Farm buildings are at the core of most farmyards. The history of most yards is one of building on to or building next to existing sheds as the farm develops. Usually as time passes so too does cashflow to allow for re-investment. Darren Carty reports on adapting an old loose shed into specialised penning for an expanding sheep flock.

The key for any investment like this is to ensure that it is futureproof as much as possible. Ideally you don’t want to make changes like Darren suggests to find out two years later you have to go looking at more options as the flock has already outgrown the new investment.

Thinking ahead

I know it’s not always possible to get it right and have that crystal ball, but thinking about your next move or investment two, three, five years down the line will help make your mind up and plan your yard long-term. Much like the best snooker players have in their mind what’s going to happen two or three moves ahead, so must you be in your farmyard.

Your goal is to have your yard functional and efficient rather than piecemeal and hard to work in. As labour gets harder to get, you need to aim to make work around the yard easier rather than harder.

Ideally you want to make investments that allow a tractor and loader to get in and out easily. The silage pit is at the core of most farmyards and the closer it is to the sheds the shorter the draw and easier it is to operate in the winter.

Elsewhere in this Focus myself, Adam Woods, Kieran Mailey and Peter Varley all explain various investments, big and small on dairy and livestock farms from farm visits across Ireland and Scotland.

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Sprucing up winter beef accommodation