Is this the worst Spring ever

Alibaba

Seems to me like it is. Never remember anything like it . Poor growth. In a 'normal' year you'd nearly have grass fit to cut now.

whelan1

was talking to an elderly neighbour yesterday , he said he never saw anything like it, he's in his 80's

bob charles

No its not, old boys around here talk about the year they gave away cattle for nothing, sometime in the late forties/fifties and also about being full on winter feed till the middle of June in 78 I think.

Big difference from then and now is we can transport feed over long distances which was unheard of back then, and the advent of silage. imagine if silage didnt exist last summer

whelan1

wasnt there a big snow in 1947, snow still in the fields in april that year

moy83

whelan1 wrote: »

wasnt there a big snow in 1947, snow still in the fields in april that year

Yup an old boy beside me said the hares would jump into you arms back the mountain they were so hungry that year

mf240

whelan1 wrote: »

wasnt there a big snow in 1947, snow still in the fields in april that year

There was and that came after a wash out 1946.

Around here people cut bushes in the wood and let the cattle eat the leaves.

A long since gone friend of the fathers had ten Kerry cattle and five contental cattle out on a mountainy out farm and he couldn't get to them for a few weeks. When he did get there he discovered they had broken into forestry.

The Kerry's were wobbling the contenetals were dead.

sh1tstirrer

Op your title should read is this the worst spring in living memory.
1981 was a very bad spring and summer 1983 was a bad spring and early summer and we got a heatwave in July that year. 1985 was a disaster of a year but we got an Indian summer during sept and oct. there was a lot of silage cut in oct 85. In 85 they were using silage rakes to bring the silage in from the swarth that was in the west.

whelan1

sh1tstirrer wrote: »

Op your title should read is this the worst spring in living memory.
1981 was a very bad spring and summer 1983 was a bad spring and early summer and we got a heatwave in July that year. 1985 was a disaster of a year but we got an Indian summer during sept and oct. there was a lot of silage cut in oct 85. In 85 they were using silage rakes to bring the silage in from the swarth that was in the west.

a lad was telling me he drew in silage bales after mass on the 8th of december one year... my mam was born in april 1947 , my granny was always telling us of the snow ,

sh1tstirrer

mf240 wrote: »

There was and that came after a wash out 1946.

Around here people cut bushes in the wood and let the cattle eat the leaves.

A long since gone friend of the fathers had ten Kerry cattle and five contental cattle out on a mountainy out farm and he couldn't get to them for a few weeks. When he did get there he discovered they had broken into forestry.

The Kerry's were wobbling the contenetals were dead.

Didn't know they were continental in Ireland back then.

Muckit

bob charles wrote: »

No its not, old boys around here talk about the year they gave away cattle for nothing, sometime in the late forties/fifties and also about being full on winter feed till the middle of June in 78 I think.

Big difference from then and now is we can transport feed over long distances which was unheard of back then, and the advent of silage. imagine if silage didnt exist last summer

Also majority of smaller farms had no sheds, so cattle out poaching ground

bob charles

Muckit wrote: »

Also majority of smaller farms had no sheds, so cattle out poaching ground

I dont know how they survived, they didn't grass measure either

jomoloney

bob charles wrote: »

I dont know how they survived, they didn't grass measure either

No , or they weren't waiting for magic day or more of that sh1te from teagasc

Manoffeeling

bob charles wrote: »

I dont know how they survived, they didn't grass measure either

Measure grass! My daddy was the first man to buy one of those fancy measuring tapes in the area. You know the one, with cm and mm and a few scattered m on it. Lads used to borrow it so they did. They have them in the pound shop now :rolleyes:

Alibaba

I've seen a good few Springs myself but i'd say this is one of the worst. Prolonged cold easterly winds , poor growth, now ground getting wet , and all of this is a follow on from last years appalling Summer. Been a Tough 12 months for farmers

bob charles

Manoffeeling wrote: »

Measure grass! My daddy was the first man to buy one of those fancy measuring tapes in the area. You know the one, with cm and mm and a few scattered m on it. Lads used to borrow it so they did. They have them in the pound shop now :rolleyes:

had they no feet to measure with, "spaces" are the preferred measurement around here :cool:

