Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

older by the day

Passed the fields tonight, they are as flat as pan cakes, with the docks standing up. This is a sickening job sometimes. It will be dry from tomorrow evening to Friday night. There will be fs flying down the phone if it won't be picked up.

Mooooo

Castlekeeper wrote: »

That would depend, there'd be some difference between Michelstown and Rockchapel, ye've had a particularly bad run of it this year but by and large south Cork is not the worst part of the country to grow grass, to put out mildly.

Very few places have problems growing grass, utilising and harvesting it can be a separate issue. The difference between east and west cork alone is massive in terms of rainfall and terrain. Even within our own group, I'm furthest west and I'm mid cork and would have a lot more rain than the lads on the eastern side most years. Said before drought is never a serious issue here, may slow things down. A wet year on the other hand can really fcuk the show, ala 2012

K.G.

older by the day wrote: »

Passed the fields tonight, they are as flat as pan cakes, with the docks standing up. This is a sickening job sometimes. It will be dry from tomorrow evening to Friday night. There will be fs flying down the phone if it won't be picked up.

That's the sound track to most contractors lives at the moment.alot of chopping and changing going on this year

straight

K.G. wrote: »

That's the sound track to most contractors lives at the moment.alot of chopping and changing going on this year

Teagasc recommend may 29th before heading or sometime like that but I'm afraid everyone can't cut the one day. Feck it, it will all get done eventually. Contractors are working their asses off in fairness. The queue jumping by the loudest voices does annoy me but that's life like.

straight

Green&Red wrote: »

When you say bales are you talking about paddocks that you take out?


Cut here on May 26th, small enough crop but I'm expecting the quality to be there

I try something different every year but was disappointed with the amount of bales I got from cleaning paddocks last year. Will fertilise 1st cut ground for 2nd cut bales this year. Baling 3 - 4 bales per acre isn't worth the hassle I think. I'd prefer to pre mow although I've never tried it before. Struggle with the quality silage to be honest. Paid top dollar for high quality bales in 2019 and I saw feck all difference in the tank from them so I'm not sure about the whole thing. Cut my pit early last year and all stock did better off it alright I'd say. Going to test the pit every year from now on. I wonder when a paddock goes too strong for the cows and you bale it does that turn into rocket fuel? I'm thinking the best stuff would be from 14 - 1600 covers down for 24 - 36 hours.

mahoney_j

straight wrote: »

I try something different every year but was disappointed with the amount of bales I got from cleaning paddocks last year. Will fertilise 1st cut ground for 2nd cut bales this year. Baling 3 - 4 bales per acre isn't worth the hassle I think. I'd prefer to pre mow although I've never tried it before. Struggle with the quality silage to be honest. Paid top dollar for high quality bales in 2019 and I saw feck all difference in the tank from them so I'm not sure about the whole thing. Cut my pit early last year and all stock did better off it alright I'd say. Going to test the pit every year from now on. I wonder when a paddock goes too strong for the cows and you bale it does that turn into rocket fuel? I'm thinking the best stuff would be from 14 - 1600 covers down for 24 - 36 hours.

All these surplus paddocks that are cut are far from the rocket fuel some seem to think they are ,there is stemmy grass ,high in n and certain amount of cow ****e going to the bale .best quality silage is made first 2 weeks in may ,second cut can be hit and miss if it. Can be cut at 30/40 days max you’ll have great quality

Green&Red

straight wrote: »

I don't milk off the pit. Use bales and grass for that when possible. I'll get the pit tested this year out of interest. Never tested before as its hard to get the quality sometimes around here.

straight wrote: »

I try something different every year but was disappointed with the amount of bales I got from cleaning paddocks last year. Will fertilise 1st cut ground for 2nd cut bales this year. Baling 3 - 4 bales per acre isn't worth the hassle I think. I'd prefer to pre mow although I've never tried it before. Struggle with the quality silage to be honest. Paid top dollar for high quality bales in 2019 and I saw feck all difference in the tank from them so I'm not sure about the whole thing. Cut my pit early last year and all stock did better off it alright I'd say. Going to test the pit every year from now on. I wonder when a paddock goes too strong for the cows and you bale it does that turn into rocket fuel? I'm thinking the best stuff would be from 14 - 1600 covers down for 24 - 36 hours.

