Plans for 2020

mahoney_j

carrollsno1 wrote: »

A lot more plastic used though i tbink it works out to about $2/bale for plastic here in a tube thats roughly €1-€1.20. I understand the rooting around paddocks part too this a very wet farm here (self inflicted) with black peaty soils but the paddocks seem to recover fairly well from all the rooting around out here.

One big pit for dry cow silage ,and 3 long barrow pits with walls for milkers silage/maize/moist grain/beet/hulls mix would be high on my wish list and not a bale to be seen l

carrollsno1

mahoney_j wrote: »

One big pit for dry cow silage ,and 3 long barrow pits with walls for milkers silage/maize/moist grain/beet/hulls mix would be high on my wish list and not a bale to be seen l

4 pits to cover and strip then each to there own its just not my cup of tea.

Mooooo

Been fecking around with bales all winter so far, handy to get small amounts of grass off and buffering a bit but with mj on this, a large pit for main cuts and then narrower pits for surplus/ maize etc. would be the ideal. Pits that can be opened from each side would be preferable.

80sDiesel

Plan for 2020. Nurse 7 acres of wildflowers.

funkey_monkey

blue5000 wrote: »

Farm;
Forestry has to get it's first thinning towards the end of the year
Re-seed 12 acres with a red clover rye grass mix
Family;
Get a new passport and do a bit of travelling
Self;
Look after the health a bit better than I've been doing.

Have you any concerns about bloat from the clover or how do you plan to deal with it?

funkey_monkey

80sDiesel wrote: »

Plan for 2020. Nurse 7 acres of wildflowers.

Will you be grazing the wildflowers? Sorrel, Ragged Robin and Marsh Marigold wasnt it from your other thread? How did your decide on those flowers? What is the plan for this?
From your posts it seems you will have a beautiful place when it will gets established. I'd love to see some photos in your other thread when summer comes around.

Water John

If he mainly cuts it for silage, it won't be a problem.
Funkey, I think seeing alt uses, less mainstream for land would be a nice thread. Some very innovative people out there.

80sDiesel

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Will you be grazing the wildflowers? Sorrel, Ragged Robin and Marsh Marigold wasnt it from your other thread? How did your decide on those flowers? What is the plan for this?
From your posts it seems you will have a beautiful place when it will gets established. I'd love to see some photos in your other thread when summer comes around.

Tnks. Yeah those wildflowers are for an acre of wetland meadow. The other acres is a different mixture suited to a drier area. ( Can't think of-hand the seed mixture)
Can't graze as have saplings but will do hay/sileage after seeds have set. Have a mower/collector of weather is too bad.

blue5000

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Have you any concerns about bloat from the clover or how do you plan to deal with it?

Have a bit already, always cut it for silage, but after 4 years it's almost gone. So getting a fresh bit in now.

funkey_monkey

80sDiesel wrote: »

Tnks. Yeah those wildflowers are for an acre of wetland meadow. The other acres is a different mixture suited to a drier area. ( Can't think of-hand the seed mixture)
Can't graze as have saplings but will do hay/sileage after seeds have set. Have a mower/collector of weather is too bad.

Would you consider some Shropshire sheep as they don't eat the trees?
Have just planted a large number of native trees here and may get some in future to graze down between the trees.

Cattlepen

tanko wrote: »

By leasing some land out are you not worried about losing some of your single farm payment under the the new CAP?

I’m just curious as to what you basing this on? Has something being decided that you’l be out of cap if you lease or is there reference years??

K.G.

Mooooo wrote: »

Been fecking around with bales all winter so far, handy to get small amounts of grass off and buffering a bit but with mj on this, a large pit for main cuts and then narrower pits for surplus/ maize etc. would be the ideal. Pits that can be opened from each side would be preferable.

Just finished up feeding 550 bales and have opened the pit and all i can say is ahhhhhh.i estimate that the bales hve cost me about 3 working(39hours)weeks over the past 2 months.i got someone to draw in the finish-probaly another fiver a bale.silage in bales was handled 7 times for bales as opposed to 4 with wagon
1 mowing
2baliing
3drawing to stack
4 stacking
5loading on to trailer
6unloading trailer
7 putting out to cows.
Nevermind the knifing and gathering wrap and net.
The big hidden cost in bales is the labour

Base price

K.G. wrote: »

Just finished up feeding 550 bales and have opened the pit and all i can say is ahhhhhh.i estimate that the bales hve cost me about 3 working(39hours)weeks over the past 2 months.i got someone to draw in the finish-probaly another fiver a bale.silage in bales was handled 7 times for bales as opposed to 4 with wagon
1 mowing
2baliing
3drawing to stack
4 stacking
5loading on to trailer
6unloading trailer
7 putting out to cows.
Nevermind the knifing and gathering wrap and net.
The big hidden cost in bales is the labour

