Dairy Chit Chat- Please read Mod note in post #1

kowtow

kevthegaff wrote:

Have a feeling this is going to become more common place as seen in nz and our next door neighbours. A few of these cases nationally remind me maybe a more prudent approach to dairying would be better?? Just worried this is the tip of the iceberg..

The question is what is a prudent approach?

At the moment taking no wages and having nothing borrowed or rented is a great recipe for survival - well a bit of grass would help - but would a couple of years like that teach us to avoid going wild in the future?

At current Irish land prices dairy would surely have to generate a surplus after own labour of €500+ per cow over a sustained period (5-10 years) in order to fund it's own expansion.

Is that a realistic prospect in future years with commodity production ? If it isn't then we had better start refining our approach rather than hoping that global markets fall in with our local ambitions

mahoney_j

Dawggone wrote: »

I just can't bring myself to comment on another thread on boards.
The thread where the pedantic reckon that a jersey bull was the answer to the issues...
The thread where the 'indignant' believe that moral hazard is one sided...

Jesus H. Christ.
(And Jesus Wept!)

I'm a quiet man...

Been dropping in and out of it and didn't comment but I read that praticular comment and saw red but reflected and didn't post anything .total bs post.that thread contains some amount of keyboard warriors who know shag all about the situation or family and would be well advised to shut there trap .financial woes and hard times can fall on anyone

Timmaay

Brown Podzol wrote: »

In full time. P fell from 3.45 to 3.1 and f went up to 4.34 even though getting 75% 14 maize, 25% 75dmd grass silage, 1.5kg soya and 5.5kg 18% in the parlour. Ratio f to p of 1.4. Bad news. Meal gone to 8.5kg, 5 kg mixed with 50/50 maize/grass silage and 3.5 kg 18% in the parlour. Solids recovering, p 3.24, f 4.42, 31 lts.
Growth 22, cover 750, cover/lu 190. I can stretch first round for another 8 days and if growth of 30 for this week and ground conditions improve, which they should given the forecast, cows will be back out in a couple of days and back to just maize silage buffer and 5 kg in the parlour. If 'twas easy everyone would be at it.

After yesterdays washout (which I defo shoulda brought the cows in at lunchtime instead of letting them utterly plough up the corner of the paddock ughhh), today was back to normal thank fook, cut out the soyahulls and silage again, gave them a 24hr block for the pm grazing, time to just go for it (again) and pray we are over the worst of it, pregraze covers only 900 yet but doing an easy GR of 50 on days like today, demand is 45 at the minute so it won't long all coming right once the weather holds, if it doesn't then flatout on the soyahulls and 2/3kg of silage. Was on the neighbours farm today, he'll be going into rd3 in 6days, has given me the confidence to drive on abit. But we are the lucky ones, How you boys are surviving on proper wet farms I duno, I certainly wouldn't fancy it.

whelan2

cows back out today, hopefully they wont be in in the daytime again until November

Panch18

kowtow wrote: »

The question is what is a prudent approach?

At the moment taking no wages and having nothing borrowed or rented is a great recipe for survival - well a bit of grass would help - but would a couple of years like that teach us to avoid going wild in the future?

At current Irish land prices dairy would surely have to generate a surplus after own labour of €500+ per cow over a sustained period (5-10 years) in order to fund it's own expansion.

Is that a realistic prospect in future years with commodity production ? If it isn't then we had better start refining our approach rather than hoping that global markets fall in with our local ambitions

500 a cow is the minimum you should be aiming for and is probably a realistic target for a year like this, you'd want to be averaging 750 on a normal year

cjpm

Peter Kingston on Radio 1 with Sean O Rourke

kevthegaff

Have a sick cow that must have ate plastic or something, off feed. Will she be ok?

Milked out

kevthegaff wrote: »

Have a sick cow that must have ate plastic or something, off feed. Will she be ok?

What are conditions, you sure she ate plastic? Could be a displacement if she is off feed and lethargic. Safest bet would be get vet and if no clear diagnosis perhaps put a magnet back in case it was a bit of wire and maybe some liquid paraffin as well

Timmaay

Are nuts tipped in the yard much cheaper than blown into a bin? The soyahulls did a very good job of filling the hole in the grass wedge here, defo going to use them more often moving forward, but they are hassle in ton bags. I could ether get a split bin, 2 seperate bins, one bin and build a small shed to tip say 10ton of meal in and take out with the tractor bucket, or go and get a jeep trailer of some sort that holds say 3 ton with a shoot on the back.

Milked out

Timmaay wrote: »

Are nuts tipped in the yard much cheaper than blown into a bin? The soyahulls did a very good job of filling the hole in the grass wedge here, defo going to use them more often moving forward, but they are hassle in ton bags. I could ether get a split bin, 2 seperate bins, one bin and build a small shed to tip say 10ton of meal in and take out with the tractor bucket, or go and get a jeep trailer of some sort that holds say 3 ton with a shoot on the back.

