Milking

P

podge 23

Well-Known Member
I am thinking of going back milking 10-7 or fulltime OAD,one of the main reasons being it is very hard to stock the place with out cows . The heifer rearing is ok but I still don't have enough cattle with them and working full-time then too so if I have a big number I can't do both ( it kind of a rock and a hard place situation)
Like I could be spending 25k or more on dry cattle ..
Not interested in letting out the farm before anyone mentions that idea .
What are yere thoughts on this ?..
 
podge 23 said:
I am thinking of going back milking 10-7 or fulltime OAD,one of the main reasons being it is very hard to stock the place with out cows . The heifer rearing is ok but I still don't have enough cattle with them and working full-time then too so if I have a big number I can't do both ( it kind of a rock and a hard place situation)
Like I could be spending 25k or more on dry cattle ..
Not interested in letting out the farm before anyone mentions that idea .
What are yere thoughts on this ?..
Click to expand...

You've given several years pondering getting out of cows . You made the break , and fair f#cks to you for doing that . You have a job , are you happy in the job ?
No ? Try another one . Set the farm . You weren't happy milking . You aren't happy NOT milking . Draw a line , and do something that you actually enjoy doing.
 
Yes the job is grand but between it and farming it can be nearly too much.
I didn't like the drudgrey of milking twice a day if it were OAD I would tick a fair few boxes for me I think
1. Only 1 milking in the day
2. Farm stocked no need to be buying in cattle .
3. Use existing facilities
 
podge 23 said:
Yes the job is grand but between it and farming it can be nearly too much.
I didn't like the drudgrey of milking twice a day if it were OAD I would tick a fair few boxes for me I think
1. Only 1 milking in the day
2. Farm stocked no need to be buying in cattle .
3. Use existing facilities
Click to expand...
Why did you not milk once a day when you had the cows?
 
podge 23 said:
Yes the job is grand but between it and farming it can be nearly too much.
I didn't like the drudgrey of milking twice a day if it were OAD I would tick a fair few boxes for me I think
1. Only 1 milking in the day
2. Farm stocked no need to be buying in cattle .
3. Use existing facilities
Click to expand...
What you need is a Robot.
 
I would imagine going back to milk cows, is a much bigger decision, than it was to quit them. Speaking as someone who quit them 20 years ago. I might miss the cow's. I don't miss all else associated with keeping them.

They weren't for me.I think from my observations of threads here, they're not for you either. Try another option first, I'd suggest.
 
@podge 23 you got out of cows finally at the end of what was by all accounts the most profitable year there ever was in this country to be a dairy farmer, 2022. How are you ever going to be happy milking cows if you weren't happy at it in 2022? And I know you will probably say money isn't everything which it certainly isn't, but you won't have as much of it milking oad either you must remember. If I remember correctly at the time, you were not.prepared to spend money improving sheds or yard etc as you were certain that the cows just weren't for you. You'll more than likely still need to spend that money if you are going back into cows too, needs to be factored into things. A bad yard is just as bad in a oad system as it is in a conventional system in my opinion, albeit the cows are only in half as often.
 
Set a few fields if possible (can be made work in majority of cases with a bit of creative thinking) as opposed to the whole farm so your stocking rate is more suited to the numbers your rearing so you can manage the grass more like you did when milking. Try it for a year. See how you get on and if you like the setup do it on 5 year lease.

Potential for extra tax free income
Still have animals on the farm
Still have the job
Not tied to place 365 as much as milking
No expenditure
No big changes and easily reversed
 
podge 23 said:
I suppose I taught the cows I had wouldn't suit OAD .
Yes I have spoken to people about it in person .
Goats = no
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Did you fix the cow division s in the shed ?
Did you fix the water problem with the silage pits ?
Do you now like milking/working on your own ?
I'm not being smart , Ive offered help in the past but you need to look back at all your post s
re milking /dairying and re read all the free advice you got on here .
You should still have my phone no. In a pm , ring me if you want to chat .
 
I am going to be short 40 cattle this year to buy yearlings is going to dodt be the bones of 30k that's the off farm wage gone and with that I would have 100 cattle then to look after not possible with a full time job and even with part time it would be hectic .
Calves yes a cheaper option but alot of work and if I am away 3-4 days a week will this work ...
No I would never go back milking twice a day but this is where I think the OAD might work ..
 
podge 23 said:
I am going to be short 40 cattle this year to buy yearlings is going to dodt be the bones of 30k that's the off farm wage gone and with that I would have 100 cattle then to look after not possible with a full time job and even with part time it would be hectic .
Calves yes a cheaper option but alot of work and if I am away 3-4 days a week will this work ...
No I would never go back milking twice a day but this is where I think the OAD might work ..
Click to expand...
Looking after more cattle than that here alongside the milking herd, all a significant drive away from the milking block. It’s easy done when you’ve paddocks, handling facilities and infrastructure in place and they dont need to be checked every single day. If you haven’t the infrastructure in place from when you were milking then I don’t know what you were at…
 
podge 23 said:
I am thinking of going back milking 10-7 or fulltime OAD,one of the main reasons being it is very hard to stock the place with out cows . The heifer rearing is ok but I still don't have enough cattle with them and working full-time then too so if I have a big number I can't do both ( it kind of a rock and a hard place situation)
Like I could be spending 25k or more on dry cattle ..
Not interested in letting out the farm before anyone mentions that idea .
What are yere thoughts on this ?..
Click to expand...

