Dairy Chitchat 3

ozil10

Mooooo wrote: »

Cut the 15 may, heavier field flying it, cover heading for 2k on it. Grazed half of drier field 4 days ago and the rest of it is stopped for second cut, about 1500 on it I'd say. Drier field experienced a bit of stress as a bit of stem in it. Hope to cut the end of the month/ start of July anyway. Have a month of feed worth of bales made outside of main cuts with more to do next week. First cut taken in early is less than normal so with bales probably equates to a first cut taken the 1 june volume wise but quality should be better and more after grass for grazing earlier along with full block available in mid july to allow me to save on meal. Something I targeted as late cuts last year in a spring system were a bollix, not so much an issue in split as demand would have dropped in August and Sept with cow's dry.
Growth actually dropped this week to 53 but any rain only came really in the last couple of days, was 67 week before. Having doubts about protected urea as well tbh which was spread on the last round.

When measuring grass at the moment
What dm% are you using

Mooooo

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Glad you agree, less volume will fix it in short term

It's a question of whether or not overall supply is nearing platuea levels or not really. Don't think we are there yet but hard to know. Age profile is high but depending on any given years successors aren't there and with land values scale may not come at farmer level like other countries along with possible forced lower stocking rates.
One issue I have is if milk is produced for winter supply it must be paid for adequately and lads driving on without a winter contract or bonus will only weaken farmers hand I reckon

Mooooo

ozil10 wrote: »

When measuring grass at the moment
What dm% are you using

Dm in Moorpark on the dry days has been 20 and 21% the last week i think was dry today didn't think we were going to get any showers but got 2 alright so prob back at 18% maybe depending on your own area conditions

Buford T. Justice XIX

whelan2 wrote: »

Much effluent out of it?

Very little, thankfully, and very little subsidence yet anyway so haven't had to tighten the plastic yet.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Mooooo wrote: »

Dm in Moorpark on the dry days has been 20 and 21% the last week i think was dry today didn't think we were going to get any showers but got 2 alright so prob back at 18% maybe depending on your own area conditions

I've been working at 21% with the last while but it seems to be higher as the cows are staying in paddocks longer.

straight

What kind of conception rates are ye getting off you're first 3 weeks. I got 86% at 21 days and 80% of them seem to have held. Somebody told me mooreparks was very bad?

Keepgrowing

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

You’ve always struck me as an intelligent young man but you’ve swallowed the narrative hook, line, and sinker. The poster has shown an alternative view on dairying and gets jumped on because he doesn’t conform to the grass, ebi, reseeding etc narrative. I’m not saying that he’s right or wrong, I’m saying that it’s a breath of fresh air not to be hearing the repetition of the Bible according to Teagasc, ad nauseum. That’s all.

It’s my view that people nowadays prefer to hear untruths than the truth. These untruths then become conviction which leads people to become blinded by their own (spurious?) conviction. Remember, I started the conversation by posting about a couple of cows that are hundreds of days in lactation, and I suggested that it could be a solution to the xbred calves issue...funny how nobody took that up? Instead he gets jumped on for not being in derogation after he gave an outline on his system of expanding production.
Any half clever man can have two conflicting opinions and know that both can be totally wrong in themselves...

I’d an old Prof that used to say ‘meretricious is not synonymous with meritorious’.

If you get the time you should have a look at the movie Stalker. Well worth a watch.

* I not trying to offend or be derogatory towards you in any way!

Nothing like a good talking down to

GrasstoMilk

straight wrote: »

What kind of conception rates are ye getting off you're first 3 weeks. I got 86% at 21 days and 80% of them seem to have held. Somebody told me mooreparks was very bad?

