Efficiency gained from employing labour.

mahoney_j · 08-10-2015 6:07pm

Greengrass1 wrote: »

I think your right. I said to boss man yesterday will we just serve the dozen maidens this winter and push all the ciws to spring.
From figures I'm working we'll feed less meal same mikk if not more and have a much easier life.
work hard for 6 mths instead of 9.
Felt guilty last mth when I was looking around for something to do

I never feel guilty at times like that ,time to recharge the batteries ,go for a heap of pints and take a holiday .gone out of winter milk 8!years now and never looked back .first Xmas was great about an hours work to daily shoving in silage and bedding cubicles .ive off ten thought about going back at it as I'm a bit older now but since I became a dad there's no way I'd do it .i will milk up to Dec 20'and aim to start calving 25 Jan and turn cows out from Feb 1 .cslve as many as possible in first 3 weeks and once mid March comes things start to settle down .calving down cows again in October /November and milking through is just pure hardship now ,for me anyway

Greengrass1 · 08-10-2015 6:12pm

mahoney_j wrote: »

I never feel guilty at times like that ,time to recharge the batteries ,go for a heap of pints and take a holiday .gone out of winter milk 8!years now and never looked back .first Xmas was great about an hours work to daily shoving in silage and bedding cubicles .ive off ten thought about going back at it as I'm a bit older now but since I became a dad there's no way I'd do it .i will milk up to Dec 20'and aim to start calving 25 Jan and turn cows out from Feb 1 .cslve as many as possible in first 3 weeks and once mid March comes things start to settle down .calving down cows again in October /November and milking through is just pure hardship now ,for me anyway

I feel the very same way as you. We're not getting any benefit from it imo.
Dad was doing it for very same reason as milked out- to increase output. But that was when we had 40 ac now we have a mp 3x that.
Spring is different start of a new yr etc autumn your facing into the winter and more work

Dawggone · 08-10-2015 6:44pm

Jeez lads but ye'er a lazy bunch! Ifa on news now saying wmilk not paying...and yeez making 'rocket fuel' wraps for nothing.

:)

Timmaay · 08-10-2015 7:13pm

Dawggone wrote: »

Jeez lads but ye'er a lazy bunch! Ifa on news now saying wmilk not paying...and yeez making 'rocket fuel' wraps for nothing. :)

The problem with winter milk is there will be too many lads with spread out spring calving, willing to milk on through the winter to keep cash flow ticking over (never mind the fact that they are paying themselves nothing, sure why would ya put a value on yourown time?). The high dmd rocket wraps are more so a tool during the shoulders/summer drought (when it wouldn't make sense to have a pit face open for months on end). But yes, when it comes to anything to do with milking cows, I'm a lazy lazy f"uker!

Timmaay · 08-10-2015 7:19pm

Greengrass1 wrote: »

I feel the very same way as you. We're not getting any benefit from it imo.
Dad was doing it for very same reason as milked out- to increase output. But that was when we had 40 ac now we have a mp 3x that.
Spring is different start of a new yr etc autumn your facing into the winter and more work

Found the Autumn calving surprisingly easy this year ha, maybe its the good weather or something ha, but I think the fact that we are properly block calving now, that's made a massive difference to just the mental strain of winter milking ha. We'll definitely have to spend at least another year, probably 2 at winter milk, long than I'd wanted to a year or so ago, but I'm less concerned about that now. Mind you also, autumn calving back to only 10% of the herd.

Dawggone · 08-10-2015 7:21pm

Timmaay wrote: »

But yes, when it comes to anything to do with milking cows, I'm a lazy lazy f"uker!

That makes two of us!
Possibly the most brain dead job there is.
I would actually rather be picking stones/wild oats/beet bolters. At least when you pick a stone in the morning you don't have to pick it again in the evening.

Timmaay · 08-10-2015 8:25pm

Dawggone wrote: »

That makes two of us!
Possibly the most brain dead job there is.
I would actually rather be picking stones/wild oats/beet bolters. At least when you pick a stone in the morning you don't have to pick it again in the evening.

