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

Timmaay

24/6/16

Recently we saw three posters close their accounts over disagreements in the dairy threads. While there is a lot of frustration and discontent with current milk prices and the processing industry, the recent tendency for dairy threads to become tit-for-tat arguments isn’t tolerable for those not involved.

All farming sectors go through difficult periods and during such times there may need to be changes in how threads are moderated.

Dairy threads are going to be more closely monitored and subject to stricter moderation for a while.

To that end we won’t tolerate baiting of posters, constantly reviving old arguments, posters with agendas or crusading for a cause.

Whether it’s discussion of the business or politics of the dairy or other sectors, we expect civility and tolerance toward each other and other opinions as diversity of opinion is needed as a source of different ways of looking at a situation.

"The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress." - Joseph Joubert

Also please be aware that what you may post as light-hearted banter can be read totally differently by someone adversely affected by the subject matter and evoke a reaction you hadn’t intended.

The ‘Off-Season’ forum, and its anonymous posting, is available for anyone to chat about their situation.

The Mod Team.

10 away from the 10000 posts! Frazz I think it's fair to say this thread has been a success!

Indeed it was! First thread can be found here- http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056872221

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Comments

Mooooo

kowtow wrote: »

Anyone have any thoughts on where to spread/ not spread several thousand gallons of parlour washings with a significant quantity of waste milk in them?

Basically a concrete tank that had had little slurry but several thousand litres of spare milk through the season.... will be a pretty acidic mix although also diluted by rain.

Lash it out on paddocks as we close them?

Should be grand, would keep an eye on weather and water courses tho milk has a massively higher bod than slurry

Buford T. Justice XIX

alps wrote: »

Dissapointing Scanning Result...

We have 6 empty 19/20month heifers (out of 55). Normally all in calf so this is a bit of a bummer...vet not inclined to look for a reason and says we won't find one...

So..any suggestions on what we do with them?

Any idea what they would make at the mart? Standard strong up to weight HO/Fr X...

Would they be of interest to winter milk farmers as strong maiden heifers?

freedominacup

Mooooo wrote: »

Should be grand, would keep an eye on weather and water courses tho milk has a massively higher bod than slurry

+1. Keep the ground speed up and application rate low.

Dawggone

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Start with 5% form 1% p
Max 180 cows through 1 mix
Reduce form to 3% as you regain control
Bath for 3 milkings each week for 2 weeks and then to 2 per week for control

We've stopped using Form and pere, use an off the shelf product called Healmax. 2 litres per 200 water for 1 milking per week. We also keep some in Rose sprayer to treat clinical cows as lame group go throug parlour

Thanks.

Going with lincomycin first and then with form and per.
Could I go with hydrogen peroxide instead of peracetic, or a mix of both?

Keepgrowing

Dawggone wrote: »

Thanks.

Going with lincomycin first and then with form and per.
Could I go with hydrogen peroxide instead of peracetic, or a mix of both?

Couldn't comment but DO NOT mix Form and pere. Water, form then add pere

Dawggone

Mega fcuk up here...
Things wound down last week with osr, lucerne and clover drilling finished and too early for winter planting.
So Dawg fecks off for a weekend racing etc...neighbour pulls his combine into maize the day before yesterday and comes over to test a sample...28%.
Dawg has an Oh Jesus moment hops on combine cuts a sample...26.2%
Grain maize has to be 35% for crimping.
Went around to contracted end users (cap in hand) and have to supply dried rolled maize now instead.
Ouch.

You just can't take your eye off the ball.

[Deleted User]

Dawggone wrote: »

Mega fcuk up here...
Things wound down last week with osr, lucerne and clover drilling finished and too early for winter planting.
So Dawg fecks off for a weekend racing etc...neighbour pulls his combine into maize the day before yesterday and comes over to test a sample...28%.
Dawg has an Oh Jesus moment hops on combine cuts a sample...26.2%
Grain maize has to be 35% for crimping.
Went around to contracted end users (cap in hand) and have to supply dried rolled maize now instead.
Ouch.

You just can't take your eye off the ball.

Have you an flat floors with fans? Blow humid air through crimp later in year.
Or just add water

Dawggone

Waffletraktor wrote: »

Have you an flat floors with fans? Blow humid air through crimp later in year.
Or just add water

Won't cut until end of next week as it will come down more.

