Fodder Crisis

wrangler

Willfarman wrote: »

A man with 2 acres and one cow. Now teagasc tells that man you should have two cows on that two acres because the gate and wire would keep two as ready as one. Or even 3 or 4 or five...

The same farmer that does that will keep 2 calf to beef units per acre too.....some farmers will be rimming it no matter what enterprise they're in.
Can't understand how they get through cross compliance inspections.....an AO said to me lately he can't look over the ditches at all when he's driving for the last fortnight

Buford T. Justice XIX

I had two farmers come into me today looking for silage, never happened before.

I had to refuse them atm because I don't know how much I'll need if the weather doesn't dry to get cows/slurry out.

But they wanted bales anyway and I have none left:(

This is going to get very serious very quickly.

Say my name

Did a recount today of silage bales.
I have enough till the 17th March.

Called up someone local to me today and have enough now till end of March hopefully now.

Did a quick look on DD and there's a lot of fodder for sale in Wexford.

I should have a good cover of grass on turnout as they were in earlier than normal last year. In when everyone else on here had stock still out.

Water John

Agreed, for many it depends on a weather change. Really important to have systems in place that will move fodder from east to west. It's still only mid January.

Say my name

Water John wrote: »

Agreed, for many it depends on a weather change. Really important to have systems in place that will move fodder from east to west. It's still only mid January.

The government are going to pay for a transport scheme though now?

It's partly a reason that forced me to get moving.

SuperTortoise

Does'nt bode well anyone running short of silage now, still only the middle of January, could be a long winter yet.
Matchbox calculations for myself see me in to the middle of April, I have the option of selling weanlings which could stretch it another couple of weeks but i plan to get fert out much earlier than usual this year if possible.
7 month winters are the norm around here but keeping more stock over the winter is'nt helping me either.
Fingers crossed we have a good spring.

whelan2

Managed to get 6 small square bales of straw this evening. Very handy for putting in behind a cows shoulder if she's after being down. Had to go to a few farmers to get them, alot have none

Base price

whelan2 wrote: »

Managed to get 6 small square bales of straw this evening. Very handy for putting in behind a cows shoulder if she's after being down. Had to go to a few farmers to get them, alot have none

It is a sign of the times
Not so many years ago most tillage farmers would always bale up a few acres in small squares unfortunately that is no longer the case as they cannot get help/labour. I know an older tillage/dairy/mixed farmer that invested in machinery that stacks the bales after the baler and he uses a grab (with spikes) on his fourtrack to load them on a trailer and then load them into the shed. As far as I know he doesn't have to put a finger on a bale.
He only makes 2000 small bales to suit his own and a few neighbours requirements.

wrangler

Base price wrote: »

It is a sign of the times
Not so many years ago most tillage farmers would always bale up a few acres in small squares unfortunately that is no longer the case as they cannot get help/labour. I know an older tillage/dairy/mixed farmer that invested in machinery that stacks the bales after the baler and he uses a grab (with spikes) on his fourtrack to load them on a trailer and then load them into the shed. As far as I know he doesn't have to put a finger on a bale.
He only makes 2000 small bales to suit his own and a few neighbours requirements.

Round bales are considered safe and waterproof once they're baled, whereas squares aren't, you'd have to be in a position to draw immediately.

Waffletraktor

Base price wrote: »

It is a sign of the times
Not so many years ago most tillage farmers would always bale up a few acres in small squares unfortunately that is no longer the case as they cannot get help/labour. I know an older tillage/dairy/mixed farmer that invested in machinery that stacks the bales after the baler and he uses a grab (with spikes) on his fourtrack to load them on a trailer and then load them into the shed. As far as I know he doesn't have to put a finger on a bale.
He only makes 2000 small bales to suit his own and a few neighbours requirements.

Plenty of ways to skin that cat ,with stacking machines into 7 layers x8 bales or machines for packing small bales into the size of a square bale 3x9. Even a flat 8 would be a big help and there's good money in small squares for your above reasons.

J.O. Farmer

wrangler wrote: »

Round bales are considered safe and waterproof once they're baled, whereas squares aren't, you'd have to be in a position to draw immediately.

The big squares suit a lot of farmers too. A lot less labour and they can be opened and sections taken and the bale tied up again nearly as handy as small squares if you have a suitable spot to open it.

Good loser

Say my name wrote: »

Did a recount today of silage bales.
I have enough till the 17th March.

Called up someone local to me today and have enough now till end of March hopefully now.

Did a quick look on DD and there's a lot of fodder for sale in Wexford.

