Starting a dairy farm

[Waldershrek]

Looking for anybody's experiences here starting a dairy farm. I want to start with just heifers at first to keep costs down. My parents have a former dairy barn and some land I'll be using but the barn needs to be outfitted for cows as it hasn't been used for many years in that capacity. Any tips, helpful advice, list of stuff I'll need for the barn would be appreciated.

 

[Duffster]

Buy your heifers as soon as possible as the prices are rising quickly.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

You picked a heck of a time to get into the dairy industry. Profit margins are painfully low right now. With as many dairy farmers folding, though, you should be able to get outfitted cheap. You have the right structure if you don't have to buy the land.

Best advice I can give you for the next few years is don't finance it if you don't have to. Milk a few less cows if you have to so you can keep your overhead down.

You'll need milkers and a tank and all the piping in between. You need hot water going to your barn and Stancheons. Make sure to keep good records of which cows produce how much, etc. You'll also need a place for the inspectors to do their thing. A corner with a cabinet and a desk ought to be enough.

Keep everything as clean as you can. Iodine is cheap, and it's the best way to keep a little problem from becoming a big problem.

You can forget vacations and trips for the next couple of years until you get the operation to a point where you can trust leaving someone else to take care of it for a few days. The cows don't care if it's Sunday or Christmas or if you broke your leg putting up hay. They need to be milked.

Start looking for recipes that use cream.

 

[ultrarunner]

I come from a long line of family Dairy Farmers... my cousin was the last to give up the family farm although I have another that is actually expanding...

Your ahead because you know what to expect and are going into it willingly... the cousin that gave it up hated and resented being tied down 7 days a week...

There are some small producers that have niche markets for certified organic dairy products...

With many small producers getting out... it may just be perfect timing and work to your advantage...

The biggest threat I see after lack of desire is debt... too much debt seems to just snowball.

The cousin that has expanded was able to do so because neighboring farms let her lease their land very cheap to keep the AG exemption or something like that and she was able to pick-up dairy equipment very cheap... she never buys anything new... likes to pay cash.

 

[randy41]

I think you should check out the market first and see what kind of income you're gonna get from your products.

 

[dave1949]

About a dozen organic dairy producers here got the rug pulled out from underneath them by Hood. They aimed at the organic market for higher income and their own farming desires. Takes at least three years to get organic certification. When the economy went down, Hood said they didn't have a market for the higher priced organic milk, so they are cancelling the contracts. Sort of leaves those dairy farmers in a bind.

I read all the time that milk producers here are not getting enough to cover their cost of production. I would try to figure out why, and how to overcome that before jumping in too far. It has not much to do with cows, it's about having a viable business plan.
Dave.

 

[JJT]

Looking for anybody's experiences here starting a dairy farm. I want to start with just heifers at first to keep costs down. My parents have a former dairy barn and some land I'll be using but the barn needs to be outfitted for cows as it hasn't been used for many years in that capacity. Any tips, helpful advice, list of stuff I'll need for the barn would be appreciated.

Where are you in upstate NY? I'm in the Fonda/Fultonville area and could hook you up with some experienced dairymen. Other than our Amish neighbors with their organic milk and no/low labor costs, nobody today is making money milking cows.

 

[Duffster]

Where are you in upstate NY? I'm in the Fonda/Fultonville area and could hook you up with some experienced dairymen. Other than our Amish neighbors with their organic milk and no/low labor costs, nobody today is making money milking cows.

Pretty broad statement.

 

[Steve C]

Looking for anybody's experiences here starting a dairy farm. I want to start with just heifers at first to keep costs down. My parents have a former dairy barn and some land I'll be using but the barn needs to be outfitted for cows as it hasn't been used for many years in that capacity. Any tips, helpful advice, list of stuff I'll need for the barn would be appreciated.

Milk is $1.60 a gallon at some stores around here. I think you would be better served by burning your money in a wood stove to heat your house than putting it into a dairy operation. At least you get something out of it. My Amish neighbors are selling milk for less than what it costs to produce it. If they didn't grow their own cow food they would be out of business. They are working for free hoping the cows live long enough for the market to recover.

Rent the barn out for storage, you will get a better return on the investment than buying cows in todays market.

 

[Waldershrek]

I know I chose a bad time to start this venture




My plan to keep costs down is buying used machinery and the fact I don't have to buy land or a barn even though it will have to updated and equipped for cows. It seems to me all the people that are having trouble making ends meet is the ones who have financed everything and have the latest and greatest along with the payments that go with them.


I grew up and worked on a farm but my parents got out of it when I was a kid. I'm 25 now and have always had the desire to get back into it and it's an idea that keeps coming back to me so I'm starting to look at costs, prices, creating a business plan etc.

I am just south of Syracuse