Farming Chitchat 10/10- Now VIRUS-FREE!

Water John

As Say My Name says, it's about tapping into the international knowledge that is out there. Problem is, a lot of this has been researched and studied, not with the support, but despite of mainstream institutions, like Teagasc. and big business.

Example:
Just note and this will pass you, but the Environment section in the IFJ, dealing with, Sustainable Farm Insights is sponsored by Glanbia Ireland. That limits its vision and possibilities.
It isn't just sponsored, it's actually a partnership with the IFJ.

_Brian

Anyone manage to see the comet ☄️ yet ?

Stood out for a while last night near midnight but it was a bit cloudy and our view of the north horizon isn’t great as were in the foot of a valley that runs east-west

Dinzee Conlee

_Brian wrote: »

Anyone manage to see the comet ☄️ yet ?

Stood out for a while last night near midnight but it was a bit cloudy and our view of the north horizon isn’t great as were in the foot of a valley that runs east-west

Didn’t even know here was one to be seen to be honest...

I was coming in late last night, around 11 - and I saw something which wasn’t a star, but I didn’t take much notice of it to be honest... It could have been a planet too maybe...

I must google this comet, see what direction I should be checking...

Say my name

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Didn’t even know here was one to be seen to be honest...

I was coming in late last night, around 11 - and I saw something which wasn’t a star, but I didn’t take much notice of it to be honest... It could have been a planet too maybe...

I must google this comet, see what direction I should be checking...

Not sure about last night but Friday night it was only visible after 12 till first light low in the northern sky.

https://twitter.com/wexfordcoco/status/1282254052751966209?s=20

patsy_mccabe

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCicfjGH4Pi/?igshid=43h51inhznde

Jjameson

Begob I may go out with the binoculars!....

carrollsno1

Jjameson wrote: »

Begob I may go out with the binoculars!....

Is there a full moon out tonight aswell?

whelan2

Sheds powerwashed

Reggie.

whelan2 wrote: »

Sheds powerwashed

Poor young lad is probably broken

whelan2

Reggie. wrote: »

Poor young lad is probably broken

He did a great job and did my slatted shed too. Got him work powerwashing for farmer up the road too.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Looked for a job to pass a spare hour today and decided to hang a gate on a post there already.

So got my holders and found they were slightly too big to had to get washers to allow me to tighten them.

Them discovered the top holder needed to have a half inch cut off to allow me to fit it under a bar on the post

No metal disc to cut so have to go again to get one.

Here 3 hours now and still no gate hanging:rolleyes:

wrangler

whelan2 wrote: »

He did a great job and did my slatted shed too. Got him work powerwashing for farmer up the road too.

It's a bit like sheep shearing, mind numbing work and not much competition for it

Base price

I read there is talk of compulsory EID tags for cattle. Is it necessary considering that it adds yet another cost (an extra €1 per tag) including the purchase of a electronic tag reader. One of the reasons given for using EID tags for farmers that don't have robots/auto calf feeders is to stop cattle rustling but they (rustlers) just cut out the tags anyway.
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/compulsory-eid-tagging-for-cattle-on-the-table-557447

wrangler

Base price wrote: »

I read there is talk of compulsory EID tags for cattle. Is it necessary considering that it adds yet another cost (an extra €1 per tag) including the purchase of a electronic tag reader. One of the reasons given for using EID tags for farmers that don't have robots/auto calf feeders is to stop cattle rustling but they (rustlers) just cut out the tags anyway.
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/compulsory-eid-tagging-for-cattle-on-the-table-557447

It's a very small cost compared to EID' tagging a sheep,
If it's the same as sheep the number will be printed on the tag so a reader isn't necessary as you can read it manually but you'd be mad not to buy a reader.
You'll never have to clean a tag again, you can wave the reader over a batch of cattle and print it out when you get home.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Base price wrote: »

I read there is talk of compulsory EID tags for cattle. Is it necessary considering that it adds yet another cost (an extra €1 per tag) including the purchase of a electronic tag reader. One of the reasons given for using EID tags for farmers that don't have robots/auto calf feeders is to stop cattle rustling but they (rustlers) just cut out the tags anyway.
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/compulsory-eid-tagging-for-cattle-on-the-table-557447

That was always on the cards, once they started the sheep on etags and got it established they were always going to go onto cattle.

Extra cost for little return, just another way of syphoning money away from farming.

Base price

wrangler wrote: »

It's a very small cost compared to EID' tagging a sheep,
If it's the same as sheep the number will be printed on the tag so a reader isn't necessary as you can read it manually but you'd be mad not to buy a reader.
You'll never have to clean a tag again, you can wave the reader over a batch of cattle and print it out when you get home.

TBH I've never needed to clean a tag to read it in all my years farming, although the numbers can be somewhat obscured by hairy ears.

I like the idea of a animal having its own individual passport that is overseen by DAFM. In a way it makes them more tangible, as I have 100 cattle and therefore have 100 passports that reflect those individual animals. I think we are too focused on quick fix technology to suit who? notwithstanding that EID tags suit some farming enterprises but it doesn't suit others. If we go down this route then I think we loose the personal link with our livestock and they just become commercial entities.