I should have a good cover of grass on turnout as they were in earlier than normal last year. In when everyone else on here had stock still out.

A good few 12 deg C days lately and two more in the forecast tonight. Grass is definitely growing.

Get Nitrogen out as soon as possible.

wrangler

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

The big squares suit a lot of farmers too. A lot less labour and they can be opened and sections taken and the bale tied up again nearly as handy as small squares if you have a suitable spot to open it.

I've been using rounds in the individual lambing pens too, roll out a few feet pickit up in layers, best part is it's already shook out when you drop it in the pens

Base price

Waffletraktor wrote: »

Plenty of ways to skin that cat ,with stacking machines into 7 layers x8 bales or machines for packing small bales into the size of a square bale 3x9. Even a flat 8 would be a big help and there's good money in small squares for your above reasons.

A neighbour in Longford (p/t farmer) has a 35x with a square baler and when the weather is suitable for hay he is flat out bailing. Pic is of his 165 as the 35x was out of action on the day.

Robson99

Good loser wrote: »

A good few 12 deg C days lately and two more in the forecast tonight. Grass is definitely growing.

Get Nitrogen out as soon as possible.

Have the boat out ready to go.

Say my name

Good loser wrote: »

A good few 12 deg C days lately and two more in the forecast tonight. Grass is definitely growing.

Get Nitrogen out as soon as possible.

100% agree.

I have a few soil samples to take at the weekend.
I may have already spread a little bit of urea on some of the fields that need sampling though.
Be interesting to see how they come back.

Good loser

Say my name wrote: »

100% agree.

I have a few soil samples to take at the weekend.
I may have already spread a little bit of urea on some of the fields that need sampling though.
Be interesting to see how they come back.

Urea will make no difference.

Only P, K and Ca (pH) is measured.

I spread 6 bags urea last week.

Robson99

Jasus lads I dream of land like that and ours is not the worst of ground but you would hardly walk in it let alone travel in it with a tractor with all the rain we are after having

kay 9

Are soil temps still not on the low side for nitrogen?

Good loser

kay 9 wrote: »

Are soil temps still not on the low side for nitrogen?

Maybe so. Though the last week has been mild enough. Daffodils climbing steadily.

Say my name

kay 9 wrote: »

Are soil temps still not on the low side for nitrogen?

Check out the soil temperatures.

http://www.met.ie/latest/yesterday.asp

When it's above 6c grass grows.

J.O. Farmer

Say my name wrote: »

Check out the soil temperatures.

http://www.met.ie/latest/yesterday.asp

When it's above 6c grass grows.

It's warm enough or getting there in a lot of areas. Though there could be a big difference in a relatively small area. Knock airport 4.5 and Claremorris 6.4 and them only 20 minutes apart though the airport is on high ground.

johnnyw20

Soil temp was 8 degrees here earlier and 9 in one field. Waiting on urea to arrive. Should be here by Friday

Timmaay

johnnyw20 wrote: »

Soil temp was 8 degrees here earlier and 9 in one field. Waiting on urea to arrive. Should be here by Friday

Price? Quoted 335 here today, think I'll jump also asap, no slurry out yet, and I've no interest in ploughing up the place to get it out.

johnnyw20

Timmaay wrote: »

Price? Quoted 335 here today, think I'll jump also asap, no slurry out yet, and I've no interest in ploughing up the place to get it out.

Quoted the same

simx

Timmaay wrote: »

Price? Quoted 335 here today, think I'll jump also asap, no slurry out yet, and I've no interest in ploughing up the place to get it out.

Bought it at 330

Doctors room ghost

Robson99 wrote: »

Have the boat out ready to go.

She’s letting down a good drop here in Galway at the minute.getting mighty sick of this weather.the storms are getting fierce plenty.nothing here lately but big closhes of water and rivers are full to bursting

kay 9

johnnyw20 wrote: »

Soil temp was 8 degrees here earlier and 9 in one field. Waiting on urea to arrive. Should be here by Friday

I'm going to give it another couple of weeks I think. Ground is still a little too wet here anyway and will be wetter after tonight's rain.
Was always told here it'd need to be 8 degrees, thought 6 to be a bit cold.
Areas vary though.

kay 9

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

She’s letting down a good drop here in Galway at the minute.getting mighty sick of this weather.the storms are getting fierce plenty.nothing here lately but big closhes of water and rivers are full to bursting

In Galway too. Non stop torrential rain the last 3 hrs.

Buford T. Justice XIX

kay 9 wrote: »

In Galway too. Non stop torrential rain the last 3 hrs.

Same in Kerry. Good drying today in preparation for the deluge again.