Drought, how is it affecting you?

Odelay

kevthegaff wrote: »

The last 2 months have been the most laid back june/July I remember. No topping , spraying, fertiliser so work at a minimum. Absolute 1st gear








Next problem what do I do for fodder next winter??

Buy fodder in Tesco?

whelan2

Odelay wrote: »

Buy fodder in Tesco?

Every little helps

Birdnuts

Staying with the parents in near Naas atm and I have to say its greened up alot since last week. Very muggy today with masses of flying ants - always the sign of a good summer;)

freedominacup

kevthegaff wrote: »

Next problem what do I do for fodder next winter??

Your own business. I'm just back from a drought crisis meeting. Joe Healy has been on a trip around the SE today we were the last port of call. A lot of talk about what the dept and the minister should/need to be doing. If you're going to wait for a solution to come from that point I think you're going to be disappointed.

Genghis Cant

I'm feeding hay and nuts to my Bullocks now probably 3 weeks. I've nice grass coming in three fields that the cattle have been shut out of. They got fert about 10 days ago and have greened up well, but improving every day now. I'm wondering when I should let the cattle back into one of them. I think every day I can hold off the more the grass will improve. I'm nearly out of hay though. What's the right thing to do?

charolais0153

Genghis Cant wrote: »

I'm feeding hay and nuts to my Bullocks now probably 3 weeks. I've nice grass coming in three fields that the cattle have been shut out of. They got fert about 10 days ago and have greened up well, but improving every day now. I'm wondering when I should let the cattle back into one of them. I think every day I can hold off the more the grass will improve. I'm nearly out of hay though. What's the right thing to do?

Keep supplementation up until you have to graze

CloughCasey1

Closed up everything on July 3rd and fed in 3 groups silage and meal. Idea was to let any grass bulid up even if it got burnt in places. Have got caught with summers due to being too dry here a few times as its limestone land but nothing like this yr. Thinking was grass grows grass and once the weather turned then id have a head start. The last bale of silage i put out was eaten this morning and all three groups now out on grass only. Have a bag of pasture sward on most of the ground and 1.75bags urea and bag 0-7-30 put out on 10 acres for second and third cut silage just a few hours before the rain last week. I now have 16 acres of good covers in front of the three groups not counting the 2 fields and winterage that will be sprayed off for reseeding on Sunday (weather permitting) and the ground set for silage. I am 40 bales short of what i had last year and have at least 60 of what is set aside. Have sold feck all hay yet have the guts of 1k squares and 40 odd rounds. That on 45 acres and carrying 42 cattle 15mts plus. Hope to carry 42 for the winter and have fodder to sell at non-extortionate prices. Dear straw or chance peat is the next question.

Gawddawggonnit

Brown Podzol wrote: »

''Twas done here many years ago on a neighbours barley field with a small plane.
Half the parish had turnips growing everywhere.

The fiddle came years before the airplane. I remember getting the ‘plane to spread them for many years after. There were turnips growing in ditches etc for years afterwards.
Pheasants loved it.

Bullocks

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

The fiddle came years before the airplane. I remember getting the ‘plane to spread them for many years after. There were turnips growing in ditches etc for years afterwards.
Pheasants loved it.

The grandfather had a fiddle here and it was in absolutely mint condition up till a few years ago when a lad borrowed it. The dick threw it in the shed and "someone" backed a trailer over it.
I had no interest in using it but it would make a nice antique if it was right

Gawddawggonnit

Bullocks wrote: »

The grandfather had a fiddle here and it was in absolutely mint condition up till a few years ago when a lad borrowed it. The dick threw it in the shed and "someone" backed a trailer over it.
I had no interest in using it but it would make a nice antique if it was right

I’d make him eat it...

Cattlepen

freedominacup wrote: »

I'm beginning to think that irrigation with tankers is viable in a limited way. If you have access to a water source on a limited area. I posted about a neighbour doing it earlier in the thread. He is only covering around 15% of his grazing area and the ground he is covering is getting around 10mm per week. Growth rate is phenomenal and he is able to keep 1200 covers in front of the cows for one grazing per day from this area. I must check what level of fert he's applying but if I had a water source available I'd be giving it a go next time we are in a drought situation. No possibility of covering the whole farm but I think plenty of us would take the hand and all off someone who offered us covers like this even for one graze per day atm.

Edit; probably closer to 2/3s of a grazing per day.