So is it second cut bales you milk off? Why would you use those instead of first cut silage?


I’d agree with Mahony on the bales off paddocks, ****e in = ****e out, if it’s stemmy going in you’ve the same issue when you open it

Injuryprone

Stemmy paddock bales are best fed in October/November when grass gets watery, and also go fairly well in April to counteract the lush, leafy second round grass

Injuryprone

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Not if it needs 5k of nuts to make cows milk
2nd cut in 2 weeks here

Used to be proud to have the biggest crop of first cut silage around, it was a false economy tbh
Still get same yield over 3 cuts and doesn't cost a whole pile more

Some might say that you're giving that 5k to the contractor and fertilizer merchant for the extra cut for the same volume of silage

charolais0153

whelan2 wrote: »

My point being not everyone can do 3 cuts....anyway just back from getting cattle out of the bog. First time in about 20 years they got in there.

What about not grazing and cutting early may?

whelan2

charolais0153 wrote: »

What about not grazing and cutting early may?

No. There would be old grass on it from over the winter. It depends on the spring weather get the last 2 years you couldn't graze it until the end of march st least. 90 acres in it . You wouldn't get out to spread fertiliser on it either most springs

straight

Green&Red wrote: »

So is it second cut bales you milk off? Why would you use those instead of first cut silage?


I’d agree with Mahony on the bales off paddocks, ****e in = ****e out, if it’s stemmy going in you’ve the same issue when you open it

Bit of everything really I suppose. Am not long at this craic really and I'm just trying to learn the best way. I'd probably favour 2nd cut bales but the way things were the last few years all my bales were in front of the pit in one pile so I had to use them in whatever order they came in really. I never really noticed much of a difference in the tank. Cows are winding down in November anyway and they tip away in the spring until they get grass ASAP. Don't calve until Feb.

Green&Red

whelan2 wrote: »

No. There would be old grass on it from over the winter. It depends on the spring weather get the last 2 years you couldn't graze it until the end of march st least. 90 acres in it . You wouldn't get out to spread fertiliser on it either most springs

Would you not consider sheep?
Even lease the grazing for the winter to a sheepman

whelan2

Green&Red wrote: »

Would you not consider sheep?
Even lease the grazing for the winter to a sheepman

Ha. I did that. Then we got a real cold spring with no growth and no grass for the cows. When the grass did grow it was lovely but I couldn't let the cows out as no grass

GrasstoMilk

Injuryprone wrote: »

Some might say that you're giving that 5k to the contractor and fertilizer merchant for the extra cut for the same volume of silage

Yes good point, but I'm spreading less fert per cut than previously- 80 units for 1st, 70 for 2nd and 60 for 3rd

Would have been 100 units of N for 1st abd 2nd cut previously
2nd cut generally was as big as 1st cut

Contractor is charging 90e per cut vs 120 previously
So bit more expensive that way but I've much more options with that silage than all bulky stuff

We'd have had 7/8t DM/crops handy with previous system, harvester be on its knees

Cows milking much better in spring and autumn

mahoney_j

Put silage here is dry cow grub so aiming for low 70s dmd 25/30% dm ,2 cuts .silage for Milker’s is baled with aim to cut early may ,paddocks /fields are then topped and fertiliser /get slurry throughout summer with aim to cut after 30:35 days and get high 70s low 80s dmd .13 acres Maize also down

White Clover

whelan2 wrote: »

Ha. I did that. Then we got a real cold spring with no growth and no grass for the cows. When the grass did grow it was lovely but I couldn't let the cows out as no grass

Were the sheep roaming over the whole farm?

whelan2

White Clover wrote: »

Were the sheep roaming over the whole farm?