The grain, when whole won't take in water and there's no way of getting a consistent product when adding water to the crimp.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Waffletraktor wrote: »

Have you an flat floors with fans? Blow humid air through crimp later in year.
Or just add water

And we just happen to have a large quantity going free, you just have to collect it:pac:

[Deleted User]

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

Waffletraktor wrote: »

Have you an flat floors with fans? Blow humid air through crimp later in year.
Or just add water

And we just happen to have a large quantity going free, you just have to collect it:pac:

And there was me thinking I had a cunning plan to export some.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Waffletraktor wrote: »

And there was me thinking I had a cunning plan to export some.

Buford T. Justice XIX

kowtow wrote: »

Anyone have any thoughts on where to spread/ not spread several thousand gallons of parlour washings with a significant quantity of waste milk in them?

Basically a concrete tank that had had little slurry but several thousand litres of spare milk through the season.... will be a pretty acidic mix although also diluted by rain.

Lash it out on paddocks as we close them?

Bit here from NZ about it (I flicked around from Mooooos link:))

http://www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz/item/10667-soil-properties-critical-when-applying-effluent

I would say the higher the ratio of milk in the mix, the lower the volumes to put out just in case of run-off. I would go around 1k gallons an acre if the soil is heavy and maybe a bit stronger if it isn't as you will get better growth for longer on the lighter soils so better uptake of the nutrients.

kevthegaff

Dawggone wrote:

Going with lincomycin first and then with form and per. Could I go with hydrogen peroxide instead of peracetic, or a mix of both?

Keep the peroxide away from your hair tho!

freedominacup

kevthegaff wrote: »

Keep the peroxide away from your hair tho!

What hair?

alps

Mooooo wrote: »

If you have space you could Ai and sell just after they calve, have heard of heifers calving mid/ late summer and being exported for circa 1500. Don't know what they'd make as maidens at the minute tbh. Don't know would fattening them be of much benefit as they still probably grow a frame and may take time to finish

Think you're right about fattening Moooo...and I'm not too good with buckets of ration...reckons it's AI and sell next August or straight to the mart now if I thought we could pull 750+...

Water John

Kowtow, don't spread on the wrong side of the house. Desperate smell off that tack.

kowtow

Water John wrote:

Kowtow, don't spread on the wrong side of the house. Desperate smell off that tack.

Sure the tank is south and West of the house anyway so the girls are used to it by now!

Water John

Don't hang out the washing.

Dawggone

First time seeing grass since July...

Keepgrowing

Dawggone wrote: »

First time seeing grass since July...

Why bother? Isn't grain fed tmr indoors a much more efficient and profitable way to produce milk. Grass not competitive or do I misunderstand ?

kevthegaff

Keepgrowing wrote:

Why bother? Isn't grain fed tmr indoors a much more efficient and profitable way to produce milk. Grass not competitive or do I misunderstand ?

This will get good..

Dawggone

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Why bother? Isn't grain fed tmr indoors a much more efficient and profitable way to produce milk. Grass not competitive or do I misunderstand ?

Health purposes really. Nothing freshens them like a walkout with the sun on their backs.

I wouldn't even hit 7tDM/ha grass here this year, whereas 22t/ha maize is easily achieved. (Only allowed 60units/N/acre)

Hence my choice of cow...
I've been over this ground before...

RightTurnClyde

Dawg, I recalled you asking about footbaths, are you having lameness issues.
I saw this video talks about lameness and he talks about lameness 10 or so weeks after heat stress. Might be of interest to you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkUBgpGAkJk&feature=share

mf240

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Why bother? Isn't grain fed tmr indoors a much more efficient and profitable way to produce milk. Grass not competitive or do I misunderstand ?

He lets them out for a hour so he can service the cow scratchers and top up the lava lamps

ondarack

mf240 wrote: »

He lets them out for a hour so he can service the cow scratchers and top up the lava lamps

Lava Lamps??? Forgive my ignorance

Keepgrowing

Dawggone wrote: »

Health purposes really. Nothing freshens them like a walkout with the sun on their backs.

I wouldn't even hit 7tDM/ha grass here this year, whereas 22t/ha maize is easily achieved. (Only allowed 60units/N/acre)

Hence my choice of cow...
I've been over this ground before...