Brings us nicely back to the thread topic ha. What I'd give serious consideration to in the future would be having a milker in for say 5/6 days a week, and me being just the relief milker!! Once the farm here is setup (and it's certainly getting there), from June until calving in Feb the daily routine shouldn't be much more than milk, change paddocks/move afew pigtails, and throw in some feed. Would definitely be scope for me to do work outside of farming again. 100+ cows as my part time income wouldn't be too shabby ha? That's all definitely playing on my mind on how I proceed forward here. As much as I need a new challenge, I'm beyond totally dogging myself again though ha.

Buford T. Justice XIX · 08-10-2015 8:40pm

Timmaay wrote: »

Brings us nicely back to the thread topic ha. What I'd give serious consideration to in the future would be having a milker in for say 5/6 days a week, and me being just the relief milker!! Once the farm here is setup (and it's certainly getting there), from June until calving in Feb the daily routine shouldn't be much more than milk, change paddocks/move afew pigtails, and throw in some feed. Would definitely be scope for me to do work outside of farming again. 100+ cows as my part time income wouldn't be too shabby ha? That's all definitely playing on my mind on how I proceed forward here. As much as I need a new challenge, I'm beyond totally dogging myself again though ha.

You could do a bit of relief milking....:pac:

whelan2 · 08-10-2015 8:55pm

Dawggone wrote: »

That makes two of us!
Possibly the most brain dead job there is.
I would actually rather be picking stones/wild oats/beet bolters. At least when you pick a stone in the morning you don't have to pick it again in the evening.

I must be in the minority so, I like milking . Good to see what the cows are giving and you can spot any problems

visatorro · 08-10-2015 9:11pm

dare I say it but would robots be an answer to your problems. if you took milkin away from daily routine you'd have loads of time!!! sure if the salesman says they work,,,, they wouldn't lie

Dawggone · 08-10-2015 9:18pm

whelan2 wrote: »

I must be in the minority so, I like milking . Good to see what the cows are giving and you can spot any problems

+1. That's the main reason that I try to milk as often as I can. Spotting problems. If I don't milk I'll be sure to stand at the gap or whatever as they file past.

Milked out · 08-10-2015 9:20pm

visatorro wrote: »

dare I say it but would robots be an answer to your problems. if you took milkin away from daily routine you'd have loads of time!!! sure if the salesman says they work,,,, they wouldn't lie

Two roads to cross to access all ground, which cows will be grazing as priority hopefully. The cost is prohibitive as well. Also when grazing heavy ground there is a lot of back fencing and cows on and off for 3 hours which I am.skeptical grass can be used as well as the salesmen claim in those conditions by cows goin in and out to a robot.. maybe in the future could be looked at again for labour saving but not at this time I'd say.

simx · 08-10-2015 9:31pm

my advice coming from the employees side is treat them with respect and not a dog like a lot of lads do, be some bit understanding and flexable to a degree, worked for a few lads up and down, most were fine but worked for one lad and he was a prick if i ever seen, no matter how hard or well done something was done he was never happy, was a very particular man in fairness and a good farmer but he was the type of lad that was always watching ya to make sure ya were at something, like i went to vets for cards one day and got delayed for maybe 5/10 mins with roadworks, he rang when i was nearly back asking where i was and i should be back, should only take x length of time etc. etc., when i told him about roadworks he mumbled and hung up, was also to serious, no bit of a laugh at dinnertime or anything to mellow the mood, was the only lad i worked for that i told to shove a job and was glad i did now

Milked out · 08-10-2015 10:37pm

simx wrote: »

my advice coming from the employees side is treat them with respect and not a dog like a lot of lads do, be some bit understanding and flexable to a degree, worked for a few lads up and down, most were fine but worked for one lad and he was a prick if i ever seen, no matter how hard or well done something was done he was never happy, was a very particular man in fairness and a good farmer but he was the type of lad that was always watching ya to make sure ya were at something, like i went to vets for cards one day and got delayed for maybe 5/10 mins with roadworks, he rang when i was nearly back asking where i was and i should be back, should only take x length of time etc. etc., when i told him about roadworks he mumbled and hung up, was also to serious, no bit of a laugh at dinnertime or anything to mellow the mood, was the only lad i worked for that i told to shove a job and was glad i did now

