Plans for 2020

tanko

foxy farmer wrote: »

1Most importantly stay alive!!
2 Get out of sucklers/beef. Jaysus I never thought I'd say those words but there it is. Won't be clear this yr but be damn near it.
I'm in the middle of serious dairy country here in west cork. Land is in short supply. I've been growing silage to sell to a few lads with last few yrs. This yr I was approached for ground for maize. Decided to let 17 acres. He's looking for another 10 for next yr. Waiting for another to get back to me who will probably want 20 if his current maize ground changes hands.
3 Need to do some reseeding.
4 Need to keep the concrete industry busy too so hope to finish around the house and do a bit around the yard.

By leasing some land out are you not worried about losing some of your single farm payment under the the new CAP?

Ashill5

Farm.
Do a good bit of fencing for Sheep, undecided if to apply for Tams or not
Put in dipping tank,

Personal
Lose a bit of weight as I need to get my act together as I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes earlier this year

GrasstoMilk

Gods Gift wrote: »

Spoken like a true Irish dairy farmer.
More
More
More.

No, just a young guy who likes to work and keep improving what I have to make life easier.
It's not going to come in the door to you with out putting in the effort.

foxy farmer

tanko wrote: »

By leasing some land out are you not worried about losing some of your single farm payment under the the new CAP?

I'm not leasing it out. I stuff all the grass ground and have a few fields kept for 3 or 4 regular reliable customers. The maize ground was a late spur of the moment decision but as it turned out successful one. I was planning on reseeding the field but my contractor approached me on behalf of a client so I said I'd let him put maize in it.

Mulumpy

Hopefully get a promotion I've been gearing towards in work. Farming wise I started contract rearing for a guy recently so hopefully that will work out. Get a bit fitter so can enjoy more outdoor time with the kids.

carrollsno1

jaymla627 wrote: »

Used to think that was making 1000 plus yearly for 5 years, the drawing in was what put pay to it here, contractor “didn’t have time to do it anymore” so putting in the night drawing in bales till 3-4 in the morning started happening regularly, add up the cost of plastic, and handling the stuff something had to change....
Get a lad in with a wagon now to do all silage and he has no problem coming to do 20 acres of paddocks and throwing it into a pit for us, silage bill for 19 is half of what it was in 18 and cost savings are basically paying for new tub feeder which has been a godsend around the place labour wise

I can see where youre coming from definitly but its horses for courses ig you could get tube wrapping to take off in Irelsnd it would be ideal. Youd be surprised how much youd get through in a day with a short draw and 2 tractors going each drawing 3 at a time to the wrapper.

Grueller

carrollsno1 wrote: »

I can see where youre coming from definitly but its horses for courses ig you could get tube wrapping to take off in Irelsnd it would be ideal. Youd be surprised how much youd get through in a day with a short draw and 2 tractors going each drawing 3 at a time to the wrapper.

No body in Ireland would have space for all of those bales in a line. Looks a great job though.

carrollsno1

Grueller wrote: »

No body in Ireland would have space for all of those bales in a line. Looks a great job though.

Could be worked, do 4 or 5 runs beside each other near the yard or one run in each of the paddocks near the sheds. We got closs to 800 bales done one day and that was about 14hrs given for bringing them into different stacks.
I wonder will Tom Carrigans bale chaser/stacker catch on with contractors in a few years and eventually get more people doing wraps.

Grueller

carrollsno1 wrote: »

Could be worked, do 4 or 5 runs beside each other near the yard or one run in each of the paddocks near the sheds. We got closs to 800 bales done one day and that was about 14hrs given for bringing them into different stacks.
I wonder will Tom Carrigans bale chaser/stacker catch on with contractors in a few years and eventually get more people doing wraps.

That means rooting around in a paddock during winter, tearing it up and dragging muck and slop into the yard. No thanks
Stacking 3 high I can put 300+ in an area between two sheds here on concrete about 90' x 30'.

carrollsno1

Grueller wrote: »

That means rooting around in a paddock during winter, tearing it up and dragging muck and slop into the yard. No thanks
Stacking 3 high I can put 300+ in an area between two sheds here on concrete about 90' x 30'.

