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

frazzledhome

Bullocks wrote: »

Does he do a deal with someone for the silage he buys with regards quality and is it much costlier to buy it as opposed to cutting himself? Probably just as handy to buy in if the quality is good enough.
I suppose there is nothing stopping him buying a bank of silage in the good year to tide him over on a bad year just the same as other lads will make surplus bales from their own farm

He buys standing crop and mows when he decides. He doesn't buy bales

I have silage bought delivered to the yard, we push up and we decide when it's cut

Timmaay

frazzledhome wrote: »

He buys standing crop and mows when he decides. He doesn't buy bales

I have silage bought delivered to the yard, we push up and we decide when it's cut

Doing that here a good bit also, the aim is to keep pushing the SR and make less 1st cut.

frazzledhome

Timmaay wrote: »

Doing that here a good bit also, the aim is to keep pushing the SR and make less 1st cut.

Yea Tim, we're going that direction also well considering it anyway. Will have to feed bales to carry more numbers which will require a feed yard/passage to be provided on our farm.

Would do in a heart beat but need to consider if the extra expense will give a return.

Timmaay

frazzledhome wrote: »

Yea Tim, we're going that direction also well considering it anyway. Will have to feed bales to carry more numbers which will require a feed yard/passage to be provided on our farm.

Would do in a heart beat but need to consider if the extra expense will give a return.

The way I'm looking at it is 120 cows isn't going to be much difference to our current 85 cows from a labour point of view. In terms of the SR, our main limitation I think will be droughts 2bh, if you're at a gr of only 15/20 instead of 60/80 for alot of July/Aug/Sept that's going to put serious pressure on any sort of highly stocked system. The main thing that I don't have yet for a high SR are high dmd paddock wraps, stuff we cut still tends to be too heavy, this is a mix of my dad's unwillingness to cut sooner and contractors not liking small numbers of bales.

mahoney_j

Timmaay wrote: »

The way I'm looking at it is 120 cows isn't going to be much difference to our current 85 cows from a labour point of view. In terms of the SR, our main limitation I think will be droughts 2bh, if you're at a gr of only 15/20 instead of 60/80 for alot of July/Aug/Sept that's going to put serious pressure on any sort of highly stocked system. The main thing that I don't have yet for a high SR are high dmd paddock wraps, stuff we cut still tends to be too heavy, this is a mix of my dad's unwillingness to cut sooner and contractors not liking small numbers of bales.

Didnt Stan cost high quality maize silage lower than 80 did grass silage??.could this be an option for you.its something I'm considering too ,full time sr of 3.5 on milk platform .close no silage off it naby higher .cobtract rear heifer calves and maidens and only take back January before calving.make as many bales as possible from out block and make up difference with maize silage.

Brown Podzol

frazzledhome wrote: »

Yea Tim, we're going that direction also well considering it anyway. Will have to feed bales to carry more numbers which will require a feed yard/passage to be provided on our farm.

Would do in a heart beat but need to consider if the extra expense will give a return.

Unless your going to stock low at around 2/2.2 your going to need to buffer feed at some point, just a matter of when.

Brown Podzol

mahoney_j wrote: »

Didnt Stan cost high quality maize silage lower than 80 did grass silage??.could this be an option for you.its something I'm considering too ,full time sr of 3.5 on milk platform .close no silage off it naby higher .cobtract rear heifer calves and maidens and only take back January before calving.make as many bales as possible from out block and make up difference with maize silage.

Problem with maize as buffer feed is heating at the face if you are only taking out a bit now and again, although some additives will slow this. Carrying these high stocking rates here with a good number of years and I will go to 5/6 kg meal before I put in buffer, less labour, but you need the right cow to give the return. Milk/feed price ratio a needs to be right too.

Timmaay

Maize is much lower than 80dmd silage for protein also.

Milked out

Timmaay wrote: »

Maize is much lower than 80dmd silage for protein also.

If at grass it's no bother grass will have the p, problem is its in too late in autumn to be of much benefit. Good in spring but managing pit is difficult if using small amounts

mahoney_j

Timmaay wrote: »

Maize is much lower than 80dmd silage for protein also.

That's only disadvantage,has to be balanced for p .but as a buffer at grass or for winter milkers on an energy basis it won't be beaten .

Deepsouthwest

frazzledhome wrote: »

More of a feather lite man?
The ribbed would be great for cleaning the clusters

What do u wash ur clusters with? Ur lad or ur hands?!!

frazzledhome

Timmaay wrote: »

The way I'm looking at it is 120 cows isn't going to be much difference to our current 85 cows from a labour point of view. In terms of the SR, our main limitation I think will be droughts 2bh, if you're at a gr of only 15/20 instead of 60/80 for alot of July/Aug/Sept that's going to put serious pressure on any sort of highly stocked system. The main thing that I don't have yet for a high SR are high dmd paddock wraps, stuff we cut still tends to be too heavy, this is a mix of my dad's unwillingness to cut sooner and contractors not liking small numbers of bales.

Winter milk is a great way to drop SR in Aug as you'll be drying that group

Greengrass1

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

What do u wash ur clusters with? Ur lad or ur hands?!!