Unless you're getting a full trailer load I'd imagine there isn't much of a difference between tipped and blown. Tim I'd get a bin way cleaner and less pest issues. Blew nuts into a shed here for years and was a pain between dust rats and occasionally dampness as well

blackdog1

Milked out wrote: »

What are conditions, you sure she ate plastic? Could be a displacement if she is off feed and lethargic. Safest bet would be get vet and if no clear diagnosis perhaps put a magnet back in case it was a bit of wire and maybe some liquid paraffin as well

If she is freshly calves always check for womb infection first. That would put a cow off feed straight away.they can get severe quickly.

kevthegaff

Milked out wrote: »

What are conditions, you sure she ate plastic? Could be a displacement if she is off feed and lethargic. Safest bet would be get vet and if no clear diagnosis perhaps put a magnet back in case it was a bit of wire and maybe some liquid paraffin as well

Nah vet said not displaced, hasn't passed dung since yesterday

Timmaay

Just looking at the calving here, last replacement heifer born 20th March here. Hopefully will be able to run them all as one group during the year and not have to pull out later born to drive on like the last 2years, and it's a long long way from the days we use to have 5 or 6 replacement groups of heifers, all different sizes different ages and not a clue what was on target etc.

Dawggone

I was just informed by the milk manager of my Coop that young farmers (under 40yrs) are being paid a minimum of 35cpl until they reach the age of 40. Fine for some. I suppose old fools like me are paying for that scheme...

Also read last night that the margin protection program (mpp) can now become intergenerational in the US...

Level playing field? Yea right.


Sorry I can't post the link from the USDA website.

darragh_haven

Dawggone wrote: »

I was just informed by the milk manager of my Coop that young farmers (under 40yrs) are being paid a minimum of 35cpl until they reach the age of 40. Fine for some. I suppose old fools like me are paying for that scheme...

Also read last night that the margin protection program (mpp) can now become intergenerational in the US...

Level playing field? Yea right.


Sorry I can't post the link from the USDA website.

You'd think that the under 40 price scheme contravenes some competition/equality law. I find it fairly ignorant of your coop to be honest.

US milk production operates in its own world because they look after number one first.

Bullocks

Dawggone wrote: »

I was just informed by the milk manager of my Coop that young farmers (under 40yrs) are being paid a minimum of 35cpl until they reach the age of 40. Fine for some. I suppose old fools like me are paying for that scheme...

Also read last night that the margin protection program (mpp) can now become intergenerational in the US...

Level playing field? Yea right.


Sorry I can't post the link from the USDA website.

You'll have to find a young lad somewhere!

mahoney_j

Calving 16 just after finishing .10.5 weeks start to finish .2 week break then get em back in calf for 2017.2.51 kg solids in tank and not a X bred in sight !!!!!

Dawggone

darragh_haven wrote: »

You'd think that the under 40 price scheme contravenes some competition/equality law. I find it fairly ignorant of your coop to be honest.

US milk production operates in its own world because they look after number one first.

Ageism?

Nationally all young farmers are getting 33cpl and our Coop are firing another 2cpl at them...

trixi2011

Dawggone wrote: »

Ageism?

Nationally all young farmers are getting 33cpl and our Coop are firing another 2cpl at them...

Can blowins get that price ? Friend of mine looking into farming in france could do with a bit of sun myself this constant war with the weather is starting to get depressing

Dawggone

trixi2011 wrote: »

Can blowins get that price ? Friend of mine looking into farming in france could do with a bit of sun myself this constant war with the weather is starting to get depressing

Doesn't matter if you're a Martian.
A qualified farmer is a qualified farmer no matter what nationality Trixi.

I know the feeling about the weather...one of the reasons I bailed out, along with land price.

Edit. Forgot to say that young farmers must get first refusal (by law) on all land for sale/lease.

blackdog1

Dawggone wrote: »

Ageism?

Nationally all young farmers are getting 33cpl and our Coop are firing another 2cpl at them...

What part of France dawg?.I know 1 farmer who moved and went to Brittany and is doing very well. I'd love to farm in France but it can be very isolated in some areas

Dawggone

blackdog1 wrote: »

What part of France dawg?.I know 1 farmer who moved and went to Brittany and is doing very well. I'd love to farm in France but it can be very isolated in some areas

My Coop cover an area from Nantes in the north, Saintes in the south and Poitiers in the east.

I think I may know your friend. Good operator.

Dawggone

mahoney_j wrote: »

Calving 16 just after finishing .10.5 weeks start to finish .2 week break then get em back in calf for 2017.2.51 kg solids in tank and not a X bred in sight !!!!!

Imagine what you'd achieve if you bought a jersey bull Mahoney.

freedominacup

Dawggone wrote: »

Imagine what you'd achieve if you bought a jersey bull Mahoney.

