Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

Grueller

Reggie. wrote: »

Typical story around here is that lads who want to farm cant get access to land and sons of farmers have no interest cos they were shown nothing but hardship.

There are plenty of exceptions of course

I do hear that locally here too, but still there is no land available because all of these "wasters" (according to the older generation) are farming it. It's a circle I can't square.

Reggie.

Grueller wrote: »

I do hear that locally here too, but still there is no land available because all of these "wasters" (according to the older generation) are farming it. It's a circle I can't square.

It would rot ya. Trying for years here to secure land but no avail

Plenty of land around here is shocking condition

GrasstoMilk

Reggie. wrote: »

It would rot ya. Trying for years here to secure land but no avail

Plenty of land around here is shocking condition

Most areas go.through that cycle I think. It's the same here and its slowly coming out of it

Reggie.

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Most areas go.through that cycle I think. It's the same here and its slowly coming out of it

Being in this rut a good few years now

Base price

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Most areas go.through that cycle I think. It's the same here and its slowly coming out of it

I've noticed that around here too where some bachelor farmers have passed on to the next world and either the land was sold or inherited by a equally elder relative.

Tonynewholland

Saber have done some serious advertising in Ireland the past few years now they are pulling out

GrasstoMilk

Tonynewholland wrote: »

Saber have done some serious advertising in Ireland the past few years now they are pulling out

First I've heard of it

straight

Reggie. wrote: »

Typical story around here is that lads who want to farm cant get access to land and sons of farmers have no interest cos they were shown nothing but hardship.

There are plenty of exceptions of course

Farmers sons have seen the reality of it more likely.

whelan2

straight wrote: »

Farmers sons have seen the reality of it more likely.

Just give it to the daughters instead

Reggie.

straight wrote: »

Farmers sons have seen the reality of it more likely.

Maybe but it can be the tyrannical rule of the parents too. Expected to work for nothing but the experience of it. Given no power or say in the place

Mf310

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

First I've heard of it

Was in the journal this week was surprised when I seen it myself there was a big push on sales back in April and now pulling out altogether just going to keep the ones on the ground serviced.

Tonynewholland

Mf310 wrote: »

Was in the journal this week was surprised when I seen it myself there was a big push on sales back in April and now pulling out altogether just going to keep the ones on the ground serviced.

They started out offering a one year warranty on their gates. Last I heard it was up to 7 years.

GrasstoMilk

Mf310 wrote: »

Was in the journal this week was surprised when I seen it myself there was a big push on sales back in April and now pulling out altogether just going to keep the ones on the ground serviced.

I would say the market is quite competitive for them.tbh

straight

whelan2 wrote: »

Just give it to the daughters instead

Couple of lads I grew up with were only sons and they were always so sure of getting the farm I couldn't believe it because they were far from farmers and they both had a couple of sisters that would make a way better hand of it if given the chance. Both boys got them places and they're both let now anyway.

straight

Reggie. wrote: »

Maybe but it can be the tyrannical rule of the parents too. Expected to work for nothing but the experience of it. Given no power or say in the place

That's the way it goes like. We all helped out for free at home and never expected pay. I know what you mean though like a fella that stayed at home after school and is still there at 40 years of age with nothing to his name and the owl lad still calling the shots. That why farmers sons need to go away and work somewhere else for a while

Siamsa Sessions

straight wrote: »

That why farmers sons need to go away and work somewhere else for a while

Agree 100%

Keeps everyone on their toes. The son has another option if he doesn’t get on OK with his father. And the oul fella knows the son isn’t trapped like some lads

JeffKenna

Bit off topic but does anyone wear a fitbit when milking? Keep an eye on calories and I'm hitting about 220 calories for one and a quarter hours milking.

alps

JeffKenna wrote: »

Bit off topic but does anyone wear a fitbit when milking? Keep an eye on calories and I'm hitting about 220 calories for one and a quarter hours milking.

I can do 10,000 steps feeding the cows ��

On the tractor

Mooooo

Wore one in the spring. Was doing 20k plus steps according to it anyway
Hope I won't be doing extra steps in the morning cow's are fierce unsettled. Damp weather and aftergrass don't seem to go we'll together

whelan2

I have the eldest lads garmin watch. He does alot of running. He reckons all other makes of watches are crap. Not accurate at all. Used to get over 20k steps with a fitbit. Now get 15k with the garmin. Still get digger steps though

straight

I just use the phone so not that accurate. It counts alot when driving but you know that so just ignore them days. I usually get 20 - 25k this time of year. Would be between 30 and 40 in the spring. My old job used to be 5000 steps a day so big change. About 5000 steps per milking now.

