Fodder Crisis

mahoney_j

visatorro wrote: »

Are you converted now? I know you were a fan of the tanker. I got pipes in here a few years ago and I'm a big fan of since.

Pipes def have a place ,especially in a spring like this or where there’s outside Cubucles and lagoons,I will use again but tanker will still get lots of use

Donegalforever

wrangler wrote: »

I'd be surprised if, coming so soon after 2013, that farmers haven't taken steps already not to get caught out,
Going into the winter knowing that you haven't enough feed to get to mid april and doing nothing is going to end bad.

In some parts of the country, my own included, there was not much that could be done locally to obtain Baled Silage or Round Bales of Hay. There just isn't enough to be had.
It is all down to the weather we experienced.
A lot of people, (perhaps most) in this locality were unable to get a second cut of silage because of the weather.
I am aware that there is generally no shortage of Baled Silage in the South, but due to the distance involved the haulage charges are prohibitive. The announcement by the Minister for Ag. of a helping hand with the cost of haulage should lessen the complete costs. Time will tell if this gesture by the Minister is enough.

Base price

More updated information on how to apply for the fodder transport scheme. Reading the article it seems that it only applies to farmers in the West and North West!
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/fodder-transport-scheme-full-details-and-application-form-342220

Muckit

https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/farmerschemespayments/foddertransportsupportmeasure2018/

Id look straight on DAFM website. IFJ sure aren't funding it

tanko

Anyone know which counties are included in the "West/Northwest" region for this scheme?

Muckit

I don't think can be discriminatory on this. I'd fill out a form and send it off. They'll get back to you then

wrangler

n

Muckit wrote: »

https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/farmerschemespayments/foddertransportsupportmeasure2018/

Id look straight on DAFM website. IFJ sure aren't funding it

They've given the link and a summary of what's required. Dept specifies the west and north west.
Minimum distance is 100km, most places would have fodder available within that range apart form the west and northwest.
It's obviously not going to be a free for all

Mtx

Daera are doing next to nothing for farmer's in Tyrone and Derry. Just advice on how to stretch fodder.

farisfat

This fodder scheme is doing it's job ........alot of bales around here for sale for 20 to 25 Euro the last few days .
Before the scheme it was 30 to 40 Euro and very little for sale.

leg wax

i bought 20 and donated them, ifa meant to be collecting them.

orchard farm

Got couple donated loads up here from ifa for our members,very very greatful,its a different country dwn south one bale of silage from Kilkenny feedin my cows for a day and a half,goin throught four bales of own fodder same lenght and no feeding in it.Seriously have to question makin fodder round here in future,quality not in the land!?

blue5000

orchard farm wrote: »

Got couple donated loads up here from ifa for our members,very very greatful,its a different country dwn south one bale of silage from Kilkenny feedin my cows for a day and a half,goin throught four bales of own fodder same lenght and no feeding in it.Seriously have to question makin fodder round here in future,quality not in the land!?

I'd say it's just the lack of sunshine, therefore lower energy, DM and sugar in the silage. I had really stemmy ryegrass/red clover silage made on June 21st here, and greener, leafier 2nd cut made at end of sept. Cows preferred the June stuff even though it looked like straw to me. August and Sept were wet here too.

Bullocks

orchard farm wrote: »

Got couple donated loads up here from ifa for our members,very very greatful,its a different country dwn south one bale of silage from Kilkenny feedin my cows for a day and a half,goin throught four bales of own fodder same lenght and no feeding in it.Seriously have to question makin fodder round here in future,quality not in the land!?

