Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on [email protected] for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact [email protected]

What if any changes are you going to make to you're current system with costs going out of control.

24

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 2,804 ✭✭✭yosemitesam1


    Important to keep in mind that prices will be equally high next year, 2024 at the earliest before things might look more normal



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,642 ✭✭✭Hard Knocks


    when is the best time to sow clover? Was thinking of putting in the spreader with fertilizer



  • Registered Users Posts: 24,185 ✭✭✭✭Reggie.


    We already tried it. Sowed 19 acres last year with 5kg of clover per acre. Fed 70 heifer calves last year for 6 months on a half bag of urea and only 7 acres got approx 3000 gals of slurry. Think the whole grazing block of 60 acres is getting clover in May.



  • Registered Users Posts: 24,185 ✭✭✭✭Reggie.


    Do be honest that won't work. It's a waste of clover esp with it at €10 a kg. To have a good chance of germination you need to stitch it in. Know plenty of lads who claim clover won't work but they tried to sow it with that method and sure there's no way to be accurate or get it down to soil level.



  • Registered Users Posts: 24,185 ✭✭✭✭Reggie.




  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 368 ✭✭joe35


    If you were spreading lime could you mix clover in with the lime.



  • Registered Users Posts: 24,185 ✭✭✭✭Reggie.


    It's upto each farmer really but the most accurate way is stitching with airseeder. It's hard to be accurate with spinners or wagtails as the seed is so small the slightest amount of wind will affect it so there's no way to be accurate with it. Also unless it bulls rain there's no way it'll get to the soil even after the rain. I use a guttler here and its never failed yet



  • Registered Users Posts: 4,367 ✭✭✭roosterman71


    Green diesel doesn't have 56c a litre excise. As of March 2021, it was 11.8c per litre. I don't know if it went up since. The 2c comes off that. The carbon tax remains (gotta keep the green people happy (and hungry))



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,497 ✭✭✭kerryjack


    2 farming lads on live line yesterday 1 lad blaming the large dairy lad for running farming talking over all the small family farms, mad stuff how much some lads hate the large scale dairy farms.



  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 12,019 ✭✭✭✭Danzy


    Listened to that lad.


    He was off his melt.


    Though off topic, his Amish approach is very successful in Agriculture in America where they are buying land nonstop.


    I agree with him in that it is skewed against the farming industry.



  • Registered Users Posts: 10,669 ✭✭✭✭mahoney_j


    Agree with that …guttler /stitcher is best ….I’ve got good results from putting it out with slurry too …suck in 2 kg clover when filling 2509 gallon tank and out at 1509 gallons per acre …usually start going with this from mid April on weather dependant and roll ground few days later



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,141 ✭✭✭ginger22


    This idea that Ireland is a low cost producer because of our grass based system is nonesense. In most european countries like France, Germany, Holland, Denmark farmers grow most of their own feed with tillage crops like wheat, maize etc, that are far more fertilizer efficient than our intensive grass that requires 8 or 9 applications of nitrogen per year. It is not the cost of fertilizer that will force reduction in milk production on the continent but environmental pressure and shortage of labour.



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,237 ✭✭✭mr.stonewall


    I'm looking at it from the beef side of things. Fertiliser applications are few and low. This stands us in a better position if we can sort some self sufficiency around the grain issue. 8-9 fertiliser applications is just chronic, it's the crack cocaine of farming

    The 3 F's are now the major pressures. Feeding beef cattle on grazed grass has the lowest of the requirement, when not over stocked. It's about finding that sweet spot in every farming system.

    Fuel and fertiliser is going to have a big pressure on these indoor systems. Just look at the chronic situation with the pig industry across Europe. It's the price of inputs that has pinched their margin. European dairy and beef will be under pressure.

