Dairy Chit Chat- Please read Mod note in post #1

RedPeppers · 03-10-2016 10:34PM

Cows in here tonight lashing from the heavens. They ran in the shed after milking been feeding them good quality bales of silage in wet spells over past few weeks. Awful early to be eating into winter suppliers but needs must

whelan2 · 04-10-2016 08:54PM

Of the last 10 calves born 9 have been angus bulls, 1 heifer. Glad they aren't friesians

Buford T. Justice XIX · 04-10-2016 08:58PM

whelan2 wrote: »

Of the last 10 calves born 9 have been angus bulls, 1 heifer. Glad they aren't friesians

Santa sorted so;)

Water John · 04-10-2016 09:07PM

Buford, you reckon they'll be strong enough to pull the sleigh?

Buford T. Justice XIX · 04-10-2016 09:15PM

Water John wrote: »

Buford, you reckon they'll be strong enough to pull the sleigh?

Plenty of new milk into them while it's still cheap:pac:

kowtow · 05-10-2016 10:44AM

If there is one time of year I really miss in Switzerland it's the first week of October.

Water John · 05-10-2016 01:09PM

I suppose you wandered north over the border in Sept too for the beer festival?

kowtow · 05-10-2016 01:23PM

Water John wrote: »

I suppose you wandered north over the border in Sept too for the beer festival?

not for a long while, but maybe once or twice in my rather long and misspent youth

Actually it's not just the return of the cows which makes Switzerland great at this time of year - it's the season of "chasse" - hunting food - wild mountain game, venison, red onions, wild mushrooms ... some of the finest cooking in the world and very rarely written about or known outside the villages. The season only lasts a few weeks from about now until the snow line moves down to the village level and then it's fondue time for a few months.

The fact that red meat is rare in the Swiss mountain diet makes this time of year all the more special.

mahoney_j · 05-10-2016 02:03PM

kowtow wrote: »

If there is one time of year I really miss in Switzerland it's the first week of October.

Aghh thecreturn of the cows from the mountain pre winter .seen it in mayrhofen ;Austria .

Buford T. Justice XIX · 05-10-2016 03:21PM

The IGA spring dairy conference booking forms just came in the door. It's on in Kilkenny on Jan 18th.

http://www.irishgrassland.com/Events-and-Reviews/post-detail.asp?postId=4305

I can imagine there will be one or two lads from here in Kilkenny for the day;)

Karina Pierce from UCD will be presenting a section on the high yield, high stocking rate trials in Lyons Estate on the day as well.

wats the craic · 05-10-2016 08:35PM

anyone else cutting silage bales this week . a good bit around us cut or going to cut before the weekend

whelan2 · 05-10-2016 08:36PM

wats the craic wrote: »

anyone else cutting silage bales this week . a good bit around us cut or going to cut before the weekend

mowed yesterday being baled on Friday :eek:

freedominacup · 05-10-2016 08:36PM

wats the craic wrote: »

anyone else cutting silage bales this week . a good bit around us cut or going to cut before the weekend

A lot of mowing going on in this area. There wasn't as much activity some days in May.

whelan2 · 05-10-2016 08:38PM

freedominacup wrote: »

A lot of mowing going on in this area. There wasn't as much activity some days in May.

Was a great day today

Mooooo · 05-10-2016 08:40PM

Feck ye anyway I'm gone tight on grass here. Bitch of an in calf heifer is constantly breaking wire as well and ain't helping the situation and I can't figure out which one it is.

Water John · 05-10-2016 08:46PM

The experts will be telling us all we are wasting money baling this grass. That we got our building up of grass all wrong.
If weather breaks further in a few weeks, they will all be eaten.

whelan2 · 05-10-2016 08:53PM

Water John wrote: »

The experts will be telling us all we are wasting money baling this grass. That we got our building up of grass all wrong.
If weather breaks further in a few weeks, they will all be eaten.

Everyone tries to do the best with what they have, there are no experts

Mooooo · 05-10-2016 09:04PM

Strange year, even just from on here, lads with maize in the pit, others baling grass in Oct and and others still with unharvested grain in fields

Water John · 05-10-2016 09:09PM

I should have put 'experts' in inverted commas.
I made bales on Sunday. Delighted to have them.
Better than a ball of snow next March.

whelan2 · 05-10-2016 09:11PM

Better to make the bales on the fields now than looking at a very high cover all winter that mightnt be able to be grazed until April

moneyheer · 05-10-2016 09:33PM

whelan2 wrote: »

Better to make the bales on the fields now than looking at a very high cover all winter that mightnt be able to be grazed until April

very true. Hard to poach concrete ☺

kowtow · 05-10-2016 09:43PM

Water John wrote: »

The experts will be telling us all we are wasting money baling this grass. That we got our building up of grass all wrong.
If weather breaks further in a few weeks, they will all be eaten.

Or stood on to keep heads above water.

kowtow · 05-10-2016 09:46PM

We mowed this evening as well, for a third cut that I should have taken in August.

Whats the best form for this late grass? Is it worth tedding and extra wrap as we do with the early cuts or should we just leave it down, bale it up and wrap it lightly on the basis that it's never going to be rocket fuel?

mf240 · 05-10-2016 09:47PM

You can never have too much silage.

mf240 · 05-10-2016 09:48PM

kowtow wrote: »

We mowed this evening as well, for a third cut that I should have taken in August.

Whats the best form for this late grass? Is it worth tedding and extra wrap as we do with the early cuts or should we just leave it down, bale it up and wrap it lightly on the basis that it's never going to be rocket fuel?

I wouldn't think there's any need for extra plastic.

kevthegaff · 05-10-2016 10:01PM

mf240 wrote:

You can never have too much silage.

Unless you have a small slab and a big sfp..

freedominacup · 05-10-2016 11:29PM

mf240 wrote: »

I wouldn't think there's any need for extra plastic.

I wouldn't be skimping on it either though. Standard application. The drier the better within reason. Biggest complaint always with late season silage is how soft (wet really) the material is. Can be very hard to preserve as sugars aren't what they should be. Less weight will give you more sugar per kilo for preservation I think.

Buford T. Justice XIX · 06-10-2016 07:52AM

mf240 wrote: »

You can never have too much silage.

My BIL farms heavy ground and keeps a spare years silage in the yard. When the silage stock drops in a bad year, he drops stock numbers and cuts more silage until it's back up again..

Water John · 06-10-2016 10:09AM

Yeah, drying at this time is important. Great wind ATM.
I cut Sat and ended up baling Sun because of Mon weather. The swarth dried remarkably after mower/conditioner.
Just rayed in on Sun. Bales sitting up nicely.

kowtow · 06-10-2016 11:04AM

anyone got any idea how long milk recording results take from recording to showing up on ICBF (or whatever)?

Dairy Chit Chat- Please read Mod note in post #1

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