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Freedom, WI | Now, I am not sure it can be done. A while back when milk was just starting to go up would have been the best time. Remember, $15 for milk is pretty much the breaking point. Starting out, I don't think a 120 cow robot setup would be possible. Now, I am not even sure if a 120 cow parlor would be doable. If you aren't afraid of some work, a small 50-60 cow setup would probably be the best for you. If you can find a tie stall barn in the area with some land, modernize it a little bit and you have a decent barn that you can work with. I am sort of like you-I am young and want to get into the business but my least favorite job is milking. Not saying it is bad or anything but I am the kind of guy who likes to solve problems with equipment better. The only difference is that I have a farm to take over someday. It is almost like the setup I described. It is not perfect and I wish we could have robots, but even us as an established farm are hesitant to expand and spend that much money. I can't imagine what it would be like for a young guy starting out.
Now I know that your situation might not be exactly the same as ours, but for a small farm, we are fairly profitable. I am not sure how the costs compare to a bigger farm, but everything is paid off and it works. If you don't have any land, of your own, good luck because that makes it even harder to get started.
These are just my thoughts so you can take them for what they are worth. I think you are better off just riding it out for a little while and waiting. Let the price of land go down a little bit and wait till the milk market steadies back out again. Good luck whatever you decide.
Edited by Wisconsindairy 1/28/2015 18:25
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Thinking about starting a dairy
