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

Mooooo

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

Mooooo wrote: »

Have 6 acres ploughed, was picking stones earlier only a couple of runs of the rake with the loader for the big ones and a half bucket after that, first time ever it was that handy here with stones. First time that place has been ploughed so nice surprise. Hopefully the rest of the ground there will be similar, won't keep the hopes too high tho ha

I had a JCB in for two days levelling old ditches into hollows and levelling off spoil from cleaning out drains. About 6 acres that had never been reseeded or ploughed and 3 heavy acres that used grow barley and spuds but the spud man wrecked old drains and it got cut up and used for grazing dry cows.

Pick a few stones next week and a quick run of a power harrow and we are going to spray it and plough it next spring and put in a heavy soil grass seed until I have a chance to drain the top and bottom of it.

That'll leave 10 acres for next year to level off like the place above and start firing out lime in the next 3-4 years like it's going out of fashion.:)

Have 10 acres across the road similar along a stream so the bottom of it floods but doesn't drain well after it, and half it surrounded by forestry, a lot of growth out of a matty layer of dead material in it along with the usual rushes. I'll see if the mower man will mow it, not very rough, bit dunno will it cut much of the matt. Only way to clean it off. Spread lime on it this year as can't afford to get a digger in. For that job this year. Have another six acres below the parlour that need draining as well so if I can stretch to it ill get he machine in to drain and clean those paddocks next year and reseed the following year once the ground has settled. The price drop couldn't have come at at a worse time for me tbh as have allot of work like that along with roadways to do. Just slows the whole lot down to piece by piece jobs but such is life. Also will you have to put up hedging to replace ditches? Considering using a steep bit of ground to trade for taking out ditches

visatorro

Timmaay wrote: »

About 4years into that cycle here, calving still strung out between Feb and the end of May but all the autumn calving gone at least. Love nor money wouldn't get me to go back to Ayr calving. I still need to reduce the amount of difficult calvings, and improve nutrition/bcs, alongside getting fully on top of fluke etc before I can start looking at 80/90% 6wk calving rates etc.

What way are you labour wise next spring Stan? This spring was too much for me, I'll be getting someone in for the likes of 1/2 a day every day next spring, especially when the heifers are calving down.

That's alot of my problem, spring is just too much with work kids and sick people. Calves weren't getting the attention they should. I wasn't giving myself due care either. Was a recipe for a heart attack the way I was going. Don't think I could get anyone decent to help me anyway.
Part of me was thinking to spread out the calving again I'd be able to manage. Dunno, wrong no matter what I do. Reducing numbers anyway so I'll see how that goes.

visatorro

whelan2 wrote: »

was it 6 weeks breeding you did, will you do that again next year?

6 weeks with heifers, ten weeks with cows it worked out at.
Six weeks for both for autumn.
Looks good on paper but if I wasn't cutting back would probably be 12 spring and autumn.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Mooooo wrote: »

Have 10 acres across the road similar along a stream so the bottom of it floods but doesn't drain well after it, and half it surrounded by forestry, a lot of growth out of a matty layer of dead material in it along with the usual rushes. I'll see if the mower man will mow it, not very rough, bit dunno will it cut much of the matt. Only way to clean it off. Spread lime on it this year as can't afford to get a digger in. For that job this year. Have another six acres below the parlour that need draining as well so if I can stretch to it ill get he machine in to drain and clean those paddocks next year and reseed the following year once the ground has settled. The price drop couldn't have come at at a worse time for me tbh as have allot of work like that along with roadways to do. Just slows the whole lot down to piece by piece jobs but such is life. Also will you have to put up hedging to replace ditches? Considering using a steep bit of ground to trade for taking out ditches

No hedging needed as the ditches themselves were cleared out by my father back in the day so there was only rushes growing there. He had the start made in 1979 but the cows were carried in 1980 so there was nothing done there till this year.

Just across the river from us, there is a lad growing nearly 4t spring barley crops on similar land so it has potential once two drains and a bit of lime goes in. I'll be happy grazing it for a few years until the drains go in though:)

blackdog1

former total wrote:

It's far more likely that any contact was recent and with a view to joining this season. He doesn't have the CV to come in as an Erasmus-style overlord so presumably it was for new ideas in the backs.

