your best moment farming.

Greengrass1

What was you best achievement or your favourite moment in your farming career?

Don't think I have one yet

moy83

Greengrass1 wrote: »

What was you best achievement or your favourite moment in your farming career?

Don't think I have one yet

The old lad used send me to the night out when he won the quality milk awards to collect them because he didnt like the social side of things . I thought I was a mighty man

Got the overall cow trophy once and the runner up ones a few times

I have nothing really outstanding myself . We were moving calves the last day and the youngest lad grabbed an escapee by the tail trying to stop him jumping through a feed barrier - he fell off but I was happy to see him learning and getting stuck in

simx

Greengrass1 wrote: »

What was you best achievement or your favourite moment in your farming career?

Don't think I have one yet

didnt have many yet had a lot of bad ones so far, wet years,cows going down, rotavirus-calf losses, disaterous reseeding, tractor going on fire etc etc,

still it can only look up i suppose, neighbour here has 60 sucklers and told me yesterday he lost 39 calves last year, i think it was smallenberg, now that was something to complain about, and he doesnt be a whingy man at all, would hope to go back milking in future as i do like dairying, so maybe thatll be my best moment, or worst, time will tell i suppose

moy83

simx wrote: »

didnt have many yet had a lot of bad ones so far, wet years,cows going down, rotavirus-calf losses, disaterous reseeding, tractor going on fire etc etc,

still it can only look up i suppose, neighbour here has 60 sucklers and told me yesterday he lost 39 calves last year, i think it was smallenberg, now that was something to complain about, and he doesnt be a whingy man at all, would hope to go back milking in future as i do like dairying, so maybe thatll be my best moment, or worst, time will tell i suppose

If we start thinking about the bad ones we wont be filling the pages

simx

moy83 wrote: »

If we start thinking about the bad ones we wont be filling the pages

oh i know, best put them down to experience and move on, onwards and upwards

Brown Podzol

Hard to beat these mornings dairy farming, great ground conditions,superb grass and looking up the rows in the parlour at cows bursting with milk.

whelan2

probably when some one asks is the boss man around, depending on who it is i will either say i am the boss or he's not h

Muckit

For me it's hard to beat the buzz of being the secret bystander and watching buyers leaning in looking at your pen of cattle in the mart. Or inside in the box watching the scales and the anticipation of achieving a fair price.

My proudest moment was selling my first ped bull. He was no prize winner but was proud of all the work that I had put into him and all that l had learnt in the process. Gave me great confidence dealing with stock.

Conmaicne Mara

Getting complimented on the sheep or the state (ahem) of the farm. I think they must not look too closely on the latter :pac:

As long as I don't get a compliment IN the mart, often the best pen leaves the least money.

mahoney_j

Greengrass1 wrote: »

What was you best achievement or your favourite moment in your farming career?

Don't think I have one yet

Taking over the farm from the da and the odd time he tells me I'm mAd doing sometimes then he goes talking to a mate of his or a neighbour and talking about all the grass I have or how well the cows are milking etc.he is really proud of what I've done since I took over and a massive help even though he was diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer's last year.he wouldn't tell me that too often though but I love seeing him looking at the cows and the milk collection dockets or a pen of healthy calves and seeing the smile on his face

Bactidiaryl

mahoney_j wrote: »

Taking over the farm from the da and the odd time he tells me I'm mAd doing sometimes then he goes talking to a mate of his or a neighbour and talking about all the grass I have or how well the cows are milking etc.he is really proud of what I've done since I took over and a massive help even though he was diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer's last year.he wouldn't tell me that too often though but I love seeing him looking at the cows and the milk collection dockets or a pen of healthy calves and seeing the smile on his face

Priceless

sheebadog

First time I broke the 5 ton/acre barrier in wheat.

Genghis Cant

I'm still building towards a golden moment, several mini victories but no great battle won....... Just yet :^)


Some great stories above though lads.

Mac Taylor

Nothing too outstanding here. Mind you like Muckit, selling my first ped bull. He grossed more nearly 3 times what we would get for a commercial but did not cost me much more to rare.

frazzledhome

My best moment was getting a bank to lend me money. I had been refused a few times before that, finally some one who believed I could do it.

Other was hearing from people about my father boasting about us.