A lot more plastic used though i tbink it works out to about $2/bale for plastic here in a tube thats roughly €1-€1.20. I understand the rooting around paddocks part too this a very wet farm here (self inflicted) with black peaty soils but the paddocks seem to recover fairly well from all the rooting around out here.

mahoney_j

carrollsno1 wrote: »

A lot more plastic used though i tbink it works out to about $2/bale for plastic here in a tube thats roughly €1-€1.20. I understand the rooting around paddocks part too this a very wet farm here (self inflicted) with black peaty soils but the paddocks seem to recover fairly well from all the rooting around out here.

One big pit for dry cow silage ,and 3 long barrow pits with walls for milkers silage/maize/moist grain/beet/hulls mix would be high on my wish list and not a bale to be seen l

carrollsno1

mahoney_j wrote: »

One big pit for dry cow silage ,and 3 long barrow pits with walls for milkers silage/maize/moist grain/beet/hulls mix would be high on my wish list and not a bale to be seen l

4 pits to cover and strip then each to there own its just not my cup of tea.

Mooooo

Been fecking around with bales all winter so far, handy to get small amounts of grass off and buffering a bit but with mj on this, a large pit for main cuts and then narrower pits for surplus/ maize etc. would be the ideal. Pits that can be opened from each side would be preferable.

80sDiesel

Plan for 2020. Nurse 7 acres of wildflowers.

funkey_monkey

blue5000 wrote: »

Farm;
Forestry has to get it's first thinning towards the end of the year
Re-seed 12 acres with a red clover rye grass mix
Family;
Get a new passport and do a bit of travelling
Self;
Look after the health a bit better than I've been doing.

Have you any concerns about bloat from the clover or how do you plan to deal with it?

funkey_monkey

80sDiesel wrote: »

Plan for 2020. Nurse 7 acres of wildflowers.

Will you be grazing the wildflowers? Sorrel, Ragged Robin and Marsh Marigold wasnt it from your other thread? How did your decide on those flowers? What is the plan for this?
From your posts it seems you will have a beautiful place when it will gets established. I'd love to see some photos in your other thread when summer comes around.

Water John

If he mainly cuts it for silage, it won't be a problem.
Funkey, I think seeing alt uses, less mainstream for land would be a nice thread. Some very innovative people out there.

80sDiesel

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Will you be grazing the wildflowers? Sorrel, Ragged Robin and Marsh Marigold wasnt it from your other thread? How did your decide on those flowers? What is the plan for this?
From your posts it seems you will have a beautiful place when it will gets established. I'd love to see some photos in your other thread when summer comes around.

Tnks. Yeah those wildflowers are for an acre of wetland meadow. The other acres is a different mixture suited to a drier area. ( Can't think of-hand the seed mixture)
Can't graze as have saplings but will do hay/sileage after seeds have set. Have a mower/collector of weather is too bad.

blue5000

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Have you any concerns about bloat from the clover or how do you plan to deal with it?

Have a bit already, always cut it for silage, but after 4 years it's almost gone. So getting a fresh bit in now.

funkey_monkey

80sDiesel wrote: »

Tnks. Yeah those wildflowers are for an acre of wetland meadow. The other acres is a different mixture suited to a drier area. ( Can't think of-hand the seed mixture)
Can't graze as have saplings but will do hay/sileage after seeds have set. Have a mower/collector of weather is too bad.

Would you consider some Shropshire sheep as they don't eat the trees?
Have just planted a large number of native trees here and may get some in future to graze down between the trees.

Cattlepen

tanko wrote: »

By leasing some land out are you not worried about losing some of your single farm payment under the the new CAP?

I’m just curious as to what you basing this on? Has something being decided that you’l be out of cap if you lease or is there reference years??

K.G.

Mooooo wrote: »

Been fecking around with bales all winter so far, handy to get small amounts of grass off and buffering a bit but with mj on this, a large pit for main cuts and then narrower pits for surplus/ maize etc. would be the ideal. Pits that can be opened from each side would be preferable.

