Silage 2024

twin_beacon

The raking debate is an interesting one. I remember hearing a funny story a few years ago from our contractor when he was putting out our slurry. They were very busy one day bailing, lots hay on that day too (they would have had at least 3 balers on the go at the time). One job, probably 20+ acres of hay in one field, the farmer spent many hours rowing it up with the hay bob, only for the lads to arrive with the rake ahead of the baler.

Aravo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122302317#Comment_122302317

Maybe the farmer did a great job rowing it up. It would dry plenty in the row and less so from the time the contractor raked it in front of baler. Are all the contractors concerned with what they bale and what condition it's in when baled.

TinyMuffin

hay stood up in a row after a haybob dries great. Then we’d fook 4 or 5 of them together with the rake for the baler to gobble up.

Fodder seems to be back everywhere around here with bales been fed. Second cuts won’t break any records. Shortages loom.

twin_beacon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122303110#Comment_122303110

yea true, him rowing with the hay bob was no disadvantage to the crop, but he just seen it as a waste of his time and diesel.

_Brian

Relaxing on the Joe holliers getting notifications when contractor comes and goes
Be baled & wrapped later.

memorystick

I was in a yard this morning and 2 loads of bales going straight for feeding on a dairy farm. Lads seriously overstocked are under pressure. They should reduce numbers

grange mac

Had a local dairy man looking to buy my second cut this morning. I said what am I supposed to feed my cattle with in winter ... His response you don't have that many you're first cut would be plenty for you 🙄🙄... He is presently feeding bales but shows only care about themselves....

grass10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122310729#Comment_122310729

Why just not tell the greedy ego dairy farmer to sell cattle an awful bit of them are gone seriously arrogant

Fine Day

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122310729#Comment_122310729

Talk about belittling you. Id wouldn't pay any heat to people like that. He got himself into that mess. Crazy carry-on where you have to buy in silage now a days.

green daries

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122310729#Comment_122310729

What an ass

SouthWesterly

Got 20 bales last week off 3 1/2 acres. Normally get 30. Serious lack of growth in the first half of the season

TinyMuffin

I’m promised 20 acres of second off a man I do a good bit of work for to reduce the bill. Dairy man next door to him has been into him twice looking for it. Says it makes no sense as he’s nearer. I’ve 30 acres of fodder beet that has a lot of eyes on it.

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122310729#Comment_122310729

After the second part I tell him no problem 500/acre cash up front.

mr.stonewall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122311885#Comment_122311885

It's fronting up the cash is going to be the issue this year.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122311855#Comment_122311855

Let them keep looking. Put a bit of money on the table now to hold the grass under the understanding that it will be squared up with the work done

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122310729#Comment_122310729

Very simple tell him go hop and adjust his stocking rate to his farm. I would have said I will C you next Tuesday as my parting gift to that conversation.

Cavanjack

Local man here who had a tidy suckler operation big payments etc. quit this spring. Rented the place out to a few local dairy men. I heard two other dairy men saying that it’s the first year he ever made money 🙄. I wonder what he has lived on for the last 40 years.
I’ve been asked myself why I don’t have the place rented out to my dairy neighbour. I just agreed with him that I was foolish.

green daries

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122311996#Comment_122311996

Christ aren't lads turning into bits ofpricks too.

TinyMuffin

When the spring barley is cut in August, would it make any sense to go in straight away and sow westerwolds grass. Would I get a cut off it this year?

green daries

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122311912#Comment_122311912

Ya definitely the cash is going to be the issue alright all I'm hearing is cash is super tight

Bass Reeves

Peter Hynes was in an article in tge Farming Indo on Tuesday. It was about stress and farming. Not to belittle the thrust of the article but there was no question of why farmers and mainly dairy farmers were under pressure.

Nobody wants to see anyone under pressure or caught in a corner and TBF I do not think many of the dairy farmers are caught as bad as other parts if the country.