Agreed if you want to get the most out of someone it's by keeping them motivated and treating with respect. With salary I would be fairly limited in what I could offer in terms of an increasing payscale, was thinking maybe a bonus could be worked if milk price passed a certain level at the same time those are the years when work may have to be carried out or put a away a bit in order to cover all costs in low price years so twud have to be well thought out alright.

kowtow · 08-10-2015 11:28pm

Dawggone wrote:

At least when you pick a stone in the morning you don't have to pick it again in the evening.

You don't?

Feckin sheltered inland farms.

visatorro · 09-10-2015 7:09am

what does it mean tax wise to employ someone full time?
do pensions come into an arrangement?
do you sign a contract?
what about health insurance or insurance for hired labour around yard not just public liability ?

whelan2 · 09-10-2015 8:52am

simx wrote: »

my advice coming from the employees side is treat them with respect and not a dog like a lot of lads do, be some bit understanding and flexable to a degree, worked for a few lads up and down, most were fine but worked for one lad and he was a prick if i ever seen, no matter how hard or well done something was done he was never happy, was a very particular man in fairness and a good farmer but he was the type of lad that was always watching ya to make sure ya were at something, like i went to vets for cards one day and got delayed for maybe 5/10 mins with roadworks, he rang when i was nearly back asking where i was and i should be back, should only take x length of time etc. etc., when i told him about roadworks he mumbled and hung up, was also to serious, no bit of a laugh at dinnertime or anything to mellow the mood, was the only lad i worked for that i told to shove a job and was glad i did now

it works both ways had a lad here working for me that was nothing only a bully, was some relief the day I let him go, dreaded going out to my own yard.

davidk1394 · 09-10-2015 1:03pm

Im still in college myself and we're farming at home but during weekends im working with a dairy farmer 15mins away for the last 2 years. Got to know him through doing the farm placement there. Get on perfect he trusts me enough to do any job and we get on well. I have no problem working long hours as long as theres a "thanks" or some bit of gratitude after a long day. I dont mind getting a bolocking if i made a mistake but just being ignorant on a full time basis is not on. I worked with a few different farmers drystock tillage and dairy lads. Only for the fella im working with now any of the other dairy lads i worked for were dog ignorant. Theres a lot to be said for a cup of tea in the morning and a bitta gratitude. Thats just my perspective after my experiences working with different people

farming93 · 09-10-2015 10:35pm

I'm genuinely not trying to cause an argument here or sound cocky but I've done two years in college and worked on quiet a few big farms over the last two years. I had two lads offering me full time Jobs recently, I chose the better paying job. One farmer offered me €360 net but I'd have drive up and down twice a day some days and do every second weekend. First of all driving up and down twice a day just to do a few hours would probably be€ 30 knocked straight off my wage on extra travelling alone. I know this farmer could afford to pay me extra money but would be a bit tight. Now once again I don't want to sound cocky but I'm a decent enough worker and I'm well skilled at most aspects of farming and this farmer knows it as he really doesn't want me to leave..but I have bills and have to think of myself with circumstances. Anyways my good mates from school left at the same time as me work 9 to 5 and make nearly€ 600 a week net. Now they like their work and I like mine but for them to be making 270 a week more than me after four years how do some farmers expect there to be lads willing to work for them??

tomwaterford · 09-10-2015 11:06pm

farming93 wrote: »

I'm genuinely not trying to cause an argument here or sound cocky but I've done two years in college and worked on quiet a few big farms over the last two years. I had two lads offering me full time Jobs recently, I chose the better paying job. One farmer offered me €360 net but I'd have drive up and down twice a day some days and do every second weekend. First of all driving up and down twice a day just to do a few hours would probably be€ 30 knocked straight off my wage on extra travelling alone. I know this farmer could afford to pay me extra money but would be a bit tight. Now once again I don't want to sound cocky but I'm a decent enough worker and I'm well skilled at most aspects of farming and this farmer knows it as he really doesn't want me to leave..but I have bills and have to think of myself with circumstances. Anyways my good mates from school left at the same time as me work 9 to 5 and make nearly€ 600 a week net. Now they like their work and I like mine but for them to be making 270 a week more than me after four years how do some farmers expect there to be lads willing to work for them??

