Fodder Crisis

Mooooo · 09-01-2018 7:59pm

Id say weather of the next month 6 weeks will have a big bearing, if not too bad there may well be stuff to be bought from the south and east, if it's very wet lads will be reluctant to part with fodder till in the clear themselves

Muckit · 09-01-2018 8:06pm

whelan2 wrote: »

Was no mention in the report of slurry situation

Plenty being fired over hedges around here at the moment.

GrasstoMilk · 09-01-2018 9:09pm

We made heaps of fodder here last year and I thought we would have stuff left over.
Will have just about enough by the look of how things are ATM

sea12 · 09-01-2018 9:13pm

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

We made heaps of fodder here last year and I thought we would have stuff left over.
Will have just about enough by the look of how things are ATM

I had a good 100 bales to sell and it all sold on the week. Probably could have got more for it if I waited another few weeks but it could be an early spring too.

Grueller · 09-01-2018 10:00pm

sea12 wrote: »

I had a good 100 bales to sell and it all sold on the week. Probably could have got more for it if I waited another few weeks but it could be an early spring too.

How much a bale were you getting sea12? I am in Wexford and have about 100-120 bales to sell.

sea12 · 09-01-2018 10:54pm

Grueller wrote: »

How much a bale were you getting sea12? I am in Wexford and have about 100-120 bales to sell.

€25. Reasonable good silage. Wouldn't be for the dairy lads but is fine for cattle. Not tested but my own animals were eating it so it could be seen.

Grueller · 09-01-2018 11:12pm

sea12 wrote: »

€25. Reasonable good silage. Wouldn't be for the dairy lads but is fine for cattle. Not tested but my own animals were eating it so it could be seen.

Ya mine is same as that. Tested 71 dmd and 14.4% protein iirc.

Never wrestle with pigs · 10-01-2018 11:45am

Think I sleep walked into being short on silage. They are going trough more than i thought they would. Feeding early June haylage.its nice stuff but no 80dmd stuff. Think I'm short about 70 bales roughly.

Silage available locally for €25 bale. I'd have to pay transport too as iv no way of moving them. Looking into other options now too.

It will be for suckler cows that will be freshly calved. What's the best alternative with meal or barley or roasted barley ? Looking for a cheap alternative. I have space to blow in meal or whatever.

No real way of working beet here.

Dakota Dan · 10-01-2018 1:15pm

Never wrestle with pigs wrote: »

Think I sleep walked into being short on silage. They are going trough more than i thought they would. Feeding early June haylage.its nice stuff but no 80dmd stuff. Think I'm short about 70 bales roughly.

Silage available locally for €25 bale. I'd have to pay transport too as iv no way of moving them. Looking into other options now too.

It will be for suckler cows that will be freshly calved. What's the best alternative with meal or barley or roasted barley ? Looking for a cheap alternative. I have space to blow in meal or whatever.

No real way of working beet here.

Yeah, they're ploughing through silage this year, I've cows getting 4kg of ration and that are eating almost 12 kg silage dm/day. I was hoping to buy extra cows but at the rate they are going through silage it will only last until early April with current numbers.

patsy_mccabe · 10-01-2018 1:23pm

Got a surprise yesterday when I opened a bale of silage. It was obvious it was less wilted than the bales I was using all along so came from a different field. Have a feeling bales from now on wont last as long. Might off load a weanling or two.

Lady Haywire · 10-01-2018 2:19pm

Ours are flying through the bales too, only have enough til mid-April and that's upping the feed to 2kg a head.

stanflt · 10-01-2018 5:19pm

I've 100 bales of 74 dmd plus silage for sale and also two pits of around 500ton available

Would be willing to barter for weanlings

mahoney_j · 10-01-2018 5:50pm

stanflt wrote: »

I've 100 bales of 74 dmd plus silage for sale and also two pits of around 500ton available

Would be willing to barter for weanlings

Ya made hoare !!

stanflt · 10-01-2018 5:56pm

mahoney_j wrote: »

Ya made hoare !!

I've already sold 250 bales

wrangler · 10-01-2018 6:00pm

stanflt wrote: »

I've already sold 250 bales

How come you're so understocked, it has to be a better system to set land than sell silage off it

stanflt · 10-01-2018 6:06pm

wrangler wrote: »

How come you're so understocked, it has to be a better system to set land than sell silage off it

Nitrates doesn't allow me to stock any higher

It's about growing high tonnes of dm per ha consistently

wrangler · 10-01-2018 6:21pm

stanflt wrote: »

Nitrates doesn't allow me to stock any higher

It's about growing high tonnes of dm per ha consistently

I doubt if it's all about growing grass if you're not utilising it.

stanflt · 10-01-2018 6:27pm

wrangler wrote: »

I doubt if it's all about growing grass if you're not utilising it.

