Dairy Chit Chat- Please read Mod note in post #1

Timmaay

Program about dairying on rte 1 just started now.

mf240

Who does the other 6 milkings. How much did 250 cows cost . How much rent is he paying. Do the uncles work on farm. Are they paid for their time

Water John

I like success for people. Best of luck to him. Though attending Ag College and farming full time, ah please!

mahoney_j

Read the article ,massively impressed with him and his vision as a 23 year old ,who cares if he only milks 8 times a week ,dairy farming is way more than milking cows and physically working on the farm ,there's budgeting of grass and finances etc etc far more important ,
On the cost issue its transparent enough if u read whole article ,34 cent is what it costs him to produce milk ,end of .my issue is the wuoting of the 22 cent ,really irks me and a major flaw of profit monitors ,Tegasc farmers journals,agriland articles etc etc .it gives a totally unrealistic picture of what it costs to produce milk .farmer works for nothing ,land is free and were debt free

awaywithyou

I wonder does he visit boards.ie?? He'll be laughing his head off reading thru some of the ****e that has been posted....

Anyways cows indoors tonight... Bad night here and going by forecast will get worse before it gets better.....

Out of curiosity have many of ye have zero grazers and what Ye're opinion on having one for occasions when there's bad weather??

Dawggone

Timmaay wrote: »

Program about dairying on rte 1 just started now.

Well?




Cows were clean(ish!).

mahoney_j

awaywithyou wrote: »

I wonder does he visit boards.ie?? He'll be laughing his head off reading thru some of the ****e that has been posted....

Anyways cows indoors tonight... Bad night here and going by forecast will get worse before it gets better.....

Out of curiosity have many of ye have zero grazers and what Ye're opinion on having one for occasions when there's bad weather??

Contractor come in for 10 days or so in spring and backend ,no way would I buy one or like to be at it for chunks of the year

Dawggone

awaywithyou wrote: »

I wonder does he visit boards.ie?? He'll be laughing his head off reading thru some of the ****e that has been posted....

Anyways cows indoors tonight... Bad night here and going by forecast will get worse before it gets better.....

Out of curiosity have many of ye have zero grazers and what Ye're opinion on having one for occasions when there's bad weather??

Feck!
Didn't realise the weather has been that bad.
Zerograzers are the work of the devil (:))....tried it a couple of years ago. Won't be going there again.
Then again I suppose they've a place somewhere...

freedominacup

awaywithyou wrote: »

Out of curiosity have many of ye have zero grazers and what Ye're opinion on having one for occasions when there's bad weather??

I saw them in operation in the UK in the nineties. One of the Irish lads on the course with us actually did a few weeks work experience at Ed Walleys the guy who invented the zgrazer featured in last week's journal. Even as a youngfella as green as grass I could see they were highly efficient at separating farmers from cash and time.

Dawggone

freedominacup wrote: »

I saw them in operation in the UK in the nineties. One of the Irish lads on the course with us actually did a few weeks work experience at Ed Walleys the guy who invented the zgrazer featured in last week's journal. Even as a youngfella as green as grass I could see they were highly efficient at separating farmers from cash and time.

"Seperating farmers from cash and TIME".

Emphasis on time...grass certainly isn't that good a feed to waste that kinda money and time...

awaywithyou

Dawggone wrote: »

Feck!
Didn't realise the weather has been that bad.
Zerograzers are the work of the devil (:))....tried it a couple of years ago. Won't be going there again.
Then again I suppose they've a place somewhere...

Just along the west coast dawgy dawg dawg! East of the country escaping tonight anyway....

Why didn't ya fancy it?? Heap of zero grazers round here.....

And was surprised when I looked at the back page of the journal I think to see a couple of well known farmers using zero grazers.....

yewtree

Think they have a place if used in spring and autumn and can get a contractor to do it as mj said
One of the lads in Dg has one he reckons if it's too wet to graze with cows it's to wet to zero graze don't think they are s solution to heavy ground

Dawggone

awaywithyou wrote: »

Just along the west coast dawgy dawg dawg! East of the country escaping tonight anyway....