I doubt it'd be border bia approved

kevthegaff

How does one get winter milk contract?

frazzledhome

kevthegaff wrote: »

How does one get winter milk contract?

One doesn't Closed shop in Glanbia anyway. Only outlet for winter cream is Baileys and supply matches demand.

Liquid contract is available on the open market but I don't know availability or price. Stan could confirm

stretch film

frazzledhome wrote: »

One doesn't Closed shop in Glanbia anyway. Only outlet for winter cream is Baileys and supply matches demand.

Liquid contract is available on the open market but I don't know availability or price. Stan could confirm

Does anyone know a new entrant to liquid milk in the Glanbia area . Door well closed

mahoney_j

kevthegaff wrote: »

How does one get winter milk contract?

Just liquid in our coop Kev,max of 7 cent over base .you could get some but not enough to justify going into winter milk the quantity would be so small .

frazzledhome

stretch film wrote: »

Does anyone know a new entrant to liquid milk in the Glanbia area . Door well closed

Can contract not be bought?
Winter scheme closed that I'm certain of

Brown Podzol

Milked out wrote: »

If at grass it's no bother grass will have the p, problem is its in too late in autumn to be of much benefit. Good in spring but managing pit is difficult if using small amounts

Maize bales would sort feed out difficulties but price could be prohibitive.

Milked out

Brown Podzol wrote: »

Maize bales would sort feed out difficulties but price could be prohibitive.

Yeah I think it was 10 or 12 euro a bale to get em to come out, not even sure if that was plastic included. Might give em a shout and do twenty or 30 bales and see the price to save opening the pit when cows are still out

C0N0R

What's the difference between winter milk and liquid milk contracts?

Milked out

C0N0R wrote: »

What's the difference between winter milk and liquid milk contracts?

Winter milk in dairygold anyway is a bonus over the manufacturing price for Nov to feb on the milk your contracted to supply anything above tgat gets manufacturing price, liquid is a fixed amount of supply a month given a liquid price in dependant of manufacturing price I think, lads might clarify there

Timmaay

Milked out wrote: »

Winter milk in dairygold anyway is a bonus over the manufacturing price for Nov to feb on the milk your contracted to supply anything above tgat gets manufacturing price, liquid is a fixed amount of supply a month given a liquid price in dependant of manufacturing price I think, lads might clarify there

Glanbia complicate it further, our premier winter bonus based on a winter supply profile from afew reference years period in around 2002 I think, in our case we were under pressure them few years, and undersupplied, so as a result we have no January excess milk winter bonus. It makes any litre of milk over our Jan liquid contract very expensively produced. Liquid milk contract can be purchased, but your excluded from selling any of it for 3years, so you got to be sure you're sticking it out.

Buford T. Justice XIX

C0N0R wrote: »

What's the difference between winter milk and liquid milk contracts?

Liquid milk is for drinking milk and winter milk is for other milk products like powder?

Milked out

Timmaay wrote: »

Glanbia complicate it further, our premier winter bonus based on a winter supply profile from afew reference years period in around 2002 I think, in our case we were under pressure them few years, and undersupplied, so as a result we have no January excess milk winter bonus. It makes any litre of milk over our Jan liquid contract very expensively produced. Liquid milk contract can be purchased, but your excluded from selling any of it for 3years, so you got to be sure you're sticking it out.

Ours is based on 09/10 quota year supply, 30% max of that years quota or supply could be chosen as the total for 4 months. Then each month must have a minimum amount with lactose above 4.5.

kevthegaff

mahoney_j wrote: »

Just liquid in our coop Kev,max of 7 cent over base .you could get some but not enough to justify going into winter milk the quantity would be so small .

how much does it cost j to get into it?

greenfield21

Anybody know if Lakeland can take a bulk milk sample for worms. does the lab in bailieboro do this type of testing?

whelan2

Timmaay wrote: »

Finally got a door for the dairy ha ( grant inspection due soon,) Picked up someone's old pvc double glazed back door. Bloody thing is waay fresher and better than the house door here ha.

we got a patio door-an old one- Did you show your milk man what way you would be putting the door in? Ours didnt like the way we had the door in and we had to change it:rolleyes::rolleyes: broke the glass in one side of the door in the process. So we have white pvc in one side.

Timmaay

whelan2 wrote: »

we got a patio door-an old one- Did you show your milk man what way you would be putting the door in? Ours didnt like the way we had the door in and we had to change it:rolleyes::rolleyes: broke the glass in one side of the door in the process. So we have white pvc in one side.

He comes at 4am, never talk to him! Unless the driver is going to be 25stone+ I can't see what issues he'd have with the door I've put in haha. Its a pvc back door for a house with a seperate panel at the side. I was originally looking for a sliding door, then I realised the gap wasn't really wide enough, any sliding door would have been quite narrow.

whelan2

Timmaay wrote: »

He comes at 4am, never talk to him! Unless the driver is going to be 25stone+ I can't see what issues he'd have with the door I've put in haha. Its a pvc back door for a house with a seperate panel at the side. I was originally looking for a sliding door, then I realised the gap wasn't really wide enough, any sliding door would have been quite narrow.

my driver comes at the same time but he rang to complain:rolleyes: