Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

"That mother was making the ultimate sacrifice by killing her own baby so it wouldn't have to endure a life of cruelty and rape at the hands of the farmer just so he can steal her milk"

That's what I imagine some of the headers in PETA or vegan circles coming out with.

If they use this to simply just match lakelands base price, for March milk, they'll undo any of the goodwill with the other measures

Anyone elses calves swelling up from Prime Elite 25 Plus milk replacer? They get really gassy and go down hill very quickly. I treat them for bloat and pneumonia and improve within a few hours. Never had this before. Correct ratios are used and is mixed very well.

That’s what I was thinking. He was lucky to get through that gate as fast as he did.

Whats everyones worst spring this year is bad but 2013 and 2018 were 10 times worse.Good weather is coming next week its mild and loads of grass in fields well all be at silage in a month

i think the problem isnt so much the weather the last few weeks… its that the weather has been in general crap since 1st july last year…. i would say 2013 was the worst… the fighting between farmers at the local creamery for the bales of hay that came from england was shocking… we had less stock in 2013 due to TB so ended up selling a good bit of silage.. actually more than a good bit.. my brother in law was out in february and we fed his herd for 2 months solid… we had fellas begging for silage…. we obviously couldnt give it to everyone but there was farms and cattle were literally starving to death…

this year there does seem to be plenty of fodder around… so i dont think the same panic is there as what was There in 2013…

I agree, bales are still for sale around here. To be honest the straw is a bigger problem down here.

I think it is the low moral and uncertainty caused by our current government. No one knows what they will think of next.

Another big thing this year is the calves, there is a massive difference for anyone that is used of sell the fr bulls off young and making room for more. Its terrible to carry four week old calves to the mart and leaving them there for 20 to thirty euro. Besides the amount of milk, time and energy it takes.

Was at an ICMSA meeting last night. Full house and not a word out of them. Normally at these things there would be some few lads complaining about something, but not a word. Are lads so worn out they are giving up the fight.

worn out sums it up. the appetite is gone on allot of the farmers.

There was a few good weeks in April 2012 but the second half of 2011 had been bad like last year in the west which is what compounded 2013.

I'd say it'll clear before the end of the month …

It won't. March April was our summer in 2012. I'm always wary of those really kind, mild springs, as we generally pay for it with a crap summer.

So I reckon we're almost guaranteed a 2013 or 2018 style summer, if we can knock a few more weeks out of the monsoon!

13 was dry at times but the wind burnt all in late spring.I remember doing a long days work and going looking for feed at night it got that bad i ended up buying 2000 small squares at 4 euro each il never forget 13 and handling those bales

I'll never ever forget 13 ran out of feed on the 20th of May and still had to get silage was very lucky a friend gave me 20 middling bales and some pit silage it was enough roughage to keep them going with a heap of meal and a pluck of grass did some ploughing of the place them years