Dairy chit chat II

jaymla627 · 30-12-2017 10:38PM

awaywithyou wrote: »

how many litres/day are cows doing?

Averaged 18.5 litres for Nov/Dec, cows milked within 45 days of calving, only start drying of xmas week with the First Ladies due middle February

Mooooo · 31-12-2017 12:29AM

whelan2 wrote: »

Workers or heifers?

Have the worker, calved heifers is what I'll look for, have to go clear first. Rollovers and beef weanlings will cover most of cost if I could find the right stock

dar31 · 31-12-2017 01:16AM

mf240 wrote: »

I still can't get my head around calving all the cows in a few weeks. Yes I'm at nothing milking a few for the winter with no contract and your never finished breeding or calving and probably losing out on some milk off grass and some profit. But what good is all the extra money if I end up in a darkened room , curled up in the featal position, sobbing and muttering to myself.

2nd year all spring last year was 86 % 6 wk calving rate. While I was busy for the spring yet a lot more focused and organised my over all year was very relaxed
This year I've changed contract rearer and the new one will collect calves every fortnight anything 10 days and older and rear on milk replacer.
.
My self and the boss have an agreement that i will more or less concentrate on the farm till the end of breeding and then I'll take over kid duties and she can focus on her career till calving next feb

Mooooo · 31-12-2017 01:30AM

dar31 wrote: »

2nd year all spring last year was 86 % 6 wk calving rate. While I was busy for the spring yet a lot more focused and organised my over all year was very relaxed
This year I've changed contract rearer and the new one will collect calves every fortnight anything 10 days and older and rear on milk replacer.
.
My self and the boss have an agreement that i will more or less concentrate on the farm till the end of breeding and then I'll take over kid duties and she can focus on her career till calving next feb

Do you regret leaving winter milk, had you contract?

mahoney_j · 31-12-2017 02:09AM

mf240 wrote: »

I still can't get my head around calving all the cows in a few weeks. Yes I'm at nothing milking a few for the winter with no contract and your never finished breeding or calving and probably losing out on some milk off grass and some profit. But what good is all the extra money if I end up in a darkened room , curled up in the featal position, sobbing and muttering to myself.

One of the best posters on this forum,great way with words always funny in a weird way without been insulting !!!!!

awaywithyou · 31-12-2017 04:58AM

jaymla627 wrote: »

Averaged 18.5 litres for Nov/Dec, cows milked within 45 days of calving, only start drying of xmas week with the First Ladies due middle February

Middle of February...? Good rest ahead for ya so.... Calving kicking off here tonight... Won't get too busy til Middle jan or thereabouts

Gawddawggonnit · 31-12-2017 07:48AM

The first Coop agm that I went to here they were discussing seasonality and a flattening of the supply curve. I got the floor and in my broken French explained that if they wanted off season milk they should pay well for it, just like in Ireland...

After struggling to get my point across to the top table, I was answered in fluent English and given a copy of all the products that’s produced by the Coop...did I suggest they closed up the shop for a couple of months??

Sooner or later Lads, there will have to be a flattening of the supply curve, or keep building driers to produce shyte for intervention...

yewtree · 31-12-2017 01:24PM

dar31 wrote: »

2nd year all spring last year was 86 % 6 wk calving rate. While I was busy for the spring yet a lot more focused and organised my over all year was very relaxed
This year I've changed contract rearer and the new one will collect calves every fortnight anything 10 days and older and rear on milk replacer.
.
My self and the boss have an agreement that i will more or less concentrate on the farm till the end of breeding and then I'll take over kid duties and she can focus on her career till calving next feb

I found the same thing when the spring herd became more compact, it reduced labour actoss the whole year.
everyone is busy in spring i could never see the difference between calving 75% of the herd from feb-april v 100%.
Once your in the calving shed things always get busy

Mooooo · 01-01-2018 12:35PM

Great start to the new year, call from brother suspecting a dry cow with a broken leg

whelan2 · 01-01-2018 12:40PM

Mooooo wrote: »

Great start to the new year, call from brother suspecting a dry cow with a broken leg

Had a weanling angus stuck in the bars of a round feeder this morning. Got him out eventually

Keepgrowing · 01-01-2018 03:57PM

The letter that came from Glsnbia with the winter bonus offer is only for existing winter milk suppliers.
It's very welcome as there'd been no change to volume for many years. It had become such a small % of total supply since quotas went that most were filling it with out calving a cow and some even going dry for Dec. it's can only be a welcome development

Mooooo · 01-01-2018 04:00PM

.

Mooooo · 01-01-2018 04:01PM

Keepgrowing wrote: »

The letter that came from Glsnbia with the winter bonus offer is only for existing winter milk suppliers.
It's very welcome as there'd been no change to volume for many years. It had become such a small % of total supply since quotas went that most were filling it with out calving a cow and some even going dry for Dec. it's can only be a welcome development

Is the bonus worth it?

Keepgrowing · 01-01-2018 04:04PM

Did a fodder stick take this morning. I had thought we'd have bales to sell but I'm going to hold off on that decision for now. The scan is indicating a very intense calving schedule and this year I hope it's correct. Try to get them calved and grazing ASAP
What we really need is a normal spring as opposed to a later one. Pipes booked for after the 15th to cover whole farm with 3000 gallons per acre

Keepgrowing · 01-01-2018 04:06PM

Mooooo wrote: »

Is the bonus worth it?

