Cash flow critical in dairy farm expansion

* Teagasc’s experts say dairy expansion can be profitable, but you’ll need a solid plan. Joe Dermody reports

THE foul weather, soaring feed costs and milk price volatility of 2012 have given valuable insights to dairy farmers planning to expand their output post-2015.

Farm efficiency and rapid access to cash flow to cope with an array of external shocks, and the need for every decision to be profit-driven — these were the core “expansion” issues on the agenda at last week’s Teagasc annual dairy conference in the Brandon Hotel, Tralee, Co Kerry.