I think yer right. I’ve seen men doing it and I thought it looked like a good job in spite of what the research says

White Clover

20silkcut wrote: »

If this year has proved anything it is that if one side of the growth triangle is missing the whole thing collapses.
To go the bones of three months with a lack of worthwhile rain is beyond the experience of almost every farmer in this country.
I’m not highly stocked about one animal per 0.8 acre and I have caught up with the growth. At the start of June I would have thought that impossible. Farming in this county is all geared towards summer growth. We live for the summer and the abundance of grass what can we do it’s always been that way. To say that we should be able to put up with a summer like this is completely mis guided in the Irish context. Nobody saw it coming.
There was predictions of a big change in the weather from the end of April but not one person came out and said prepare for a drought. It’s been 42 years since the last one why would they?? Our lives have been one wet summer after another.

If we had had a continuation of the weather we had in April or a summer like last, we would be in dire straits too, especially in my part of the country.
It sounds to me like you are farming on good land that needs rain on a weekly basis in summer to grow grass, this is clouding your judgement on what summer weather should be like.
What is happening in agriculture at the moment is not sustainable. It's on a knife edge but some people can't see the wood for the trees. The drier than average summer is really putting the sqeeze on now.

longgonesilver

20silkcut wrote: »

If this year has proved anything it is that if one side of the growth triangle is missing the whole thing collapses.
To go the bones of three months with a lack of worthwhile rain is beyond the experience of almost every farmer in this country.
I’m not highly stocked about one animal per 0.8 acre and I have caught up with the growth. At the start of June I would have thought that impossible. Farming in this county is all geared towards summer growth. We live for the summer and the abundance of grass what can we do it’s always been that way. To say that we should be able to put up with a summer like this is completely mis guided in the Irish context. Nobody saw it coming.
There was predictions of a big change in the weather from the end of April but not one person came out and said prepare for a drought. It’s been 42 years since the last one why would they?? Our lives have been one wet summer after another.

Can you confirm your stocking rate of you don't mind. Is it one adult animal on .8 of an acre. Does that include all silage ground?

20silkcut

White Clover wrote: »

If we had had a continuation of the weather we had in April or a summer like last, we would be in dire straits too, especially in my part of the country.
It sounds to me like you are farming on good land that needs rain on a weekly basis in summer to grow grass, this is clouding your judgement on what summer weather should be like.
What is happening in agriculture at the moment is not sustainable. It's on a knife edge but some people can't see the wood for the trees. The drier than average summer is really putting the sqeeze on now.

If there is one thing I have learned from this thread it is the vast differences between different parts of the country actually I’m lying I have a brother in law in north Roscommon who looked at me sideways one time a few years ago in mid July when I asked when he was doing his second cut.

20silkcut

longgonesilver wrote: »

Can you confirm your stocking rate of you don't mind. Is it one adult animal on .8 of an acre. Does that include all silage ground?

Yes that includes silage ground. All my animals that I currently have on the farm were born between feb and April 2017.
110 animals on 90 acres.

Dakota Dan

whelan2 wrote: »

There's plenty of time though. It has only rained properly a couple of days ago. I did my second cut last week. It was crap. There's fertiliser out for another cut and almost 50 acres closed off for bales.

Down the road from here the land is good dry tillage land that has been used for dairying. Those farms are completely burnt out now even after the rain and the majority of farmers are opening their pit silage. Not looking great for them.

patsy_mccabe

I heard lads back west Clare had grass growing over the stone walls during the draught. A big change from last year when a lot seriously considered getting out and planting the place.

Dakota Dan

yewtree wrote: »

The drought is well and truly over here grew 85 last 7 days. Cows down to 2kg and will have surplus bales at the end of the week. Grass is hoping here. This isn't meant as a smart ass post just a reflection of the different conditions around the country.

Where's here?

charolais0153

Dakota Dan wrote: »

Where's here?

South-ish mayo

Robson99

For such a small country it amazing the way climate has such a big bearing on the different regions.
Here in the west [ I know not everybody but the majority I'd say ]if we had a summer like this every year I would be happy out.
The wet summers really kill us as cattle are in and out and its impossible at times to get ground dry enough to get silage.
I know Lads in the south / east would probably prefer a wet one as they will still get more than average fine wether
Big variance in 100+ miles

freedominacup

Dakota Dan wrote: »

Down the road from here the land is good dry tillage land that has been used for dairying. Those farms are completely burnt out now even after the rain and the majority of farmers are opening their pit silage. Not looking great for them.

