Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

mahoney_j

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122068640#Comment_122068640

13 bulls is mad and if that amount of bulls had to be used to spread risk then that’s saying reliability of figures is very suspect …back when ebi was a decent index 6 bulls for 100 cow herd think it’s 10 now and they say reliability is improving 🙄🙄

GrasstoMilk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122069322#Comment_122069322

that’s your opinion and you’re entitled to it

As I said in my post I have my criteria set, I picked the bulls I picked because they suited my criteria and what I’m picking for is coming through in the herd and I’m happy with the type of stock coming through. You mightn’t like them if they were your cows, like wise I mightn’t like your choice of cow or anyone else’s choice of cow

I didnt pick a bull because he had super duper high ebi and I didn’t pick the amount I picked because ICBF said so, it’s just the way it ended up being

If you don’t want to use Irish bulls that’s fine, but they’re working for me plenty of other ppl.

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122069450#Comment_122069450

I've been trying a bit of everything here over the last number of years but I'll be leaning more on EBI in future I think. They are my best heifers coming through in general.

Grueller

Grass getting tight here now. Bit of heat needed and -3 forecast tonight. Silage going back into the diet this evening.

straight

I'd prefer if my whole farm was dry but it is mixed. 60/40 dry/wet I'd say. The last couple of years the dry ground isn't much more use than the wet ground I must say. And in a drought the heavy ground really comes into its own.

alps

Anyone know anything about how good an electric golf cart would be for cow work? You can get a lift kit for them which would get over any low/small tyre issue.

I see a number of electric agricultural carts lately but they're not cheap. Plenty of second hand electric golf carts for sale for very small money.

I'd be concerned with them on hills.

Any views appreciated.

Say my name

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122072704#Comment_122072704

Know nothing of them. And I can see where you are coming from.

You'd even buy electric Chinese kei trucks and convert them to ag spec lift and tyres for less than a third of the price of electric atv's here.

Could be potential there to change battery for a higher power to increase speed and range too. Doubt they'd be lithium batteries anyway. Probably iron phosphate.

Is there a Golf forum on here. Maybe ask how they get on the 18 holes and steep ground?

Edit : probably lead acid. Y

Finty Lemon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122068971#Comment_122068971

If they were doing 510kg on a delivered basis would it change your opinion on the validity of their system advice? Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the 600kg claim would have paid the bills.

It seems strange to me to base any future direction on somebody else's stated targets, especially if those targets aren't verified, or indeed even being met.

That goes for every claimed "system" , not specifically UCD Lyons. Unfortunately I think this happens a lot in farming.

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122073159#Comment_122073159

I'm not saying I'm interested in a carbon copy of their system. More that I was very impressed with their speaker moreover. He made more sense to me than anyone I heard in a long time. The main thing I took from it was that my cows need more high quality feed in the shoulders of the year but especially spring.

He gave the best answer I've ever heard about summer scour syndrome for example and a few more things that I can't think of now. But the main thing was FEED the cow in spring to get her going.

Wildsurfer

What was his opinion on summer scour syndrome?

cjpm

@straight

Could you elaborate on the summer scour syndrome please

Finty Lemon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122073278#Comment_122073278

The summer scour work is a veterinary research issue and is separate from dairy systems work. Progress in one does not validate results from the other.

I don't see who is arguing for not feeding cows right in the spring so not sure about the novelty of 'feeding cows right'??

This year I'd say cows were underfed mostly because lads kept them in on poor silage on inadequate meal feeding instead of either increasing meal rates or putting grass in the diet.

The irony of course is that cows who went to grass this spring were probably 'better fed' even though there was plenty of negative comment about this approach. You can see it now, the farms with cows out a long time are seeing cows flying toward or at peak now. Early grass equals better fed.

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122073435#Comment_122073435

Too much ammonia in the stomach from high protein grass. The worse grass the better for calves. OK sure alot of us have that kind of figured out at this stage but it's not the advice you get elsewhere.

There was a few more nuggets that I can't think of specifically now.

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122073560#Comment_122073560

Ya, finbarr is an associate professor in the vet school I believe. The man is really worthwhile listening to imo. That was my point.

