Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

jaymla627

cjpm wrote: »

Seriously 3-4 inches deep mats?? Must feel like walking on air??

Best money any dairy farmer could spend i reckon, you'd have to laugh at lads spending a few 100k on a parlour and then don't put in mats, hard to put a price on the wear and tear they save on knees and hips as you get older

Timmaay

straight wrote: »

Nothing worse than pain lad. I'd give up the running anyway for a start. But other than that you have to look after your feet any way you can.

I'd give up dairying far sooner than I'd give up the athletics haha, but in any case I've had this issue before, a large part of it is the footwear, but also I've a weak enough hip from a bike accident 10yrs ago, I'll definitely still need to sort out my wellys and footwear around the farm, but I'll happily also put in the 600e worth of mats in the parlour as well, 60e a year if they only last me 10yrs, I spent 100 to 120e on runners for the athletics every 4months already, and probably 2 or 3 pairs of wellys a year. But any of that beats the hell out of a hip or knee replacement 10yrs sooner than I might need otherwise.

whelan2

My young lad wears the wellies that are made from the same stuff as cow mats. They are super light. I'm not sure of the make of them. He gets them in local farm shop.

Sacrolyte

I had a pair of croc wellies. Very light. I’d say they would have been comfy only I got them a size too small.

straight

Cows were going well here for week 1 of breeding but now with the weather I'd say I'm getting some silent heats. Cycling cows going over their 23 days with no sign. I've 25 heifers near the yard for 4 days with scratch cards and only 1 half scratched card so far. The cows are still tipping away but the heifers are disappointing and they were never better grown with good grass. I suppose I could still inject them with pg on day 7, 8 although they don't seem to be coming in naturally for me?

kevthegaff

Earphones and mats are essential in any milking parlour

Freejin

Freejin wrote: »

What would milk urea levels be like in herds this time of the year? Only started getting urea results last year, so new to me. Currently getting results of around 12

Mooooo wrote: »

Low because of slow growth, once growth comes it will rise. Between 20or 25 and 30 is ok. Very high would be worse than low as could effect embryo survival

Still very low urea here, last two collections were 5 and 6, should i be concerned? Cows milking well and breeding going well. Maybe id be bettwr off not getting the urea results!!

Say my name

Freejin wrote: »

Still very low urea here, last two collections were 5 and 6, should i be concerned? Cows milking well and breeding going well. Maybe id be bettwr off not getting the urea results!!

If you've the milk and kgs and breeding going well then sure whatever.

But I'm just wondering how you're managing to get results as low as that?
You'd imagine they'd be on a total straw diet to get that low.
Last year when I skipped out the N for a few rounds it went from 10 to 15 range. And that was on a 15% nut at 3 - 4 kg.

They actually will go in calf better the lower it is but then you may sacrifice milk yield and pr%.

It's a useful tool to have though.

whelan2

Freejin wrote: »

Still very low urea here, last two collections were 5 and 6, should i be concerned? Cows milking well and breeding going well. Maybe id be bettwr off not getting the urea results!!

Around 10 here.

Mooooo

Low here as well, between 8 and 12 the last few results. Protein ok at 3.6 but yield may be down a bit, on 5 kg of 14%, 1300 to 1400 covers. Growth was at 48 last week but prob up since alright. Not overly concerned. 16 days in to breeding 62% of cows served, heifers synced 2 weeks ago

Freejin

Say my name wrote: »

If you've the milk and kgs and breeding going well then sure whatever.

But I'm just wondering how you're managing to get results as low as that?
You'd imagine they'd be on a total straw diet to get that low.
Last year when I skipped out the N for a few rounds it went from 10 to 15 range. And that was on a 15% nut at 3 - 4 kg.

They actually will go in calf better the lower it is but then you may sacrifice milk yield and pr%.

It's a useful tool to have though.

All paddocks they were in for those particular collections hadn't been fertilized in over 20days,some up to 27 days. Had been a good burst of growth beforehand and would have been covers of 1300 to 1400 on them. They were on 4kg of a 14% nut as well.