WTF do your mates work at...I'm qualified with several years qualified experience and I don't make 600 gross no mind net
Are they lying to you perhaps??

Though I won't bring this tread (interesting aswell btw) down to a complete brawl by saying what my father/uncles advised me about working for farmers when I leaving school (I come from a loooong line of farm labourers)

C0N0R · 10-10-2015 8:57am

tomwaterford wrote: »

WTF do your mates work at...I'm qualified with several years qualified experience and I don't make 600 gross no mind net
Are they lying to you perhaps??

Though I won't bring this tread (interesting aswell btw) down to a complete brawl by saying what my father/uncles advised me about working for farmers when I leaving school (I come from a loooong line of farm labourers)

Is the average industrial wage not over 30k?

Boaty · 10-10-2015 11:04am

That's about 50k a year gross, which is realistic, after a 4 year university degree and 2 years working your about 35-40

tomwaterford · 10-10-2015 3:56pm

C0N0R wrote: »

Is the average industrial wage not over 30k?

I get nowhere near that

How long deos a degree take?

C0N0R · 10-10-2015 4:43pm

tomwaterford wrote: »

I get nowhere near that

How long deos a degree take?

As I don't know your job I can't make any comments! Degree on average four years. I dropped out after two years of uni into an average industrial wage job!

tomwaterford · 10-10-2015 4:58pm

C0N0R wrote: »

As I don't know your job I can't make any comments! Degree on average four years. I dropped out after two years of uni into an average industrial wage job!

Diesel mechanic...I'm stupidly badly paid

Fair tempted to go on a whv sometime working as it though.....maybe back to collage then :pac:

What do you work at...if you don't mind me asking....I'd be nearly better off working in lidl at this stage!
It's just aswell I love me job though...(guess that's worth something!)

C0N0R · 10-10-2015 5:03pm

tomwaterford wrote: »

Diesel mechanic...I'm stupidly badly paid

Fair tempted to go on a whv sometime working as it though.....maybe back to collage then :pac:

What do you work at...if you don't mind me asking....I'd be nearly better off working in lidl at this stage!
It's just aswell I love me job though...(guess that's worth something!)

Yea you guys are fairly badly paid I know that. Go to lidl and work from home in the evenings! I left college to go into a sales job. No longer there after being half way round the world.

Boaty · 10-10-2015 5:15pm

Without a degree you don't stray too far from minimum wage, experience without a degree only gets you so far it seams.

cute geoge · 10-10-2015 5:19pm

tomwaterford wrote: »

Diesel mechanic...I'm stupidly badly paid

Fair tempted to go on a whv sometime working as it though.....maybe back to collage then :pac:

What do you work at...if you don't mind me asking....I'd be nearly better off working in lidl at this stage!
It's just aswell I love me job though...(guess that's worth something!)

stick with it and get plenty experience in different models.
Then when you have all that experience ,it is easy to drop your cv into better paying garages or even strike out on your own

tomwaterford · 10-10-2015 5:20pm

C0N0R wrote: »

Yea you guys are fairly badly paid I know that. Go to lidl and work from home in the evenings! I left college to go into a sales job. No longer there after being half way round the world.

Not the worst idea!!
Though maybe a few more years experience first (either before/after travelling-really wanna see oz/NZ)

tomwaterford · 10-10-2015 5:23pm

cute geoge wrote: »

stick with it and get plenty experience in different models.
Then when you have all that experience ,it is easy to drop your cv into better paying garages or even strike out on your own

This is the one good thing about where I work...it's great (unreal good) experience I actually left a slightly better paying job (admittedly over other issues aswell) for a job there....though I'm pushing on for planning a whv

Have taught of striking out at times a few lads I know have

Efficiency gained from employing labour.

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