How was 2018 for you?

whelan2

Very late spring, cows in at night until early May. Never looked back after that. Great summer for heavy land. Cows out until late November too. So how was 2018 for you?

degetme

First year farming taking over the family farm
Bolix of a spring weather wise. Did have silage tho
Great may
Drought in june
Limerick finally won the all Ireland the highlight and making a start on a new house
Great autumn
Nightmare last few weeks

Odelay

Difficult.

whelan2

degetme wrote: »

First year farming taking over the family farm
Bolix of a spring weather wise. Did have silage tho
Great may
Drought in june
Limerick finally won the all Ireland the highlight and making a start on a new house
Great autumn
Nightmare last few weeks

Any update on the abortions?

degetme

whelan2 wrote: »

Any update on the abortions?

One of the foetuses dams showed up positive for neospora antibodies but according to the vet not 100% the cause of abortion. Waiting on more results Monday next. Other than that everything showing up clear so far.

whelan2

degetme wrote: »

One of the foetuses dams showed up positive for neospora antibodies but according to the vet not 100% the cause of abortion. Waiting on more results Monday next. Other than that everything showing up clear so far.

Has there been anymore?

degetme

whelan2 wrote: »

Has there been anymore?

One this morning. First one since last Saturday. Dropped the foetus up to the lab. Was told by a senior vet there that these things could last 2 week's and it all settles down. Everything been tested for.

kerryjack

A good year down here, we are all above ground so far. Drought didn't really bother us down here, summer was great work was easy kids are getting bigger and more demanding, herself is happy so all good. A good year all round.

bogman_bass

The snow is something I don’t ever want to have to do again.

The drought brought more cost but all said and done i’d Still take it over a washout of a year any day

I started two new jobs that are very flexible and close to home

Got to travel to the states and to Canada which was great

Overall not the worst year by a long shot.

orchard farm

On very heavy land here best year I ever seen farm never grew as much grass,,cattle just in last week made 80%hay.will have surplus,only regret didn't put in acre of potatoes

blue5000

It was a challenging year, with a new challenge almost every month. But we ended up keeping all cows out until December which shortened the winter at this end anyway.

Happy christmas to all and hopefully 2019 will have a better spring and a decent summer.

Limestone Cowboy

Expensive.

grassroot1

Too cold too dry too wet too expensive and too bloody long

charolais0153

grassroot1 wrote: »

Too cold too dry too wet too expensive and too bloody long

Tpo many stabliisers?;):D

whelan2

grassroot1 wrote: »

Too cold too dry too wet too expensive and too bloody long

Ha, can just imagine you at midnight on new years eve saying "thank fook that's over"

grassroot1

charolais0153 wrote: »

Tpo many stabliisers?;):D

one too many smart arses:D

Reggie.

Good year overall.

Started off nasty with the snow but thankfully was able to help out neighbours by digging out some of the roads. Don't want to be doing that again.
Good year contracting. Business grew and looking very promising for next year too. Have a few offers thrown out to me which should grow my little business once we can iron out a few edges.
Suffered a little bit with lack of grass and cattle prices were poor enough but can't have it good every way.
End of the year was good too as I started to deliver peat bedding and that has kept me ticking along over the slow months but still left time for the family. Overall I'm happy with 2018

White Clover

Reggie. wrote: »

Good year overall.

Started off nasty with the snow but thankfully was able to help out neighbours by digging out some of the roads. Don't want to be doing that again.
Good year contracting. Business grew and looking very promising for next year too. Have a few offers thrown out to me which should grow my little business once we can iron out a few edges.
Suffered a little bit with lack of grass and cattle prices were poor enough but can't have it good every way.
End of the year was good too as I started to deliver peat bedding and that has kept me ticking along over the slow months but still left time for the family. Overall I'm happy with 2018

Are you happy with the trailer Reggie? Is there anything you'd change on it ?

Reggie.

White Clover wrote: »

Are you happy with the trailer Reggie? Is there anything you'd change on it ?

The Donnelly?

White Clover

Reggie. wrote: »

The Donnelly?

Ya the Donnelly.

Reggie.

White Clover wrote: »

Ya the Donnelly.

Not a bother but he didn't do one thing I asked him to do. I asked for double the amount of the tie down hooks each side as in every 2 feet but he didn't do it. Just having the extra hooks for them awkward bales would be handy

White Clover

Reggie. wrote: »

Not a bother but he didn't do one thing I asked him to do. I asked for double the amount of the tie down hooks each side as in every 2 feet but he didn't do it. Just having the extra hooks for them awkward bales would be handy

They'd be handy alright. What tyres/wheels did you go for? Is it 14 x 8?