Only started getting urea results last summer, and i can count on one hand the number of times the urea went over 25. As you say, in calf rates were excellent last year.

Im not going to get too concerned about it, at 2.2kgs of solids and about 85% bred coming up on three weeks breeding.

mahoney_j

straight wrote: »

Cows were going well here for week 1 of breeding but now with the weather I'd say I'm getting some silent heats. Cycling cows going over their 23 days with no sign. I've 25 heifers near the yard for 4 days with scratch cards and only 1 half scratched card so far. The cows are still tipping away but the heifers are disappointing and they were never better grown with good grass. I suppose I could still inject them with pg on day 7, 8 although they don't seem to be coming in naturally for me?

Fixed time Ai only job for heifers ,

whelan2

My dad was listening to morning Ireland. There was a dairy farmer on about the bellview situation. Anyone know who he was? He was very impressed with the way he spoke

Grueller

whelan2 wrote: »

My dad was listening to morning Ireland. There was a dairy farmer on about the bellview situation. Anyone know who he was? He was very impressed with the way he spoke

Eamonn Sheehan, Cuffesgrange, Kilkenny

whelan2

Grueller wrote: »

Eamonn Sheehan, Cuffesgrange, Kilkenny

Was he representing ifa or who?

Say my name

whelan2 wrote: »

Was he representing ifa or who?

Himself I think.
Another on social media fed up of this anti dairy crap.

jaymla627

Say my name wrote: »

Himself I think.
Another on social media fed up of this anti dairy crap.

If a organisation like the ifa was thinking for a great social media blitz, infiltrate the eco twitter groups as a hippy dippy twitter follower, nod the head and rant and rave re dirty dairy destroying the planet, and inevitable when all the more learned eco warriors trying to shutdown farming in Ireland start jet setting once covid restrictions are lifted and of course do the obligatory twitter and insta posts, screen shot them and have it in the locker to throw back in their faces when they try to lecture farmers about destroying the environment

Say my name

jaymla627 wrote: »

If a organisation like the ifa was thinking for a great social media blitz, infiltrate the eco twitter groups as a hippy dippy twitter follower, nod the head and rant and rave re dirty dairy destroying the planet, and inevitable when all the more learned eco warriors trying to shutdown farming in Ireland start jet setting once covid restrictions are lifted and of course do the obligatory twitter and insta posts, screen shot them and have it in the locker to throw back in their faces when they try to lecture farmers about destroying the environment

It'd be too late then. :pac:

Be hard to get a farmer or anyone with such patience and fortitude for such a plan.

Although I'm sure there's sleepers even on here in taisce and taking notes.
(Not me btw). I wouldn't have the temperament..

(That'd be a plan Gibbons would pull).

yosemitesam1

[PHP][/PHP]

Say my name wrote: »

It'd be too late then. :pac:

Be hard to get a farmer or anyone with such patience and fortitude for such a plan.

Although I'm sure there's sleepers even on here in taisce and taking notes.
(Not me btw). I wouldn't have the temperament..

(That'd be a plan Gibbons would pull).

The biggest difference would be made if ye just stopped handing them ammo to be fired at ye and were actually proactive at being some way more environmentally friendly instead of just waiting for restrictions to be put in place

straight

yosemitesam1 wrote: »

[PHP][/PHP]
The biggest difference would be made if ye just stopped handing them ammo to be fired at ye and were actually proactive at being some way more environmentally friendly instead of just waiting for restrictions to be put in place

You don't think we're being proactive? Pretty sure if things were measured right alot of us are more carbon neutral than most of society

Say my name

yosemitesam1 wrote: »

[PHP][/PHP]
The biggest difference would be made if ye just stopped handing them ammo to be fired at ye and were actually proactive at being some way more environmentally friendly instead of just waiting for restrictions to be put in place

They've made it perfectly clear that their plan is to cut cattle numbers to meet climate accounting figures.
There's no ifs nor buts from that.
The regenerative crew on the national talks were given short shrift. The pro tillage crew were welcomed with open arms.
It's black and white to me after that.