Yes, it's a good scheme but to get the most from it you'd need to have better than average solids as its paid after solids

GrasstoMilk · 01-01-2018 04:19PM

whelan2 wrote: »

Had a weanling angus stuck in the bars of a round feeder this morning. Got him out eventually

Lost a 11 month old maiden heifer yesterday. Sickening

whelan2 · 01-01-2018 04:21PM

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Lost a 11 month old maiden heifer yesterday. Sickening

I was lucky. I hopped into the feeder and managed to push him back out. He was stuck along time I'd say. Was glad I wasn't out last night

Mooooo · 01-01-2018 04:22PM

Dairygold may need more winter milk for the jarlsberg cheese but unless it's more than the current 5.6c I won't be biting

Gawddawggonnit · 01-01-2018 04:23PM

Winds got to 147kph for about 15mins.
Had the tractors ready on the generators, so all I had to do was start and flip the switch.
70mm since it started this morning.

Probably the most vicious storm I’ve ever witnessed for those 15mins. Myself and daughter just sat in the loader until it passed...crapping it!
Mostly superficial damage done to buildings.

This happened over the road. A neighbor sent me the pic.

Keepgrowing · 01-01-2018 04:29PM

Mooooo wrote: »

Dairygold may need more winter milk for the jarlsberg cheese but unless it's more than the current 5.6c I won't be biting

That bonus just wouldn't cut it for me. The only way they'll get flatter curve is if they pay but then again not all suppliers need extra payment, they seem happy to supply the fruits of their labour for free.

Reggie. · 01-01-2018 04:55PM

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Winds got to 147kph for about 15mins.
Had the tractors ready on the generators, so all I had to do was start and flip the switch.
70mm since it started this morning.

Probably the most vicious storm I’ve ever witnessed for those 15mins. Myself and daughter just sat in the loader until it passed...crapping it!
Mostly superficial damage done to buildings.

This happened over the road. A neighbor sent me the pic.

Turbine?

charolais0153 · 01-01-2018 05:10PM

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Winds got to 147kph for about 15mins.
Had the tractors ready on the generators, so all I had to do was start and flip the switch.
70mm since it started this morning.

Probably the most vicious storm I’ve ever witnessed for those 15mins. Myself and daughter just sat in the loader until it passed...crapping it!
Mostly superficial damage done to buildings.

This happened over the road. A neighbor sent me the pic.

"Storm" dylan reached a gust of 83km/hr in one part od the country ha

alps · 01-01-2018 06:36PM

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Winds got to 147kph for about 15mins.
Had the tractors ready on the generators, so all I had to do was start and flip the switch.
70mm since it started this morning.

Probably the most vicious storm I’ve ever witnessed for those 15mins. Myself and daughter just sat in the loader until it passed...crapping it!
Mostly superficial damage done to buildings.

This happened over the road. A neighbor sent me the pic.

Any chance he'd send you the name of the maker of those bolts?

Water John · 01-01-2018 10:51PM

Winter milk in Norway and Ohio, used to produce jarlesberg, I'd say costs a good bit more, to produce and buy, than here.
If Tine pay DG a good bonus, I'd suspect DG will absorb as much as they can of it. It's what they did for years, whilst they had a premium in supplying Nutricia with demineralised whey. Farmers never saw it.

Keepgrowing · 01-01-2018 11:24PM

Back to normal routine tomorrow. Guys working here back tomorrow, they've been on holiday since 22 Dec. Lots of ground to cover. New extension to calf shed welded and drilled we will start erecting tomorrow. All fences need checking and repairing and we've masses of bushes to burn on an out farm we're cleaning up. 2 roadways to be resurfaced and another to be constructed. Land is very wet for road building St that'll have to wait. We also have to spray Ragworth on some new ground but the windows are small, ideally liked to have done in Dec but between rain and frost didn't get it done.

tanko · 01-01-2018 11:40PM

I didnt know that you can spray Ragworth at this time of year, what will you spray with?

Keepgrowing · 01-01-2018 11:45PM

tanko wrote: »

I didnt know that you can spray Ragworth at this time of year, what will you spray with?

Ideally would've liked to do in Nov at end of grazing. Yes can do now if it's mild. D50 is what I use. My kids will not be happy if I don't get it done. I'd like it done >35 days before grazing

Signpost · 01-01-2018 11:46PM

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Did a fodder stick take this morning. I had thought we'd have bales to sell but I'm going to hold off on that decision for now. The scan is indicating a very intense calving schedule and this year I hope it's correct. Try to get them calved and grazing ASAP
What we really need is a normal spring as opposed to a later one. Pipes booked for after the 15th to cover whole farm with 3000 gallons per acre

All I want is to win the lotto and buy some land where I too can make a statement such as booking slurry spreading for January or calving cows to grass. Either would do, I'm not greedy

Keepgrowing · 02-01-2018 12:32AM

Signpost wrote: »

All I want is to win the lotto and buy some land where I too can make a statement such as booking slurry spreading for January or calving cows to grass. Either would do, I'm not greedy

When you win it DM me and we'll have a chat

whelan2 · 02-01-2018 07:11AM

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Ideally would've liked to do in Nov at end of grazing. Yes can do now if it's mild. D50 is what I use. My kids will not be happy if I don't get it done. I'd like it done >35 days before grazing

Are there any plants visible to spray at the moment?

Dairy chit chat II

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