Silage 2018

turfin

Anyone had their first cut yet? Looks like a good week ahead for those getting close.

The Nutty M

Going by dates I'll only have 12 acres ready on the 25th. And knowing my luck it'll start pissing on the 24th.

Reggie.

Hope to be tearing into 135 acres of a custumers first cut tomorrow

White Clover

Reggie. wrote: »

Hope to be tearing into 135 acres of a custumers first cut tomorrow

Did you buy the mower after Reggie?

Reggie.

White Clover wrote: »

Did you buy the mower after Reggie?

No on the long finger. Too busy with grass stitching atm that lead into the silage. Current both are overlapping iykwim. Might have to put it off till later in the year or next year. Depends on how busy I get with raking and that. May not even have time for mowing

freedominacup

Mowing in the morning. Wouldn't be shocked if I got a call from the contractor looking to start mowing this evening. I'd let him at it if he did.

mahoney_j

freedominacup wrote: »

Mowing in the morning. Wouldn't be shocked if I got a call from the contractor looking to start mowing this evening. I'd let him at it if he did.

Mowing in afternoon here mix of paddocks and properfirst cut

Mooooo

Any issue with dedicated silage ground, cut now and that the grass for Second cut would head out in first week of June?

Dunedin

I’m planning cut a little on Friday but worried that nitrogen levels will be very high still.

Not in teagesc, where can I get it tested.

visatorro

Reggie. wrote: »

White Clover wrote: »

Did you buy the mower after Reggie?

No on the long finger. Too busy with grass stitching atm that lead into the silage. Current both are overlapping iykwim. Might have to put it off till later in the year or next year. Depends on how busy I get with raking and that. May not even have time for mowing

I'll get one dropped down to you!!

Reggie.

visatorro wrote: »

I'll get one dropped down to you!!

I bet ya will

Still eager is he?

visatorro

Reggie. wrote: »

visatorro wrote: »

I'll get one dropped down to you!!

I bet ya will

Still eager is he?

His boss would be worried if he wasn't!

Reggie.

visatorro wrote: »

His boss would be worried if he wasn't!

Very true

Burning Tires

Was going to knock the entire first cut tomorrow, but other thing have gotten in the way, but will wait till Wednesday or Thursday now. Forecast if dry for the next 5 or 6 days. Mow on day one, rake into 30 foots on day two, pick up on day three. This is to allow ground to dry for a day after raking.
Pit it on Friday or Saturday.

sea12

Seen a mower heading down the road here to mow neighbour silage.

Never wrestle with pigs

Dunedin wrote: »

I’m planning cut a little on Friday but worried that nitrogen levels will be very high still.

Not in teagesc, where can I get it tested.

Be grand, shake it out for a day and it'll be fine. Mowing 5ac for bales tomorrow going to strong for grazing.

Keepgrowing

Mowing here since lunch time will finish tomorrow. We will tedd it out, take it Tuesday and bale Wednesday.

We will be back at it again in 10 days to fill pits. Have done a deal with 2 neighbours to take 2 cuts from them. Along with our own will fill the pits.

Some fairly silly money being paid for meadows I'm hearing. I was talking to our contractor today and he's being asked to spread 4 bags on grass that probably needs 2 and cut in 2 weeks then lock up again

People can't seem to grasp the early, little and often principle at all it seems.

GrasstoMilk

https://www.facebook.com/758598950855082/videos/1724818127566488/

The boys in the north are at it. Some set up

Reggie.

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

https://www.facebook.com/758598950855082/videos/1724818127566488/

The boys in the north are at it. Some set up

Killeen bros

lakill Farm

Reggie. wrote: »

Killeen bros

The 2nd mower (camera tractor) clearly can’t understand tractor 1 could suddenly stop and both butterfly mowers would collide due to the overlap.

Crazy stuff

topgeas

lakill Farm wrote: »

The 2nd mower (camera tractor) clearly can’t understand tractor 1 could suddenly stop and both butterfly mowers would collide due to the overlap.

Crazy stuff

I'm hearing staff is becoming a major problem for silo season ahead.

Burning Tires

topgeas wrote: »

I'm hearing staff is becoming a major problem for silo season ahead.

A contractor i did a silage season with 15 years ago asked me would i take my holidays from my day job to draw silage for him. I'm too old for that craic. He's finding it hard to get a crew together.

Reggie.

Burning Tires wrote: »

A contractor i did a silage season with 15 years ago asked me would i take my holidays from my day job to draw silage for him. I'm too old for that craic. He's finding it hard to get a crew together.

They only have themselves to blame

mahoney_j

Reggie. wrote: »

They only have themselves to blame

Tbf tho it’s a pure rat race now and the season is gone very compact with long hard days and pressure to get to the next job ,old traditions like getting grub are nearly gone (understandable as farmers wives/partners may be working etc)hard get good drivers for literally a few weeks work

topgeas

mahoney_j wrote: »

Tbf tho it’s a pure rat race now and the season is gone very compact with long hard days and pressure to get to the next job ,old traditions like getting grub are nearly gone (understandable as farmers wives/partners may be working etc)hard get good drivers for literally a few weeks work

My contractor tells me that any kind of driver is not there. Construction contractors also finding it hard.