There's a couple of fellas near me saying they will be buying fodder down south instead of making it themselves next year . One was making most of his own but had to buy a few loads and said it was better quality than he could make himself and only marginally more expensive . The other lad buys nearly all his around Galway but when lads started asking for 40quid for saggy bales he bought a load in Tipp for 35 delivered and has struck a deal for buying a few loads next summer as soon as its made ( don't know the price on that stuff )

I think drainage really needs to be tackled in the West . Everywhere is getting later to get out and harder to take silage where it used be grand , I know the weather is worse but on our farm a few fields that I've given priority to with a bit of drainage and proper ph levels is way ahead of fields that have been neglected .
We have hungrier more needy land but that's just the way it is unfortunately .
Am I mad in thinking that grants for lime spreading and proper drainage would be a big help to alleviating fodder shortages around here ?

leg wax

i think if they drain and clean out the river shannon the river will then lower and the surrounding water tables will all drop for a very large portion of the west.

orchard farm

I think its wishful thinkin to get a drainage scheme too much environmental concerns from pen pushers.government policy of afforestation is really being pushed to lower emmissions etc and solve the bad land in the west issue.when you see the feedin it bales comin from dwn south its only a bottomless money pit to try make bad land good.meadows around here were great for hay but since the weather changed that i for one will be questioning makin silage in future

Muckit

leg wax wrote: »

i think if they drain and clean out the river shannon the river will then lower and the surrounding water tables will all drop for a very large portion of the west.

I would agree. This is something that really needs tackling. I am also of the belief that when BnM stop peat harvesting this will also help things. There needs to be natural 'sponges' and flood plains.

Mooooo

Fisheries board won't let anyone touch the rivers, they had job enough getting work done in bandon after millions in damage done.

yosemitesam1

Wonder would a move away from ryegrass and n fert be beneficial. There was work done at Aberystwyth showing that deeper rooting grass was very beneficial from the point of view of water storage+infiltration...

Say my name

Bullocks wrote: »

I think drainage really needs to be tackled in the West . Everywhere is getting later to get out and harder to take silage where it used be grand , I know the weather is worse but on our farm a few fields that I've given priority to with a bit of drainage and proper ph levels is way ahead of fields that have been neglected .
We have hungrier more needy land but that's just the way it is unfortunately .
Am I mad in thinking that grants for lime spreading and proper drainage would be a big help to alleviating fodder shortages around here ?

Not grants. Drives me nuts everytime anyone won't get out of bed for the want of a grant. But you're on the right track.

Money, education, work ethic, machines and time can do wonders for land.
That field I was post driving on last week, the two fields either side of it both upslope and downslope you wouldn't have been able to drive on. What did I do with that field? Spread dung and ploughed in, then spread dolerite and harrowed in, levelled the top, so no hollows to gather water, then cal lime on top. Result. It's really free draining and gone a sort of airy soil.

I have more land to reseed this year and will mostly be following this method again. That's been my best reseed in my good few years farming here.

There's a prominent tillage farmer near here and a top class manager working there who puts great faith in the Albrecht system and especially the calcium:magnesium ratio in the soil. Too much magnesium and the soil is tight and poor draining, more calcium and the soil is looser and more open.
They even got a spot yield of 6t/ac from barley with the combine last year.:p
There's plenty to learn but you have to want to do it and not be complaining shure that's the way it always is.

yosemitesam1

Say my name wrote: »

Not grants. Drives me nuts everytime anyone won't get out of bed for the want of a grant. But you're on the right track.

Money, education, work ethic, machines and time can do wonders for land.
That field I was post driving on last week, the two fields either side of it both upslope and downslope you wouldn't have been able to drive on. What did I do with that field? Spread dung and ploughed in, then spread dolerite and harrowed in, levelled the top, so no hollows to gather water, then cal lime on top. Result. It's really free draining and gone a sort of airy soil.

I have more land to reseed this year and will mostly be following this method again. That's been my best reseed in my good few years farming here.

There's a prominent tillage farmer near here and a top class manager working there who puts great faith in the Albrecht system and especially the calcium:magnesium ratio in the soil. Too much magnesium and the soil is tight and poor draining, more calcium and the soil is looser and more open.
They even got a spot yield of 6t/ac from barley with the combine last year.:p
There's plenty to learn but you have to want to do it and not be complaining shure that's the way it always is.

