Cows are money losers

[deletethis]

Cows do not produce nearly as much manure and slurry as they eat.
Though they make milk and reproduce it does not nearly make up for the potential lost revenue from a bio gas plant.

By my calculations, each cow (roughly) consumes 500 TMR, 100 water and 100 straw.
Assuming that the TMR was entirely made of hay and silage and that straw is worthless, on hard economy, that would be about $250 revenue if all the hay was turned into silage and sold at a biogas plant ($500/ 1000 l).

On the other hand, a cow (roughly) produces 190 manure, 125 slurry, and 125 milk per day.
If you sell the manure and slurry at the biogas plant and sell the milk for about $500 (hard economy) you get about $210 per day. Thus, you are putting $250 worth of food into something that produces $210 worth of produce. A net money loss. Yes, you can cut your TMR with straw so it isn't entirely grass but it isn't enough to dramatically change the analysis.

Also, you might get more for your milk, but if everything lines up you might be breaking even.
As Cows are a lot of work to keep them simply as farm ornaments.

In other words, cows are, at best, an end-game thing. Appropriate only once you no longer need to treat your farm like a business.

[bleh]

lol that's kind of like real life dairy farming in most countries survived by subsidies trade tarrifs and tax breaks

[Aesyle]

The idea of manure and slurry is to fertilize your field, not to sell them. Since you get manure/slurry as byproduct of cows/pigs, you get the organic fertz for free. Solid/liquid fertz, in the other hand, costs you quite a bit.

So, make a new calculation but this time factor in the free slurry/manure in place of solid/liquid fertz you otherwise need to buy.

[Jeremiah Johnson]

Originally posted by bleh:

lol that's kind of like real life dairy farming in most countries survived by subsidies trade tarrifs and tax breaks

Sad but true....i live in New England U.S.A. an dairy farmers were plentiful when i was a kid growing up,Iam now 65 an there might be 3 left in my area!!! An in closing Farm 19 was a rip off an just a bad update of FS17. I will never buy a Giants Software game again

[bleh]

yep canada here, our butter cartel keeps our dairy industry strong by making enemies around tehe world

[IrrelevantScrub]

Originally posted by ||| GRIZZLY ADAMS |||:

An in closing Farm 19 was a rip off an just a bad update of FS17. I will never buy a Giants Software game again

you do know theres a symbol on steam forums that show if u buy the game or not, and it shows you havent pushcased this game.

[bleh]

Originally posted by IrrelevantScrub:

Originally posted by ||| GRIZZLY ADAMS |||:

An in closing Farm 19 was a rip off an just a bad update of FS17. I will never buy a Giants Software game again

you do know theres a symbol on steam forums that show if u buy the game or not, and it shows you havent pushcased this game.

it goes away if you get a refund

[JPSGT40]

Originally posted by IrrelevantScrub:

You do know theres a symbol on steam forums that show if u buy the game or not, and it shows you havent pushcased this game.

That is no applicable if he bought it directly from Giants online or if he bought the collectors edition box set.

[Simeta]

Cows have never been the animals that bring in the millions fast... they are a good animal to spend time on if you are on a large server to keep people busy... To which you get free fertilizer for fields. If you are doing it for pure profit then just do horses.

[deletethis]

Originally posted by Aesyle:

The idea of manure and slurry is to fertilize your field, not to sell them. Since you get manure/slurry as byproduct of cows/pigs, you get the organic fertz for free. Solid/liquid fertz, in the other hand, costs you quite a bit.

You get *big* bucks for manure and slurry at the biogas plant. It is utter foolishness to waste it by dumping it on the ground.

[bleh]

Originally posted by deletethis:

Originally posted by Aesyle:

The idea of manure and slurry is to fertilize your field, not to sell them. Since you get manure/slurry as byproduct of cows/pigs, you get the organic fertz for free. Solid/liquid fertz, in the other hand, costs you quite a bit.

You get *big* bucks for manure and slurry at the biogas plant. It is utter foolishness to waste it by dumping it on the ground.

TIL; that thing you said, *tries cows again*

[Aesyle]

Since the latest patch increased the pricing of solid/liquid fertz, using free manure/slurry is even more beneficial than before.

Liquid fertz was at €2.400 per 2000L, now it is €3.200 per 2000L (€800 increase).
Solid fertz was at €1.600 per 1000L, now it is €1.920 per 1000L (€320 increase).

[deletethis]

Originally posted by Aesyle:

Since the latest patch increased the pricing of solid/liquid fertz, using free manure/slurry is even more beneficial than before.

Liquid fertz was at €2.400 per 2000L, now it is €3.200 per 2000L (€800 increase).
Solid fertz was at €1.600 per 1000L, now it is €1.920 per 1000L (€320 increase).

Still peanuts compared to selling manure or slurry at the biogas plant.
On hard, I get $500 per 1000 for manure and $400 per 1000 for slurry.
That is better than what I get for most grains.

[Ruges]

Originally posted by deletethis:

On the other hand, a cow (roughly) produces 190 manure, 125 slurry, and 125 milk per day.
.

Asuming that is all correct. with 1.2 hard mode BGA prices. It will cost $84 to raise each cow. (20% straw in the TMR leaves 375 of silage/hay @$200. and 225 liters of straw @$9). Each cow will produce $167 worth of products. (Manure $38, Slurry $19, Milk $75. cows to sell $35).

This brings you to $84 per cow per day. or about $16,000 net profit per large pen.

Although I do think cow food consumption needs to be lowered. IRL a cow would only eat 30 liters per day. So the 500 is a bit much.

Another thing to consider in all of this. the BGA can only process so much per day. I find I am only geting 600-800k liters processed per day. (dont know the exact max number per day), but its not going to be to far off from that. And really doing more then that is going to take allot of micromanagment of the belts constantly. (although hoping the roper will speed that all up).

[deletethis]

Originally posted by Ruges:

Originally posted by deletethis:

On the other hand, a cow (roughly) produces 190 manure, 125 slurry, and 125 milk per day.
.

Asuming that is all correct. with 1.2 hard mode BGA prices. It will cost $84 to raise each cow. (20% straw in the TMR leaves 375 of silage/hay @$200. and 225 liters of straw @$9). Each cow will produce $167 worth of products. (Manure $38, Slurry $19, Milk $75. cows to sell $35).

This brings you to $84 per cow per day. or about $16,000 net profit per large pen.

Ah yes, 1.2 hard has really crushed BGA prices. Plus it raised the price of the plant. It will take you a long long time to pay off required $500-700k investment in the plant. It no longer is the clear way to make money.

[VA gamer]

Originally posted by deletethis:

Originally posted by Ruges:

Asuming that is all correct. with 1.2 hard mode BGA prices. It will cost $84 to raise each cow. (20% straw in the TMR leaves 375 of silage/hay @$200. and 225 liters of straw @$9). Each cow will produce $167 worth of products. (Manure $38, Slurry $19, Milk $75. cows to sell $35).

This brings you to $84 per cow per day. or about $16,000 net profit per large pen.

Ah yes, 1.2 hard has really crushed BGA prices. Plus it raised the price of the plant. It will take you a long long time to pay off required $500-700k investment in the plant. It no longer is the clear way to make money.

Is there any profit to be made installing clamps on own land and selling silage at the barn? I haven't played hard mode at all.