How are you fixed fodder wise?

Muckit

It's been predicted in a few papers that there is a great possibility of fodder shortages on a lot of livestock farms this winter. Thankfully have plenty done ourselves, but if we had left it a few weeks later it could very asily have gone the other way.

Anyways, how are you fixed?

Dont be daft

We're gonna have to go for one more cut.

If we can pull 4/5 tonne an acre off it we'll have enough to see out a 100 day Winter. Thats if we get it. Who knows what its gonna be like in 3 weeks time.

Spread fertiliser today, first time the shaker was out all year!

sweeney1971

We use to have a Dairy Herd in England and we always made as much silage as possible and yes we always had some bales left at the end of winter but the bulls finished those off. Now we just have a few pet horses but we had got our silage well this time.
I have seen Farmers over here cutting and baling in the rain. Once saw someone shaking out trying to make hay in the rain!

blue5000

Tonnage wise I think I'm ok, quality wise remains to be seen. Still have a paddock to wrap and straw to get. I'm keeping all the weanlings this winter for a change.

Black Smoke

How much more silage would you expect in a well chopped bale versus an unchopped bale?
Not used to chopped bales as mostly done unchopped in previous years. All chopped this year. I'm guessing up to 25%!!! Am I being too optimistic?

1chippy

like blue tonnage wise were ok. still have 7 acres to cut which in a normal year would be surplus, but just to have that safeguard incase the winter is like the summer. Straw to be collected in the next day or so. unfortunately no hay got for pre calving.

reilig

7 acres of silage still to bale.
Pretty happy with the quality. Luckily I hadn't planned to cut too early, so the delay in cutting didn't bring down quality too much.
Fed the 50 bales that were left over from winter during the summer, so I'm 50 bales down. Plan to supplement this with 50 bales of straw - but its Eur 20 per bale to get good straw suitable for feeding to the door (5 x 4 bales).
Got rid of the culled cows early this year. Weined calves early. Rented a few acres and have 20 cows on it - it will keep the 20 going until 1st November, and 10 until December 1st. That should save some fodder.

Its not going to be easy, but we will get there!!
Weighing up if it would be better to keep weinlings till next spring or sell them in October. It would mean buying supplementary fodder, but it could pay.

sea12

1chippy wrote: »

like blue tonnage wise were ok. still have 7 acres to cut which in a normal year would be surplus, but just to have that safeguard incase the winter is like the summer. Straw to be collected in the next day or so. unfortunately no hay got for pre calving.

Have six acres of hay down at the moment. If I get that and I should I will have more than enough for the sheep for another year.

cody21

anyone got any advice on a good tractor for round bales around 70 hp for
about 5 grand or thereabouts.

tismesoitis

should be ok quantity wise but only just. 1st cut is as good silage as ever we made 2nd although dry should have been cut 3-4 weeks earlier but weather did'nt permit as we all know.

Farmer Pudsey

cody21 wrote: »

anyone got any advice on a good tractor for round bales around 70 hp for
about 5 grand or thereabouts.

You are looking at a 2WD tractor more than likly it will depend on what you come accross. You will not get much out of a tractor dealer for that. What ever you but try to get something that is clean and fairly straight. If you have a mechanic or any lad that is good with tractors to go with you then you have a great chance.
You find a fair selection of Zetors for that kind of money the only masseys you will get will be 5 or 6 series. You might come accross a Ford 6610 but a fairly good choice if you came accross it would be a fiat 80/90. If you are feeding bales outside for the winter try to increse your budget and get a 4WD. But what ever tractor you get get it well checked out

kevthegaff

cody21 wrote: »

anyone got any advice on a good tractor for round bales around 70 hp for
about 5 grand or thereabouts.

what about an old john deere, plenty of them on done deal for 5k around

bbam

We're not wintering much stock so we have a surplus...
Same chap as last year has a spoke in for whatever bales I have to spare.. the thing is what to charge??
I'll wait and see when I open them, they were baled dry and the field was unmarked so I'm not worrying about clay contamination...

I'm hearing stories of €30-35 a bale already, probably just stories..
Wont go too heavy on this guy as he loads himself and pays for all upfront before taking the first load... €28 in the bank is better than the promise of €35 that never comes !!

restive

I did quite well this year both the quality & quantity are up.

PatQfarmer

Have last years hay and haylage. Only made small bit of silage this year and it's all eaten as buffer feed.
Too heavily stocked all year, given the conditions.
Will sell some very soon, as I feel prices will fall further if and when the weather deteriorates again.
Hope to buy some "reasonably priced" silage nearby. That will determine how many I sell. Keeping the Spring-born calves and as many of the Autumn '11 ones as possible. Selling all the forward stores.
Bit of a disaster of a year...

jerdee

Got bales done early on but had to let cows into after grass as no growth . Bought 50 bales locally so should be covered Thank god autumn might not be too bad as I see that there Ian t too many berries on the hedges so hopefully be too bad on the birds.
Mean wile grain imports very busy and a lot of stock bought if it arrives from USA but looking a lot later ....late oct early nov