 ✭✭✭tractorporn


    Formally register the farm partnership with DAFM

    Apply for TAMS on a few safety bits and pieces around the place.

    Finish off the transfer of the land into my own name.

    Downsize the sucker cows to the BDGP reference or maybe just above it to be on the safe side.

    Resurface the silage slab. Might try and widen it as there no wall on one side.

    After that plod along for another while and apply for every scheme going. Have plans for another shed but that's for 2019


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,514 ✭✭✭Limestone Cowboy


    In the process of drawing up plans for a shed at the moment. Hopefully I'll get planning and approved for Tams and get to make a start at it later in the year. Need to put up a crush in a holding pen on an outfarm, have all the bits got and just need to put it up. Nothing else out of the ordinary planned really. Other than that it's just trying to save a few euro to renovate the old farmhouse in 2019.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,756 ✭✭✭Dakota Dan


    enricoh wrote: »
    Oul lad was talking to a lad that installs milking machines, they are booked solid for the next 18 months. Loads of lads all there lives at tillage sticking up to a million n more into going milking. Fair balls to them, but it struck me like it was 10 years ago n everyone buying the second n third investment property. If everyone's running​in one direction, I'd go the other.

    There was a tillage farmer in cork bought a dairy farm during the last dairy bubble and he got a few ould fellas that were milking all their lives to run it. The ould fellas didn't have the interest and it went belly up and he stuck with the tillage.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,756 ✭✭✭Dakota Dan


    Just listening to farm talk program on the radio about new nitrates rules. They are saying 2 cows/hectare and almost going back to organic levels eventually also a limit of dairy cows on a herd number. We'll be back to the stone age shortly.


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,174 ✭✭✭✭Muckit


    Dakota Dan wrote: »
    There was a tillage farmer in cork bought a dairy farm during the last dairy bubble and he got a few ould fellas that were milking all their lives to run it. The ould fellas didn't have the interest and it went belly up and he stuck with the tillage.

    It's a bit of a strange move alright when you think about it. A tillage farmer is used to being stuck in the cab if a ttactor ploughing tilling spraying, harvesting. How does that translate to dairtying? Animal husbandry needs to be A1 but a tillage man would have no prerequisite knowledge in that area.

    As regards getting help in, hard to manage staff when you dont know yourself what is required.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,640 ✭✭✭✭patsy_mccabe


    Have 4 relatives either very sick or recovering at the moment. Actually 5 If you count marriage relations. 2 are very sick with right battles. Would love for them to pull through. One of them has a 5 year old daughter oblivious to it all. That's my wish for 2018.

    'The Bishops blessed the Blueshirts in Galway, As they sailed beneath the Swastika to Spain'



  • Registered Users Posts: 11,174 ✭✭✭✭Muckit


    Your Health is your Wealth. It's often thrown out there but it's not until one or ones family goes through some serious health issue, we realise the full weight of it.

    I was digging a grave during the week (never did it before) and that would make you ponder life too and how fleeting it is.


  • Registered Users Posts: 24,343 ✭✭✭✭Reggie.


    Muckit wrote: »
    Your Health is your Wealth. It's often thrown out there but it's not until one or ones family goes through some serious health issue, we realise the full weight of it.

    I was digging a grave during the week (never did it before) and that would make you ponder life too and how fleeting it is.
    I've lowered many a person into a grave unfortunately. I'm not too long on this earth either


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,225 ✭✭✭charolais0153


    Muckit wrote: »
    Your Health is your Wealth. It's often thrown out there but it's not until one or ones family goes through some serious health issue, we realise the full weight of it.

    I was digging a grave during the week (never did it before) and that would make you ponder life too and how fleeting it is.

    Even just with lambs or calves . can be stone cold dead with no breath but heart is still going and you can get them going again. Its amazing


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,640 ✭✭✭✭patsy_mccabe


    Helped dig a god few graves here locally. A tradition here. Always done by neighbours and freinds. A bottle of whiskey is bought by the family and it must never leave the graveyard. Some of the older lads would line it then with laurel leaves. Nice for the family to see how much care went into it from locals all given their free time.

    'The Bishops blessed the Blueshirts in Galway, As they sailed beneath the Swastika to Spain'



  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,244 ✭✭✭sea12


    Helped dig a god few graves here locally. A tradition here. Always done by neighbours and freinds. A bottle of whiskey is bought by the family and it must never leave the graveyard. Some of the older lads would line it then with laurel leaves. Nice for the family to see how much care went into it from locals all given their free time.

    The tradition has mostly died out here now. Mostly use a mini digger. My father says he doesn't miss it though. Was hard work but good stories told about it too.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,159 ✭✭✭tanko


    sea12 wrote: »
    The tradition has mostly died out here now. Mostly use a mini digger. My father says he doesn't miss it though. Was hard work but good stories told about it too.

    Yeah, its dying out around here too, most lads are away working during the day. I've helped dig a few, its a sobering experience but often plenty of crack and slagging also.
    My main aim for 2018 is to not end up in one!!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 435 ✭✭stantheman1979


    Priority no1 stay the top side of the ground!! After that I plan to reduce sucklers from 130 to 50. Ive 80 in calf cows going in the new year. Buy a stabilizer bull and move to complete autumn calving. Plan to increase the ewes from 800 to 1700. Im finding year after year no matter how tight you try to keep costs there is very little money in sucklers. Even though it warms my heart seeing the cattle every day the sheep are making money.
    Also need to manage grass a little better, more smaller paddocks etc but need to improve my roadway to get the full benefit from this. Try to get to some more farm walks, events I find I generally take something positive away


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,977 ✭✭✭✭wrangler


    I am sorry you are dealing with this.


    Avoid trees for a few years until dust settles.

    I am in your position. Dad died 3 years ago, we cut everything back to pay for treatment that didn’t work. And sold cattle to pay for his funeral.

    Talk to someone who knows- either a person in your position or an ag advisor who has seen this before.

    You done your best for your father. you'll never regret doing the honourable thing/ you''l have a lot of turns of fortune before you finish


  • Registered Users Posts: 24,343 ✭✭✭✭Reggie.


    Is this it Whelan?


  • Registered Users Posts: 24,343 ✭✭✭✭Reggie.


    Reggie. wrote: »
    So folks with 2018 around the corner,
    what have you planned for it or what's on your checklist?

    Atm I'm happy with the farm size and amount of cattle for the minute.

    Planning to increase the contracting side of things either this year or early 2019.

    Well the cattle and farm stayed the same but thankfully the contracting side is growing nicely so happy out :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,085 ✭✭✭Grueller


    Grueller wrote: »
    Same as 2017 plans. Batten down the hatches and spend nothing that is not going to improve livestock or land. I was getting accounts done over the last two evenings and this strategy worked well last year so I am going to keep it up.

    Did this and it hasn't worked. I am waaaay down on last year.
    Price of cattle was back, extra fert due to the drought and a cu*t ofa bull that left a rake of sections leading to huge vets bills.
    Write off of a year.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 476 ✭✭Keep Sluicing


    Just looked at my post (in my previous moniker) and i did as planned on the farming side, bar changing the day job. Still at the travelling for work. Over 8 years at it now.


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