Your missing the point- if I was allowed to keep more stock I would

I cut grass when it's young so I have a quality feed for my animals- this in turn allows you to grow more as it need less time to recover

wrangler · 10-01-2018 6:40pm

stanflt wrote: »

Your missing the point- if I was allowed to keep more stock I would

I cut grass when it's young so I have a quality feed for my animals- this in turn allows you to grow more as it need less time to recover

Starting to sound like teagasc now, most farmers could grow too much grass if they wanted to but manage not to.

stanflt · 10-01-2018 6:48pm

wrangler wrote: »

Starting to sound like teagasc now, most farmers could grow too much grass if they wanted to but manage not to.

Would you criticise someone for having 20-30k€ in a savings account?

wrangler · 10-01-2018 7:00pm

stanflt wrote: »

Would you criticise someone for having 20-30k€ in a savings account?

Yes, if it costs €30 -€40 K to put it there.

stanflt · 10-01-2018 7:04pm

wrangler wrote: »

Yes, if it costs €30 -€40 K to put it there.

How would it cost that-

So are you suggesting I use less Fertilizer lime and slurry-
Make poorer quality silage
Grow less grass resulting in having to buy in more feed
As a result of having bad silage need more meal to maintain body condition

Im a bit confused tbh

mickdw · 10-01-2018 7:13pm

stanflt wrote: »

How would it cost that-

So are you suggesting I use less Fertilizer lime and slurry-
Make poorer quality silage
Grow less grass resulting in having to buy in more feed
As a result of having bad silage need more meal to maintain body condition

Im a bit confused tbh

Its over my head but something not right if you have to cut 500 bales too many for no good reason.

wrangler · 10-01-2018 7:17pm

stanflt wrote: »

How would it cost that-

So are you suggesting I use less Fertilizer lime and slurry-
Make poorer quality silage
Grow less grass resulting in having to buy in more feed
As a result of having bad silage need more meal to maintain body condition

Im a bit confused tbh

How is everyone else matching their stocking rate to grass growth,
It's not a special talent.
When I was selling silage there was more profit in selling 65 DMD than 75 DMD,
Very hard to make money selling good silage, machinery costs are the same for 16 ton crop as 8 ton crop, as are fertiliser, only annoy a contractor asking to pick up a 4 ton crop without a bonus

freedominacup · 10-01-2018 7:28pm

wrangler wrote: »

Very hard to make money selling good silage, machinery costs are the same for 16 ton crop as 8 ton crop, as are fertiliser, only annoy a contractor asking to pick up a 4 ton crop without a bonus

Machinery costs much lower for lighter crops as are fert costs per cut. Going to be squeaky bum time here but should be ok. Not counting a bale of straw per cow we'll be cutting it fine but 5kg of distillers draff and a kg of straw for everything bar milkers will give us an extra couple of weeks.

visatorro · 10-01-2018 7:52pm

Neighbour is feeding 120 bales a week all bought in. Milking more cows but lost rented ground. He wouldn’t get cows out until paddy’s day

visatorro · 10-01-2018 8:02pm

stanflt wrote: »

I've 100 bales of 74 dmd plus silage for sale and also two pits of around 500ton available

Would be willing to barter for weanlings

How many weanlings?

stanflt · 10-01-2018 8:04pm

visatorro wrote: »

How many weanlings?

Would do a deal on price of silage vs price per kg lw with animals weighed across a scales- beef weanlings btw

whelan2 · 10-01-2018 8:04pm

visatorro wrote: »

Neighbour is feeding 120 bales a week all bought in. Milking more cows but lost rented ground. He wouldn’t get cows out until paddy’s day

3000 euro a week- at 25 euro a bale- before any other cost :eek:

Say my name · 10-01-2018 8:07pm

Anyone have a tractor and loader in Mullingar?

Farmers Journal (@farmersjournal) Tweeted:
Spotted, on the Mullingar bypass...and the price of it! https://t.co/z2cLomx6M9 https://twitter.com/farmersjournal/status/951162230959206406?ref_src=twcamp%5Eshare%7Ctwsrc%5Em5%7Ctwgr%5Eemail%7Ctwcon%5E7046%7Ctwterm%5E2

Fodder Crisis

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