I'll do my best personally to ensure the soil gets better while trying to keep costs at a minimum.
But the deck to me is being shuffled against livestock farming in this country.

yosemitesam1

straight wrote: »

You don't think we're being proactive? Pretty sure if things were measured right alot of us are more carbon neutral than most of society

Beef and sheep would come out better but not dairy or tillage. Animal numbers and fertiliser use cant keep increasing without the environmental crew going to town on it.
On the biodiversity side of things, how many lads are spraying along ditches? How many actually have clover present? How many have more than one species of grass present? How many actually care about it... Most couldn't give two fcuks as long as they get to keep doing things the way they're used to even as the wider world is rapidly changing...

richie123

Lets face it a lot of farmers don't give a ****.
Stocking rates maxed out and fertiliser and slurry horsed out..land rental drove mad
Drawing silage from miles away due to overstocked farms
Silage slabs cracked and leaking
Poor storage capacity
Not doing themselves any favours
Water quality gone to **** in this country
Sewerage plants are mostly responsible with the farmer very close just behind them.
Some serious copping on needs to be done before more rules and regulations are heaped upon us

Say my name

Just to add balance.

We've the 2nd best river water quality in Europe.
And fert sales are down on previous years.

And the capital grant system has had huge benefits for concrete and steel spend on farms.

Lots more to do we have to remember from where we came from too.

White Clover

richie123 wrote: »

Lets face it a lot of farmers don't give a ****.
Stocking rates maxed out and fertiliser and slurry horsed out..land rental drove mad
Drawing silage from miles away due to overstocked farms
Silage slabs cracked and leaking
Poor storage capacity
Not doing themselves any favours
Water quality gone to **** in this country
Sewerage plants are mostly responsible with the farmer very close just behind them.
Some serious copping on needs to be done before more rules and regulations are heaped upon us

Any chance of heaping rules and regulations on the local authorities first and see how things lie after they sort out the big problems that they ACTUALLY have?

whelan2

White Clover wrote: »

Any chance of heaping rules and regulations on the local authorities first and see how things lie after they sort out the big problems that they ACTUALLY have?

This is the laughable bit. Council sewerage line blocked along the river that goes through my farm the other day. Council inspector called to do a spot inspection on my yard at the same time and didn't want to know about the sewerage.

Say my name

whelan2 wrote: »

This is the laughable bit. Council sewerage line blocked along the river that goes through my farm the other day. Council inspector called to do a spot inspection on my yard at the same time and didn't want to know about the sewerage.

John Gibbons ala taisce was on the radio recently debating with an airline representative.
Things got heated with John calling that there should be a tax on flying. Yer man responded with deflection. Saying that all the dairy herds milk powder goes through the airports and on the planes.
John didn't fall for it and responded with actually it goes by sea and has a long shelf life. And the carbon footprint is low by sea.

There's a common theme lately of deflection and trying to find another poor phucker to put the blame on.

Boggerman12

My god if you want to hear the an taisce logic listen to some lad called John gibbons on the last word this evening.I’m sick and tired of listening to as a dairy farmer being blamed for fcuking all the ills of the world.yes we have to do things better but this stuff was astonishing to listen to.

awaywithyou

Boggerman12 wrote: »

My god if you want to hear the an taisce logic listen to some lad called John gibbons on the last word this evening.I’m sick and tired of listening to as a dairy farmer being blamed for fcuking all the ills of the world.yes we have to do things better but this stuff was astonishing to listen to.

he made an absolute tool of himself this evening....

Mooooo

Didn't hear it, but some times the more those lads are left off the way they come across will be there own undoing. Unfortunately the same can be said for those on our side. Need well spoken people with a concise clear message to counter An Taisce, etc. Was listening to the business show on radio 1 some sat morning and they were talking to a lad about storytelling and how businesses, politicians etc were starting to use those type of people in order to get their messages out there