While suckler and beef farmers have faced many challenges in recent years, one area that continues to defy expectations is continued interest in farm buildings.
Carroll Consultancy, based in Swinford, Co Mayo, offers a farm buildings planning, design and Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS)service nationwide, managing projects from design stage through to receiving payment of TAMS funding.
Managing director Breian Carroll says: “One thing you can always rely on is that there will always be interest in farm buildings irrespective of how production systems are performing. Beef and suckler systems have been under pressure in recent years which has curtailed spending on some farms. However, it has also opened up greater interest on other farms where pressure on prices has enticed farmers to seek off-farm employment.
“This has actually increased interest in farm buildings for many where there is a greater focus on reducing labour and improving efficiency.”
Breian says the other area where a significant level of development work has occurred in recent years is among young farmers, who can avail of 60% grant aid as part of TAMS. “It’s a no-brainer for a lot of young farmers. They are planning for a long career in agriculture and more and more people are looking at their work-life balance, with some working off-farm, farming and rearing young families. The TAMS grant aid makes it very attractive and for those who can off-set costs against capital allowances it is an easy decision.”
Suckler-beef options
One such of Breian’s clients is currently looking at building a suckler shed that will cover a number of bases. The farm is currently running in the region of 40 cows in a suckler-to-weanling system and has a four-bay standard slatted shed. This houses in the region of 35 to 36 cows, with a number outwintered. The volume of slurry storage on the farm has come under pressure in recent years while wet springs have also curtailed opportunities to get cows and calves turned outdoors immediately.
The farmer is a young farmer who is interested in increasing his stocking rate and having the opportunity to carry weanlings through to store stage or finishing a proportion as young bulls under 16 months.
Four options were drawn up by Andrew Kilduff, who specialises in farm development. Each option has slightly different aspects to cater to the farmer’s list of desired features.
Option 1: Four-bay shed with creep open on one side
This shed is a four-bay slatted shed with an enclosed creep on one side of the slatted tank and with the other side possessing an open-sided feeding passage which is part covered with a canopy.
The tank is wider than the standard and is built to take a 14ft 6in slat. The depth of the tank is normal at 2.4m (8ft) and has agitation points as required at both ends.
The total storage (21m x 4.1m x2.2m) accounting for freeboard is 189.4m3 and provides sufficient storage for in the region of 40 cows for 18 weeks. The calf creep gives the farmer options to hold cows and calves indoors in spring and also doubles up as a calving area or cattle handling facility with a crush along the back wall. Andrew’s guide price going on TAMS reference costs is approximately €60,853 excluding VAT.
Option 2: Four-bay fully enclosed shed with creep
This shed is nearly exactly the same as option 1, with the only difference being the shed is fully enclosed. The farmer is looking at two sites for the shed, one of which is more exposed and is considering this option.
Andrew says that an aspect farmers often regret is not making the calf creep or the passageway wide enough, which makes it harder to carry out feeding work. The feeding passage in this shed is 17ft wide and opens up the opportunity for the farmer of storing plastic feeding bins for concentrates along the wall.
The reference cost of this shed is approximately €65,152 excluding VAT.
Option 3:
Four-bay
shed with
addition of large straw-bedded area
Another option which the farmer wished to explore is the addition of a large straw-bedded area. There were two factors underpinning this request. The farmer is considering the option of bringing some male progeny through to beef in an under 16-month system and wanted the option of having a straw-bedded area which he feels might benefit finishing of bulls.
He was also interested in having the option of being able to let cows and calves remain on straw bedding for a few days post-calving and a pen measuring 6.95m (almost 23ft) would deliver this option. The farmer had also seen a shed where the straw-bedded area was fitted with solid rubber mats and scraped down daily. Cows were given access to this area when suckling, with calves in turn having access to a creep area behind. This model fitted in with the farmer considering bringing the mean calving date back from March to February to maximise liveweight gain from grass and better suit an under-16-month bull beef system. The creep in this shed is tighter on the drawing and Andrew says due to new requirements for individual access he would recommend a wider creep or narrowing the straw-bedded area slightly. The cost of this shed is €71,243 including VAT.
Option 4:
Three-bay shed with large straw-bedded area open on both sides
This option looked at taking the farm in a different direction, with the possibility of converting the farm to organics in the future.
Andrew says this shed has actually being built by a client who had transferred to organics and is happy with the outcome. The switch to organics would reduce plans to increase the stocking rate and drop the need for four bays to three bays.
The shed has an open feeding passage on both sides which opens up the opportunity of feeding calves/weanlings silage along the front of the creep area. The shed also has a 14ft 6in slat width and has a reference cost of €61,549.
Andrew highlights that an aspect of increasing the cost of the shed is the wide span over the straw-bedded area, which increases the strength of RSJs and adds more cost to the roof structure.