If they're only opening pit silage now they're not too bad. Well over a tonne per cow of pit silage fed here st this stage.

freedominacup

One o'clock news on rte 1 might be worth a look.

whelan2

freedominacup wrote: »

One o'clock news on rte 1 might be worth a look.

Might you be on it?

Bullocks

freedominacup wrote: »

One o'clock news on rte 1 might be worth a look.

Not much about it , did I hear right that he said Irelands suckler farmers that need the incentive ?

wrangler

Bullocks wrote: »

Not much about it , did I hear right that he said Irelands suckler farmers that need the incentive ?

Just shows that if you keep banging on about it someone will actually believe it in the end

freedominacup

whelan2 wrote: »

Might you be on it?

Nope. But a neighbour is making a repeat appearance. They were actually just packing up the cameras as I drove in.

Bullocks

freedominacup wrote: »

Nope. But a neighbour is making a repeat appearance. They were actually just packing up the cameras as I drove in.

Lost your chance for 15 mins of fame freedom ðŸ˜

Bullocks

wrangler wrote: »

Just shows that if you keep banging on about it someone will actually believe it in the end

I'd say there could be worse hit than suckler farmers this time in fairness

cute geoge

in fairness if a dairy farmer has to buy silage and meal ,at least what milk the cow will produce will cover the cost of it .
Before we had any drought the suckler cow could barely cover the cost of keeping herself!!!!!

TITANIUM.

freedominacup wrote: »

Nope. But a neighbour is making a repeat appearance. They were actually just packing up the cameras as I drove in.

What are ye on about lads?. Some of us don't get the chance to nip into the house to watch the news.

freedominacup

TITANIUM. wrote: »

What are ye on about lads?. Some of us don't get the chance to nip into the house to watch the news.

I missed it as well. I got a phone call a few mins before to say it was on.

whelan2

freedominacup wrote: »

I missed it as well. I got a phone call a few mins before to say it was on.

There were no pictures. The news reader just spoke about it. It was a short bulletin. It might be on the 6 i clock news

Say my name

RTE player.
Also available on smart phones.

TITANIUM.

Lord almighty, yeve done everything but tell us what "IT" is.

TITANIUM.

Lord almighty, yeve done everything but tell us what "IT" is.

Say my name

TITANIUM. wrote: »

Lord almighty, yeve done everything but tell us what "IT" is.

It was a piece on the RTE news at one about farm organizations looking for government support for the fodder crisis.
It showed clips of a farmer spronging in silage to freisians and five men in a field with the one in the middle wearing an ifa jacket. All the commentary was from the newscaster and it mentioned suckler farmers were in trouble for fodder.

wrangler

Say my name wrote: »

It was a piece on the RTE news at one about farm organizations looking for government support for the fodder crisis.
It showed clips of a farmer spronging in silage to freisians and five men in a field with the one in the middle wearing an ifa jacket. All the commentary was from the newscaster and it mentioned suckler farmers were in trouble for fodder.

The guy with the jacket was Chairman of the National dairy commitee, is he a county chairman now/
I'd know some of those guys

kevthegaff

Is it like the boy that cried wolf at this stage, I'd imagine people are getting sick of farmers complainjng in all these events.

Justjens

giveitholly wrote: »

Its the same in South tipp,getting feck all rain and growth is very slow

Places greening up a bit here now, just south Lim city, best rain we got was Wed, everything else seemed to miss.

Spread lime 2t/ac 5 or 6 weeks ago and has yet to wash in, off the grass!!

mf240

kevthegaff wrote: »

Is it like the boy that cried wolf at this stage, I'd imagine people are getting sick of farmers complainjng in all these events.

Bit like the farmer that visited the prostitute.

First it was too dry, then it was too wet, and then it was too
Expensive

uck51js9zml2yt

kevthegaff wrote: »

Is it like the boy that cried wolf at this stage, I'd imagine people are getting sick of farmers complainjng in all these events.

I think it's all made up and they were just crying drought just to hike up prices and get more money from us city folk in the form of subsidies*




*May or may not be true

Say my name

kevthegaff wrote: »

Is it like the boy that cried wolf at this stage, I'd imagine people are getting sick of farmers complainjng in all these events.

