2 for the price of 1 - not for us

[shop]

And so you should know better than I, that it doesn't matter how skilled or knowledgeable a farmer is, if he's hasn't got sound business skills he's knackered!

And you also know all the various scheme's that subsidise farmers, as well as milk quota's which can also curtail the dairy farmer's ability to make a profit apart from what various supermarket and milk processing companies are willing to pay! Wonder how much difference lifting the milk quota would make to farmers, after all if they sale more than their registered quota they get hit with a levy...

I don't pretend to know the in's and out's of a farming business, but living amongst them all my live, I do know that they are always bemoaning about hardships, even when they've got a wad of notes in their hand... A couple that I've know hit the wall, would have ended up bankrupt even if they been an employee, the money management was that bad and when the farm been sold or re-let to a new tenant farmer, the farm is turned around.. Same business different management!

Jopar,
if there were no subsidise either milk or crops would not be produced or it would be so expensive you and Jo public would not be able to buy it.
You have quite convieniently forgotten the cost of production in your very simplistic view on things.
You live in a town Jopar so unless there is now a city farm where you live then nope you don't live in a farming comunity or have any concept what so ever as to how to run a farm.

A wad of notes in their hands! dream on no one carries money these days. As soon as the milk cheque comes in it's gone out again to pay for all the feed and any wages for workers etc.

A couple that I've know hit the wall, would have ended up bankrupt even if they been an employee, the money management was that bad and when the farm been sold or re-let to a new tenant farmer, the farm is turned around.. Same business different management

You obviously knew them well if you don't know if the farm was let or sold, there's one heck of a difference.

Perhaps with your management skills you could offers farmers your expertise, I'm sure they would be delighted to take advice from you.
Just a word of warning though don't what ever you do stand to close to a slurry pit when offering this advice :lol:

:lol: :lol: Sooo true!!

Of Course there are no running costs on a farm. Vets bill, corn bill, electricity that would put a domestic bill in the shade!! All the monthly payments for farm equipment ( Or hire of it if not on the never never. ) People assume that everything is paid for outright. Payments here there and everywhere more like. The economy has hit everyone hard with fuel etc, the thing noone considers is that these costs are probably tenfold on a farm so it hits hard there too.

Also you say about management, years ago my Hubby and his Dad employed a manager...........he was the reason things went wrong. Unrealistic targets!!! Its all very well sitting in an ivory tower, the cows dont read the business plan!!! Hilarious :lol:

 

[CarbsRok]

And so you should know better than I, that it doesn't matter how skilled or knowledgeable a farmer is, if he's hasn't got sound business skills he's knackered!

And you also know all the various scheme's that subsidise farmers, as well as milk quota's which can also curtail the dairy farmer's ability to make a profit apart from what various supermarket and milk processing companies are willing to pay! Wonder how much difference lifting the milk quota would make to farmers, after all if they sale more than their registered quota they get hit with a levy...

I don't pretend to know the in's and out's of a farming business, but living amongst them all my live, I do know that they are always bemoaning about hardships, even when they've got a wad of notes in their hand... A couple that I've know hit the wall, would have ended up bankrupt even if they been an employee, the money management was that bad and when the farm been sold or re-let to a new tenant farmer, the farm is turned around.. Same business different management!

Jopar,
if there were no subsidise either milk or crops would not be produced or it would be so expensive you and Jo public would not be able to buy it.
You have quite convieniently forgotten the cost of production in your very simplistic view on things.
You live in a town Jopar so unless there is now a city farm where you live then nope you don't live in a farming comunity or have any concept what so ever as to how to run a farm.

A wad of notes in their hands! dream on no one carries money these days. As soon as the milk cheque comes in it's gone out again to pay for all the feed and any wages for workers etc.

A couple that I've know hit the wall, would have ended up bankrupt even if they been an employee, the money management was that bad and when the farm been sold or re-let to a new tenant farmer, the farm is turned around.. Same business different management

You obviously knew them well if you don't know if the farm was let or sold, there's one heck of a difference.

Perhaps with your management skills you could offers farmers your expertise, I'm sure they would be delighted to take advice from you.
Just a word of warning though don't what ever you do stand to close to a slurry pit when offering this advice :lol:

:lol: :lol: Sooo true!!

Of Course there are no running costs on a farm. Vets bill, corn bill, electricity that would put a domestic bill in the shade!! All the monthly payments for farm equipment ( Or hire of it if not on the never never. ) People assume that everything is paid for outright. Payments here there and everywhere more like. The economy has hit everyone hard with fuel etc, the thing noone considers is that these costs are probably tenfold on a farm so it hits hard there too.