Reggie.

White Clover wrote: »

They'd be handy alright. What tyres/wheels did you go for? Is it 14 x 8?

7.5 x 14ft normally come with 400s but I got 500s on her. Barely leaves a Mark. It's very over engineered and over reinforced in a good way.

White Clover

Reggie. wrote: »

7.5 x 14ft normally come with 400s but I got 500s on her. Barely leaves a Mark. It's very over engineered and over reinforced in a good way.

It's a fine job no doubt, I'll have to do something about one in the next few months. The current trailer must be 30 years old!

Reggie.

White Clover wrote: »

It's a fine job no doubt, I'll have to do something about one in the next few months. The current trailer must be 30 years old!

It's a once in a lifetime purchase for me. Respray and rebush is all she'll need in future

MickeyShtyles

2018 was a year I’ll never forget between good and bad.
On the bright side, I got engaged, bought a new car and we started planning a wedding.
On the other side, snow dragged the shyte out of the spring. The heatwave and drought destroyed five different crops. Spent a week irrigating plants by hand.
And then on a sad note, my mother-in-law to be passed away.

Muckit

Reggie. wrote: »

Not a bother but he didn't do one thing I asked him to do. I asked for double the amount of the tie down hooks each side as in every 2 feet but he didn't do it. Just having the extra hooks for them awkward bales would be handy

Why were u looking for extra tie down hooks? You don't want those coming near your big tyres. Are u using ropes? If using straps can put strap hooks straight onto the body? Is the edge not angle iron?

Reggie.

Muckit wrote: »

Why were u looking for extra tie down hooks? You don't want those coming near your big tyres. Are u using ropes? If using straps can put strap hooks straight onto the body? Is the edge not angle iron?

Edge is box for strength. Depends on how ya load the trailer. The hooks are 4ft from the from the front board so if I put one on Top of the other like straw or hay the strap is going back or forward as opposed to straight down

wrangler

Reggie. wrote: »

Edge is box for strength. Depends on how ya load the trailer. The hooks are 4ft from the from the front board so if I put one on Top of the other like straw or hay the strap is going back or forward as opposed to straight down

Always thought that box wasn't used in trailers because it was prone to rust, unlless of course it was painted internally or made airtight which is very unlikely

CHOPS01

Educational !
Wont be going to the mart myself anymore to purchase. When your only able to go the odd day trying to get cattle you end up paying above and beyond the right value !
Of what i did buy myself probably the least favourable looking animal left the most behind.
I know the 15 or 16 cattle a lad brought for me I'd probably have paid another €50 for em.
Apart from that took out a 6k short term loan at the start of the year which i was nervous doing at the time but have that repaid.
Brought in a lad 2 weeks ago for a day or two to clean up some scrub around dykes. Ending staying 6 days we went and opened up drains and cleaned up a few more ditches. Will be back in the spring for another day or two. Happy enough though as I'll end up getting a 3 acre back into proper use. Probably take out another loan next year to do a bit more.
Overall happy with how my farming year went.

Reggie.

wrangler wrote: »

Always thought that box wasn't used in trailers because it was prone to rust, unlless of course it was painted internally or made airtight which is very unlikely

No better or worse than angle. Sure once the paint is scratched then the rust can get in. Box everywhere in that trailer. Best place is under the top lip of the sides for strength where its rolled over. Just makes the sides very heavy and the tail board is a loader job

patsy_mccabe

wrangler wrote: »

Always thought that box wasn't used in trailers because it was prone to rust, unlless of course it was painted internally or made airtight which is very unlikely

That's true but most still use box section. I bought a trailer this year with box section. I spray burned oil in with the air compressor. I'm even thinking of drilling small holes so I can spray it in on those that are closed at the ends.

Base price

I will be glad to see the back of 2018. I found it very stressful between the weather and Mam passing. They say that death brings changes to a family and it certainly did in ours. One of my siblings has fallen out with the rest of us and we don't know why as Mam's estate was left equally between us.

Dakota Dan

Base price wrote: »

I will be glad to see the back of 2018. I found it very stressful between the weather and Mam passing. They say that death brings changes to a family and it certainly did in ours. One of my siblings has fallen out with the rest of us and we don't know why as Mam's estate was left equally between us.