70% non return rate from 1st service would be top notch going imo.
Were at about 66% between cows and heifers atm

At the end of the 2019 breeding season we had 60% non return on first serve and had 86% 6 week calving then

mahoney_j

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

70% non return rate from 1st service would be top notch going imo.
Were at about 66% between cows and heifers atm

At the end of the 2019 breeding season we had 60% non return on first serve and had 86% 6 week calving then

Havnt even looked t figures here 7 weeks in Monday everything served having repeats nothing major ,2 this week that were served early May .ftai seems to have went v well on heifers 94% look like they have held .most important figure for me is having >90% in calf after an 11 week max breeding season

straight

mahoney_j wrote: »

Havnt even looked t figures here 7 weeks in Monday everything served having repeats nothing major ,2 this week that were served early May .ftai seems to have went v well on heifers 94% look like they have held .most important figure for me is having >90% in calf after an 11 week max breeding season

My heifers didn't do as well. I just ai'd them for 10 days to sexed and left off the bull. There has been a few repeats. Might try synching them next year.

mahoney_j

straight wrote: »

My heifers didn't do as well. I just ai'd them for 10 days to sexed and left off the bull. There has been a few repeats. Might try synching them next year.

Lucky enough to have things compact enough here now and at max numbers so not willing to risk it by using sexed semen .out of 120’odd ainmals served this year just 3 beef straws used .fr teaser bull with cows atm with moo call collar will give another week or 10 days at ai

tanko

mahoney_j wrote: »

Lucky enough to have things compact enough here now and at max numbers so not willing to risk it by using sexed semen .out of 120’odd ainmals served this year just 3 beef straws used .fr teaser bull with cows atm with moo call collar will give another week or 10 days at ai

Are you happy with the Moocall collar system?

mahoney_j

tanko wrote: »

Are you happy with the Moocall collar system?

Yes but like anything it’s a guide ,u have to put in a bit of time yourself .tagged all cows when they were in heat from start of breeding let bull in 10 days ago and he has def picked up a few I may not of

Wildsurfer

mahoney_j wrote: »

Yes but like anything it’s a guide ,u have to put in a bit of time yourself .tagged all cows when they were in heat from start of breeding let bull in 10 days ago and he has def picked up a few I may not of

So is it any advantage over a chinball?

mahoney_j

Wildsurfer wrote: »

So is it any advantage over a chinball?

Not a fan of chin ball ,safety aspect getting it on bull etc.moo call for me is for later in breeding season when activity drops u get a message when cow is in heat and u can see heat duration wouldn’t think it’s great idea on heifers from start as a neighbour found it gave lots of false heats (wet day bull lying beside heifer etc)

ozil10

Buford T. Justice VI wrote: »

I've been working at 21% with the last while but it seems to be higher as the cows are staying in paddocks longer.

I put mine down to 17% yesterday when measuring grass. Was operating at 20% and cleanouts were good
Made things alot tighter looking on the wedge with cover/cow dropping to 158

Keepgrowing

Mooooo wrote: »

It's a question of whether or not overall supply is nearing platuea levels or not really. Don't think we are there yet but hard to know. Age profile is high but depending on any given years successors aren't there and with land values scale may not come at farmer level like other countries along with possible forced lower stocking rates.
One issue I have is if milk is produced for winter supply it must be paid for adequately and lads driving on without a winter contract or bonus will only weaken farmers hand I reckon

Any farm that’s prepared to supply milk at a higher cost of production during winter without a contract really needs to have a look at their business model. This is precisely why consumer milk departments of processors can supply milk to supermarkets at such a low price, and it also devalues the contracts existing suppliers have. Cooperative at its best my backside

Gawddawggonnit

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Nothing like a good talking down to

.lol.

Danke schön Herr. Goebbels.

* Read the post again...

mahoney_j

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Any farm that’s prepared to supply milk at a higher cost of production during winter without a contract really needs to have a look at their business model. This is precisely why consumer milk departments of processors can supply milk to supermarkets at such a low price, and it also devalues the contracts existing suppliers have. Cooperative at its best my backside

If a farmer can supply milk over winter without contract and make money why shouldn’t he/she.could be done at farm level for a variety of reasons like labour or spread workload more even cash flow and more profit .
Processors as u know will cut the **** out of one another to get market share .theyv want it all they want the milk in they want the liquid contract to business if that’s in there production model .most if not all of our coops have plants lying idle or near it over winter which makes no business sense and then in May June there near peak where breakdowns can become a big issue .they need to get off there arse and find more efficient ways of running and marketing the plants and products we helped build and supply product to .we as farmers need to adapt too if that means changing our supply pattern and we can make money out of it so be it

jaymla627

mahoney_j wrote: »

