Chilliwack, British Columbia | I think you have to relook at some numbers. There shouldn't be any way that a parlour will only be $10,000/year to maintain properly. Don't forget, a big parlour uses lots of chemical and lots of water. And a smaller parlour goes thru wear items faster. Have you looked at used robots? Farm here is milking 75 cows in 2 used Lely A3's. Got them for cheap, even cheaper now that the A5 are out, and I'm sure other colours will be the same. No parlour to heat, holding area to clean, and you're not stuck to milking times. I truly believe if you want to do things yourself, robots are the key. You want a parlour, you're hiring help, so you can allocate your time better.
Also, good friends of mine, robot farm, similar or more production, their grain cost is actually lower than mine. Their cows are eating more overall feed so forage intake is significantly more, but grain costs are about $0.25 lower. I know costs out your way are high, but it's all relative. The pellet does have to be palatable, but someone should be able to get that done. Also, lots of commodity pellets being fed here, not many have more than canola and barley as part of it. Lowers the cost significantly, apparently.
Anywho, that's my rant for today, good luck with whichever you decide.
Glenn |
New milking parlour questions