Is your father putting pressure on you , to go back milking/stock the farm more intensively ?

You have asked many questions here on the forum , which is a good thing , and most will be only too happy to give you an answer . Some questions will end up getting many answers , and somewhere in there should be something that works .

But , you nearly ever . put any of the replies in to action .

One thing is certain ,
Do not get back into milking cows ,

Unless , it is a much smaller herd that you CAN manage yourself without stress ,
Or , put a big emphasis on upgrading your handling system .

But preferably , don't get back .
It's just like the magic roundabout
 
Ok I will give an example one day there was a Bullock with his head stuck in the gate and a pipe burst a couple of hours later if I wasn't around or didn't come bk until after work in the evening the Bullock would be dead and there would water everywhere, and I would be there for a good while trying to fix both.
What I am saying is if I had to be at home full time it wouldn't be dry cattle that would be there sure it would not pay .
Yes alot of great advice given to be sure and I think getting out of cows was a good idea but it has given me time to think too ..
 
podge 23 said:
Ok I will give an example one day there was a Bullock with his head stuck in the gate and a pipe burst a couple of hours later if I wasn't around or didn't come bk until after work in the evening the Bullock would be dead and there would water everywhere, and I would be there for a good while trying to fix both.
What I am saying is if I had to be at home full time it wouldn't be dry cattle that would be there sure it would not pay .
Yes alot of great advice given to be sure and I think getting out of cows was a good idea but it has given me time to think too ..
Click to expand...
Sure all of that can happen and you there unless your going sit up 24/7 and it can still happen.I think you looking for a reason to justify going back that remembering the reason you got out.
Sounds like you’re consistently looking over the gate wondering what if. You won’t be able to do what you’re doing unless you changed your whole thought process and willing to spend and commit 100% to it. You just going round and round and ultimately prob wasting a lot of money that could be spent on a holiday or a car or something that improves your lifestyle given you didn’t like the drudgery of milking.
 
Deerehunter said:
Get someone out to look at your facilities to see where improvements can be made to help cow flow etc, be that another farmer or a member on here or advisor. Then get estimates of prices for the work to be done. I think if your getting back into cows you should get the things that were holding things up sorted before going milking as it would ease the pressure and make it less of a chore. With costings got you can then see if it's worth going back it. Maybe it could be done easily as another pair eyes can see things from another perspective. But they could also be outlandish with their ideas but get a few opinions and pick out the best ideas and see.
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The first thing I did when I took the reigns was demolish an old shed at side of collecting yard no more messing getting out of the pit at milking to let up more cows to be milked nice rectangular yard for cows made cow flow much more better and cost next to nothing to do.
Sometimes you just have to do things even if the old guard are dead against it, dairy farming can be as hard or as easy as you want to make it.
 
I don't know you and mean this from a point of advice not judgement in any way.

It honestly feels like someone else is in your ear directly or indirectly causing guilt. And if not your potentially in your own ear giving out to yourself.

You sound tormented. Given costs and regulations that are going on since you left your on paper a very wise and lucky man to have made the decision you did when you did. In theory you should be down the pub or hurling pitch or wherever bragging bout how lucky you are vs if you were still milking.

Before you make any decisions I'd strongly encourage spending 6 months talking to someone like a councillor who's independent of you inner circle to really understand why you were unhappy milking and still unhappy after making a very brave and wise decision to get out.

I suspect the cows are not the underlying predicament here. Fair play for posting and looking for advice here or anywhere too, it takes a lot of guts to open up. Well done and best wishes whatever you do.

Youve only 1 life, try spend the rest of it pondering over more enjoyable things than milking.
 
podge 23 said:
I am going to be short 40 cattle this year to buy yearlings is going to dodt be the bones of 30k that's the off farm wage gone and with that I would have 100 cattle then to look after not possible with a full time job and even with part time it would be hectic .
Calves yes a cheaper option but alot of work and if I am away 3-4 days a week will this work ...
No I would never go back milking twice a day but this is where I think the OAD might work ..
Click to expand...

Surely the money left over from the sale of your dairy cows should comfortably buy all the cattle you need. I work off farm at different jobs and I'm able to have all my cattle fed and herded before I leave the yard in the morning.


podge 23 said:
Ok I will give an example one day there was a Bullock with his head stuck in the gate and a pipe burst a couple of hours later if I wasn't around or didn't come bk until after work in the evening the Bullock would be dead and there would water everywhere, and I would be there for a good while trying to fix both.
What I am saying is if I had to be at home full time it wouldn't be dry cattle that would be there sure it would not pay .
Yes alot of great advice given to be sure and I think getting out of cows was a good idea but it has given me time to think too ..
Click to expand...

Sure that could happen in the middle of the night or anytime your not there. Whenever anything like the above happens here I'll make sure that it doesn't happen the second time.
The farm here was a dairy farm when I took over eighteen years ago. When I sold the cows I spent a year or more wondering did I make the right decision so I know where your coming from there. It's still early days for you since you sold the cows. I think the bigger issue is your father more so than the work on the farm.
 
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