Same as turf

1 lifting
2 turning
3 loading into the trailer

4 unloading off the trailer

5 filling the bucket/scuttle for the fire

6 throwing them into the fire
7 carrying the ashes from the grate

whelan2

K.G. wrote: »

Just finished up feeding 550 bales and have opened the pit and all i can say is ahhhhhh.i estimate that the bales hve cost me about 3 working(39hours)weeks over the past 2 months.i got someone to draw in the finish-probaly another fiver a bale.silage in bales was handled 7 times for bales as opposed to 4 with wagon
1 mowing
2baliing
3drawing to stack
4 stacking
5loading on to trailer
6unloading trailer
7 putting out to cows.
Nevermind the knifing and gathering wrap and net.
The big hidden cost in bales is the labour

I am buying in bales delivered at the moment. Takes alot of the hassle out of them

GrasstoMilk

K.G. wrote: »

Just finished up feeding 550 bales and have opened the pit and all i can say is ahhhhhh.i estimate that the bales hve cost me about 3 working(39hours)weeks over the past 2 months.i got someone to draw in the finish-probaly another fiver a bale.silage in bales was handled 7 times for bales as opposed to 4 with wagon
1 mowing
2baliing
3drawing to stack
4 stacking
5loading on to trailer
6unloading trailer
7 putting out to cows.
Nevermind the knifing and gathering wrap and net.
The big hidden cost in bales is the labour

One week of bales left to feed here then its into the pit.
Will be back feeding bales once cows start calving though

visatorro

whelan2 wrote: »

I am buying in bales delivered at the moment. Takes alot of the hassle out of them

Good winter to buy them if you know they're good.
Iv bought 'first cut ' dung before!!

wrangler

visatorro wrote: »

Good winter to buy them if you know they're good.
Iv bought 'first cut ' dung before!!

Hence the name ''lucky bags''

whelan2

visatorro wrote: »

Good winter to buy them if you know they're good.
Iv bought 'first cut ' dung before!!

It's good stuff. All reseeded ground.

awaywithyou

K.G. wrote: »

Just finished up feeding 550 bales and have opened the pit and all i can say is ahhhhhh.i estimate that the bales hve cost me about 3 working(39hours)weeks over the past 2 months.i got someone to draw in the finish-probaly another fiver a bale.silage in bales was handled 7 times for bales as opposed to 4 with wagon
1 mowing
2baliing
3drawing to stack
4 stacking
5loading on to trailer
6unloading trailer
7 putting out to cows.
Nevermind the knifing and gathering wrap and net.
The big hidden cost in bales is the labour

all very true... however i think cows perform better when on bales.... just my unscientific observation

I says

Base price wrote: »

Same as turf

1 lifting
2 turning
3 loading into the trailer

4 unloading off the trailer

5 filling the bucket/scuttle for the fire

6 throwing them into the fire
7 carrying the ashes from the grate

Bollox to turf

patsy_mccabe

Cutting timber is much the same. Cutting down on the handling is the key.

whelan2

It's a bit like doing grocery shopping.
Put ths stuff in the trolley
Put the stuff on the belt
Put it back in the trolley
Put it in the car
Take it out of the car
Put it away...

whelan2

wrangler wrote: »

Hence the name ''lucky bags''

I rang baling contractor and asked who would have good bales for sale. He would know

Reggie.

visatorro wrote: »

Good winter to buy them if you know they're good.
Iv bought 'first cut ' dung before!!

Ah surely my bales weren't that bad

Reggie.

whelan2 wrote: »

I rang baling contractor and asked who would have good bales for sale. He would know

Clever

K.G.

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

One week of bales left to feed here then its into the pit.
Will be back feeding bales once cows start calving though

Why back to bales
I purposely fed the bales before Christmas, so as to be messing around with cows calving.

Odelay

whelan2 wrote: »

I rang baling contractor and asked who would have good bales for sale. He would know

You’re a cute one/ That’s a good way to get a no nonsense answer.

GrasstoMilk

K.G. wrote: »

Why back to bales
I purposely fed the bales before Christmas, so as to be messing around with cows calving.

My best silage is in bales, ended up with 200 bales of poor quality stuff in bales that we fed to drys

farmersfriend

whelan2 wrote: »

It's a bit like doing grocery shopping.
Put ths stuff in the trolley
Put the stuff on the belt
Put it back in the trolley
Put it in the car
Take it out of the car
Put it away...

I hate grocery shopping, next day teenagers telling u there's nothing to eat

farawaygrass

farmersfriend wrote: »

I hate grocery shopping, next day teenagers telling u there's nothing to eat

I hate it too. Herself does Tesco online now most weeks. Saves an awful lot of hassle especially with young ones.