Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

mahoney_j

Wildsurfer wrote: »

Is that a farm or a golf course you're running there mj! Would agree though I'm topping alot more than normal this year. Combination of poor growth and poor graze outs in May due to weather, followed by a burst of growth with a lot of N in grass to blame.

Very much a farm ,I push the boat out grazing early /late and tight but I won’t use the cows as toppers I’d top if I have to any time from April to September ,lots of sub standard grass about this month which stemmed from poor weather in may which resulted in poor clean outs I topped where I could and took out bales in short windows where I could ,I still had an odd poor quality paddock ..
Some advisors would nearly shame u if u top and lots seem to buy into it .topping and or taking surplus was a must for last 6 weeks if I wanted grass to stay right
Not pumping out n either 18 units of sweet grass been spread behind cows and have been on a 12 to 20 day round last few weeks

mahoney_j

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

No need for that level imo
If any way at all on the ball with the grass once a year seeing a mower between topping/premowing/bales is fine

We've 12 / 18 paddocks either topped or mowed for bales so far, 2 more are reseeds
Rest we'll try mow for bales over the next couple of weeks
Only needs to be corrected once

Only my opinion but a min of twice per year paddocks need to see a mower ….more if needed …some will try not top at all snd use cows to top which sees production fall off all for maximising grass but I won’t let cow suffer to do it …all about balance
Still feeding about 1.5 kg dm Maize silage and just under 5 in parlour started actually grass measuring this year weekly ,all paddocks measured and figures into pasturebase ,local lad started it .I still go thru paddocks myself 2/3 times a week .grassland management has def improved because of it …..cow performance has def picked up too with Maize going in

mahoney_j

straight wrote: »

Mechanical removal he calls it. Last resort. Bales more ideal if you have to resort to mechanical removal. Ah he's full of guff anyway. U know yourself, tis all grand on paper.

Exactly grass ,cow genetics ,feeding and response to feeding have all moved in last 10 years ….lot of advisors have moved with some but def not others judging by some of advice they dish out

green daries

Wildsurfer wrote: »

Is that a farm or a golf course you're running there mj! Would agree though I'm topping alot more than normal this year. Combination of poor growth and poor graze outs in May due to weather, followed by a burst of growth with a lot of N in grass to blame.

Ya grass quality very difficult to control this year

green daries

Wildsurfer wrote: »

Is that a farm or a golf course you're running there mj! Would agree though I'm topping alot more than normal this year. Combination of poor growth and poor graze outs in May due to weather, followed by a burst of growth with a lot of N in grass to blame.

Ya grass quality very difficult to control this year

alps

ted_182 wrote: »

Whats far stronger? 4 kgs up from 1?

Fed 5kg 14% with a id buff through May...On 4kg now.

From Mid March to Mid April we fed 5Kg Maize/Beet mix with 5 kg 18% in parlour. Mix was necessary due to grass growth (4.2 SR) or lack of it, however cows were on ideal grass cover of 1200/1300....Came off mix onto 6kg in parlour dropping to 5kg for May..

GrasstoMilk

alps wrote: »

Fed 5kg 14% with a id buff through May...On 4kg now.

From Mid March to Mid April we fed 5Kg Maize/Beet mix with 5 kg 18% in parlour. Mix was necessary due to grass growth (4.2 SR) or lack of it, however cows were on ideal grass cover of 1200/1300....Came off mix onto 6kg in parlour dropping to 5kg for May..

Did you get advice on that or work away on your own?

awaywithyou

alps wrote: »

Fed 5kg 14% with a id buff through May...On 4kg now.

From Mid March to Mid April we fed 5Kg Maize/Beet mix with 5 kg 18% in parlour. Mix was necessary due to grass growth (4.2 SR) or lack of it, however cows were on ideal grass cover of 1200/1300....Came off mix onto 6kg in parlour dropping to 5kg for May..

you've seen the light...

mahoney_j

awaywithyou wrote: »

you've seen the light...

Feeding cows always pays ….even more so with good grassland management and genetics …reading a piece in the journal earlier from a dairy advisor ….full of assumptions and stuff that was talked about 10 years ago ….a lot has changed

Mooooo

At those stocking rates it would likely have to be done anyway would it not?. If everything else is humming chasing that last 10% may be worth it.

cosatron

alps wrote: »

Fed 5kg 14% with a id buff through May...On 4kg now.

From Mid March to Mid April we fed 5Kg Maize/Beet mix with 5 kg 18% in parlour. Mix was necessary due to grass growth (4.2 SR) or lack of it, however cows were on ideal grass cover of 1200/1300....Came off mix onto 6kg in parlour dropping to 5kg for May..

Do you grow the maize and beet or did you buy it in

straight

Alot of the numbers men would be better off with 20% less and feed them better. It's just common sense I think. Good year this year for milk I'd say. Still holding @ 29 litres and 2.15 kg solids. On 2.5 kg nuts.

older by the day

straight wrote: »

Alot of the numbers men would be better off with 20% less and feed them better. It's just common sense I think. Good year this year for milk I'd say. Still holding @ 29 litres and 2.15 kg solids. On 2.5 kg nuts.