    Never waste a good crisis

    This time is about the change the view on food production and security in europe. Being aware of international factors and a willingness to make changes inside your own farm gate is key to riding this situation with a strong business



  • Registered Users Posts: 715 ✭✭✭fastrac


    Year 3 before that will start saving you fertiliser



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,065 ✭✭✭Dunedin


    Heard it too - some craic Was on long work drive so it certainly passed the time. 😂😂



  • Registered Users Posts: 236 ✭✭Box09


    Cutting ewes by at least 20%, any lads in the breeding hogget game are in trouble.

    Will seriously consider the use of the tractor for topping , hedgecutting etc.

    A lot of dairy lads will be in big trouble when the fert dries up.



  • Registered Users Posts: 7,454 ✭✭✭funkey_monkey


    Nothing much beyond what we would have been doing anyway. 2 cows to cull that got a free pass for a few years.

    Had some reseeding planned, but that is now on hold. All non-essential spend on infrastructure is on hold until prices drop.

    Will try to make some better quality silage for the weanlings.



  • Registered Users Posts: 825 ✭✭✭Packrat


    There is a case to answer there, but it's for another day and a different thread.



  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 12,019 ✭✭✭✭Danzy




  • Registered Users Posts: 3,175 ✭✭✭kk.man


    I don't think cutting back on numbers is the answer. Imo playing havoc with the tax returns and I do believe prime stock will be dear in June and July because lads are spreading less fertilizer and cutting feeding. I'm very tightly stocked and I've never spread 7 rounds of fertilizer in my life, the most I did was two. I'm not advocating anyone to be a slave to any poor paying system but just because we have a crisis doesn't mean we cut stock. I told a wise well to do farmer a few years back that I might not purchase as many cattle going forward. He said the game you are in you got to take the good with the bad you can't change your system or you would be on a hidding to nothing. It's all very well for lads with big acres to let stock run around it but the smaller man doesn't have the luxury of a ranch.



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,572 ✭✭✭Jjameson


    An acre is an acre no matter how many of them a man has. And x amount of grass will grow on permanent pasture without any artificial fertilizer. I simply cannot see how you’d have a return on the fert out of extra grass grown to convert to beef. A lot of aul lads used to lecture us on the merits of sucklers with that same “have to keep your system” spiel. The taxman will get it sometime regardless.

    I can graze one two year old beef/dairy’s fattening bullock across here to the acre(starting with that in April) with zero fert and and an avg of 300kg barley ration. Start killing with Gods grace and Favour in early July and all gone by October. I will have available nitrates to help out a oligarch farmer by taking a bit of slurry I hope.

    If the weather comes wet I won’t be stressed out like I was in times past.

    every farm has an optimum stocking rate, a sweet spot and this year it has moved back for a low margin enterprise like beef. in my opinion of course.



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,157 ✭✭✭older by the day


    Wrote out a check to the co.op for fert and some ration. 16000. I could have left it against the milk but I would have got depressed looking at the bill coming in every month. My wife has confiscated the check book and sayes that's my limit. Kk.man you are lucky because you have good land. Two rounds of fertilizer on middling ground would not work in most farms. It makes a huge difference



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,572 ✭✭✭Jjameson


    Your in a different enterprise. Fert and meal against milk price is still a big + under the equation.



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,157 ✭✭✭older by the day


    The dairy farmers costs are mental though. I spend more on detergent and electricity than my neighbor spends on fert. I have both and I know the milk is better. I know he has less numbers but he can go out and work a fulltime job as well. Milk have a lot to pay for



  • Registered Users Posts: 24,185 ✭✭✭✭Reggie.




  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 3,041 ✭✭✭kollegeknight


    I’m going to wait and see. I’ve 3 cows out of the 13 that may go this year but I want to see how the two heifers In calf with the shorthorn turn out first.

    my inputs will be low.

    only spreading 2 tonne of fert on silage ground in the hope of getting similar returns to last year and it buys me time to see.

    ive One 2yo bullock for the freezer that I will share with two brothers and a bit for my mam and I’ve one heifer for next year that they have to pay for it’s feed. Household costs will be huge so it will help all three of us.



Advertisement