Hard Knocks

Base price wrote: »

One of the reasons given for using EID tags for farmers that don't have robots/auto calf feeders is to stop cattle rustling but they (rustlers) just cut out the tags anyway.
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/compulsory-eid-tagging-for-cattle-on-the-table-557447

Have been using the EID on calves for a good while, it’s a little more awkward to use than the ordinary
Agree it’s extra cost on the farmer to make things easier for Dept & maybe vets
If it does come in I think Mart’s should upgrade their inlet, weighing & drafting

To stop rustling should a Eid bolus be provided too

straight

Hard Knocks wrote: »

Have been using the EID on calves for a good while, it’s a little more awkward to use than the ordinary
Agree it’s extra cost on the farmer to make things easier for Dept & maybe vets
If it does come in I think Mart’s should upgrade their inlet, weighing & drafting

To stop rustling should a Eid bolus be provided too

I'd prefer to see justice served on the rustlers

wrangler

Base price wrote: »

TBH I've never needed to clean a tag to read it in all my years farming, although the numbers can be somewhat obscured by hairy ears.

I like the idea of a animal having its own individual passport that is overseen by DAFM. In a way it makes them more tangible, as I have 100 cattle and therefore have 100 passports that reflect those individual animals. I think we are too focused on quick fix technology to suit who? notwithstanding that EID tags suit some farming enterprises but it doesn't suit others. If we go down this route then I think we loose the personal link with our livestock and they just become commercial entities.

We used to have over 1200 sheep, and come culling the reader would flag the culls that were identified and inputted into our records over the year just by waving over the sheep in the race, it also can read the lambs in the scales at weighing and bluetooth it to the scales which then gives us the daily weight gain since the last weighing. all that can be recorded and downloaded on the computer.
But if you're not into that, it's no addition

Bass Reeves

The disadvantage I see is that with age limits. No electronic reader will read cattle in the field. You will need to bring cattle in to read and check which are approaching 30 months. At least by looking at a tag number you can see which animals are approaching 30 or even 27/28 months and you need to start feeding or make a decision if you intend to send them off. I generally judge cattle in the field I find it harder to judge in crush or yard to see fitness. I not down the numbers and separate them often in the field but if not in the yard or crush.

Waving an electronic reader will not solve this issue.

Water John

There is a weighing scales, French design, that weighs cattle when they come to the trough for water and uploads it to the cloud.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Bass Reeves wrote: »

The disadvantage I see is that with age limits. No electronic reader will read cattle in the field. You will need to bring cattle in to read and check which are approaching 30 months. At least by looking at a tag number you can see which animals are approaching 30 or even 27/28 months and you need to start feeding or make a decision if you intend to send them off. I generally judge cattle in the field I find it harder to judge in crush or yard to see fitness. I not down the numbers and separate them often in the field but if not in the yard or crush.

Waving an electronic reader will not solve this issue.

The tags will be just the same as now, just with one having a chip that can be read electronically. The use of a wand to read the tags is optional.

We have the etags here and fairly soon will probably get a wand to use for reading numbers when vaccinating and dosing. Do 15 or 20 calves, run them out of the crush under the wand, download to the computer and job done.

I have no issues using the tags but I do have an issue with having to use them without agreement being made as to what they can be used for and why

Base price

In the meantime, since my previous post I decided to grab my fly rod, start up the 454 and head down one of the field's to the lake. It was a beautiful calm evening and there was a nice ripple on the water. Our shores are limited for fishing due to been boggy and copious growth of reeds/water lilies/bull rushes but there is a small section that is safe and clear of them. Your back cast is hampered by mature trees, briars and overgrowth. Just as I arrived I saw a few fish rising so I tried a few casts with a olive (mayfly) and all I managed was to get entangled a several times in twigs/branches in my back cast.
There is nothing more disheartening when fly fishing then trying to untangle wind knots or trying to save your fly from a branch.

Hard Knocks

Hard Knocks wrote: »

Have been using the EID on calves for a good while, it’s a little more awkward to use than the ordinary
Agree it’s extra cost on the farmer to make things easier for Dept & maybe vets
If it does come in I think Mart’s should upgrade their inlet, weighing & drafting

To stop rustling should a Eid bolus be provided too

EID hasn't stopped theft of sheep, it won't stop cattle theft either.

As someone said, proper sentencing for the small number of thieving bastards that get caught might help, plus a lifetime ban on ever having anything to do with Ag in any form from then on. I'd even recoup any grant or sub ever paid from compulsory land sales.

I really hate thieves 😂

ruwithme

Oh half often tells me "you can catch a thief , but you can't trust a liar "

kollegeknight

Sending yearlings to the Mart today. One boyo managed to loose a tag from the field to the shed last night so has been granted a reprieve.

A small heifer managed to get under me and throw me up as I was putting them in the crush. Grabbed onto a gate to break my fall so only a scratched elbow and bruised ego. Normally never an issue loading but there’s always one.

davidk1394

What weather apps to people use and is there any accurate one ?

_Brian

Use weather & radar mostly.
And the “windy” app.

I was reading online that forecasting has been badly affected because of grounded planes. Apparently they rely on real time data fed back from flying aircraft, that was news to me.

The windy app I mentioned above can show all common computer models on one compare screen.

The Rabbi

davidk1394 wrote: »

What weather apps to people use and is there any accurate one ?

https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/ie/carrick/ICOTIPPE3

I find that one good.

Hard Knocks

kollegeknight wrote: »

Sending yearlings to the Mart today. One boyo managed to loose a tag from the field to the shed last night so has been granted a reprieve.

A small heifer managed to get under me and throw me up as I was putting them in the crush. Grabbed onto a gate to break my fall so only a scratched elbow and bruised ego. Normally never an issue loading but there’s always one.

Always happens and especially when you’re under pressure
Hope the go well for you