Why didn't ya fancy it?? Heap of zero grazers round here.....

And was surprised when I looked at the back page of the journal I think to see a couple of well known farmers using zero grazers.....

I didn't fancy it at the time because after doing the figures it needs grass to be over 22% pr. Problem with grass at that pr% and ground conditions mucky...dm is on the floor. Expensive water.

Not taking from anyone that's using the system now. It's just not for me, that's all.





Btw. I'm not much of a Dawgy Dawg Dawg...I may bite!

GrasstoMilk

Dawggone wrote: »

I didn't fancy it at the time because after doing the figures it needs grass to be over 22% pr. Problem with grass at that pr% and ground conditions mucky...dm is on the floor. Expensive water.

Not taking from anyone that's using the system now. It's just not for me, that's all.





Btw. I'm not much of a Dawgy Dawg Dawg...I may bite!

Testing grass here throughout the year.
Lowest pr test this yr was 23% dmd always high 80s. Dm a difervent storey

Dawggone

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Testing grass here throughout the year.
Lowest pr test this yr was 23% dmd always high 80s. Dm a difervent storey

Foliar analysis?

Edit.
I found that clover (sorry, cuss word) was needed to have any pr consistency.

GrasstoMilk

Dawggone wrote: »

Foliar analysis?

Edit.
I found that clover (sorry, cuss word) was needed to have any pr consistency.

Yes.
Fan of clover here. Love seeing it in swards

Dawggone

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Yes.
Fan of clover here. Love seeing it in swards

Hmmm....Dawg narrows eyes, and even squints a little...fan of clover??











Aren't Irish farmers supposed to be heavily dependant on monocultures and chemical fert?
Suspicious...

Timmaay

Dawggone wrote: »

Hmmm....Dawg narrows eyes, and even squints a little...fan of clover??



Aren't Irish farmers supposed to be heavily dependant on monocultures and chemical fert?
Suspicious...

Treating it with more respect here also, the trials are definitely promising.

alps

Timmaay wrote: »

Treating it with more respect here also, the trials are definitely promising.

Go to Clon....read between the lines....check out the sward carefully....mid August would be best....

cjpm

awaywithyou wrote: »

Just along the west coast dawgy dawg dawg! East of the country escaping tonight anyway....

Why didn't ya fancy it?? Heap of zero grazers round here.....

And was surprised when I looked at the back page of the journal I think to see a couple of well known farmers using zero grazers.....

I was at one of those fellas places during the summer. Hosted an open day and sale. Great looking cows and figures. Can't recollect seeing or hearing anything about the use of a zero grazer though??

caseman

mf240 wrote: »

Who does the other 6 milkings. How much did 250 cows cost . How much rent is he paying. Do the uncles work on farm. Are they paid for their time

The labour thing is something that bugs me. alot of fellas calling themselves one man shows not Kevin and a load of free family labour.
Was in a yard one morning and even poor mammy was coming running with two buckets and her head nearly touching the ground

Keepgrowing

caseman wrote: »

The labour thing is something that bugs me. alot of fellas calling themselves one man shows not Kevin and a load of free family labour.
Was in a yard one morning and even poor mammy was coming running with two buckets and her head nearly touching the ground

Very misleading but also plain bad manners insulting parents like that. I've no time for it.

I'd estimate my wife is a half labour unit here and she doesn't put on wellies only to go to matches or EP. She took over the books as my mother tools back seat, invaluable. My post is even opened and junk in the recycle bin before I see it. My next step is to get her to keep the Dept records and then I'm free to milk and drive tractors

kevthegaff

Timmaay wrote:

Recently we saw three posters close their accounts over disagreements in the dairy threads. While there is a lot of frustration and discontent with current milk prices and the processing industry, the recent tendency for dairy threads to become tit-for-tat arguments isn’t tolerable for those not involved.