I would der is part if the grass growth issue the limits that the new fertlizer register has put on dairy farmers. Before they could buy extra N and three it out to solve a forage issue. Cash flow is probably an issue as well

Grass growth is not great, its not a complete disaster either although I am getting a bit tight but it's 2-3 weeks away.

This cane up un the discussion group in March and May about taking out excess grass as bales. I made the point in beef it was a zero sum game taking them out too early as if you got caught and had to feed bales you introduced extra cost into the system. I woukd only skip a paddock if covers tgat you were grazing were strating to go above 2000kgs.

It's takes grass to grow grass and an excess in mid/late May can quickly turn to a shortage 3-4 weeks later and all you have to show is 20 bales sitting in the yard

Danzy

Talking to a local contractor. Said the taking out strong paddocks part of his business is dead this year.

GrasstoMilk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122312783#Comment_122312783

grazing dairy cows is a complete different ball game to dry stock. If you don’t have quality you’re goosed. Essential to take out paddocks if grass is gone too strong for dairy cows

If it was me though I would run grassland on a dry stock enterprise the same as a dairy farm. You’ll get extra weight gain. Could be thrown difference of animals being ready to kill off grass and not imo

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122312783#Comment_122312783

I have learned to keep my mouth shut at these group think meetings. Lads don't take a different approach too well I find.

Teagasc lads at my group were openly encouraging getting fertiliser anywhere you can get it. Anything but drop cow numbers. I'm a bit lost in the group stocked at 2/Ha and preparing for 170kg.

Then he tells us at the end that dero is most likely gone in 2026. Not a clue like and the farmers seem to be hanging on his every word.

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122312783#Comment_122312783

fully agree. Lads (and I include myself sometimes!!) see a chance to get an extra few bales and then end up chasing their tail for the rest of the summer as a result.

dohc turbo2

I do a bit of raking for my contractor when. He caught for a driver, lads complaining about 10-15 per AC, raking dosent pay , going here there for small bit, fair enough go into big field , but running around for a few AC between diesel and driver , won't be on early retirement over it anyway

jaymla627

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122312783#Comment_122312783

Their a gas family, they've went into breeding/showing high end dairy stock and have spent a huge amount of money on bought in stock, he's a poor advocate for your run of the mill dairy farmer trying to keep going, Peter's probably annoyed he hasnt got the money to drop a more few k on more fancy heifers, our fly off to a few more shows in the uk/europe for the summer/autumn months

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122313504#Comment_122313504

Fancy heifers not just a hobby part of it?

Jack98

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122313504#Comment_122313504

I’d find it hard to find much sympathy for that man, mental health is a real issue in farming as we’re all fully aware but saying he was feeding and housing in the autumn last year and it’s ran into this year has him completely burnt out he’d want to spare a thought for the farmers on heavy land who that is a yearly occurrence he’d never survive on any kind of challenging ground. Is he not well back in cow numbers too this year you’d imagine he’d surely have sufficient grass if he was stocked 25% higher before?

jaymla627

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122314031#Comment_122314031

Looked up a few of their best cows in their own words from previous ramblings/articles and bar having savage type their milk recording figures are diabolical

Screenshot_20240628_172050_Chrome.jpg

Screenshot_20240628_171607_Gallery.jpg

The above kind of production figures wouldnt keep the lights on, in a high input herd, then youve a bought-in lisduff heifer probably cost 2k that has figures like this

Screenshot_20240628_173454_Chrome.jpg

Its comical

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122312829#Comment_122312829

Even Teagasc have given up advising beef farmers to graze at 12-1400 covers. They are pushing 1600 covers. The cattle that are thriving best for me are on old pasture grazing 1800 think dense covers.

I have reseeded ground 10 years old and it would not wipe the face of old pasture for beef cattle. Given like for like fertlizer it's outperforming reseeds.

Water John

I have both the red clover and MSS fields. The old grass will indeed give more bales/ac. That's in organic, but we'll see the quality in the winter. Indeed as Bass said, grass grows grass.