All winter feed in now. Whole crop cut Tuesday. now all I have to do is pay for it.....
cows averaging 23.5 litres@ 3.56 p and 3.96 f lactose 4.87 scc 117 tbc 3k.

Drying off autumn calvers steadily.

Mooooo

blackdog1 wrote: »

former total wrote:

It's far more likely that any contact was recent and with a view to joining this season. He doesn't have the CV to come in as an Erasmus-style overlord so presumably it was for new ideas in the backs.

All winter feed in now. Whole crop cut Tuesday. now all I have to do is pay for it.....
cows averaging 23.5 litres@ 3.56 p and 3.96 f lactose 4.87 scc 117 tbc 3k.

Drying off autumn calvers steadily.

When are you calving for autumn?

Mooooo

See on agriland the ebi is changing. And avg drop of 71 in the figures for a hol/fr. moving the year the base animal is based on forward so no harm. Will be interesting how crossbred bulls will be treated and any changes to weightings

jaymla627

Mooooo wrote: »

See on agriland the ebi is changing. And avg drop of 71 in the figures for a hol/fr. moving the year the base animal is based on forward so no harm. Will be interesting how crossbred bulls will be treated and any changes to weightings

Intresting piece on fb by well respected agri-advisor about ebi and it's negative points, base change will put us into low 50's for ebi not that I'm to worried no irish bulls used her, pli is what I work off

blackdog1

Heifers starting in 3 weeks cows just after. Have 100 tonne of whole crop to feed from middle of Sept on in a small pit I plan on buffer feeding cows 10kg a day when they calve. Hopefully that will keep me grazing till December.

Timmaay

Bales going in today. In fairness we've done well to avoid feeding until now.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Timmaay wrote: »

Bales going in today. In fairness we've done well to avoid feeding until now.

No rain?

I was close enough last week as had no fert out with 3 weeks waiting for the spreader to be fixed but the rain came right on cue for another burst of growth.

Keepgrowing

522
145
56 growth
59 demand

Farm cover and growth falling so 6 kgs silage and 2 kg nuts in today. Will feed strong till covers start to lift. Fert will be spread ASAP 2*18's going out with 2 more mid Sept

yewtree

Keepgrowing wrote: »

522
145
56 growth
59 demand

Farm cover and growth falling so 6 kgs silage and 2 kg nuts in today. Will feed strong till covers start to lift. Fert will be spread ASAP 2*18's going out with 2 more mid Sept

We are opposite here weather has really suited, growing 80 the last two weeks, baled three paddocks to bring cover/cow to 210 could have taken another to bring it to below 200 but I bottled it as was worried about building grass.
Looking at weather forecast looks like growth will keep gong here. Probably have more surplus here next week but don't like taking surplus to late in August.

Keepgrowing

yewtree wrote: »

We are opposite here weather has really suited, growing 80 the last two weeks, baled three paddocks to bring cover/cow to 210 could have taken another to bring it to below 200 but I bottled it as was worried about building grass.
Looking at weather forecast looks like growth will keep gong here. Probably have more surplus here next week but don't like taking surplus to late in August.

Neighbouring farm identical cow and system
898
275
88 gr
He took out bales yesterday as cover rising too fast and we are feeding. Our two furthest paddocks share a boundary.

Soil type and I'd be slightly higher stocked

freedominacup

jaymla627 wrote: »

Intresting piece on fb by well respected agri-advisor about ebi and it's negative points, base change will put us into low 50's for ebi not that I'm to worried no irish bulls used her, pli is what I work off

Pli?

freedominacup

Timmaay wrote: »

Bales going in today. In fairness we've done well to avoid feeding until now.

Bales back in for the morning. 4kg dm bales plus 4kg of 14% ration. Cows doing 23l at 3.65p and 3.85f. Just starting to dry off the first autumn calves. Bales should have no detrimental effect. Certainly only helped so far.

jaymla627

freedominacup wrote: »

Pli?

profitable lifetime index english version of ebi the likes of genus/semex have some super daughter proven bulls that would match any thing available in Ireland at the minute, big swing towards breeding more resiliant/fertile cows in these companies now along with good solids

mahoney_j

freedominacup wrote: »

Pli?