This is by far the worst set of weather events to happen all together though.
From personal experience I was a little short last winter so grazed everywhere in the spring including the silage ground. That brought my bulk down compared to neighbours who didn't graze their ground.
Then I reseeded leased silage ground in May not really expecting the dry to last 3 months. That's just recovered now that the rain has come. So hopefully I'll get a cut off that now. I've other ground closed up for a 2nd cut and bought some fodder which was fed during the drought.

Then there's the straw situation with bigger herds and people coming in and buying 60 acres at a time for wholecrop.
So that's now gone with the fairies.

There's never been this particular set of events between weather and buying power/desperation of farmers trying to knock each other off to look after themselves.

If you think it was bad here though with public perception this was the public's response to farmers calling for fodder in Australia.

https://m.facebook.com/195766187858610/photos/a.195812141187348.1073741828.195766187858610/302656307169597/?type=3&source=48

Cantona's Collars

Things look greener down here in Wexford but if you pay closer attention the grass growth is patchy.

Base price

Say my name wrote: »

This is by far the worst set of weather events to happen all together though.
From personal experience I was a little short last winter so grazed everywhere in the spring including the silage ground. That brought my bulk down compared to neighbours who didn't graze their ground.
Then I reseeded leased silage ground in May not really expecting the dry to last 3 months. That's just recovered now that the rain has come. So hopefully I'll get a cut off that now. I've other ground closed up for a 2nd cut and bought some fodder which was fed during the drought.

Then there's the straw situation with bigger herds and people coming in and buying 60 acres at a time for wholecrop.
So that's now gone with the fairies.

There's never been this particular set of events between weather and buying power/desperation of farmers trying to knock each other off to look after themselves.

If you think it was bad here though with public perception this was the public's response to farmers calling for fodder in Australia.

https://m.facebook.com/195766187858610/photos/a.195812141187348.1073741828.195766187858610/302656307169597/?type=3&source=48

Unfortunately the majority of farming in Australia is on a one way ticket due to overuse and non replenishing supplies of water.
I watched a tv programme last year that said it would take thousands of years to replenish water stocks.
I don't have the laptop so cannot find a link at the min.

Say my name

Base price wrote: »

Unfortunately the majority of farming in Australia is on a one way ticket due to overuse and non replenishing supplies of water.
I watched a tv programme last year that said it would take thousands of years to replenish water stocks.
I don't have the laptop so cannot find a link at the min.

Just to show how screwy the weather has been in Wexford lately.

We now have pelicans visiting our shores.


Paul Kelly (@irishbirdimage) Tweeted:
Tacumshin Pelicans departed at 10AM gliding towards Kilmore. Likely should hit Waterford. Pleasure to have seen them on the lake. Wexford. https://t.co/terl3hpZz3 https://twitter.com/irishbirdimage/status/1025830097004240896?s=17

Birdnuts

Base price wrote: »

Unfortunately the majority of farming in Australia is on a one way ticket due to overuse and non replenishing supplies of water.
I watched a tv programme last year that said it would take thousands of years to replenish water stocks.
I don't have the laptop so cannot find a link at the min.

Sadly only one of many examples of Western Type intensive farming destroying fragile landscapes in foreign climes:(

Birdnuts

Say my name wrote: »

Just to show how screwy the weather has been in Wexford lately.

We now have pelicans visiting our shores.


Paul Kelly (@irishbirdimage) Tweeted:
Tacumshin Pelicans departed at 10AM gliding towards Kilmore. Likely should hit Waterford. Pleasure to have seen them on the lake. Wexford. https://t.co/terl3hpZz3 https://twitter.com/irishbirdimage/status/1025830097004240896?s=17

There is evidence that they bred in the Thames valley in early Roman times. Great to see them visit all the same

Say my name

Birdnuts wrote: »

There is evidence that they bred in the Thames valley in early Roman times. Great to see them visit all the same

Better than any corncrake.

Base price

Say my name wrote: »

Just to show how screwy the weather has been in Wexford lately.

We now have pelicans visiting our shores.


Paul Kelly (@irishbirdimage) Tweeted:
Tacumshin Pelicans departed at 10AM gliding towards Kilmore. Likely should hit Waterford. Pleasure to have seen them on the lake. Wexford. https://t.co/terl3hpZz3 https://twitter.com/irishbirdimage/status/1025830097004240896?s=17

According to the tweet they are escaped birds. Possibly from Fota or Dublin zoo?

Birdnuts

Say my name wrote: »

Better than any corncrake.

I luv em all;)