Just finished up feeding 550 bales and have opened the pit and all i can say is ahhhhhh.i estimate that the bales hve cost me about 3 working(39hours)weeks over the past 2 months.i got someone to draw in the finish-probaly another fiver a bale.silage in bales was handled 7 times for bales as opposed to 4 with wagon
1 mowing
2baliing
3drawing to stack
4 stacking
5loading on to trailer
6unloading trailer
7 putting out to cows.
Nevermind the knifing and gathering wrap and net.
The big hidden cost in bales is the labour

Base price

K.G. wrote: »

Just finished up feeding 550 bales and have opened the pit and all i can say is ahhhhhh.i estimate that the bales hve cost me about 3 working(39hours)weeks over the past 2 months.i got someone to draw in the finish-probaly another fiver a bale.silage in bales was handled 7 times for bales as opposed to 4 with wagon
1 mowing
2baliing
3drawing to stack
4 stacking
5loading on to trailer
6unloading trailer
7 putting out to cows.
Nevermind the knifing and gathering wrap and net.
The big hidden cost in bales is the labour

Same as turf

1 lifting
2 turning
3 loading into the trailer

4 unloading off the trailer

5 filling the bucket/scuttle for the fire

6 throwing them into the fire
7 carrying the ashes from the grate

whelan2

K.G. wrote: »

Just finished up feeding 550 bales and have opened the pit and all i can say is ahhhhhh.i estimate that the bales hve cost me about 3 working(39hours)weeks over the past 2 months.i got someone to draw in the finish-probaly another fiver a bale.silage in bales was handled 7 times for bales as opposed to 4 with wagon
1 mowing
2baliing
3drawing to stack
4 stacking
5loading on to trailer
6unloading trailer
7 putting out to cows.
Nevermind the knifing and gathering wrap and net.
The big hidden cost in bales is the labour

I am buying in bales delivered at the moment. Takes alot of the hassle out of them

GrasstoMilk

K.G. wrote: »

Just finished up feeding 550 bales and have opened the pit and all i can say is ahhhhhh.i estimate that the bales hve cost me about 3 working(39hours)weeks over the past 2 months.i got someone to draw in the finish-probaly another fiver a bale.silage in bales was handled 7 times for bales as opposed to 4 with wagon
1 mowing
2baliing
3drawing to stack
4 stacking
5loading on to trailer
6unloading trailer
7 putting out to cows.
Nevermind the knifing and gathering wrap and net.
The big hidden cost in bales is the labour

One week of bales left to feed here then its into the pit.
Will be back feeding bales once cows start calving though

visatorro

whelan2 wrote: »

I am buying in bales delivered at the moment. Takes alot of the hassle out of them

Good winter to buy them if you know they're good.
Iv bought 'first cut ' dung before!!

wrangler

visatorro wrote: »

Good winter to buy them if you know they're good.
Iv bought 'first cut ' dung before!!

Hence the name ''lucky bags''

whelan2

visatorro wrote: »

Good winter to buy them if you know they're good.
Iv bought 'first cut ' dung before!!

It's good stuff. All reseeded ground.

awaywithyou

K.G. wrote: »

Just finished up feeding 550 bales and have opened the pit and all i can say is ahhhhhh.i estimate that the bales hve cost me about 3 working(39hours)weeks over the past 2 months.i got someone to draw in the finish-probaly another fiver a bale.silage in bales was handled 7 times for bales as opposed to 4 with wagon
1 mowing
2baliing
3drawing to stack
4 stacking
5loading on to trailer
6unloading trailer
7 putting out to cows.
Nevermind the knifing and gathering wrap and net.
The big hidden cost in bales is the labour

all very true... however i think cows perform better when on bales.... just my unscientific observation

I says

Base price wrote: »

Same as turf

1 lifting
2 turning
3 loading into the trailer

4 unloading off the trailer

5 filling the bucket/scuttle for the fire

6 throwing them into the fire
7 carrying the ashes from the grate

Bollox to turf

patsy_mccabe

Cutting timber is much the same. Cutting down on the handling is the key.

whelan2

It's a bit like doing grocery shopping.
Put ths stuff in the trolley
Put the stuff on the belt
Put it back in the trolley
Put it in the car
Take it out of the car
Put it away...

whelan2

wrangler wrote: »

Hence the name ''lucky bags''

I rang baling contractor and asked who would have good bales for sale. He would know

Reggie.

visatorro wrote: »

Good winter to buy them if you know they're good.
Iv bought 'first cut ' dung before!!