Keepgrowing wrote:

I'd estimate my wife is a half labour unit here and she doesn't put on wellies only to go to matches or EP. She took over the books as my mother tools back seat, invaluable. My post is even opened and junk in the recycle bin before I see it. My next step is to get her to keep the Dept records and then I'm free to milk and drive tractors

That's what I'm trying to do, don't intend herself working like that unless she wants! She's down on the books as a labour unit even tho she doesn't even feed the dog! My COP must be skewed the other way :-)

kevthegaff

So wonder IFJ/Agriland aren't knocking on door...

Injuryprone

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Can you explain the following quote

“For every 1c/L your increase your concentrate costs your overall costs increase by 1.6c/L,” he said.

I can't explain it. My best guess is he's probably going off some teagasc analysis of profit monitors where they correlate concentrate costs to overall costs. Can't see why feeding extra concentrates would add any other costs.

kowtow

Dawggone wrote: »

I didn't fancy it at the time because after doing the figures it needs grass to be over 22% pr. Problem with grass at that pr% and ground conditions mucky...dm is on the floor. Expensive water.

Not taking from anyone that's using the system now. It's just not for me, that's all.





Btw. I'm not much of a Dawgy Dawg Dawg...I may bite!

You are only against them because the discharge is a bit slow.

No good for unloading dung / cow sh**T, goose livers, duck waste etc. into the foyer of the local co-op / bank / govt. department.

yewtree

caseman wrote: »

The labour thing is something that bugs me. alot of fellas calling themselves one man shows not Kevin and a load of free family labour.
Was in a yard one morning and even poor mammy was coming running with two buckets and her head nearly touching the ground

Spot on a lot of labour hidden on farms, thankfully my parents are still around both retirement age, mam never goes out on farm but will help out in other ways Dad is doing a lot less but is still invaluable. Probably a full labour unit when all the work they do is taken into account. Milking 130 this year simple system don't think I would manage if I was a a real one man show

mf240

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Can you explain the following quote

“For every 1c/L your increase your concentrate costs your overall costs increase by 1.6c/L,” he said.

That's one of those statistical anomalies that has been misinterpreted imo.

Mooooo

alps wrote: »

Timmaay wrote: »

Treating it with more respect here also, the trials are definitely promising.

Go to Clon....read between the lines....check out the sward carefully....mid August would be best....

Dawggone wrote: »

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Yes.
Fan of clover here. Love seeing it in swards

Hmmm....Dawg narrows eyes, and even squints a little...fan of clover??











Aren't Irish farmers supposed to be heavily dependant on monocultures and chemical fert?
Suspicious...

Clover is all fine on dandy on dry soils with lower rainfall amounts in the shoulders once your happy to feed bales on days they could be in the field in spring and autumn. Had it here for a bit in few paddocks and all I had was poached fields in spring due to low cover and and hence weeds in the summer with f all grass.

caseman

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Very misleading but also plain bad manners insulting parents like that. I've no time for it.

I'd estimate my wife is a half labour unit here and she doesn't put on wellies only to go to matches or EP. She took over the books as my mother tools back seat, invaluable. My post is even opened and junk in the recycle bin before I see it. My next step is to get her to keep the Dept records and then I'm free to milk and drive tractors

I don't think i insulted anybody parents in that post told it as i seen it.
If i did my apologies

whelan2

caseman wrote: »

I don't think i insulted anybody parents in that post told it as i seen it.
If i did my apologies

I dont think you did either , I think keepgrowing was saying its very bad form on the farmers involved part to have their mother still out doing their work. That day should be long gone

freedominacup

whelan2 wrote: »

I dont think you did either , I think keepgrowing was saying its very bad form on the farmers involved part to have their mother still out doing their work. That day should be long gone