It is a lot easier to say that though when you're on better land and get less rain

Mooooo

Drainage is a big issue, we have land that gas to be drained every few Years, just the way it is. We even brought a dozer in and changed the fall of some of it. But as more farms in the West go part time and returns dwindling less of this will take place. Also no doubt the dredging of rivers in the past helped also but I doubt that will happen any more

Muckit

It has to be a nationwide strategy. Draining farmland in isolation is pointless if the water has nowhere to go. It starts with the rivers

Say my name

yosemitesam1 wrote: »

It is a lot easier to say that though when you're on better land and get less rain

I've had land that you couldn't walk on or you'd be stuck up to your waist in too and am cutting silage on now.

It's tough but self pity gets you nowhere.
I have gotten better as a farmer when I realised that a few years ago.
I'd be in one of the wetter parts of the county where it's tougher for tillage and so it's under grass beside the mountains.
I could moan and say them fellas in ballindaggin or ballycarney have it easy with their shaly land but there's no point.
I have to make the best of what I have and if I can show them up.

You won't get no sympathy or I won't look for it either. Tough as nails me.:p :rolleyes:

Say my name

Say my name wrote: »

Not grants. Drives me nuts everytime anyone won't get out of bed for the want of a grant. But you're on the right track.

Money, education, work ethic, machines and time can do wonders for land.
That field I was post driving on last week, the two fields either side of it both upslope and downslope you wouldn't have been able to drive on. What did I do with that field? Spread dung and ploughed in, then spread dolerite and harrowed in, levelled the top, so no hollows to gather water, then cal lime on top. Result. It's really free draining and gone a sort of airy soil.

I have more land to reseed this year and will mostly be following this method again. That's been my best reseed in my good few years farming here.

There's a prominent tillage farmer near here and a top class manager working there who puts great faith in the Albrecht system and especially the calcium:magnesium ratio in the soil. Too much magnesium and the soil is tight and poor draining, more calcium and the soil is looser and more open.
They even got a spot yield of 6t/ac from barley with the combine last year.:p
There's plenty to learn but you have to want to do it and not be complaining shure that's the way it always is.

For all you uneducated baxtards out there.
(Including myself in that).:p

This is what my tillage neighbour is implementing or mostly.
Bit about opening up the soil and get it more free draining too.

https://farmcarbontoolkit.org.uk/news/capturing-carbon-and-supporting-soil-ten-top-tips-graeme-sait-building-carbon

Muckit

You're actually talking to yourself now!

mayota

Muckit wrote: »

You're actually talking to yourself now!

Have a look at the slurry bug thread.

Say my name

Muckit wrote: »

You're actually talking to yourself now!

Someone has to!!

Educating one farmer at a time.

Say my name

mayota wrote: »

Have a look at the slurry bug thread.

Shurrup! There was one poster who felt sorry for me.

Waffletraktor

Say my name wrote: »

I've had land that you couldn't walk on or you'd be stuck up to your waist in too and am cutting silage on now.

It's tough but self pity gets you nowhere.
I have gotten better as a farmer when I realised that a few years ago.
I'd be in one of the wetter parts of the county where it's tougher for tillage and so it's under grass beside the mountains.
I could moan and say them fellas in ballindaggin or ballycarney have it easy with their shaly land but there's no point.
I have to make the best of what I have and if I can show them up.

You won't get no sympathy or I won't look for it either. Tough as nails me.:p :rolleyes:

If you know the joke about the 'Main road' over at your side, ye locals have you must be on the mountain side (Kilteally way?) to have had a field so poor around.!

Waffletraktor

Say my name wrote: »

This is what my tillage neighbour is implementing or mostly.
Bit about opening up the soil and get it more free draining too.

Some of the guys who've been at what he's at for a while have started to find the straw/thrash is causing a build up of excess OM and a nutrient bridge as straw choppers can spread well enough. Discs can't spread it so they all need to go back grubbing with ducks foot points.