If a farmer can supply milk over winter without contract and make money why shouldn’t he/she.could be done at farm level for a variety of reasons like labour or spread workload more even cash flow and more profit .
Processors as u know will cut the **** out of one another to get market share .theyv want it all they want the milk in they want the liquid contract to business if that’s in there production model .most if not all of our coops have plants lying idle or near it over winter which makes no business sense and then in May June there near peak where breakdowns can become a big issue .they need to get off there arse and find more efficient ways of running and marketing the plants and products we helped build and supply product to .we as farmers need to adapt too if that means changing our supply pattern and we can make money out of it so be it

Self-preservation at its best belittling lads milking all year round without a a contract, the stainless steel Irish processors have is akin to a contractor with a 2 million euro silage outfit who’s only cutting 2000 acres a year but needs the new big m and new class 980 because he has to be able to cut 1500 acres of his workload in a week

Mooooo

There is no one belittling anyone, besides yourself at times tbh jay as you seem to think that you have it so right everyone else are idiots? Have farmed in winter contract and left it. You seem to be saying how great your system is at 700kg milk solids but unfortunately it's the whole story that matters. You don't have to tell it but saying you can do x doesn't mean everyone else can., particularly when the whole story isn't there

Dairygold winter contract was or is 5.6cent paid on your winter contract. For the extra work etc it simply didn't pay in my opinion. Those of ye like Mahoney and maybe yourself jay I don't know, with fragmented farms winter milk may be a definitely a way of making better use of your land but doing so without a contract isn't just undercutting other farmers in winter milk, it's under selling yerselves as well

mahoney_j

Mooooo wrote: »

There is no one belittling anyone, besides yourself at times tbh jay as you seem to think that you have it so right everyone else are idiots? Have farmed in winter contract and left it. You seem to be saying how great your system is at 700kg milk solids but unfortunately it's the whole story that matters. You don't have to tell it but saying you can do x doesn't mean everyone else can., particularly when the whole story isn't there

Dairygold winter contract was or is 5.6cent paid on your winter contract. For the extra work etc it simply didn't pay in my opinion. Those of ye like Mahoney and maybe yourself jay I don't know, with fragmented farms winter milk may be a definitely a way of making better use of your land but doing so without a contract isn't just undercutting other farmers in winter milk, it's under selling yerselves as well

Don’t agree with last bit moon if any farmer can make winter milk work and it pays and leaves a profit with or without contract why wouldn’t they go ahead with it .cant see how it undercuts others or means you’d be underselling yourself .we need to stop looking over our shoulders at everyone else and concentrate on ourselves .coops want milk it’s up to us to supply it to them at a cost base relevant to our farm not what’s perceived .
Glanbia situation with liquid ,winter and baileys scheme seems different to others my coop is just liquid and it’s x over base at standard solids .a lot of times over last few years a spring supplier with good solids worked out better than a liquid supplier with contract

jaymla627

Mooooo wrote: »

There is no one belittling anyone, besides yourself at times tbh jay as you seem to think that you have it so right everyone else are idiots? Have farmed in winter contract and left it. You seem to be saying how great your system is at 700kg milk solids but unfortunately it's the whole story that matters. You don't have to tell it but saying you can do x doesn't mean everyone else can., particularly when the whole story isn't there

Dairygold winter contract was or is 5.6cent paid on your winter contract. For the extra work etc it simply didn't pay in my opinion. Those of ye like Mahoney and maybe yourself jay I don't know, with fragmented farms winter milk may be a definitely a way of making better use of your land but doing so without a contract isn't just undercutting other farmers in winter milk, it's under selling yerselves as well

Your main assumption with the spring calving slant and all cows dry for two months is based on cows out in February and not seeing a shed till late November, cows where housed here the 10th of October full-time in 2019 having went out by day the 25th of March that year so give our take less then 200 days at grass, then that was followed by 150 days housed before they got out in late March....
Lads on dry early ground been bemused by why anyone would operate a system like mine are maybe having to buffer cows at grass with meal and silage on the shoulders for 2-3 months , in my case it’s rare to get away with less then 6 months on a fully housed diet, like the high ebi cow works on farms at grass 300 days a year, in my scenario I need a cow that will respond to feed....
I’m fully aware that a spring system when the weather plays ball, is twice as profitable then what I’m at, the flip side is in terms of having feed reserves in place and a system shock like a drought I’m ten times better off

Timmaay

jaymla627 wrote: »

I’m fully aware that a spring system when the weather plays ball, is twice as profitable then what I’m at, the flip side is in terms of having feed reserves in place and a system shock like a drought I’m ten times better off

Very dry farm here, but only twice in the last 40 yrs have we got caught out by a drought, 2018 was an exceptional year but equally so I reacted too late, and in any case the end result was simply a 30k meal bill slap on the face for me, and my dad also still tells about a dry summer in the mid 80s that he had to spend the 2nd half of the year travelling the County to buy in hay to keep the cows going. Every other year we've had enough of a reserve to roll over at least half a pit to the next year.

Gawddawggonnit

mahoney_j wrote: »

If a farmer can supply milk over winter without contract and make money why shouldn’t he/she.could be done at farm level for a variety of reasons like labour or spread workload more even cash flow and more profit .
Processors as u know will cut the **** out of one another to get market share .theyv want it all they want the milk in they want the liquid contract to business if that’s in there production model .most if not all of our coops have plants lying idle or near it over winter which makes no business sense and then in May June there near peak where breakdowns can become a big issue .they need to get off there arse and find more efficient ways of running and marketing the plants and products we helped build and supply product to .we as farmers need to adapt too if that means changing our supply pattern and we can make money out of it so be it

You’re not supposed to go off piste Mahoney. I see you’re growing maize now and I think Jay is growing beet? Totally against the narrative there! It seems that xbreds (or pure Jersey) and grass grass grass are the cure for everything including oversupply at peak, not to mention keeping the cosy winter milk contracts in place for those that have them...

A close relation of S. Freud called E. Bernays wrote a book called The Engineering of Consent. Some posters seem to have read it...

.* I’m not endorsing either Mahoneys or Jays method of farming...or their type of cow either, for that matter!

K.G.

Jaysus dawg do you think we are all sheep or what and that we follow teagsc no matter what.in my group there are some real sharp boys and its only when you see their setup you realise why they do what they are doing.everyone has different problems and they have worked out whats suits best.i wont tell anyone what.suits them best.but one thing i absolutely sure of grass suits my land and management best.every field has.had a.digger in it at some point so tillage is not an option. As for derogation, in the 34 years i have been farming there has always been some doomsday looming and we have always found a way.

mahoney_j

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

You’re not supposed to go off piste Mahoney. I see you’re growing maize now and I think Jay is growing beet? Totally against the narrative there! It seems that xbreds (or pure Jersey) and grass grass grass are the cure for everything including oversupply at peak, not to mention keeping the cosy winter milk contracts in place for those that have them...

A close relation of S. Freud called E. Bernays wrote a book called The Engineering of Consent. Some posters seem to have read it...

.* I’m not endorsing either Mahoneys or Jays method of farming...or their type of cow either, for that matter!

I’m 41 farming in own right 10 years gave too long looking over my shoulder at what everyone else was at bought into a lot of the tegasc hype (good snd bad )time and experience changed my views on lots of things .at this stage I have a good idea what’s working and not in my place and where I see it going .its starting to go against a lot of elements tegasc promote and breeding direction the icbf etc promote if I go down road of milking thru with or without contract feed 1 t meal or 2 t it’ll be in the knowledge it’s works for me and my farm some may think it’s nuts that there view but swimming against the tide is never any harm I see so many lads comming in now that have fallen hook line and sinker for what they see lads in the journal snd other publications and grass to milk etc etc .ive seen too often the truth and the real truth can differ ...take a step back before jumping in

Keepgrowing

jaymla627 wrote: »

Self-preservation at its best belittling lads milking all year round without a a contract, the stainless steel Irish processors have is akin to a contractor with a 2 million euro silage outfit who’s only cutting 2000 acres a year but needs the new big m and new class 980 because he has to be able to cut 1500 acres of his workload in a week

A bit of an over reaction there, Jesus I’m only making a point, as a business that produces winter milk I am absolutely certain of my figures and the additional costs involved.

Keepgrowing

This used be a grand spot to have a discussion with moderate views on each side. It seems that polar opposite is the only way, real pity

cosatron

Keepgrowing wrote: »

This used be a grand spot to have a discussion with moderate views on each side. It seems that polar opposite is the only way, real pity

Ha everyone is on edge and Buford has the cards at the ready

straight

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

You’re not supposed to go off piste Mahoney. I see you’re growing maize now and I think Jay is growing beet? Totally against the narrative there! It seems that xbreds (or pure Jersey) and grass grass grass are the cure for everything including oversupply at peak, not to mention keeping the cosy winter milk contracts in place for those that have them...

A close relation of S. Freud called E. Bernays wrote a book called The Engineering of Consent. Some posters seem to have read it...

.* I’m not endorsing either Mahoneys or Jays method of farming...or their type of cow either, for that matter!

Cross bred are old news at this stage as far as I knew. I'd say they are only a small minority of the national herd and wont be getting any bigger as a percentage.

mahoney_j

Keepgrowing wrote: »

This used be a grand spot to have a discussion with moderate views on each side. It seems that polar opposite is the only way, real pity

It was and still is.,we all have strong opinions you and me included .we all don’t agree and blow smoke up each other’s arses either and that’s a good thing more than one way to skin a cat farming wise if someone is running against the tide dosnt make it wrong .every farm and person here isn’t the same

straight

Keepgrowing wrote: »

This used be a grand spot to have a discussion with moderate views on each side. It seems that polar opposite is the only way, real pity

And what exactly do you mean by that? Ha, ha. (Joke). Better go pull a few tits now, cows are a long walk this evening.

Timmaay

Anyone heard that there is big demand for late calving cows being exported to the UK at minute? I got a 2.5yr heifer due to calf in August, if I could get a decent price for her I'd probably be better off letting her on.

Timmaay

Keepgrowing wrote: »

This used be a grand spot to have a discussion with moderate views on each side. It seems that polar opposite is the only way, real pity

https://twitter.com/JohnCleese/status/1271535485467283457?s=09

Castlekeeper

Timmaay wrote: »

Very dry farm here, but only twice in the last 40 yrs have we got caught out by a drought, 2018 was an exceptional year but equally so I reacted too late, and in any case the end result was simply a 30k meal bill slap on the face for me, and my dad also still tells about a dry summer in the mid 80s that he had to spend the 2nd half of the year travelling the County to buy in hay to keep the cows going. Every other year we've had enough of a reserve to roll over at least half a pit to the next year.

1984 I suppose, 2012 cost me about €500/ cow.

Buford T. Justice XIX

cosatron wrote: »

Ha everyone is on edge and Buford has the cards at the ready

Got a brand new deck 2 weeks ago:P

Once folk stay civil, or fairly close to it anyway, we'll generally let a discussion run or dial it back to keep it on track.

As a poster here, though, everybody has different limits on what they can do whether that's land, housing, labour or facilities. We all have to maximise the limiting resource or invest to remove the limiting factor. And then you come up against another limiting factor and start the investing all over again.

It's interesting, though, seeing how lads cope and overcome the limiting factors on their farms.

GrasstoMilk

straight wrote: »

Cross bred are old news at this stage as far as I knew. I'd say they are only a small minority of the national herd and wont be getting any bigger as a percentage.

You might be right there but I'm very grateful for the type of herd we have here now because of crossbreeding.
We have good solids ( av 3.9 pr last year) and decent enough fertility.
I've chosen to go high ebi genomic bull route the last few years and happy enough so far
Trying to hold/improve what %s we have and get some more litres on to drive kgs of solids.
Seems to be working so far.

Gone this way because my father is at it since early 90s and I think it's time to try something new but I'd happily go back putting jerseys in if I felt we've plateaued again.
Time will tell if I'm right or wrong

awaywithyou

Keepgrowing wrote: »

A bit of an over reaction there, Jesus I’m only making a point, as a business that produces winter milk I am absolutely certain of my figures and the additional costs involved.