I totally agree with what you're doing considering where you farm. As I've said before the cow is never the problem, the system isn't either it's the nut behind the wheel.

I've seen the best of hols on grass farms, fine strong well managed cows. I've seen the worst of them at shows big timber ladies bred for type only

What amuses me is the guys here who continue to talk about how cheap grains are compared to grass for milk production. At the moment it's even Stephen or grains may even edge it.

In my view where it falls down is its lack of robustness. I visited a farm last week in Poland, excellent cows, fed properly, 2.5 lactations average and a really good manager. When milk price fell to 22c/l they sold 1000 animals as it was just too expensive to feed them. This is in an area of fantastic maize, beet and combined maize.

Feed costs 17c/l they said with total costs of 25c which I didn't really swallow but they said that they'd consider refilling the barns with cows when/if milk stabilised >30c.

Another thing I've learned is to ignore the league of EU prices quoted in the faith press. They bear no resemblance to what the farmer gets paid. Spoke to farmers in France getting 23c, Poland 22c, Norway 52c and UK getting from as low as 12p to 26p.

Maybe this auld place isn't so bad after all

kowtow

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Another thing I've learned is to ignore the league of EU prices quoted in the faith press. They bear no resemblance to what the farmer gets paid. Spoke to farmers in France getting 23c, Poland 22c, Norway 52c and UK getting from as low as 12p to 26p.

Maybe this auld place isn't so bad after all

Surely nobody is getting 12p in the UK now unless they are getting it as a result of a contract they hedged at the lows?

The spot milk which was down at 12p is now wildly up in the mid 30's and better, by all accounts, which is exactly what spot milk should be doing.

Dawggone

RightTurnClyde wrote: »

Dawg, I recalled you asking about footbaths, are you having lameness issues.
I saw this video talks about lameness and he talks about lameness 10 or so weeks after heat stress. Might be of interest to you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkUBgpGAkJk&feature=share

Interesting indeed.

Keepgrowing

kowtow wrote: »

Surely nobody is getting 12p in the UK now unless they are getting it as a result of a contract they hedged at the lows?

The spot milk which was down at 12p is now wildly up in the mid 30's and better, by all accounts, which is exactly what spot milk should be doing.

Ah no not now. Was on a farm that came out contract in Dec and got that till spot recovered, they're trying hard to get a contract again. Funny old world that people here hate them so much

Dawggone

Keepgrowing wrote: »

I totally agree with what you're doing considering where you farm. As I've said before the cow is never the problem, the system isn't either it's the nut behind the wheel.

I've seen the best of hols on grass farms, fine strong well managed cows. I've seen the worst of them at shows big timber ladies bred for type only

What amuses me is the guys here who continue to talk about how cheap grains are compared to grass for milk production. At the moment it's even Stephen or grains may even edge it.

In my view where it falls down is its lack of robustness. I visited a farm last week in Poland, excellent cows, fed properly, 2.5 lactations average and a really good manager. When milk price fell to 22c/l they sold 1000 animals as it was just too expensive to feed them. This is in an area of fantastic maize, beet and combined maize.

Feed costs 17c/l they said with total costs of 25c which I didn't really swallow but they said that they'd consider refilling the barns with cows when/if milk stabilised >30c.

Another thing I've learned is to ignore the league of EU prices quoted in the faith press. They bear no resemblance to what the farmer gets paid. Spoke to farmers in France getting 23c, Poland 22c, Norway 52c and UK getting from as low as 12p to 26p.

Maybe this auld place isn't so bad after all

Hmmm.
I can only talk about my patch.

You must also understand that it's not a level playing pitch as regards nitrates. How many unitsN/acre (inc dero) are you allowed?

A lot of shyte as usual being bandied about...especially about milk price. What Coop in France payed/paying 23cpl? Is it a pile of ashes now?

I consistently post my *base* price here and it never went to 23cpl...
I also quote guaranteed minimum base price 3mts in advance.

I've done a bit of farming in Ireland and I can't see any real difference between both countries except one enormous chasm...land price and availability.

I also forgot to mention that I harvest 4 to 5tDm/ha of 26-29%pr clovers from every ha of maize ground.