Also you say about management, years ago my Hubby and his Dad employed a manager...........he was the reason things went wrong. Unrealistic targets!!! Its all very well sitting in an ivory tower, the cows dont read the business plan!!! Hilarious :lol:

Lets not forget the weather as well. Wet weather has a dire effect on all forms of farming. Wet grass equals runny bums from the cattle runny bums = lack of productivity. Thus extra fibre needed = money.
Has anyone seen any pyo this year? Ive seen none as the weather has affected this side of farming as well. All crops be it corn, grass soft fruit are down or way behind. Lack of winter feed also means buying it in at a high premium.
Are there many industries so relient on the weather? Perhaps someone can volunteer to manage that as well :lol:

 

[catherinecherub]

If this article is anything to go by, we may have to rethink what we eat within the next twenty years.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18813075

It is forecasted that meat will double in price over the next few years and insects will become part of some people's diet.

 

[Defren]

If this article is anything to go by, we may have to rethink what we eat within the next twenty years.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18813075

It is forecasted that meat will double in price over the next few years and insects will become part of some people's diet.

I can't say I am surprised. You can only squeeze the farming industry so far before it implodes. I predict more and more farms closing, because of greedy supermarkets. It's a damned disgrace. Yes, cheap milk is nice, but I am sure the farmers would like to have some cash in their pockets to feed their families too.

 

[lucylocket61]

I dont mean to be controversial here but I think maybe the world population has reached the limit of what is sustainable?

 

[Defren]

I dont mean to be controversial here but I think maybe the world population has reached the limit of what is sustainable?

That in my opinion is not controversial Lucy, just simple fact. I agree completely.

 

[shop]

Lets not forget the weather as well. Wet weather has a dire effect on all forms of farming. Wet grass equals runny bums from the cattle runny bums = lack of productivity. Thus extra fibre needed = money.
Has anyone seen any pyo this year? Ive seen none as the weather has affected this side of farming as well. All crops be it corn, grass soft fruit are down or way behind. Lack of winter feed also means buying it in at a high premium.
Are there many industries so relient on the weather? Perhaps someone can volunteer to manage that as well :lol:[/quote]


We have had to bring our cattle in from the pasture field. Any longer out there and the field bed would have been destroyed, and we have been lucky compared to some! Of course we are then having to feed them now, with what would have been fed to them in winter.

We have some strawberry plants in the garden, my son always has the 1st one....there it was nice and plump and red. He took 1 bite!!!! SOUR!!! No sun you see. So if this is the impact on a small stawberry plant in the garden , imagine how the PYO have been affected.

 

[borofergie]

We have some strawberry plants in the garden, my son always has the 1st one....there it was nice and plump and red. He took 1 bite!!!! SOUR!!! No sun you see. So if this is the impact on a small stawberry plant in the garden , imagine how the PYO have been affected.

Mmmmmm, diabetic friendly non-sweet strawberries.

 

[Robinredbreast]

Lets not forget the weather as well. Wet weather has a dire effect on all forms of farming. Wet grass equals runny bums from the cattle runny bums = lack of productivity. Thus extra fibre needed = money.
Has anyone seen any pyo this year? Ive seen none as the weather has affected this side of farming as well. All crops be it corn, grass soft fruit are down or way behind. Lack of winter feed also means buying it in at a high premium.
Are there many industries so relient on the weather? Perhaps someone can volunteer to manage that as well :lol:

We have had to bring our cattle in from the pasture field. Any longer out there and the field bed would have been destroyed, and we have been lucky compared to some! Of course we are then having to feed them now, with what would have been fed to them in winter.

We have some strawberry plants in the garden, my son always has the 1st one....there it was nice and plump and red. He took 1 bite!!!! SOUR!!! No sun you see. So if this is the impact on a small stawberry plant in the garden , imagine how the PYO have been affected.[/quote]

Hi shop same here with my strawberries in my small garden,( no raspberries and no gooseberries, which I absolutely love), well all I can say is what strawberries, terrible. As you say, we need the sun, remember the old saying, MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES.
OMG do the farmers need that right now, yep they do!!!! Hope you are ok, take care all the best RRBX

 

[Paul1976]

Even my staple food,the humble cauliflower,has badly suffered because of this shockingly wet summer,my local farm shop has a major shortage this year due to crops being ruined.

 

[shop]

We have some strawberry plants in the garden, my son always has the 1st one....there it was nice and plump and red. He took 1 bite!!!! SOUR!!! No sun you see. So if this is the impact on a small stawberry plant in the garden , imagine how the PYO have been affected.