Most of the spring milk producers are milking some few cows right up to the week b4 Xmas..... shut down for a month and back at it from the last week of Jan.... the guy that decides to milk on for that month won’t become a millionaire but won’t go broke either.... this whole extra cost of producing winter milk is blown out of proportion... we’re doing it with years and wouldn’t change it....

look at the experts running Pallaskenry college herd.... at the moment they are milking 400 cows in a 12 unit parlour... cows in by day and out by night due to lack of grass... diet is 6 kgs nuts.. 6 kgs silage... 6 kgs grass all for an average daily yield of 22 litres according farm notes on fb... so it’s prob 19-20 litres.... is that paying?? Is what there doing at the moment any better than what we’re doing during the winter? NO it sure is not.. in Nov they will dry off all cows.. and regal us with all the kilos of solids they produced off ‘grass’ and they will mention the nuts fed was due to a temporary lack of growth (that occurred for the second time in 3 years)... but going forward as herd ‘matures’ (the ****e by farmers expecting solids to increase as ‘herd matures’ is a personal favorite of mine) solids will increase from 400 to 450kgs.... which is ****e.. there’ll b no mention of Plan B if weather doesn’t play ball.... as grass is king.... there Spending the Vatican’s moolah on cubicles and a rotary but the young lads going to Pallaskenry wont be told that... instead they will see the carry on of cows ploughing paddocks in the spring... feeding silage and nuts in June for 18-20litres and drying them off in Nov... and no income for 2 months... they will be told this is how to operate a dairy farm.... God ****ing help them...

jaymla627

awaywithyou wrote: »

Most of the spring milk producers are milking some few cows right up to the week b4 Xmas..... shut down for a month and back at it from the last week of Jan.... the guy that decides to milk on for that month won’t become a millionaire but won’t go broke either.... this whole extra cost of producing winter milk is blown out of proportion... we’re doing it with years and wouldn’t change it....

look at the experts running Pallaskenry college herd.... at the moment they are milking 400 cows in a 12 unit parlour... cows in by day and out by night due to lack of grass... diet is 6 kgs nuts.. 6 kgs silage... 6 kgs grass all for an average daily yield of 22 litres according farm notes on fb... so it’s prob 19-20 litres.... is that paying?? Is what there doing at the moment any better than what we’re doing during the winter? NO it sure is not.. in Nov they will dry off all cows.. and regal us with all the kilos of solids they produced off ‘grass’ and they will mention the nuts fed was due to a temporary lack of growth (that occurred for the second time in 3 years)... but going forward as herd ‘matures’ (the ****e by farmers expecting solids to increase as ‘herd matures’ is a personal favorite of mine) solids will increase from 400 to 450kgs.... which is ****e.. there’ll b no mention of Plan B if weather doesn’t play ball.... as grass is king.... there Spending the Vatican’s moolah on cubicles and a rotary but the young lads going to Pallaskenry wont be told that... instead they will see the carry on of cows ploughing paddocks in the spring... feeding silage and nuts in June for 18-20litres and drying them off in Nov... and no income for 2 months... they will be told this is how to operate a dairy farm.... God ****ing help them...

They have a sweet deal with the ai companies purchasing their elite genetics for the national herd to top up the piggy bank aswell, remember a bull they where raving about in 2018 that has tanked on ebi, I see they got in another “elite bull” for this years breeding season, it’s some pisstake taking 20 euro a straw of lads for bulls that will leave you with some pretty appalling stock

Gawddawggonnit

K.G. wrote: »

Jaysus dawg do you think we are all sheep or what and that we follow teagsc no matter what.in my group there are some real sharp boys and its only when you see their setup you realise why they do what they are doing.everyone has different problems and they have worked out whats suits best.i wont tell anyone what.suits them best.but one thing i absolutely sure of grass suits my land and management best.every field has.had a.digger in it at some point so tillage is not an option. As for derogation, in the 34 years i have been farming there has always been some doomsday looming and we have always found a way.

Great to know that KG. Maybe they could post a little on here, it would be great to have a change of record, because it does get a little monotonous listening to the same broken record all the time.