Timmaay

whelan2 wrote: »

I have the eldest lads garmin watch. He does alot of running. He reckons all other makes of watches are crap. Not accurate at all. Used to get over 20k steps with a fitbit. Now get 15k with the garmin. Still get digger steps though

I hope you or him don't wear the garmin milking, would be broke in no time lol.

Siamsa Sessions

I understand what Teagasc are on about when they talk about parlour efficiency, cow flow, etc., but surely there's nothing wrong with the exercise of doing a few steps while you're milking?

Same goes for most "efficiency" efforts in modern life - there's probably a balance to be found in being somewhat efficient but getting some exercise at the same time?

Mooooo

Id say a lot of the counting in milking is the hand movement, clusters on and off, as opposed to steps. Wouldn't surprise me if someone milking at a rotary would be close enough in number of "steps" to someone in a herringbone

Say my name

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

I understand what Teagasc are on about when they talk about parlour efficiency, cow flow, etc., but surely there's nothing wrong with the exercise of doing a few steps while you're milking?

Same goes for most "efficiency" efforts in modern life - there's probably a balance to be found in being somewhat efficient but getting some exercise at the same time?

You'll get enough exercise dairy farming. Don't worry about that.

When you're in the pit. You should be able to stay in the pit till finished milking.
It's the concrete floors and carrying buckets and carrying buckets up steps and running up steps that buggers dairy farmers up and has them getting hip and knee replacements.

Siamsa Sessions

Say my name wrote: »

You'll get enough exercise dairy farming. Don't worry about that.

When you're in the pit. You should be able to stay in the pit till finished milking.
It's the concrete floors and carrying buckets and carrying buckets up steps and running up steps that buggers dairy farmers up and has them getting hip and knee replacements.

It's the knees that also go with older sheep farmers apparently. Too much twisting when handling/dosing them and the sheep's hard skull is also at the human's knee height!

Say my name

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

It's the knees that also go with older sheep farmers apparently. Too much twisting when handling/dosing them and the sheep's hard skull is also at the human's knee height!

Don't forget their backs too!
Sheep farmer relations here and back complaints are up there.
Good facilities for handling and sorting mean a lot less time complaining about joints. Well maybe the complaining would still continue.. Love hardship and the craic (giving out about everyone else).
Love em to bits though.

straight

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

I understand what Teagasc are on about when they talk about parlour efficiency, cow flow, etc., but surely there's nothing wrong with the exercise of doing a few steps while you're milking?

Same goes for most "efficiency" efforts in modern life - there's probably a balance to be found in being somewhat efficient but getting some exercise at the same time?

I went to a teagasc efficient milking workshop once and of all the stuff I've been to it was the greatest joke ever. How would they know anything about milking cows. Heard about a lean milking experiment from dairygold where they saved the farmer 10 mins per milking and calculator out then to calculate that they saved the farmer 60 hours in the year which equates to 1 weeks work in the height of spring. They ran the experiment over sept/Oct, a time in which milking always gets faster here anyway due to falling volumes. As for the 60 hours a week in the spring. Well them lads are just fooling themselves too but it helps dairygold to paint a rosy picture and get more victims onto the bandwagon.

Timmaay

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

I understand what Teagasc are on about when they talk about parlour efficiency, cow flow, etc., but surely there's nothing wrong with the exercise of doing a few steps while you're milking?

Same goes for most "efficiency" efforts in modern life - there's probably a balance to be found in being somewhat efficient but getting some exercise at the same time?

Balance is the key word there, step counters should service nothing more than as an aid to how active your day is. In terms of efficiency, I'd agree with Say, in general dairyfarmers should largely embrace anything that helps them be more efficient and reduce the hardship (obviously it needs to make good economic sense also), well that can be extended to most areas of farming 2bh. In particular its across time that the damage is done, my dad had serious back issues in his 40s, milking in a shallow pit most his life certainly didn't help there. Most farmers if they sit back and have an honest look at say the spring they had they can decide themselves if they were non stop running around like blue arsed flies pulling buckets, taking risks and largely not looking after themselves, and know they really should change something moving forward, or alternatively they might decide they were working hard but reasonably efficiently and in a sustainable manner and got in a nice amount of exercise and they don't need to change much.

The way I see most of Teagasc advice also, it's like the Bible, it shouldn't all be taken as literal facts but more so just ideas that you can pick and choose what you want to apply yourself.

mf240

Say my name wrote: »

You'll get enough exercise dairy farming. Don't worry about that.

When you're in the pit. You should be able to stay in the pit till finished milking.
It's the concrete floors and carrying buckets and carrying buckets up steps and running up steps that buggers dairy farmers up and has them getting hip and knee replacements.

I put in parlour mats this year. I would recommend them.