Manoffeeling

bob charles wrote: »

had they no feet to measure with, "spaces" are the preferred measurement around here :cool:

The plough Robert, the plough :rolleyes:

fastrac

Maybe its so widespread this year because of the high numbers of cattle on farms and the dependance on silage. The slatted shed made it easy for a man to keep big numbers .Back in the days of hay and fodder beet etc you could only keep what you could handle. Kale and rape were a great winter feed but also pushed to one side by the shear grab. if you set Rape in August and undersowed Barley in the Spring you would get three crops in one year.

sh1tstirrer

Alibaba wrote: »

I've seen a good few Springs myself but i'd say this is one of the worst. Prolonged cold easterly winds , poor growth, now ground getting wet , and all of this is a follow on from last years appalling Summer. Been a Tough 12 months for farmers

Spring 2010 was fairly bad hard frost burnt the grass and growth was late and that was following a wet summer the year before.

Alibaba

What we have at the moment is close to a national emergency. Time the people in charge (ie. Minister / Gov ) started treating it as that.

whelan1

Alibaba wrote: »

What we have at the moment is close to a national emergency. Time the people in charge (ie. Minister / Gov ) started treating it as that.

ah now they are giving 1m towards the transport of feed..... surely they could have done something better like subsidising knackery fees for a month or something....how is the 1m going to be paid out?

Alibaba

Hard to see €1m going very far.

delaval

Alibaba wrote: »

What we have at the moment is close to a national emergency. Time the people in charge (ie. Minister / Gov ) started treating it as that.

What do you suggest

delaval

jomoloney wrote: »

No , or they weren't waiting for magic day or more of that sh1te from teagasc

They had 20 cows tied in a byre 20 acres of barley and 6 acres of beet and maybe 50 ewes on 100 acres. 100 acres today could have 120 dairy cows

rancher

whelan1 wrote: »

ah now they are giving 1m towards the transport of feed..... surely they could have done something better like subsidising knackery fees for a month or something....how is the 1m going to be paid out?

They won't spend a million, supposed to be paid out on receipts of imported feed you buy, Some IFA guys are in England, they say fodder is very tight, farmers in kilkenny and wicklow put together a few loads to send to hardship cases lately......think they went south...., supposed to be an item on UTVnews now about the fodder crisis in northern Ireland

moy83

delaval wrote: »

What do you suggest

I think the most important thing would be to organise the importing of hay from where ever in europe it can be got . If farmers knew that there at least would be forage availabe it would a big part of the worry gone for them . Then its down to money , I understand the gov dont have it to spare but if there was plenty of feed it would encourage people to buy and sell stock a bit more . Let the lads that can afford to buy , buy and let the fellas that cant afford to buy sell some stock and at least they know there is fodder to be got after that .

moy83

I dont know what fodder situation is like in spain or france but isnt the idea of eu to be able to move goods about between ourselves handy enough .

Conmaicne Mara

moy83 wrote: »

I think the most important thing would be to organise the importing of hay from where ever in europe it can be got . If farmers knew that there at least would be forage availabe it would a big part of the worry gone for them . Then its down to money , I understand the gov dont have it to spare but if there was plenty of feed it would encourage people to buy and sell stock a bit more . Let the lads that can afford to buy , buy and let the fellas that cant afford to buy sell some stock and at least they know there is fodder to be got after that .

They could take the excess over 500k off that bank fella that's been in the news for a start :cool:

Won't someone think of the rich folks

Alibaba

delaval wrote: »

What do you suggest

Tbh i don't know. But they should start banging heads together. I know Gov have allocated €1m but can't see that making much of an impression. So, looks like more dosh is needed.

moy83

Alibaba wrote: »

Tbh i don't know. But they should start banging heads together. I know Gov have allocated €1m but can't see that making much of an impression. So, looks like more dosh is needed.

