Is a small scale dairy startup viable

Supply and demand. He's right, but the question is when.

I had a graph of this for a college project, I can't find the graph atm but in the late 1980s there was 1.6 million suckler cow's in Ireland and 1.2 million dairy cow's. In 2015 I think it was, the numbers had basically reversed. The number of dairy cow's has increased since then.

The beef industry suffers from oversupply. If every lad goes into dairy, and every existing dairy farmer expands, you'll vastly increase the supply of milk. The demand for milk is actually going down thanks to veganism.

If the number of dairy cow's just kept expanding, eventually there would be an oversupply of milk, and as Mf240 says, the arse will go out of it like it pretty much has done with beef.
I wouldn’t agree with you in the vegan part, it has very little impact plus the fact that almost 90% of people that turn vegan eventually turn back as it’s a very strict diet that is almost impossible to stay healthy on.
 
How lads can’t see this is going to happen still amazes me! Fricken as obvious as a hole in the roof. And still lads getting into cows
That’s part of the reason I sold my cows 2 weeks back couldn’t believe the price I got for them as a lot of them were pushing on in years what with all the negativity and the milk price dropping by the month. I thought the cull cow price drop would be against them but there was plenty demand for them.
 
how am I meant to graze the cows on heavy soils through winter
you don't.
Get them out when its dry, theoretically the same time as spring calvers.
In theory you can graze them later in the back end. And crowd them up during their dry period to make the necessary silage.
Might be more chance of a better contract too.

I know very little about dairy.
But a relative of mine has been spring calving for 30 years and even he says if he started fresh tommorow it would be autumn calving.
 
I started milking 50 cows this year, I have a small farm. I built 50 outdoor cubicles incl mats for 10k. no auto scraper yet. I put the an 8 unit parlour in an existing shed, i got the parlour for taking away and bought orby feeders. I sold my beef stock and bought 20 crossbred heifers and 30 older cows. Im milking once a day as i work fulltime. I'm averaging 20.3 l/cow/day at 5.1BF and 4.00P. I also bought a load of Murphy concrete drinkers for 2.5k.
My total cost to get in was 25k incl concrete labour etc and my beef stock bought the cows. I had the place set up in paddocks so no cost there. I dont have all the roadways in that I would like but thats ok. i have a man milking 3 days a week

Even though I only have got 3 milk cheques so far, it make some difference to get a cheque for 10k plus and still have all your stock. i expect to make a profit this year even with milk price the way it is. Low input, moderate output, costs easier to control.

i had met lely and delaval about robots. i couldnt make it add up.

we really need some rain.
How much was the bulk tank?
 
How much was the bulk tank?
And then again a parlour yard tank is needed as well as a seperate tank for parlour washings ,parlour yard tank will need to be 8 foot or else roof over it for winter .The bulk tank has to be able to hold 3 days milk at peak ,these are all the shlty regulations .A few local lads who got out went milking and doing farm relief maybe there is a better living milking other farmers cows .For the amount of money to start up milking could it buy a good tractor and implement to go out doing contact work for dairy farmers any tractor and machinery hired in is €50/hour + .I am only throwing out these ideas because after 30 years of slavery by myself at cows i think there are easier ways to make money nowadays .I am not denying there might be a good living out of milking 50 or so cows but tied to them 7 days a week
 
man not so far away. circa 150 milking cows, his workman has a new landcrusier, farmer himself driving yoke 15yrs old. hard to believe and probably means nothing but
 
I wouldn’t agree with you in the vegan part, it has very little impact plus the fact that almost 90% of people that turn vegan eventually turn back as it’s a very strict diet that is almost impossible to stay healthy on.

True, veganism is a bit of a fad. But there's also non vegans turning away from dairy products. May eat meat and stuff but drink almond milk. I'm thinking of those that get their daily cappuccino/latte from a coffee shop.

They're all competitors to dairy and will eat into market share.
 
man not so far away. circa 150 milking cows, his workman has a new landcrusier, farmer himself driving yoke 15yrs old. hard to believe and probably means nothing but
Because he drives an old yoke doesn't suggest he hasn't to means to buy a new one, on the other hand someone buying new coukd be spending a disproportionate amount of their income doing so in order to keep up appearances
 
Pretty sure that there would be more milk sold if they were milked by a robot, and if they were being kept in all the time breeding would be different sso they'd yeild more. We're at a shade over double the litres per cow with robots to what he's on.
You seem to farm in the uk. We get paid for solids produced, not white water. Im chasing solids, high fertility cows that go back in calf and as low a cost system as i can do, whilst working full time.
Today is day 14 of breeding and 99% of the cows have cycled in that 2 week period. One has small ovaries and I put a cidr in last night
 
Is the plan to stay milking once a day? Are the heifers and cows frxjerseys? How man acres of a milking platform have you?
Milking Platfrom is 60 acres. I plan on staying once a day. I work full time so for me its the best compromise. Cows are a mix of pure friesian, Jersey cross and Normandie. Live weight 480- 500.
Costs per Litre on Once a day are 0.18c. April milk check was 0.40c.

if I got to 80 cows, id have permission from the boss woman to do the job part time and farm fulltime.
 