Grass suits your and your DG and that’s excellent...have they found any solution for when the grass doesn’t grow?
Or is it a matter of hold tough for the Gov for the inevitable bailout?

Dérogation isn’t any problem whatsoever for you and your DG group, and how could it be...? the environmental pollution by nitrates is the problem, not derogation. If I’m not mistaken, derogation is supposed to be part of the solution?

Gawddawggonnit

straight wrote: »

Cross bred are old news at this stage as far as I knew. I'd say they are only a small minority of the national herd and wont be getting any bigger as a percentage.

Excellent news for those newborn calves that won’t be euthanized at birth.

I see that Holland are after banning (or proposing to?) the export by boat of live animals. That’ll make things interesting...or are we not supposed to discuss that?

Gawddawggonnit

awaywithyou wrote: »

Most of the spring milk producers are milking some few cows right up to the week b4 Xmas..... shut down for a month and back at it from the last week of Jan.... the guy that decides to milk on for that month won’t become a millionaire but won’t go broke either.... this whole extra cost of producing winter milk is blown out of proportion... we’re doing it with years and wouldn’t change it....

look at the experts running Pallaskenry college herd.... at the moment they are milking 400 cows in a 12 unit parlour... cows in by day and out by night due to lack of grass... diet is 6 kgs nuts.. 6 kgs silage... 6 kgs grass all for an average daily yield of 22 litres according farm notes on fb... so it’s prob 19-20 litres.... is that paying?? Is what there doing at the moment any better than what we’re doing during the winter? NO it sure is not.. in Nov they will dry off all cows.. and regal us with all the kilos of solids they produced off ‘grass’ and they will mention the nuts fed was due to a temporary lack of growth (that occurred for the second time in 3 years)... but going forward as herd ‘matures’ (the ****e by farmers expecting solids to increase as ‘herd matures’ is a personal favorite of mine) solids will increase from 400 to 450kgs.... which is ****e.. there’ll b no mention of Plan B if weather doesn’t play ball.... as grass is king.... there Spending the Vatican’s moolah on cubicles and a rotary but the young lads going to Pallaskenry wont be told that... instead they will see the carry on of cows ploughing paddocks in the spring... feeding silage and nuts in June for 18-20litres and drying them off in Nov... and no income for 2 months... they will be told this is how to operate a dairy farm.... God ****ing help them...

Excellent post.

The one phrase that I’ve always railed against..” There is no other way”.

There is always another way.

mahoney_j

awaywithyou wrote: »

Most of the spring milk producers are milking some few cows right up to the week b4 Xmas..... shut down for a month and back at it from the last week of Jan.... the guy that decides to milk on for that month won’t become a millionaire but won’t go broke either.... this whole extra cost of producing winter milk is blown out of proportion... we’re doing it with years and wouldn’t change it....

look at the experts running Pallaskenry college herd.... at the moment they are milking 400 cows in a 12 unit parlour... cows in by day and out by night due to lack of grass... diet is 6 kgs nuts.. 6 kgs silage... 6 kgs grass all for an average daily yield of 22 litres according farm notes on fb... so it’s prob 19-20 litres.... is that paying?? Is what there doing at the moment any better than what we’re doing during the winter? NO it sure is not.. in Nov they will dry off all cows.. and regal us with all the kilos of solids they produced off ‘grass’ and they will mention the nuts fed was due to a temporary lack of growth (that occurred for the second time in 3 years)... but going forward as herd ‘matures’ (the ****e by farmers expecting solids to increase as ‘herd matures’ is a personal favorite of mine) solids will increase from 400 to 450kgs.... which is ****e.. there’ll b no mention of Plan B if weather doesn’t play ball.... as grass is king.... there Spending the Vatican’s moolah on cubicles and a rotary but the young lads going to Pallaskenry wont be told that... instead they will see the carry on of cows ploughing paddocks in the spring... feeding silage and nuts in June for 18-20litres and drying them off in Nov... and no income for 2 months... they will be told this is how to operate a dairy farm.... God ****ing help them...