A real kick for me is being told that I'm mad😄😄

mf240

Cutting three cuts of silage off a field that was swimming and covered in rushes two years previous.

And being able to buy a newer tractor for my 80 year old dad to put transport box on and use for his own jobs. Never forget the look on his face when it was unloaded, eleven years earlier he helped me buy my first tractor.

Greengrass1

mf240 wrote: »

Cutting three cuts of silage off a field that was swimming and covered in rushes two years previous.

And being able to buy a newer tractor for my 80 year old dad to put transport box on and use for his own jobs. Never forget the look on his face when it was unloaded, eleven years earlier he helped me buy my first tractor.

Did he know you had bought it? Say he was fierce delighted when it arrived out of the blue

mf240

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Did he know you had bought it? Say he was fierce delighted when it arrived out of the blue

A no he went to look at it with me and drove it in the dealers, but we had to wait a week for him to deliver it. So he was still delighted when it arrived.

stanflt

i think for most of us on here the best is yet to come for all of us- its great to share experiences with such positive entusiastic people

i have to say that my calving interval is my greatest achievement- 427 to 364 in four years- culling very few and delivering large amounts in the mean time

hopefully bigger things to come

farmersfriend

mf240 wrote: »

Cutting three cuts of silage off a field that was swimming and covered in rushes two years previous.

And being able to buy a newer tractor for my 80 year old dad to put transport box on and use for his own jobs. Never forget the look on his face when it was unloaded, eleven years earlier he helped me buy my first tractor.

Moments that money can't buy

epfff

Chatting to my baby son in the shed of bulls about them

Timmaay

stanflt wrote: »

i think for most of us on here the best is yet to come for all of us- its great to share experiences with such positive entusiastic people

i have to say that my calving interval is my greatest achievement- 427 to 364 in four years- culling very few and delivering large amounts in the mean time

hopefully bigger things to come

Agreed, my CI isn't far off that at all still, and most certainly dipping under the 370days would be a massive achievement. But anyways, hmm going back to my biggest moment ha, no one single one that stands out, the 1st few times my dad asking me things like "what paddock are the cows going next", or "what bull are you going to put on her" brought a smile to my face knowing he trusts my decisions and is happy to hand over roles as such to me.

Actually one single moment the other morning, and again this is something minor in the grand scale of things, but anyways, it was looking at a jar of milk and seeing 25L in it was nice, its the highest volume of milk that I've got out of a cow since I took over in the parlour, and probably the highest in a good number of years here. She gave close to 20 in the evening, so 45L. (hopefully not all water ha!) But since the cows started to get fed better, we are finally starting to constantly push them to their true potential.

Greengrass1

Stan just reminded me of a achievement that was mostlyy fathers but I had a part to play in too.
We have no carry over cows milking this year. First time in 10 yrs since we started here that every cow milking has had a calf.
Also back calving heifers at 2yrs old now is another achievement as a result of having a proper calving pattern

Miname

when i let the first animals out on a small farm i'd leased. it had been overgrown with bushes, no fences, water and a redwater problem when i got it. i cleared it,ploughed reseeded, fenced ran water and trimmed all the hedges in neatly. everyone said i was mad taking it and now the same lads are trying to take it.

flat out !!

frazzledhome wrote: »

My best moment was getting a bank to lend me money. I had been refused a few times before that, finally some one who believed I could do it.

Other was hearing from people about my father boasting about us.

A real kick for me is being told that I'm mad😄😄

Nothing worse than hearing an auld lad boasting.

A cow called Daisy

Greengrass1 wrote: »

What was you best achievement or your favourite moment in your farming career?

Don't think I have one yet

My best moments have been when i get 'thanks' on farming boards!!!!

Reggie.

A cow called Daisy wrote: »

My best moments have been when i get 'thanks' on farming boards!!!!