I dont know about getting much off the gov , they are more broke than farmers sure , but the flutes are fulltime dealing in Brussels so surely they can sus out where fodder is available nearest to us and try to organise the cheapest way of getting it into the country . If they cant organise something like that with their buddies abroad they are good for shag all really .

Alibaba

moy83 wrote: »

I dont know about getting much off the gov , they are more broke than farmers sure , but the flutes are fulltime dealing in Brussels so surely they can sus out where fodder is available nearest to us and try to organise the cheapest way of getting it into the country . If they cant organise something like that with their buddies abroad they are good for shag all really .

I know its a different argument but they (Gov) have plenty of money for useless quangos , fat cats on huge bonuses etc. They need to get their priorities right. Farmers not to mention cattle are really suffering out there.

rancher

moy83 wrote: »

I dont know about getting much off the gov , they are more broke than farmers sure , but the flutes are fulltime dealing in Brussels so surely they can sus out where fodder is available nearest to us and try to organise the cheapest way of getting it into the country . If they cant organise something like that with their buddies abroad they are good for shag all really .

more whingeing

moy83

rancher wrote: »

more whingeing

Sorry rancher I know you are in the IFA and the last thing ye need is whinging farmers in yer ear .

mf240

rancher wrote: »

more whingeing

This is the "sure let them eat cake" attitude of the IFA.

moy83

rancher wrote: »

more whingeing

I must say rancher your attitude on here really lets the IFA down .

rancher

moy83 wrote: »

I must say rancher your attitude on here really lets the IFA down .

And I consider being described as being good for shag all as not deserving of any other response, I deal with constructive criticism and take it on board BUT I'M CERTAINLY NOT TAKING YOUR COMMENTS SERIOUSLY

moy83

rancher wrote: »

And I consider being described as being good for shag all as not deserving of any other response, I deal with constructive criticism and take it on board I'M CERTAINLY NOT TAKING YOUR COMMENTS SERIOUSLY

I was talking about the govt organising something not the IFA . Considering your attitude I would'nt expect you to take my whinging comments seriously alright . The IFA boys in the UK have found out that fodder is scarce over there , some operaters :rolleyes:

rancher

moy83 wrote: »

I was talking about the govt organising something not the IFA . Considering your attitude I would'nt expect you to take my whinging comments seriously alright . The IFA boys in the UK have found out that fodder is scarce over there , some operaters :rolleyes:

Think they have a few loads ready if you send over the money, how many do you want

moy83

rancher wrote: »

Think they have a few loads ready if you send over the money, how many do you want

I'm collecting fifteen silage bales tomorrow from three different places so Im ok for over a week after that I might be looking for more alright depending on weather .
Does the money go to IFA , farmer or haulier ? There are plenty of people near me that would be interested in collecting some sooner though should I tell them to contact the IFA ?

rancher

moy83 wrote: »

I'm collecting fifteen silage bales tomorrow from three different places so Im ok for over a week after that I might be looking for more alright depending on weather .
Does the money go to IFA , farmer or haulier ? There are plenty of people near me that would be interested in collecting some sooner though should I tell them to contact the IFA ?

Was only calling your bluff, it's these guys that are assembling them for the coops, but money is a real issue with these deliveries....I see this on another thread this morning, also the distribution is proving very divisive..I'm staying well away from it

whelan1

rancher wrote: »

Was only calling your bluff, it's these guys that are assembling them for the coops, but money is a real issue with these deliveries....I see this on another thread this morning, also the distribution is proving very divisive..I'm staying well away from it

i am not going to get in to a row with you over the ifa, have been listening to eddie downey on lmfm the last few mornings, going on about how they are sourcing feed in england and they have travelled over 800 miles etc, fair play... the big problem is who can pay for this feed, i know alot of farmers around here with feck all feed also have feck all money so why pay top dollar for feed when you dont have it? Also how is this feed going to be distributed, is it the big boys first as per usual?

rancher

whelan1 wrote: »

i am not going to get in to a row with you over the ifa, have been listening to eddie downey on lmfm the last few mornings, going on about how they are sourcing feed in england and they have travelled over 800 miles etc, fair play... the big problem is who can pay for this feed, i know alot of farmers around here with feck all feed also have feck all money so why pay top dollar for feed when you dont have it? Also how is this feed going to be distributed, is it the big boys first as per usual?