Reggie.

mahoney_j wrote: »

Tbf tho it’s a pure rat race now and the season is gone very compact with long hard days and pressure to get to the next job ,old traditions like getting grub are nearly gone (understandable as farmers wives/partners may be working etc)hard get good drivers for literally a few weeks work

For years a couldn't get work with contractors. That's why I ended up going out on my own. Sounds to me like that they blew it when they had it all thier own way. Now no drivers to be got

The Nutty M

Few boys left agri contractors around here last year due to sporadic wage payment. This year the contractors can get nobody. Most of them are gone into construction.

The boyo's in the bog cutting turf were finding it tight to find digger drivers at the beginning.

cute geoge

I would say contractors would get plenty of drivers if they paid them properly ,i would help out a local lad when he is stuck but all he will every give me ever is €10/hour which to me on top rate tax is a fiver per hour ether sure what else would i be doing the few good days we might get!!!

oxjkqg

Drivers in general ( trucks, diggers, tractors) are hard got now, everyone is having issues with getting drivers.

the 2 disadvantages for the agri contractor are though;
1. some employers have given all agri contractors a bad name for paying poorly and abusing drivers
2. The way the season is gone its hard to get lads to work 2 18hr days then flute around waiting for the call in a few days time again to go at silage again or try and keep the rainy day jobs for rainy days..!!

jaymla627

oxjkqg wrote: »

Drivers in general ( trucks, diggers, tractors) are hard got now, everyone is having issues with getting drivers.

the 2 disadvantages for the agri contractor are though;
1. some employers have given all agri contractors a bad name for paying poorly and abusing drivers
2. The way the season is gone its hard to get lads to work 2 18hr days then flute around waiting for the call in a few days time again to go at silage again or try and keep the rainy day jobs for rainy days..!!

Have a lad with us here the last year, who's leaving in June got a job driving a digger, 650 euro a week take home pay for 8-5.30 and a half day Friday with no weekend work plus a hour and half for breaks everyday, agriculture will never be able to compete with them rates

I says

Seen some grass knocked this morning I’ve seen more left behind a topper.
But quality over quantity.

Wildsurfer

jaymla627 wrote: »

Have a lad with us here the last year, who's leaving in June got a job driving a digger, 650 euro a week take home pay for 8-5.30 and a half day Friday with no weekend work plus a hour and half for breaks everyday, agriculture will never be able to compete with them rates

That must be a job with the council!

yewtree

Wildsurfer wrote: »

That must be a job with the council!

Any job with that kind of take home pay would be 45k plus. Not sure it's to be gone for very regular hours.

Angus2018

Not making silage for a while yet but put topping. The weeds have just exploded across the farm, even on fields that were sprayed recently. If only grass grew as well.

mengele

Any pictures of the cuts so far. They must be light?

wrangler

Wildsurfer wrote: »

That must be a job with the council!

And maybe two drivers to every digger, apparently that's the deal in the Office of Public Works :eek:

stanflt

mengele wrote: »

Any pictures of the cuts so far. They must be light?

Just finishing up here

newholland mad

stanflt wrote: »

Just finishing up here

That's a super cut compared to anything I've seen around here.

charolais0153

stanflt wrote: »

Just finishing up here

Is it just perennail ryegrass or is their hybrid or italian in there or red clover even?

Reggie.

newholland mad wrote: »

That's a super cut compared to anything I've seen around here.

That's not the heaviest of it either

White Clover

Reggie. wrote: »

That's not the heaviest of it either

We're you tedding or raking or both Reggie?

Reggie.

White Clover wrote: »

We're you tedding or raking or both Reggie?

Only did a small bit of tedding today. Too big an operation there today for my rake. A 50ft one was used today I believe. I didn't see it thank God as if I did then it was too close.

There were balers, wagons and a SP outfit all operating on that farm today. Well orchestrated. A credit to stanfit and co.

Needed eyes on the back of your head or you would have been run over in that yard.

Reggie.

charolais0153 wrote: »

Is it just perennail ryegrass or is their hybrid or italian in there or red clover even?

Not sure on the grass mix but def white clover "crusader" in about 30 acres of it

turfin

Cutting here in the next day or so. The forecast is perfect. We normally cut in afternoon, rake the swarths together the next day and pit by the evening. Is it worth it to leave it wilt for an extra day when conditions are good or is the loss of quality too much?

mahoney_j

turfin wrote: »

Cutting here in the next day or so. The forecast is perfect. We normally cut in afternoon, rake the swarths together the next day and pit by the evening. Is it worth it to leave it wilt for an extra day when conditions are good or is the loss of quality too much?

Do as u are but ted it out after cutting .leaving it sitting in swarths is no advantage

Reggie.

mahoney_j wrote: »

Do as u are but ted it out after cutting .leaving it sitting in swarths is no advantage

Exactly. Bottom and middle of swarths see no sun or wilt

jaymla627

newholland mad wrote: »

That's a super cut compared to anything I've seen around here.

Fert going out for second cut here today

Reggie.

jaymla627 wrote: »

Fert going out for second cut here today

We're ya happy with the first cut?

degetme

jaymla627 wrote: »

Fert going out for second cut here today

Fair waste by the ditch. That would drive me mad.

Reggie.

degetme wrote: »

Fair waste by the ditch. That would drive me mad.

Can't blame a man for protecting his mower. Would ya prefer a bill for 6k for a mower bed?

jaymla627

Reggie. wrote: »

We're ya happy with the first cut?

Five bales to the acre of fusion 3 bales, good enough gather up and was made in great weather, hopefully get 2nd cut last week in June, aim for 4 cuts of dedicated silage ground