Do you have a longterm plan for your herd?

[Rob R]

The export thread got me thinking, do we, as a collective of animal breeders, make longer terms plans, or not? (please choose the longest term option that applies)

[Jac]

Why only one option? 2, 3 and 4 apply so chose the middle one.

[Rob R]

Edited to clarify

[PorcPrunus NL]

We live in the Netherlands and have a FarmShop since 1 year now. We need 10-20 steers a year. We have 9 hectare conservation pasture and 12 hectare commercial pasture. Over 5 years we like to have 20-30 Dexter cows (and 50 steers from calf to finisching). All should be free from Chrondo and not taller than 107 cm (42 inch).
That's why we have imported some cows from the Harron and Breoch herds.
We realise that the prices of heifer calfs will decrease when there are more Dexters in Holland. That's why we would buy good stock. The problem with starting with such great plans means a lot of investment in time and money. That's why the plan is for 5 years, maybe shorter when bussiness goes well.

[Rob R]

It's encouraging to see such long term-ism amoung the contributors here.

We have similar plans, only with more extensive grazing, but as you say, it relies on time and money that is so often in short supply.

[Louisa Gidney]

Keep on keeping on about sums it up for me. I'm planning to downsize the herd over the next decade, reducing numbers of females and retaining only short leg females. My biggest constraint is getting a contractor to empty the midden. The machinery is so huge the chap only wants to do it every 2 or 3 years but I can't cope with it mounting up and the space it takes up, besides the loss of the annual dose of nutrient to the grass.