Great post bang on the money but carefull now you’ll have some telling you your wrong ,u don’t know your costs etc etc some seem to think they have cracked this dairy farming lark and as well as knowing everything inside there gate they seem to know it on other farms as well.......

oxjkqg

And Dr Ed Harty on the board of management for the college/board, dairymaster all the way for pallas
I went back there when i was 24 doing the distance education green cert - a great idea to kill an hour or 2 was to go against what some of the "older" lectueres/teachers were sayin to you and create an all out war type discussion, they just hate you going against the teagasc system

Gary kk

As far as I can see from volume beats solids every time.

mahoney_j

Gary kk wrote: »

As far as I can see from volume beats solids every time.

Nope volume with solids and fertility.were paid for kg solids out the gate not % milk solids

mahoney_j

oxjkqg wrote: »

And Dr Ed Harty on the board of management for the college/board, dairymaster all the way for pallas
I went back there when i was 24 doing the distance education green cert - a great idea to kill an hour or 2 was to go against what some of the "older" lectueres/teachers were sayin to you and create an all out war type discussion, they just hate you going against the teagasc system

They had a great chance there to run a really interesting trial ,they had one of the best winter milk herds in the country if they wanted to go the x breeding route they had the perfect cow to x with instead they just flogged the lot and took the easy route only one college herd doing anything different now in this country ,gurteen ..how are students meant to get a more rounded experience /education if near every college is singing off the same page ????

jaymla627

mahoney_j wrote: »

They had a great chance there to run a really interesting trial ,they had one of the best winter milk herds in the country if they wanted to go the x breeding route they had the perfect cow to x with instead they just flogged the lot and took the easy route only one college herd doing anything different now in this country ,gurteen ..how are students meant to get a more rounded experience /education if near every college is singing off the same page ????

Its not so much the system they have them focusing on but the real damage is been done when little johnny our mary go home and start demanding the rotary parlour been built, feed been cut to cows and only the highest ebi bulls been used, while never actually been shown a proper financial breakdown of what expanding and doubling cow numbers will have on a farms finances....
Its gas the way the jersey x issue is seemingly a redline issue and the breed been outlawed will solve all the national herds emmissions and calf problems overnight, it noting more then optics, teagasc should really be focusing on gearing farms up to wean their reliance of artificial fert, contend with lower stocking rates, and the looming problem if a actual fully funded new reps schemce comes out with good payment rates alot of land nationally could get tied up and taken of the rental market that will further compond stocking rate levles

cosatron

awaywithyou wrote: »

Most of the spring milk producers are milking some few cows right up to the week b4 Xmas..... shut down for a month and back at it from the last week of Jan.... the guy that decides to milk on for that month won’t become a millionaire but won’t go broke either.... this whole extra cost of producing winter milk is blown out of proportion... we’re doing it with years and wouldn’t change it....

look at the experts running Pallaskenry college herd.... at the moment they are milking 400 cows in a 12 unit parlour... cows in by day and out by night due to lack of grass... diet is 6 kgs nuts.. 6 kgs silage... 6 kgs grass all for an average daily yield of 22 litres according farm notes on fb... so it’s prob 19-20 litres.... is that paying?? Is what there doing at the moment any better than what we’re doing during the winter? NO it sure is not.. in Nov they will dry off all cows.. and regal us with all the kilos of solids they produced off ‘grass’ and they will mention the nuts fed was due to a temporary lack of growth (that occurred for the second time in 3 years)... but going forward as herd ‘matures’ (the ****e by farmers expecting solids to increase as ‘herd matures’ is a personal favorite of mine) solids will increase from 400 to 450kgs.... which is ****e.. there’ll b no mention of Plan B if weather doesn’t play ball.... as grass is king.... there Spending the Vatican’s moolah on cubicles and a rotary but the young lads going to Pallaskenry wont be told that... instead they will see the carry on of cows ploughing paddocks in the spring... feeding silage and nuts in June for 18-20litres and drying them off in Nov... and no income for 2 months... they will be told this is how to operate a dairy farm.... God ****ing help them...

I did my green cert down there and they had a great herd of Holsteins breed from some of the best cow families in Ireland. they are after doing the same thing in Mountbellew ag college aswell. what's wrong with them, should they not be trailing a variety of breeds in different area to see how they perform to give any young farmer guidance on how different cows perform in different system.