How come farmers here make so little money?

[fid]

This is of genuine interest to me...I've always wanted to be a farmer, but there never seems to be much money in it...

I've been playing around with some figures for dairy, and the incomes seem to add up to pretty big numbers:

Average number of cows per hectare is around 2.5 to 3, so with 100 acres of land you'd be looking at around 120 cattle. With each producing cow, you might average 20 to 22 litres of milk a day, 365 days a year...roughly 960,000 litres per year. If the dairy pays 18.5p/litre, that's milk income of almost £180k per year. And then there could be subsidies and other income to top it up!

Am I missing something? Because I can't for the life of me work out how expenses on a well established, 100 acre farm, could be anywhere near that high. :confused:

[gh0st]

Cost of running machinery and stuff I suppose. Also supermarkets will cut you to the bone for profits.


No idea myself just guessing

[alexkp]

Your calculations on the cows are off - a Jersey produced around 10-12 litres per day, a Fresian 15-18.

And cows are not milked 365 days a year -they have at least eight weeks off.


(Oooo arrrr!)

[Pies]

"Recent research by the Milk Development Council reveals that, despite supermarkets increasing the price of a litre of milk by 3.5 pence, virtually none of that increase has been seen by the farmers. Farmers are paid less than the costs of producing milk. The retail price of a litre of milk is around 50 pence, with supermarkets suspected of taking around 22-24 pence of that. Dairy farmers receive around 17 pence – 2 pence below the cost of production. Last year this resulted in six out of every 10 dairy farmers failing to cover their costs. In the last five years 700 dairy farms in Scotland have gone out of business."

Quick google

[2 Smokin Barrels]

Pies said:

In the last five years 700 dairy farms in Scotland have gone out of business."

..that's because they put whisky on their cornflakes

[rolyrat]

vets bills, feed bills, diesel (i know its tax free but it adds up when you run say, four 6 litre tractors), running repairs; (tyres on my mates ford tractor last back end came to £1175 for the four), mortgage, employment of 1 labourer, contractors to be paid, buildings, rent of land, the list is endless. you get fined for anything and everything. And now the government have scrapped subsidies for producing food and have introduced a "single payment scheme", which pays farmers not to produce food but turn england into one giant nature reserve to entertain stupid rambling townies. so where does the milk come from? Poland, mostly. Meat? anywhere but here. . sorry if that came over as a rant, but i feel really strongly on this sort of thing.

[D_Mike]

cows don't eat cornflakes.

[2 Smokin Barrels]

D_Mike said:

cows don't eat cornflakes.

..they do in Scotland

[parrot of doom]

Do you want farmers to make more money?

I do.

I also (unlike the sheep in the supermarkets) realise the difference between using a Butcher's shop for meat (and cheese, eggs etc), and the crap in Tesco.

Try it, really. Just go to the nearest Butcher on your street and buy your meat from there. If you can't taste the difference, you must have an asbestos tongue.

I also get my milk delivered from a milkman. Not so much profit there for the farmer, but certainly more than if you buy it from the supermarket.

[fid]

parrot of doom said:

Do you want farmers to make more money? I do.

Yep, I do

edited to say...unless they're making fack loads already, then I'd just like to BE a farmer!

>> Edited by fid on Thursday 29th September 22:01

[2 Smokin Barrels]

I bloody hate people who get their milk delivered. 4.00 a.m. and a rattly old Sherpa sits chugging over whilst an ancient asthmatic arthritic old boy delivers milk one carton at a time........GRRRRRRR GET YOUR MILK AT THE SHOPS & LET ME SLEEEEEP