Cattle cull

[Armagh18]

But farming is a business.

Probably more accurately described as the most expensive hobby in Ireland!

Not when you break even

£2200 av other day on 3 bullocks.

Dont mention fertiliser or meal cost

Farm incomes were up 40% last year (in the North) - which is great by the way, wouldn't begrudge anyone a good living, but most farmers seem programmed to plead poverty.

Where'd you hear that? Would be very doubtful given the weather and costs of feed/fertiliser etc

[Sportacus]

But farming is a business.

Probably more accurately described as the most expensive hobby in Ireland!

Not when you break even

£2200 av other day on 3 bullocks.

Dont mention fertiliser or meal cost

Farm incomes were up 40% last year (in the North) - which is great by the way, wouldn't begrudge anyone a good living, but most farmers seem programmed to plead poverty.

Where'd you hear that? Would be very doubtful given the weather and costs of feed/fertiliser etc

All over the news.

[DaleCooper]

Yeah but thats based on prices at marts. When you sell a few you usually buy younger calfs, the price of which has also gone up.

So theres a bit of guile required like any stock market

[RadioGAAGAA]

But farming is a business.

Probably more accurately described as the most expensive hobby in Ireland!

Not when you break even

£2200 av other day on 3 bullocks.

Dont mention fertiliser or meal cost

I'd say most farms will get close to break even or thereabouts when capital costs are excluded. Very few would beat minimum wage for the time put in though.


But when you start considering equipment and facilities - at guts of 20k for any kind of 2nd hand tractor you could rely on for even a hill farm, or say 50k for just a basic shed - then the numbers all become horribly red.


The cost of, for instance, a big milking parlour, is outright scary. The equipment costs for big arable guys equally so - and you'd probably need to turn over your big items every 5 years or so - or accept bigger repair/support bills and risk of letting you down at time sensitive point in the year.

[marty34]

But farming is a business.

Probably more accurately described as the most expensive hobby in Ireland!

Not when you break even

£2200 av other day on 3 bullocks.

Dont mention fertiliser or meal cost

I'd say most farms will get close to break even or thereabouts when capital costs are excluded. Very few would beat minimum wage for the time put in though.


But when you start considering equipment and facilities - at guts of 20k for any kind of 2nd hand tractor you could rely on for even a hill farm, or say 50k for just a basic shed - then the numbers all become horribly red.


The cost of, for instance, a big milking parlour, is outright scary. The equipment costs for big arable guys equally so - and you'd probably need to turn over your big items every 5 years or so - or accept bigger repair/support bills and risk of letting you down at time sensitive point in the year.

In terms of farming, the above is true but the starting point of it is most farmers have got farms handed down to them from their father or mother etc. Basically free - probably have the home house also.


So it's not as if they've all went out and bought 40 acre farms themselves. Yes, a small percentage have but it's not a bad start off in life. They work hard but they get loads of grants etc. too. 

[Orior]

But farming is a business.

Probably more accurately described as the most expensive hobby in Ireland!

Not when you break even

£2200 av other day on 3 bullocks.

Dont mention fertiliser or meal cost

I'd say most farms will get close to break even or thereabouts when capital costs are excluded. Very few would beat minimum wage for the time put in though.


But when you start considering equipment and facilities - at guts of 20k for any kind of 2nd hand tractor you could rely on for even a hill farm, or say 50k for just a basic shed - then the numbers all become horribly red.


The cost of, for instance, a big milking parlour, is outright scary. The equipment costs for big arable guys equally so - and you'd probably need to turn over your big items every 5 years or so - or accept bigger repair/support bills and risk of letting you down at time sensitive point in the year.

In terms of farming, the above is true but the starting point of it is most farmers have got farms handed down to them from their father or mother etc. Basically free - probably have the home house also.


So it's not as if they've all went out and bought 40 acre farms themselves. Yes, a small percentage have but it's not a bad start off in life. They work hard but they get loads of grants etc. too. 

And most farmers worked as slave labour for 30 or 40 years before they inherited the farm.

[Armagh18]

But farming is a business.

Probably more accurately described as the most expensive hobby in Ireland!

Not when you break even

£2200 av other day on 3 bullocks.

Dont mention fertiliser or meal cost

I'd say most farms will get close to break even or thereabouts when capital costs are excluded. Very few would beat minimum wage for the time put in though.


But when you start considering equipment and facilities - at guts of 20k for any kind of 2nd hand tractor you could rely on for even a hill farm, or say 50k for just a basic shed - then the numbers all become horribly red.


The cost of, for instance, a big milking parlour, is outright scary. The equipment costs for big arable guys equally so - and you'd probably need to turn over your big items every 5 years or so - or accept bigger repair/support bills and risk of letting you down at time sensitive point in the year.

In terms of farming, the above is true but the starting point of it is most farmers have got farms handed down to them from their father or mother etc. Basically free - probably have the home house also.


So it's not as if they've all went out and bought 40 acre farms themselves. Yes, a small percentage have but it's not a bad start off in life. They work hard but they get loads of grants etc. too. 

Not a bad start but it's a life of hardship and stress for a lot less than minimum wage if you add up the hours.  Asset rich and cash poor as the saying goes

[Tony Baloney]

But farming is a business.

Probably more accurately described as the most expensive hobby in Ireland!

Not when you break even

£2200 av other day on 3 bullocks.

Dont mention fertiliser or meal cost

I'd say most farms will get close to break even or thereabouts when capital costs are excluded. Very few would beat minimum wage for the time put in though.


But when you start considering equipment and facilities - at guts of 20k for any kind of 2nd hand tractor you could rely on for even a hill farm, or say 50k for just a basic shed - then the numbers all become horribly red.


The cost of, for instance, a big milking parlour, is outright scary. The equipment costs for big arable guys equally so - and you'd probably need to turn over your big items every 5 years or so - or accept bigger repair/support bills and risk of letting you down at time sensitive point in the year.

In terms of farming, the above is true but the starting point of it is most farmers have got farms handed down to them from their father or mother etc. Basically free - probably have the home house also.


So it's not as if they've all went out and bought 40 acre farms themselves. Yes, a small percentage have but it's not a bad start off in life. They work hard but they get loads of grants etc. too. 

Not a bad start but it's a life of hardship and stress for a lot less than minimum wage if you add up the hours.  Asset rich and cash poor as the saying goes

A lot of people working that dont have those assets gifted to them. Have yet to meet a poor farmer despite all the poor mouthing that goes on.