Read the journal or listen to teagasc and you will see plenty about keeping cows "keen" or "with an edge" on them. I was on a walk the other day with a top teagasc man and it's clear the guy is just a spoofer. The back calculations never work in grass measuring because teagasc are under allocating grass at 18KgDM. The same hero advised me before to mow a field because the calculator said that my heifers wouldn't eat the field in 3 weeks. One week, I said. They had it cleared in 5 days.

They keep changing their mind about clover, MSS, sulphur, etc. They seem to be trying to learn from emailing and googling European and NZ systems.

Alot of their research seems half baked to me and printed as fact. They should be run over and over and across different land type and conditions. Like the not feeding cows by day "research" so they will calve during the day or the mats on slats "research" which was redone recently but with different results. That's after every salesman in the country quoting their "research" as fact.

They are such money grabbers now. I give them 700 euro or something every year and they want 375 euro to apply for a tams grant on a new milk tank. I think it was even more for a grant on my dribble bar.

I don't come on here to whinge about teagasc but the point I was making was I found the UCD man so knowledgeable and capable in comparison.

I'm farming 7 years and I've had seven different advisors of varying levels of helpfulness and knowledge. No continuity from them. I never considered a private advisory service until recently.

alps

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122073660#Comment_122073660

You should get the UCD man to do your TAMS grant.

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122073729#Comment_122073729

Do you think? I'd say I'll manage it myself..... Anyone I do business with play ball and there's some give and take. I don't bother with grabbers in general.

Siamsa Sessions

I’ve been half following the regular updates from UCD Lyons herd thru Twitter but there’s a 3-year report here: https://www.ucd.ie/lyonsfarm/t4media/3%20Yearly%20Report%20on%20UCD%20Lyons%20Systems%20Herd.pdf

Finty Lemon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122073840#Comment_122073840

They did their economic comparison based on physical outputs that weren't achieved. Even at that the proposed system didn't stand out financially.

green daries

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122073660#Comment_122073660

I'm farming in my own right quite a bit more and I can back up 💯 what your saying when I was a young fella the then advisors were very knowledgeable (some were a bit evangelical in there choices but we knew to take it with a pinch ofsalt) .the advisors in my view now don't stay in there job long enough for them to see what reality is outside the bible and get chance to learn from farmers as much as advising themselves

As For the costs of grant applications etc there getting beyond a joke now

Siamsa Sessions

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122074574#Comment_122074574

What’s not helping is that management layers are expanding across the public sector and if you’re so inclined there’s plenty opportunity to get away from the frontline and into some admin/office job.

green daries

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122074651#Comment_122074651

Ya agree that is definitely not helping the situation

Bazzer007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122072704#Comment_122072704

Think you'd be better with a diesel utility vehicle like an rtv or gator with 4wd. Worth the money you can do a lot more work with them. Wouldn't fancy a golf cart in wet or bumpy conditions. You'd see the odd few clean utv'son DD less than 5k at times.

stanflt

just ran a weekly Fertilty report on icbf- according to it I’ve only 28% submitted in 16 days

reality as per HerdApp I’ve 9 cows not yet submitted over 35 days calved

what is going wrong with icbf- is it because I’m winter calving or is it because there figures are just made up

only using 6 bulls btw- 4 of which are daughter proven

Bangoverthebar

Gators etc are not reliable. They seem to give a lot of trouble. My grandfather had a golf cart with quad tyres for bringing in the cows and fencing. It was ideal for what it did. Silent behind the cows, safer than a quad and gave zero trouble.

Id love to get one.

mf240

If lads have a jeep why dont they use it to bring in cows and do fencing. Instead of a quad ect

Bazzer007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122075207#Comment_122075207

Both Kubota and Kawasaki are very reliable. John Deere can be hit & miss. You're limited with a golf cart is my point compared to an utv. To say they're all unreliable is a bit of a wide sweeping statement.

straight

You know its only the milk is proven. The rest keeps changing…

stanflt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122075285#Comment_122075285

we only get paid for the milk we sell

older by the day

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122075231#Comment_122075231

Agree, you can pick up a old 4*4 that can't pass the test for 1000 to 2000. And the biggest benefit is its water proof. Keep the calf nuts and fencing gear, nice and dry

straight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122076077#Comment_122076077

Ya, I usually pay most attention to the production index too. It's just something I heard recently about proven bulls.