I normally agree with you but.,, I'm down a few cows this year and I can't get the grass right. 50% of my land is not suitable for baling. I find being a bit tight gets better quality grass. You can always fire in a bale or up the nuts. I'm in pure stem at the moment. Milk and solids have dropped a lot.

GrasstoMilk

straight wrote: »

Alot of the numbers men would be better off with 20% less and feed them better. It's just common sense I think. Good year this year for milk I'd say. Still holding @ 29 litres and 2.15 kg solids. On 2.5 kg nuts.

When the numbers men herds mature they'll be up with ye

If someone has the land to milk couple hundred cows I wouldn't begrudge them it, I'd love to have it myself

straight

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

When the numbers men herds mature they'll be up with ye

If someone has the land to milk couple hundred cows I wouldn't begrudge them it, I'd love to have it myself

Nightmare scenario for me. Can hardly manage the few I have.

straight

older by the day wrote: »

I normally agree with you but.,, I'm down a few cows this year and I can't get the grass right. 50% of my land is not suitable for baling. I find being a bit tight gets better quality grass. You can always fire in a bale or up the nuts. I'm in pure stem at the moment. Milk and solids have dropped a lot.

Probably easier run deficits alright. I guess I was more talking about the guys that don't fill the deficit.

kevthegaff

older by the day wrote: »

I normally agree with you but.,, I'm down a few cows this year and I can't get the grass right. 50% of my land is not suitable for baling. I find being a bit tight gets better quality grass. You can always fire in a bale or up the nuts. I'm in pure stem at the moment. Milk and solids have dropped a lot.

Half the land here cant be baled, so it's easier graze it. Everyone seems to have an opinion on numbers

straight

Growth has dropped to 45 here the last week. Burned patches showing up. Nights are gone very cold again. Should have taken out paddocks for bales 2 weeks ago but I'm lucky now that I didn't. Have about 2 weeks to wait for aftergrass yet. All this rain that's promised seems to keep missing us. Wednesday maybe.

Grueller

straight wrote: »

Growth has dropped to 45 here the last week. Burned patches showing up. Nights are gone very cold again. Should have taken out paddocks for bales 2 weeks ago but I'm lucky now that I didn't. Have about 2 weeks to wait for aftergrass yet. All this rain that's promised seems to keep missing us. Wednesday maybe.

I could do with 2 inches of rain now. A proper good wet week.

GrasstoMilk

Grueller wrote: »

I could do with 2 inches of rain now. A proper good wet week.

The year it is we just seem to be getting a real wet spell followed by a dry spell

We're in that dry spell now

RedPeppers

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

The year it is we just seem to be getting a real wet spell followed by a dry spell

We're in that dry spell now

Got a couple of hours of fairly heavy rain here this evening. Were on heavy ground and it was badly needed can only imagine what it’s like on better ground.

Mooooo

Gas, trailers brought silage in in half loads fri evening here, heavy short showers this evening.

cosatron

RedPeppers wrote: »

Got a couple of hours of fairly heavy rain here this evening. Were on heavy ground and it was badly needed can only imagine what it’s like on better ground.

We're20 miles up the road and didn't get any. It looked fairly bleak in your direction

K9

straight wrote: »

Growth has dropped to 45 here the last week. Burned patches showing up. Nights are gone very cold again. Should have taken out paddocks for bales 2 weeks ago but I'm lucky now that I didn't. Have about 2 weeks to wait for aftergrass yet. All this rain that's promised seems to keep missing us. Wednesday maybe.

Taking out a few paddocks 2 weeks ago might still of b better option if grass quality is poor as a result of not doing so. If the bales were made then they would be better quality than stemmy grass if they have to be fed back due to shortage.

straight

K9 wrote: »

Taking out a few paddocks 2 weeks ago might still of b better option if grass quality is poor as a result of not doing so. If the bales were made then they would be better quality than stemmy grass if they have to be fed back due to shortage.

Na, too much effort and cost for little gain.

K9

straight wrote: »

Na, too much effort and cost for little gain.

You may stop measuring so, save you the effort of doing so

green daries

K9 wrote: »

You may stop measuring so, save you the effort of doing so

Whyyyyy

K9

green daries wrote: »

Whyyyyy

Not much point in measuring if your not going to react to the results of it. If so little gain is achieved, why bother?

GrasstoMilk

straight wrote: »

Na, too much effort and cost for little gain.

Whats your cover per cow been at the last 2 weeks?

We made 100 bales here and will likely have to feed them back
Couldn't have grazed any of it really, milk had dropped enough without grazing more strong covers

straight

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Whats your cover per cow been at the last 2 weeks?

We made 100 bales here and will likely have to feed them back
Couldn't have grazed any of it really, milk had dropped enough without grazing more strong covers

Went up to 265. Back to 240 now. Cows were doing very well until I pushed them to clean out a bit better the last day or 2. I was busy at pit silage, slurry, etc. Could have closed off 6 acres and got about 20 bales off them and feed them back now.