Ah surely my bales weren't that bad

Reggie.

whelan2 wrote: »

I rang baling contractor and asked who would have good bales for sale. He would know

Clever

K.G.

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

One week of bales left to feed here then its into the pit.
Will be back feeding bales once cows start calving though

Why back to bales
I purposely fed the bales before Christmas, so as to be messing around with cows calving.

Odelay

whelan2 wrote: »

I rang baling contractor and asked who would have good bales for sale. He would know

You’re a cute one/ That’s a good way to get a no nonsense answer.

GrasstoMilk

K.G. wrote: »

Why back to bales
I purposely fed the bales before Christmas, so as to be messing around with cows calving.

My best silage is in bales, ended up with 200 bales of poor quality stuff in bales that we fed to drys

farmersfriend

whelan2 wrote: »

It's a bit like doing grocery shopping.
Put ths stuff in the trolley
Put the stuff on the belt
Put it back in the trolley
Put it in the car
Take it out of the car
Put it away...

I hate grocery shopping, next day teenagers telling u there's nothing to eat

farawaygrass

farmersfriend wrote: »

I hate grocery shopping, next day teenagers telling u there's nothing to eat

I hate it too. Herself does Tesco online now most weeks. Saves an awful lot of hassle especially with young ones.

whelan2

farawaygrass wrote: »

I hate it too. Herself does Tesco online now most weeks. Saves an awful lot of hassle especially with young ones.

I find if I have someone to help me bring the stuff in out of the car when I get home it's not as bad. Pain in the hole though the whole process

K.G.

Base price wrote: »

Same as turf

1 lifting
2 turning
3 loading into the trailer

4 unloading off the trailer

5 filling the bucket/scuttle for the fire

6 throwing them into the fire
7 carrying the ashes from the grate

I said to someone lately id be.more lonesome for the coal than the timber uf the stove ban came in.but they said you have the timber free.it is hole by the time you have in the fire its away dearer

Lime Tree Farm

whelan2 wrote: »

I find if I have someone to help me bring the stuff in out of the car when I get home it's not as bad. Pain in the hole though the whole process

I find that I buy too many special offers, arrive home and try cramming them into the fridge or the freezer.

Water John

Lists are a great discipline. Makes a lot of tasks easier and unclutters the brain.
It's half done once it's down on paper.

Lime Tree Farm

Water John wrote: »

Lists are a great discipline. Makes a lot of tasks easier and unclutters the brain.
It's half done once it's down on paper.

can't teach an old dog new tricks, Chocolate Santas were half price today in Aldi, 65Cent, indulged in a half with a cup of coffee.

Dinzee Conlee

Water John wrote: »

Lists are a great discipline. Makes a lot of tasks easier and unclutters the brain.
It's half done once it's down on paper.

I don’t mind doing the grocery shop, but would always have a list. You do tend to come home with ****e and no proper meals unless you have a list...

But then, I also like lists

Water John

Blue, as I'm new to this red clover crop, how many bales per acre should I expect over the four cuts?

mr.stonewall

Water John wrote: »

Blue, as I'm new to this red clover crop, how many bales per acre should I expect over the four cuts?

Ps blue what type seed mix Italian,prg or hybrid and where to you get the seed

tractorporn

Water John wrote: »

Blue, as I'm new to this red clover crop, how many bales per acre should I expect over the four cuts?

I have just over 260 bales of RC silage from just over 9 acres cut 4 times this year. Although the last cut might be mostly water. I think when going again I will just go with a short term ley mix and add white clover to it to allow a bit of flexibility for cutting and grazing, instead of the red clover.

Water John

I was being conservative and budgeting for 18. That's good news. I'm going organic, so no bag fertiliser.
Thanks for that.
If I buy weanlings each year to finish, I'll have to budget silage for 2 winters.
Alt is to buy year old cattle, in the spring. It's the price difference v's the cost of the bales. I'm budgeting 2/2.5 bales per weanling.