You seem to farm in the uk. We get paid for solids produced, not white water. Im chasing solids, high fertility cows that go back in calf and as low a cost system as i can do, whilst working full time.
Today is day 14 of breeding and 99% of the cows have cycled in that 2 week period. One has small ovaries and I put a cidr in last night
Would hardly be white water, don't get involved with the cows too much but last time I checked bf was at 4.3 not sure on protein without looking it up. Would be about 25 jerseys in the 150 or so milkers and still doing 40+l.
 
Milking Platfrom is 60 acres. I plan on staying once a day. I work full time so for me its the best compromise. Cows are a mix of pure friesian, Jersey cross and Normandie. Live weight 480- 500.
Costs per Litre on Once a day are 0.18c. April milk check was 0.40c.

if I got to 80 cows, id have permission from the boss woman to do the job part time and farm fulltime.
There’s a lot to be said for once a day, more money per litre with reduced workload

tell me this, how do the fr get on at once a day? Would they have a tendency to get too fat?

any pitfalls to consider on OAD?
 
I’ve a £500 freelander,I love taking the kids to school in it knowing I’ve a couple of £100k tractors at home bought and paid for.:lol:
A brand new jeep is up there as an indicator of financial turbulence alright. In the non-ag world signs include driving a Tesla, a portrait of the owner at reception and a fish tank in his office.
 
You seem to farm in the uk. We get paid for solids produced, not white water. Im chasing solids, high fertility cows that go back in calf and as low a cost system as i can do, whilst working full time.
Today is day 14 of breeding and 99% of the cows have cycled in that 2 week period. One has small ovaries and I put a cidr in last night
The solids issue would be geared more towards keeping down your cartage costs. But at 40l even just the butterfly at 4.3 is 1.6kgs of solids before the protein, at 20l at 5bf and 4pro you're sending 1.8kgs per cow. That's why imo it's important to look at high yielding systems when keeping numbers low.
 
Because he drives an old yoke doesn't suggest he hasn't to means to buy a new one, on the other hand someone buying new coukd be spending a disproportionate amount of their income doing so in order to keep up appearances
Exactly
 
Cost £1300 to fit my last tank and I set it up and did all the wiring,they only did the pipework and gas.

A neighbour was billed £3500 for the same so I thought I'd done well.
 
I started milking 50 cows this year, I have a small farm. I built 50 outdoor cubicles incl mats for 10k. no auto scraper yet. I put the an 8 unit parlour in an existing shed, i got the parlour for taking away and bought orby feeders. I sold my beef stock and bought 20 crossbred heifers and 30 older cows. Im milking once a day as i work fulltime. I'm averaging 20.3 l/cow/day at 5.1BF and 4.00P. I also bought a load of Murphy concrete drinkers for 2.5k.
My total cost to get in was 25k incl concrete labour etc and my beef stock bought the cows. I had the place set up in paddocks so no cost there. I dont have all the roadways in that I would like but thats ok. i have a man milking 3 days a week

Even though I only have got 3 milk cheques so far, it make some difference to get a cheque for 10k plus and still have all your stock. i expect to make a profit this year even with milk price the way it is. Low input, moderate output, costs easier to control.

i had met lely and delaval about robots. i couldnt make it add up.

we really need some rain.

Similar situation here , started dairy in 2018 with 50heifers in a second hand 12 unit parlour, built shed and used a 6 span beef slatted shed as the collecting yard , got into dairy relatively cheap in the fact we didnt go overbord buying new and trying to do everything the one year. Didnt do cubicles we house on slats and straw when near calving and it seems to be working for the moment. Cubicles will be built down the line but not in any rush. Milking 90 cows this year on 62acres , we never utilised grass as good and still believe Dairy will always be the top performer. Re milk prices going down because of everybody expanding I dont think this is a valid point. It might make a small difference but as said in this thread we are only small guys in the global market here in Ireland. There will always be a demand for our produce and we can produce it in the most economically and environmentally efficient way -grass fed.
Also A dairy farmer working for himself can have lots of free time and not be tied to the system if he wants , yes cows have to be milked twice a day but this time of year a farmer could easily get a milker for the odd milking or take the whole day off between milkings, calving can be hectic with everything happening at the one time but the work eases, although its like any system you can make it as easy or hard as you want simple things like not having good facities and a few different groups of stock can be a major draw on a system.
 
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