Equally? Isn't that the fairest way? My wife's father was killed in 2011 by a car crossing the road and one of his daughters took him to make his will after his wife died in 2003 and managed to get him to leave his house and 200k to her leaving the rest with nothing. She told him that if he left everything to her that she would divide it :rolleyes:

CloughCasey1

New electric fence on all maring walls
Another 9 acres reseeded and now up to 70% of farm reseeded and thats it for now as other fields are usually used as hay meadows
Hedges all cut back and tidied up
Bumper hay crop
2nd cut silage suffered but late 2nd and 3rd cut was good
Decided to keep cattle in the 9acres reseeded after the drought whuch i had planned to reseed over next few yrs and fed silage early during the drought. When weather broke the fields left idle flew back into grass.
Any cattle killed June/July done very well price wise other than thay poor prices per kg. So will try and finish more that time next yr.
Hope that this year will be the end of high spending on the farm and that what ive spent will start paying back.

Family happy healthy and well.
At the end that's what matters.
Im organising a fundraiser for Cancer Care West and Galway Hospice locally so hope to give a bit back before as we sign off on 2018.

wrangler

Dakota Dan wrote: »

Equally? Isn't that the fairest way? My wife's father was killed in 2011 by a car crossing the road and one of his daughters took him to make his will after his wife died in 2003 and managed to get him to leave his house and 200k to her leaving the rest with nothing. She told him that if he left everything to her that she would divide it :rolleyes:

That's so wrong, the solicitor should've smelt a rat, sibling to sibling is massive tax and that's the way that revenue would've treated it 30% tax on nearly everything whereas coming from the father the first 300000 to each daughter/son would be tax free.
Anyway it was crooked through and through

80sDiesel

Got 12 spruce cut down and in the process of planting 900 native trees.

Base price

Dakota Dan wrote: »

Equally? Isn't that the fairest way? My wife's father was killed in 2011 by a car crossing the road and one of his daughters took him to make his will after his wife died in 2003 and managed to get him to leave his house and 200k to her leaving the rest with nothing. She told him that if he left everything to her that she would divide it :rolleyes:

That is a horrible thing to do.

Mam made her will over 30 years ago and told us how it was divided. Other than a few individual bequeaths of no major value (less than €10K) everything else is divided equally.

Birdnuts

In contrast to most it was probably my best year on the place in North Mayo - certainly made the best hay and stock made the most of the wonderfull summer, looking their best at the end of the season.

CloughCasey1

CloughCasey1 wrote: »

New electric fence on all maring walls
Another 9 acres reseeded and now up to 70% of farm reseeded and thats it for now as other fields are usually used as hay meadows
Hedges all cut back and tidied up
Bumper hay crop
2nd cut silage suffered but late 2nd and 3rd cut was good
Decided to keep cattle in the 9acres reseeded after the drought whuch i had planned to reseed over next few yrs and fed silage early during the drought. When weather broke the fields left idle flew back into grass.
Any cattle killed June/July done very well price wise other than thay poor prices per kg. So will try and finish more that time next yr.
Hope that this year will be the end of high spending on the farm and that what ive spent will start paying back.

Family happy healthy and well.
At the end that's what matters.
Im organising a fundraiser for Cancer Care West and Galway Hospice locally so hope to give a bit back before as we sign off on 2018.

What a day. 6 grand raised for Galway Hospice and Cancer Care West. Its great when a small community gets behind an event for a good cause.

RedPeppers

Up to end of April year was terrible with shortage of fodder, weather etc but after that it was the best I can remember. Drought suited us here big time could do with it every year on our farm. Lost no calves despite the spring we had. Upgraded tractor. Put in shores that were on todo list for some time. Put in roadways(more to do). Reroofed calf shed, new silage slab and added 5 bays to cow shed so a lot of cash out the door but will make life easier and all was badly needed. If 2019 is half as productive I’ll be happy

restive

On balance a good year. Bought land for the first time. How expensive it turns out to be will depend on the fallout from brexit.

Happy new year to everyone

kevthegaff

Good year, down in numbers through tb(of all years not a bad year to go down) renovated a shed that can hold 100 weanlings, Installed 20 unit parlour, changed over accounts and restructure as repayments were just too short. Added a young lad to the family and everyone healthy. all you can ask for

sonnybill

Lost nothing animal wise, 17 calved unassisted 1 backways but I twigged it and went looking for calf/other foot, could have made more silage funny year had no grass and then all of a sudden it was getting strong and struggling to get it ate and silage ground closed and when I did get it closed had drought and manure was basically gone/ non existent !

Bulls average price was good, heifers v poor, all in all , can’t complain had our first baby and it puts everything into perspective! It’s a lovely time and I don’t want to miss a minute with him