Crawler

farmersfriend

When selling springing suckler Heifers and u get same lads coming back each year cos they got on well wit the ones they got the previous year, always get a buzz out of that.

stop thelights

This year so far is getting the beet and maize sat before the rain. Woke up this Morning to the sound of rain on the roof......aaaaaahhhhhh what a sweet sound :-)

jt65

best personal moment was circa 2000 when after over 20 years I had all loans cleared & had a decent herd and sheep flock assembled

nowdays I'm in a 5 year partnership with my son & all the family are reared and accounted for

so I get immense pleasure from simpler things like walking back in glorious sunshine from letting out the cows last Saturday evening & seeing all the stock contented in lush green pasture , with the oaks and maples bursting into life, beech and ash soon to follow

blue5000

Long time ago now, but it was when a charolais bullock made over 1200 punts, it was probably 1990 ish.

Greengrass1

Father was just saying there its 10 yrs ago since we had all here ploughed and harrowed to reseed and its only now we have every where growing grass. He's chuffed

gozunda

Knowing that all the hard work was worth it....

ABlur

Surviving my first year in farming, 2013. Bought the farm and every animal and machine on it now. No help except for paid contractors. Expect it will be a bit easier this year!

Reggie.

ABlur wrote: »

Surviving my first year in farming, 2013. Bought the farm and every animal and machine on it now. No help except for paid contractors. Expect it will be a bit easier this year!

Good stuff out of you lad

onyerbikepat

God, you can almost tell the weather from the mood of people on here. Nothing like a bit of sunshine to left everyones spirit.;)

frazzledhome

ABlur wrote: »

Surviving my first year in farming, 2013. Bought the farm and every animal and machine on it now. No help except for paid contractors. Expect it will be a bit easier this year!

Delighted for you.

moy83

frazzledhome wrote: »

Delighted for you.

Yup same here , its a fair achievement to buy land or stock or any machinery but to get all three together takes a fair bit of investment and confidence

ABlur

moy83 wrote: »

Yup same here , its a fair achievement to buy land or stock or any machinery but to get all three together takes a fair bit of investment and confidence

Well it took 20 years to get here and the stock and machinery parts are no beauties!!

frazzledhome

ABlur wrote: »

Well it took 20 years to get here and the stock and machinery parts are no beauties!!

Once they're not Deeres or Holstein you're ok

mf240

frazzledhome wrote: »

Once they're not Deeres or Holstein you're ok

+ one on the Deeres.

Greengrass1

ABlur wrote: »

Well it took 20 years to get here and the stock and machinery parts are no beauties!!

Don't go mad with machinery its easy to get addicted to big shiney stuff

Brown Podzol

ABlur wrote: »

Surviving my first year in farming, 2013. Bought the farm and every animal and machine on it now. No help except for paid contractors. Expect it will be a bit easier this year!

Fair dues, takes a lot courage, commitment and a vocation to do that. The best of luck in the future.

TUBBY

Best moment:

two come to mind.
one is the uncle telling me the aul lad would be very proud if he came back now and saw the changes to farm since he passed away. Meant a lot.

second one is very simple. My little lad (3) throwing on the wellies to give daddy a hand moving the cattle or feeding the meal. He has his own seaside bucket for the job:)

Reggie.

mf240 wrote: »

+ one on the Deeres.

Same as that

Reggie.

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Don't go mad with machinery its easy to get addicted to big shiney stuff

Nothing wrong with big shiney stuff

Kovu

Few things come to mind.

The very best moment had to be halter training my first calf with my dad and winning a few classes in the local show. The next year I picked and trained a calf myself (I was 13) and won the Young Stockperson award. My dad had the biggest smile on his face as I was the only girl in the class with about 10 other lads.:)

Being at the local mart and looking at dry cows with a dealer from Donegal and telling him that such and such would go the best price. He laughed at me and pointed out her faults and how the others in the pen were much better. She went the best price.

The knowledge that my dad can go off for a few days and leave me in charge to calve the cows with no worries about them. The way he stoutly proclaims he knows nothing about the bulls these days so he won't choose any AI bull without me agreeing with him.

Oh and the day of my 18th birthday Dad gave me the first pedigree Limousin bred on our farm, big red ribbon round her neck and her chewing on it. That was brilliant.

Cavanjack

SFP day every year

quader

first day buying back in dairy heifers

keep going

I love this thread.this might seem a strange but moving into the top tax bracket after years of scraping and struggling to get by

Greengrass1

keep going wrote: »

I love this thread.this might seem a strange but moving into the top tax bracket after years of scraping and struggling to get by

You need more HO so you can spend all your extra money on meal