Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

Gawddawggonnit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117914256#Comment_117914256

I looked into putting in a digester a while back. I’d get a grant of €110k for an investment of €1.6mil and an electric production sub for 3yrs. They need to work 24/7 and would need 2-3 labor units. Planning can take up to 10yrs if you’re French…a lifetime if you’re an immigrant. France doesn’t need electricity and pollution can be controlled by legislation.

The Germans used digesters to bring themselves into line regarding pollution.

Gawddawggonnit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117914097#Comment_117914097

I doubt somehow that farms in W Cork etc need to pollute just to be viable. Not calling you out on this, but surely the claim of being the most efficient dairy producers in the world has a semblance of truth about it?

Say my name

Haven't been really following the commentary on these proposals lately moreso why because I've idea's myself on cutting N use.

Basically I take it the N excretion of cows is being put up. So it takes away what N you can spread with the bag up to 240kgs/ha if in derogation. Otherwise it's up to 170 if not in derogation. Fert records will be needed by everyone which the obligation is there anyway.

I'm fairly simple. I understand a little of the natural Nitrogen lifecycle of soils and the carbon relationship. We've the second best water quality in Europe. Why because of our grass based system. Now when things get concentrated and maize becomes the norm like Europe and bare ground over winter then we get problems. I'd call that tillage. Others intensive dairy farming.

It'll be intensive anaerobic digestive farming in a few years anyway but it'll sound nice. But no improvements in water quality worse in fact.

The screw is being turned. But I don't see any positives on water quality. Even Jack is recommending tilling stubble before winter. All you're doing there is releasing more nitrates.

Anyway as ye were.

straight

I wouldn't be getting overly focussed on just nitrates. There is a bigger picture. One needs to know when to stop running to stay in the same place. Or stop spending to just buy yourself work.

Major economies to join a 'Global Methane Pledge'

https://www.irishexaminer.com/farming/arid-40699307.html 

Mooooo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117914489#Comment_117914489

You're making the assumption just because they are in dero they are polluting. What we lack that ye don't is scale and that effects viability. All well and could being efficient but have to be able to take a wage. As said, we are near the top in water quality in Europe, and must keep improving. Also some of the higher nitrates are in free draining tillage areas so removing grass and growing crops isn't as simple as it seems, as I'm sure you know

The other point is grass-based, whether ye think we're getting enough for it or not, is our selling point of products

GrasstoMilk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117914490#Comment_117914490

Reducing chemical N doesn’t really bother me much it’s the reduced stocking rate when land in a scare commodity in Ireland and farm size it small

trying to increase it to stay at the same herd size us going to be very hard

you’ll really only end up eroding the income you’re trying to maintain tbh

Mooooo

Anyone ever figure out a way of stopping a cow from jumping wire? Right pia trying to clean out paddocks

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117915299#Comment_117915299

Mart

Mooooo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117915311#Comment_117915311

1st calver for sale, predicted to finish up at 490kg ms in first lactation calving Feb 10 to ai 😔

straight

How many litres though?? 😜 Make the wire higher. She might get over it by the spring after a few months away from it. Maybe you could spancil her, like the ones that get the splits.

straight

Double row of wire for a while. Few feet apart?

Mooooo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117915554#Comment_117915554

6600 I think, I'll blame the recording for the low fat! Hopefully, that bunch as heifers had a lot of chasing by dogs so that's what maybhave given her the habit. Very bad the last few weeks tho. Could dry her off early I spose, stick her in with the bull and isolate the wire. Got a battery for the strip wire to isolate it but doesn't seem to stop her a pig tail height anyway. Jumps the steel wire as well

cjpm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117915299#Comment_117915299

How many volts are in your fence? I had probs with calves breaking out. Was wrecking my head. Turns out the fencer was between 500-1500 volts. Bought a new one - 5000v now. No more issues , sorry I didn’t buy It sooner

Gawddawggonnit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117914595#Comment_117914595

History will prove my assumption correct.

Lack of scale isn’t an excuse to pollute. This line of thought permeates throughout the discussion. Why?

Water quality is deteriorating in dairy areas.

Why has growing crops come into the conversation?

Sooner or later the EU will catch up with you…https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A62021CN0444

Gawddawggonnit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117915299#Comment_117915299

Nose ring with 5’-6’ of light chain attached…

Gawddawggonnit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117914764#Comment_117914764

About 10yrs ago I remember discussing that very point on here. The Teagasc report, I think it was called Harvest 2020, distinctly referred to the issue of scale and durability. They said that farms of 400+ac would undoubtedly flourish post quota, but smaller farmers would have to stock to the oxters etc for a strong future. Time flies..