Simillar to the rbi index which was replaced by ebi sort of lovely cow co test for real milky cows read that article by that advisor .in one of his groups but I'd disagree with some of his points .only my opinion but think we are blessed to have an index like it for selecting Bulls for breeding .combined with genomics there's massive gains been made

mahoney_j

jaymla627 wrote: »

profitable lifetime index english version of ebi the likes of genus/semex have some super daughter proven bulls that would match any thing available in Ireland at the minute, big swing towards breeding more resiliant/fertile cows in these companies now along with good solids

Throw us outta few of these pli Bulls

freedominacup

mahoney_j wrote: »

Simillar to the rbi index which was replaced by ebi sort of lovely cow co test for real milky cows read that article by that advisor .in one of his groups but I'd disagree with some of his points .only my opinion but think we are blessed to have an index like it for selecting Bulls for breeding .combined with genomics there's massive gains been made

Honestly I set no store by ebi. The last thing I look at when picking bills is ebi. If the bull we want on all other criteria happens to have a good ebi happy days if not "shrugs". Positive on fat and pr kgs and percentages. Strongly positive on milk kgs. Then it's time to look at the linear profile. We won't even consider a bull without a linear proof.

Edit to say that our requirement for a linear proof means no genomic proven bulls.

mahoney_j

freedominacup wrote: »

Honestly I set no store by ebi. The last thing I look at when picking bills is ebi. If the bull we want on all other criteria happens to have a good ebi happy days if not "shrugs". Positive on fat and pr kgs and percentages. Strongly positive on milk kgs. Then it's time to look at the linear profile. We won't even consider a bull without a linear proof.

My criteria this year selecting Bulls
Milk 180 kg + milk
Fat + protein 35 kg plus
Good functional traits
Bulls chosen average 380 ebi

freedominacup

mahoney_j wrote: »

My criteria this year selecting Bulls
Milk 180 kg + milk
Fat + protein 35 kg plus
Good functional traits
Bulls chosen average 380 ebi

Genomic or daughter proven? Do you look at linear profiles at all?

Brown Podzol

I zig zag between high type, high solids, high milk kg's hol and lower milk,high %,high kg solids daughter proven bulls. These lower milk bulls are usually poorer type wise. Gives me a tidy, milky cow. I prefer a less angular lower sized solid cow ,positive for chest width, positive for locomotion and a good udder. Every cripple has his own way of walking.

blackdog1

mahoney_j wrote:

My criteria this year selecting Bulls Milk 180 kg + milk Fat + protein 35 kg plus Good functional traits Bulls chosen average 380 ebi

Think your a bit low in milk kg myself. 150 is minus in most European countries. You'd nearly want to be up to +300 kg to maintain 7500 litre cow herd.

mf240

Four good feet and four good tits.

mahoney_j

blackdog1 wrote: »

Think your a bit low in milk kg myself. 150 is minus in most European countries. You'd nearly want to be up to +300 kg to maintain 7500 litre cow herd.

+115 kg milk delievered over 7 k litres here last year with 532 kg solids.300 kg average milk would drive production too high give lower sokids% and most likely lead to infertility ontop of more meal needed .the 150 kg I used was minimum highest milk kg was 320

Mooooo

This year I did the "whatever was left in the pot" selection, saved about 1500 on Ai costs and if I didn't use em now was gonna be less likely to use em in the future.
I've found some of the high vol/ type genomic bulls to be disappointing enough, now I put them on low yielding cows but seemed to get more of the bad points without much of rise in yield. A lot of variables in the last few years too but I dunno. I'll reassess in dec what's out there and go.from there

Mooooo

mahoney_j wrote: »

blackdog1 wrote: »

Think your a bit low in milk kg myself. 150 is minus in most European countries. You'd nearly want to be up to +300 kg to maintain 7500 litre cow herd.

+115 kg milk delievered over 7 k litres here last year with 532 kg solids.300 kg average milk would drive production too high give lower sokids% and most likely lead to infertility ontop of more meal needed .the 150 kg I used was minimum highest milk kg was 320

Could be your management pushing them beyond what is considered their genetic potential too.

mf240

mahoney_j wrote: »

+115 kg milk delievered over 7 k litres here last year with 532 kg solids.300 kg average milk would drive production too high give lower sokids% and most likely lead to infertility ontop of more meal needed .the 150 kg I used was minimum highest milk kg was 320

What kind of total meal are you feeding if you don't mind me asking.

whelan2

latest solids here 3.65pr 4.08 fat on no meal 17 litres/cow versus 3.91bf and 3.48 pr this time last year