While suckler and beef farmers have faced many challenges in recent years, one area that continues to defy expectations is continued interest in farm buildings.
Carroll Consultancy, based in Swinford, Co Mayo, offers a farm buildings planning, design and Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS)service nationwide, managing projects from design stage through to receiving payment of TAMS funding.
Managing director Breian Carroll says: “One thing you can always rely on is that there will always be interest in farm buildings irrespective of how production systems are performing. Beef and suckler systems have been under pressure in recent years which has curtailed spending on some farms. However, it has also opened up greater interest on other farms where pressure on prices has enticed farmers to seek off-farm employment.
“This has actually increased interest in farm buildings for many where there is a greater focus on reducing labour and improving efficiency.”
Breian says the other area where a significant level of development work has occurred in recent years is among young farmers, who can avail of 60% grant aid as part of TAMS. “It’s a no-brainer for a lot of young farmers. They are planning for a long career in agriculture and more and more people are looking at their work-life balance, with some working off-farm, farming and rearing young families. The TAMS grant aid makes it very attractive and for those who can off-set costs against capital allowances it is an easy decision.”
Suckler-beef options
One such of Breian’s clients is currently looking at building a suckler shed that will cover a number of bases. The farm is currently running in the region of 40 cows in a suckler-to-weanling system and has a four-bay standard slatted shed. This houses in the region of 35 to 36 cows, with a number outwintered. The volume of slurry storage on the farm has come under pressure in recent years while wet springs have also curtailed opportunities to get cows and calves turned outdoors immediately.
The farmer is a young farmer who is interested in increasing his stocking rate and having the opportunity to carry weanlings through to store stage or finishing a proportion as young bulls under 16 months.
Four options were drawn up by Andrew Kilduff, who specialises in farm development. Each option has slightly different aspects to cater to the farmer’s list of desired features.
Option 1: Four-bay shed with creep open on one side
This shed is a four-bay slatted shed with an enclosed creep on one side of the slatted tank and with the other side possessing an open-sided feeding passage which is part covered with a canopy.
The tank is wider than the standard and is built to take a 14ft 6in slat. The depth of the tank is normal at 2.4m (8ft) and has agitation points as required at both ends.
The total storage (21m x 4.1m x2.2m) accounting for freeboard is 189.4m3 and provides sufficient storage for in the region of 40 cows for 18 weeks. The calf creep gives the farmer options to hold cows and calves indoors in spring and also doubles up as a calving area or cattle handling facility with a crush along the back wall. Andrew’s guide price going on TAMS reference costs is approximately €60,853 excluding VAT.
Option 2: Four-bay fully enclosed shed with creep
This shed is nearly exactly the same as option 1, with the only difference being the shed is fully enclosed. The farmer is looking at two sites for the shed, one of which is more exposed and is considering this option.
Andrew says that an aspect farmers often regret is not making the calf creep or the passageway wide enough, which makes it harder to carry out feeding work. The feeding passage in this shed is 17ft wide and opens up the opportunity for the farmer of storing plastic feeding bins for concentrates along the wall.
The reference cost of this shed is approximately €65,152 excluding VAT.
Option 3:
Four-bay
shed with
addition of large straw-bedded area
Another option which the farmer wished to explore is the addition of a large straw-bedded area. There were two factors underpinning this request. The farmer is considering the option of bringing some male progeny through to beef in an under 16-month system and wanted the option of having a straw-bedded area which he feels might benefit finishing of bulls.
He was also interested in having the option of being able to let cows and calves remain on straw bedding for a few days post-calving and a pen measuring 6.95m (almost 23ft) would deliver this option. The farmer had also seen a shed where the straw-bedded area was fitted with solid rubber mats and scraped down daily. Cows were given access to this area when suckling, with calves in turn having access to a creep area behind. This model fitted in with the farmer considering bringing the mean calving date back from March to February to maximise liveweight gain from grass and better suit an under-16-month bull beef system. The creep in this shed is tighter on the drawing and Andrew says due to new requirements for individual access he would recommend a wider creep or narrowing the straw-bedded area slightly. The cost of this shed is €71,243 including VAT.
Option 4:
Three-bay shed with large straw-bedded area open on both sides
This option looked at taking the farm in a different direction, with the possibility of converting the farm to organics in the future.
Andrew says this shed has actually being built by a client who had transferred to organics and is happy with the outcome. The switch to organics would reduce plans to increase the stocking rate and drop the need for four bays to three bays.
The shed has an open feeding passage on both sides which opens up the opportunity of feeding calves/weanlings silage along the front of the creep area. The shed also has a 14ft 6in slat width and has a reference cost of €61,549.
Andrew highlights that an aspect of increasing the cost of the shed is the wide span over the straw-bedded area, which increases the strength of RSJs and adds more cost to the roof structure.
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