Since WW2 farms have been getting bigger. It’s a fact of life. Your youngsters will need a hell of a lot more land than you to be viable.

mahoney_j

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117916520#Comment_117916520

Who said smaller scale is polluting ?????..I’m not saying larger scale dose but most smaller scale dairy farmers I’ll bet are in dero and highly complient ….

water quality is deteorating in the south east ….there’s big dairy herds there but bigger tillage operations ….water quality in my area which is a big dairy area is pretty good …..

farmers are changing and adapting practices every year …most aren’t dumping slurry ….nor are poisoning the place with fertiliser Like we would of before ….we listen ,learn and change ….there’s always exceptions and there a bigger problem …bit like what jack nolsn called the rogue in every parish with the 2 fingers up all winter at slurry

Birdnuts

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117916691#Comment_117916691

Dairy in West Cork was getting a good kicking on social media last week over a major algal bloom on the river Bandon since the start of last month. Its high time that compliant farmers take out the parish "rogues"!!

kevthegaff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117916691#Comment_117916691

Alltrim river around both our areas has its problems with both agriculture and industrial pollution. It's one of the worst in the country J. I have a feeling wer at a turning point in agriculture when at least there is some realisation of problems with water quality. Will it be a carrot or stick approach tho..

whelan2

Council sewerage overflowing into our river again today . Second time in a fortnight. I informed them again

jaymla627

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117916588#Comment_117916588

Will the returns be their to pay the outside labour that's needed for larger units, ole chap was chatting a very big contractor in Waterford at a friend's get together at the weekend, he had lost 2 long term employees the previous week that had done 8 years with him,they where taking home 750 a week after tax for a 5 day week driving diggers and in the summer pulling in at the silage, they left to go to a lad offering 900 a week after tax for a 5 day week and 4 hours on a Saturday, with this kind of money on offer for skilled machinery operators what will lads be expecting for pulling teats going forward

C4d78

Just on the banding. I thought our aim would be to produce milk in an environmentally friendly manner with as little N produced as possible to protect water quality.

So which option would achieve this end result,

A Milk 2 cows of 300kg/ms

B 1 cow producing 600kg ms

Ive a fair idea myself which has less N but from Teagasc banding proposal I think they’re trying to convince everyone that an inefficient cow is what’s required. Honestly if they must believe farmers are very gullible if we’re going to swallow that one.

Can someone explain how this could help the environment as I see it as counter productive

Say my name

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917104#Comment_117917104

Big problem in Gorey these past few weeks. Water plant not managed properly by staff. People passing blood raising issue with Td's. Tds being pawned off by council staff and directors that everything was OK. 50 people ended up in hospital from the one treatment plant.

There's surely grounds for people affected to sue. Council workers generally don't care.

Local waste treatment hole in the ground lined with plastic, plant that serves the village here has water overflow into a stream. A stream that I'm obliged to fence five feet from. The sooner compost toilets become obligatory the better.

Epa were inspecting the hole in the ground a few days after the gorey news broke.

whelan2

The treatment plant here is all bells and whistles. I can't understand how the lad over it doesn't realise when the flow coming to the plant is lower than normal. In July there was a bad blockage too. I'd say it had been blocked a good few days.

straight

There's no accountability for the council staff. Arrive on time, take your time and go home on time. All them people annoy me when they wheel out their usual excuse of "there is no budget". Especially the "there is no budget for overtime" one.

I was in the ICBF Greenbreed program. They were supposed to genotype my herd but dragged there feet on it for years. Finally told me today that they had no budget to genotype now. They tried to talk me into some other scheme but they can forget that now. I wouldn't bother but I should probably sue them for breach of contract. Farmers are too quiet.

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917139#Comment_117917139

40 euro per hour to drive a teleporter. Highly profitable.

jaymla627

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917391#Comment_117917391

900 euro take home is costing the employer for a 44 hour week 36 euro a hour all-in when prsi and holidays are factored in, the current levels of general inflation combined with wage inflation in certain sectors is terrifying

Pinsnbushings

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917517#Comment_117917517

Where do I apply?? I've a relative in a senior position of a tech company in Dublin not earning that..surely that can't be the going rate now for that kind of work or am I really that naive.

alps

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917221#Comment_117917221

Why are you comparing 2 cows against 1 cow when the discussion here is about N excretion levels per cow.

The bands suggest that to carry 1 of cow A you need 0.32Ha and to carry 1 of cow B you need 0.42Ha.

Stocking cows to their max allowable rate (without exporting slurry) you will produce

937KgMS/Ha with A cows

1415 KgMs/Ha with B cows

And both have equal N excretion levels per hectare.

Nobody anywhere is promoting A cows...

And the advantage of this banding is that if you could produce 700kg ms from your cows, you could still carry them at the same stocking rate as the 600kg cows yielding 1650kg ms/ha

Gawddawggonnit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917139#Comment_117917139

Staff here got a 7% rise last month. Labor law doesn’t allow for part time work the way ye do for calving period etc. You either give them a full time contract, or do without. Rightly so.

Wage inflation is a concern. We froze wages during COVID due to restricted output but had to pony up eventually. If another 7+% is needed next year it’ll be a bit worrying.