Mmmmmm, diabetic friendly non-sweet strawberries.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[shop]

Hi shop same here with my strawberries in my small garden,( no raspberries and no gooseberries, which I absolutely love), well all I can say is what strawberries, terrible. As you say, we need the sun, remember the old saying, MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES.
OMG do the farmers need that right now, yep they do!!!! Hope you are ok, take care all the best RRBX[/quote]

Hi RRB,

I'm great thanks realy feel like I am getting there ( A1C will be the teller in Sept. May be getting an expert meter!! ) Hope you are OK!

MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES!!! That has been a very contensious issue in our household the last few months!!! Field mown ready based on the weather advice...LOL weather opposite to what was forcast! Luckily haylage not turned out too bad but my FIL blood pressure sky high!! We still havent finished. But hay ho we are well and have a roof over our heads

Farmers mow based on what is forcast, and how inaccurate have the forcasts been :lol: :lol: :lol:

Lucy xxx

 

[shop]

Even my staple food,the humble cauliflower,has badly suffered because of this shockingly wet summer,my local farm shop has a major shortage this year due to crops being ruined.

Awful Paul, not surprised one bit!


Lucy.

 

[phoenix]

This weather has worked well in my bit of France, in between the rain we've had the normal heat. Lots of alternating rain and sun . Personally it's made things difficult, we can't keep up with either the grass or the weeds this year.
For the local farmers though it's been great and some have been able to get two cuts of hay. ( I do notice those who cut at the right time and even through the night compared with those that seem to leave it too late and the grass gets drenched again.)
In the last ten years though there have been years when it's too hot, no rain and no grass. They have had to bring in emergency hay supplies from the North.

Cross your fingers the meteo is wrong this week. We're in UK . When we left, tomatoes, courgettes, peppers, aubergines and spaghetti squash were really doing well but the forecast is for 30+ ) and we have no-one to water them.

 

[Paul1976]

I remember my uncle frank,who farmed between Ashbourne and uttoxeter,had a saying about the weather when I complained about rain as a little kid.."A dry May and a wet June,brings everything in tune.." but the saying didn't include a clause for the absolutely appalling wet July we've had as I remember.

 

[noblehead]

The long-range forecast I heard last week said September is going to be a scorcher :roll:

 

[jopar]

CarbRok

I'm actually laughing here...

I think that some of my mates would be very interested that you don't consider them to be farmers living in a farming community they will be somewhat bemused! I now have to wonder what my Uncle Tom did for a living, as according to you he wasn't a farmer and he didn't live in a farming community... And it's a figment of my imagination the various tractors and cattle lorries that go past the top of my road!

Oh by the way, do you know how many working farm yards/farm houses I've got near me! First farm field is around 700-800yards or so away from my front door, and I can walk to my nearest working farm yard/farm house within 5 minutes! There's another 4 working farm housing within a mile of where I live..

That's one hell of a lot of inner city farms :lol: :lol: :lol:

And I assume companies Like Mole Valley farmers (that again I can reach on foot within about 10-15 minutes) are selling animal feed and farm equipment to feed feral kids in the inner city, and for inner city home owners to cultivate their gardens!

As to business..

Business is pretty simple for the right person of cause!

And you can come up with anything you like, a farm is no different than running any other business, the objective is the same.. To make money!

Vet bills, Weather is no difference than what my friend faces with his chip shop, in his case it's calling in an engineer to fix one of his fat fryers... Or perhaps losing all the power due to a power cut!

Oh yes, the recession has had a impact on his business cutting his profits back...

I've spent a life time, listening to farmers whinning about hard times etc...

Yet there is still plenty of working farms surrounding me... The crops are still growing, cattle and sheep still grazing..

 

[Paul1976]

Jo,My garden backs onto farmland but that doesn't qualify me as Old MacDonalds accountant!

 

[borofergie]

Vet bills, Weather is no difference than what my friend faces with his chip shop, in his case it's calling in an engineer to fix one of his fat fryers... Or perhaps losing all the power due to a power cut!

You'll generally find that people who fix fat fryers are not engineers. The word you were looking for was "fat-fryer-repair-person."

 

[Robinredbreast]

Jo,My garden backs onto farmland but that doesn't qualify me as Old MacDonalds accountant!

.......... ei ei O :mrgreen: RRB

I have never worked on a farm nor lived very near one, but I did work as a kennel maid out in the countryside, would that count ( and when my dad drove me there and back, we did see some farms on the way :wink: ) RRB