Horses for courses dawg. I'm heading down the mj route limited land base but legs and myself were on a real old fashioned 1970's style dairy farm last month. You know the type. Newly laid out paddock system hacked out of a host of small fields, outcrops of rock or furze in every section. Big open sided parlour. Run by a skilled and enthusiastic young man.

He'd increased from 60-70 cows ten years ago to milking 320 this year. Inherited an uncles place bounding his own. Got rid of the beef and slowly increased the cows. Bought an old track nachine. He inherited acres which is not the same thing as inheriting a farm. The cows were in one 60 acre block the day we were there that he had just gotten fully into production last year. There were over 50 fields in it before they started working on it. Three sections in it now all fenced and watered with roadways installed.

Anyway upshot is the herd still had a few b&a but mainly x bred. Did 430kg milk solids on around 500kg of meal last year from memory. Not to be sneezed at and hard to argue that any other system would give him a better return in his situation. Real straight talker no attempt to gloss over problems. There's no one answer on cow type. Personally breeding and following families is one of the most satisfying parts of the job so xbreds wouldn't be for me but I wouldn't knock them either.

kevthegaff

freedominacup wrote: »

Horses for courses dawg. I'm heading down the mj route limited land base but legs and myself were on a real old fashioned 1970's style dairy farm last month. You know the type. Newly laid out paddock system hacked out of a host of small fields, outcrops of rock or furze in every section. Big open sided parlour. Run by a skilled and enthusiastic young man.

He'd increased from 60-70 cows ten years ago to milking 320 this year. Inherited an uncles place bounding his own. Got rid of the beef and slowly increased the cows. Bought an old track nachine. He inherited acres which is not the same thing as inheriting a farm. The cows were in one 60 acre block the day we were there that he had just gotten fully into production last year. There were over 50 fields in it before they started working on it. Three sections in it now all fenced and watered with roadways installed.

Anyway upshot is the herd still had a few b&a but mainly x bred. Did 430kg milk solids on around 500kg of meal last year from memory. Not to be sneezed at and hard to argue that any other system would give him a better return in his situation. Real straight talker no attempt to gloss over problems. There's no one answer on cow type. Personally breeding and following families is one of the most satisfying parts of the job so xbreds wouldn't be for me but I wouldn't knock them either.

Think that was tongue in cheek by dawg in relation to a recent thread free :-)

mahoney_j

Dawggone wrote: »

Imagine what you'd achieve if you bought a jersey bull Mahoney.

100%!in 3 weeks I reckon dwag !!!!,I'm off looking for a few je Bulls tomorrow!!!,comfortable with my system ,like working with the cow type I have and love analysing a Bulls and his families figures and breeding lines .a bit to go to get to stans attention to detail but I'll get there .interesting fam walk here a few weeks back where my coop and ebi reports were well scrutinised ,even some hard core jex converts agreed that I've nothing to gain from X breeding as long as my focus on grass ,choosing correct genetics and keeping meal costs at below or very close to 5c

mahoney_j

kevthegaff wrote: »

Think that was tongue in cheek by dawg in relation to a recent thread free :-)

I think he knows that too!!!

Dawggone

freedominacup wrote: »

Horses for courses dawg. I'm heading down the mj route limited land base but legs and myself were on a real old fashioned 1970's style dairy farm last month. You know the type. Newly laid out paddock system hacked out of a host of small fields, outcrops of rock or furze in every section. Big open sided parlour. Run by a skilled and enthusiastic young man.

He'd increased from 60-70 cows ten years ago to milking 320 this year. Inherited an uncles place bounding his own. Got rid of the beef and slowly increased the cows. Bought an old track nachine. He inherited acres which is not the same thing as inheriting a farm. The cows were in one 60 acre block the day we were there that he had just gotten fully into production last year. There were over 50 fields in it before they started working on it. Three sections in it now all fenced and watered with roadways installed.

Anyway upshot is the herd still had a few b&a but mainly x bred. Did 430kg milk solids on around 500kg of meal last year from memory. Not to be sneezed at and hard to argue that any other system would give him a better return in his situation. Real straight talker no attempt to gloss over problems. There's no one answer on cow type. Personally breeding and following families is one of the most satisfying parts of the job so xbreds wouldn't be for me but I wouldn't knock them either.

+1. Absolutely.

I was drawing attention to the kiwi heads that reckon that if you're feeding more than an ounce of meal you are a dunce...

Every system has its place.



Dairy farmers seem to have bought into a (stuck for words!) spin(?).
This 'spin' (for the want of a better word) believes (religious connotations) that by producing dirt cheap milk, they can conquer the world... I would suggest that their Cooperatives will reap the benefits and not the individual farmers.

Dawg heads for cover...

Dawggone

mahoney_j wrote: »

I think he knows that too!!!

+1.

mf240

Those jerseys are solar powered. Ya don't need to feed them...