Honestly Whelan they can be impossible to keep out of the yard. My mil would give my fathers mother a run for her money and she could embarrass us by making a show of us well into our teens. Bil has spent a decade slowly weaning her off hardship. He has spent a fortune modernising what was a pretty old fashioned yard when he started but there are still a couple of jobs she won't relent on so he grins and bears it. She's still doing 4-5 milkings a week min at 75. 100 plus cows. Not a sin on her.

whelan2

freedominacup wrote: »

Honestly Whelan they can be impossible to keep out of the yard. My mil would give my fathers mother a run for her money and she could embarrass us by making a show of us well into our teens. Bil has spent a decade slowly weaning her off hardship. He has spent a fortune modernising what was a pretty old fashioned yard when he started but there are still a couple of jobs she won't relent on so he grins and bears it. She's still doing 4-5 milkings a week min at 75. 100 plus cows. Not a sin on her.

Ah I know that and in most cases its what keeps them going, but there are also lads taking full advantage. Being expected to carry big buckets and do things they were able to do 20 years ago and still have the dinner on the table

kevthegaff

whelan2 wrote:

I dont think you did either , I think keepgrowing was saying its very bad form on the farmers involved part to have their mother still out doing their work. That day should be long gone

It's still common

Dawggone

kowtow wrote: »

You are only against them because the discharge is a bit slow.

No good for unloading dung / cow sh**T, goose livers, duck waste etc. into the foyer of the local co-op / bank / govt. department.

Lol.

Looking for a good blockade atm...I've a big heap of tyres I want rid of.

yosemitesam1

Testing grass here throughout the year.
Lowest pr test this yr was 23% dmd always high 80s. Dm a difervent storey[/quote]
Keep in mind that most of that pr in grass will be pissed away, compared to good quality meal/tmr probably lucky to get 60% efficiency if everything was perfect compared to 80+

wats the craic

i thought i would give a little up date on strathroy progress this year . they have increased capacity to 1.3 million litres a day , which mainly comes the new evaporater they have built at a cost of 7 million or so . but all of the money comes from strathroy not the farmers. product from the new plant being sold across europe plus the rep of ireland , and they want new suppliers

Dawggone

wats the craic wrote: »

i thought i would give a little up date on strathroy progress this year . they have increased capacity to 1.3 million litres a day , which mainly comes the new evaporater they have built at a cost of 7 million or so . but all of the money comes from strathroy not the farmers. product from the new plant being sold across europe plus the rep of ireland , and they want new suppliers

Have they increased price?

Timmaay

wats the craic wrote: »

i thought i would give a little up date on strathroy progress this year . they have increased capacity to 1.3 million litres a day , which mainly comes the new evaporater they have built at a cost of 7 million or so . but all of the money comes from strathroy not the farmers. product from the new plant being sold across europe plus the rep of ireland , and they want new suppliers

Will they swing off the n11 at the beehive for me .? Out of interest are you paid in stg or euro? The exchange rate must of made a big impact on the price this yr?

RightTurnClyde

wats the craic wrote: »

i thought i would give a little up date on strathroy progress this year . they have increased capacity to 1.3 million litres a day , which mainly comes the new evaporater they have built at a cost of 7 million or so . but all of the money comes from strathroy not the farmers. product from the new plant being sold across europe plus the rep of ireland , and they want new suppliers

I'm getting an itch.
- any affect from Brexit
- does exchange rate come into the equation at all ( when they're buying or selling)
- how are prices looking with them.
Thanks

kowtow

Am on the hunt for a small meal bin for the parlour, 4-6 tonnes, if anyone is upgrading with the grant, or knows of one?

Have six inch augur already going into parlour, at feeder height, not sure if it is possible to put flexi augur on the end of rigid augur or whether a bin needs to be the right height to match the augur?

visatorro

kowtow wrote: »

Am on the hunt for a small meal bin for the parlour, 4-6 tonnes, if anyone is upgrading with the grant, or knows of one?

Have six inch augur already going into parlour, at feeder height, not sure if it is possible to put flexi augur on the end of rigid augur or whether a bin needs to be the right height to match the augur?