No left 20% they weren't on but there was no growth. Can't remember the year, could have been 2009.

cosatron

whelan2 wrote: »

No left 20% they weren't on but there was no growth. Can't remember the year, could have been 2009.

i think sheep do to much damage to grass on established leys. Great job on reseeded ground to thicken it up but that's about it.

White Clover

whelan2 wrote: »

No left 20% they weren't on but there was no growth. Can't remember the year, could have been 2009.

Only way to manage them so as to have grass in spring is to block graze and back fence.

farisfat

whelan2 wrote: »

No. There would be old grass on it from over the winter. It depends on the spring weather get the last 2 years you couldn't graze it until the end of march st least. 90 acres in it . You wouldn't get out to spread fertiliser on it either most springs

What's road access like.....I graze some very wet land in February and March good access and on of grazing.
Fertilizer has to be spread with a quad and spreader.

whelan2

These are the furthest away fields. Road access ok. But tbh they csn be totally saturated and you'd be doing more harm than good

White Clover

cosatron wrote: »

i think sheep do to much damage to grass on established leys. Great job on reseeded ground to thicken it up but that's about it.

I wouldn't agree with that. Sheep back on the farm here since 2017 after being absent for over 20 years. There has been a very noticeable improvement in the quality and thickness of the sward.

Say my name

White Clover wrote: »

I wouldn't agree with that. Sheep back on the farm here since 2017 after being absent for over 20 years. There has been a very noticeable improvement in the quality and thickness of the sward.

Neighbour who milks also has hoggets grazing for the winter. Tbh he's way ahead of mise with bovines only grazing. Don't know what quantities of fert he spreads. But he seems to be getting very high bulks of silage and grazing. The trick with sheep as with any grazing is have them on and off that ground. Mob grazing a fancy way of putting it.
It's diversity of biology in it's own right.

cosatron

White Clover wrote: »

I wouldn't agree with that. Sheep back on the farm here since 2017 after being absent for over 20 years. There has been a very noticeable improvement in the quality and thickness of the sward.

what we found that when you let sheep out on the paddocks at the back end of year, they graze it too bare by their nature at a time when the grass and soil is trying to recover after a hard years grazing and the sheep doesn't give the soil structure and grass time to recover. We tried it a couple of times and we wouldn't be doing it again. Only time we use sheep is on reseeded ground. Now that might be just due to our location, soil type, weather etc.

White Clover

cosatron wrote: »

what we found that when you let sheep out on the paddocks at the back end of year, they graze it too bare by their nature at a time when the grass and soil is trying to recover after a hard years grazing and the sheep doesn't give the soil structure and grass time to recover. We tried it a couple of times and we wouldn't be doing it again. Only time we use sheep is on reseeded ground. Now that might be just due to our location, soil type, weather etc.

If they're over grazing it's not the sheeps fault!

cosatron

White Clover wrote: »

If they're over grazing it's not the sheeps fault!

they weren't over grazing it and to be honest i knew that would be the reply. You have 2 posters on here saying that they don't agree with sheep grazing diary farms due to the nature of their farms. So is it very difficult for you to accept a differing opinion.

Wildsurfer

White Clover wrote: »

I wouldn't agree with that. Sheep back on the farm here since 2017 after being absent for over 20 years. There has been a very noticeable improvement in the quality and thickness of the sward.

Is that the reason you got back into them or do you just like hardship! I can see why pre quota lads had them on milking block but now surely a few extra cows would be as profitable and less hassle?

orm0nd

White Clover wrote: »

I wouldn't agree with that. Sheep back on the farm here since 2017 after being absent for over 20 years. There has been a very noticeable improvement in the quality and thickness of the sward.

Always kept sheep here along side dairy cows. And took some sh1t on here and other forums.

Management is the key and no 2 farms are the same and I wouldn't tell anyone how to run theirs and expect the same in return.

White Clover

Wildsurfer wrote: »

Is that the reason you got back into them or do you just like hardship! I can see why pre quota lads had them on milking block but now surely a few extra cows would be as profitable and less hassle?

I just like the hardship!