Coops are distributing it, thankfully.
Payment is a huge prob, coops have to be sure they'll get paid before they import it.
Scary out there alright

Farmer Ed

whelan1 wrote: »

i am not going to get in to a row with you over the ifa, have been listening to eddie downey on lmfm the last few mornings, going on about how they are sourcing feed in england and they have travelled over 800 miles etc, fair play... the big problem is who can pay for this feed, i know alot of farmers around here with feck all feed also have feck all money so why pay top dollar for feed when you dont have it? Also how is this feed going to be distributed, is it the big boys first as per usual?

Hay in south east England is making £55 pounds per tonne and one Co-Op I know of is charging up to €150 per 800kg bale of it over here. Then had a big PR thing on all the media saying they were not making any profit from it. God help us, farmers are taking it a bale at a time in car trailers.

A man in west Limerick where fodder cant be too plentiful told me he is still able to buy good Irish Hay for €40 per round bale. So I honestly think people shouldn't get too carried away about the deals their getting from Co-Ops/IFA

red bull

We have seen many hard springs like this. The problem is caused by the weather last year, less fodder harvested earlier winter. Lets hope we will get some decent growing conditions. In this part of the country old people used to say be prepared to feed till the 10th May

gally74

Actually my grandad used to say have hay till the 12th of May

rancher

Farmer Ed wrote: »

Hay in south east England is making £55 pounds per tonne and one Co-Op I know of is charging up to €150 per 800kg bale of it over here. Then had a big PR thing on all the media saying they were not making any profit from it. God help us, farmers are taking it a bale at a time in car trailers.

A man in west Limerick where fodder cant be too plentiful told me he is still able to buy good Irish Hay for €40 per round bale. So I honestly think people shouldn't get too carried away about the deals their getting from Co-Ops/IFA

Here's a post from another thread... you two should be able to get together to get hay for that woman,(

crusher000 wrote: »

Seriously we're looming on a very serious situation. There is no hay top be got anywhere and even silage is getting scarce. Rang guy this moring that was one of the largest providers of hay in the area. Has two round bales left. Said he had woman on the phone crying to him looking for 40 square baisl but couldn't help her. What is the government are anyone for that matter doing to help ? Lack of leadership again. They can't be held accountable for the weather but if things don't improve in the next week or two they'll be lorries full of dead animals.

Coops are using IFA to provide contacts, but we on boards have a database of contacts and you all should be doing your bit too....criticism without solutions being provided is what I term as whingeing.

This is a serious serious situation and it really sets your level if you want to use it to score points. I know for a fact that sourcing this hay is costing IFA and if you think the coops are telling lies, Well thats up to you but I doubt it and if you think you can do better than what you call coop/IFA .....well up the road with you

farmertipp

sh1tstirrer wrote: »

Spring 2010 was fairly bad hard frost burnt the grass and growth was late and that was following a wet summer the year before.

Buffer fed cows with maize till mid may in 10, could not keep bales cut in june july

Alibaba

€1m is only a drop in the ocean to deal with this CRISIS , a crisis that's growing by the day.
Why can't the Gov go to Europe for the disaster relief fund which is there by the EU.

whelan1

just reading the title of this thread, sure summer will be starting soon

mf240

whelan1 wrote: »

just reading the title of this thread, sure summer will be starting soon

How soon:D

rancher

Alibaba wrote: »

€1m is only a drop in the ocean to deal with this CRISIS , a crisis that's growing by the day.
Why can't the Gov go to Europe for the disaster relief fund which is there by the EU.

Supposed to be worth €1000/ load on the imported hay, do those lorries carry 30 bales, so we should get back €35/bale..every little helps.
See the utv newscaster asking the politician ''do the farmers not get enough from the taxpayers through their SFP without having to subsidise them further''.......no sympathy there then and Northern Ireland is a lot harder hit than here

whelan1

mf240 wrote: »

How soon:D

next week, mf240 told me so;)