Are you buying second hand kowtow? I'm fairly sure you can put flex onto rigid augers. Anyone selling the augers would tell you for sure

alps

mf240 wrote: »

That's one of those statistical anomalies that has been misinterpreted imo.

It maybe misrepresented and misquoted somewhat but the argument has merit.

I've had this from a NZ researcher comparing COP's of various farms and specifically where these costs increased due to increased feeding over a period if time. The argument did not make any claim that any less profit was made..It was only an analysis of cost.
The claim was that as feeding rates increased so did the volume of output. It led to increased milking parlour wear, inserted electricity, cooling, labour etc cossesponding to the output. It also led to an increase in slurry and dirty water spreading costs, which did sum up that for every $1 spend on feed, overall costs rose by $1.?? (I can't remember the figure)
A logical conclusion, but it did not assess whether you made more profit or not..

I would leave that conclusion to the experts here...

kowtow

visatorro wrote: »

Are you buying second hand kowtow? I'm fairly sure you can put flex onto rigid augers. Anyone selling the augers would tell you for sure

I'd rather not buy a new one for such a small bunch, and already have all the augurs (actually have two complete sets of augurs)... also have the boot off what I think was a Crowley bin on the end of the 6" set of augurs.

I'd rather not have a bin at all.. a bit of flexi augur connected to the existing augur and curving down into a 2 tonne bag or similar would be perfect but I have a feeling that it's not that simple... I suppose the easiest thing is to try and find a blow in bin and set it at the exact height of the 6" augur?

kevthegaff

kowtow wrote:

Have six inch augur already going into parlour, at feeder height, not sure if it is possible to put flexi augur on the end of rigid augur or whether a bin needs to be the right height to match the augur?

Its better in the long run less of an angle, but mine does a full c loop. One of my augers had yo be welded this year so maybe that was the cause

kowtow

kevthegaff wrote: »

Its better in the long run less of an angle, but mine does a full c loop. One of my augers had yo be welded this year so maybe that was the cause

Is the flex augur connected to a rigid augur? Or does it go all the way around the feeders?

Presumably the flexi stuff is like a spring in a pipe? Can you just hang it off the end of normal rigid / steel cored setup?. That would be magic.

pedigree 6

Only thing i'll say to you kowtow is if you buy a new bin, you should have it for a lifetime and you won't be worrying about rust and welding etc plus (don't know if you care or not:P) it will look better. If you are buying new there's a big difference in quality and steel in bins too. Don't just compare on price.

It's a few years since I bought mine but there was a time when the bin was the price of the load of meal inside it.
If you want to compare bins the ploughing is a good place to do it.

I bought my first bin covered in under the cone with a door for access, as I had the cows crossing the same yard and I was able to use it as a store as well and lock the door. That was 16 years ago and the bin is as good as the day it went in.

Buford T. Justice XIX

pedigree 6 wrote: »

Only thing i'll say to you kowtow is if you buy a new bin, you should have it for a lifetime and you won't be worrying about rust and welding etc plus (don't know if you care or not:P) it will look better. If you are buying new there's a big difference in quality and steel in bins too. Don't just compare on price.

It's a few years since I bought mine but there was a time when the bin was the price of the load of meal inside it.
If you want to compare bins the ploughing is a good place to do it.

I bought my first bin covered in under the cone with a door for access, as I had the cows crossing the same yard and I was able to use it as a store as well and lock the door. That was 16 years ago and the bin is as good as the day it went in.

Vmac?

pedigree 6

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

Vmac?

Yep.
So good I bought another one when building the parlour 6 years ago instead of going to the bother of moving that one. :pac:

Buford T. Justice XIX

pedigree 6 wrote: »

Yep.
So good I bought another one when building the parlour 6 years ago instead of going to the bother of moving that one. :pac:

I'm going to the ploughing looking at bins. I was planning replacing my 25yo 6t bin next spring but it will have to wait another year:(

Are they worth the extra few hundred euro over the 'normal' bin?