Dairy chit chat II

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Made one up ourselves from an old wheel barrow. It is very handy to have

Putting them into a half tone meal bag and pulling it up the yard at the minute, thought the barrow would be handier

MickeyShtyles wrote: »

It’s gonna turn into an expensive game now as China have stopped taking plastic waste...

Silage wrap never went out to China though afaik.

http://www.farmplastics.ie/new-products/

Even the farm relief stuff that ends up as stokboard is made in Liverpool afaik.
Although there may be some made in Ireland.

Although who knows where the netting would end up?
Once you'll go with the film instead of net though you'll never go back.

whelan2 wrote: »

Putting them into a half tone meal bag and pulling it up the yard at the minute, thought the barrow would be handier

I've said it years ago when carrying calves was fashionable.
The non tipper level top jfc double wheel wheelbarrow is hard to beat.

All you need is a (little pony) human between the shafts.

Say my name wrote: »

Silage wrap never went out to China though afaik.

http://www.farmplastics.ie/new-products/

Even the farm relief stuff that ends up as stokboard is made in Liverpool afaik.
Although there may be some made in Ireland.

Although who knows where the netting would end up?
Once you'll go with the film instead of net though you'll never go back.

Going back to net here next year, bought a pro-dig bale shear and it's a disaster trying to retain the plastic with it, works perfect with net wrapped bales, the bit of film that seems to end up under the first layer of silage is proving to be some ball-ache with wet wraps

doesnt give a price https://www.donedeal.ie/otherfarmmachinery-for-sale/calf-barrow/16697372

Just received a nice surprise from ICBF....

They are taking part in the gouging....

Here plus fee to go up massively....

All our suppliers now think they own a bit of our last year's profit...

Feeling really pissed now....

alps wrote: »

Just received a nice surprise from ICBF....

They are taking part in the gouging....

Here plus fee to go up massively....

All our suppliers now think they own a bit of our last year's profit...

Feeling really pissed now....

Moved feed suppliers here over it, they tried putting up prices by 20 odd euro, quoted us 280 for a 16% nut that was been blown in at 260 last year, payment within 30 days aswell, bought over 200 ton of feed of them last year and would be 300 this year but they didn't seem to worried over losing us

whelan2 wrote: »

How much is it going up by? It was 60 euro-which isnt alot in fairness- wasnt it

It's more than doubling for most farmers. €100 + 50c per cow

What have icbf ever done for me?

Most bad habits creep in slowly. Be careful of small compromises....Warren Buffett

Is there anything in the herdwatch / agfood structure which allows me to keep - say - heifers visible in my profile when they have gone to another herd number on bed & breakfast?

We have a handful of heifers out at the moment, and they'll come back in to me anyway as we are taking over the farm they are on. Nevertheless, with contract rearing and similar arrangements becoming part of the picture I would have thought the agfood database (which ultimately determines what herdwatch displays) needs to evolve to take account of this sort of set up.

The letter from ICBF says that the new pricing structure is fairer to smaller herds.. which is fair enough, but I have surely one of the smallest herds on herdwatch and my fee will double during the course of 2018.

visatorro wrote: »

I'm edging towards a flying herd here so I don't think they have anything to offer me anymore. Like of mahoney_j and stan probably get good value from it because they breed bulls and sell surplus stock

Surely the farmer running a flying herd needs them more than anyone. Without coop performance reports or ebi reports how would you have any idea what you are buying?
flying herds are grand as long as there is enough lads willing to put the time and money into breeding. A couple of batches of low fertility/low solids heifers will soon wake lads up to the value of a national breeding programme.
fees here are going to more than triple by 2019.
I still think its good value considering all that can be got out of it.

yewtree wrote: »

Surely the farmer running a flying herd needs them more than anyone. Without coop performance reports or ebi reports how would you have any idea what you are buying?
flying herds are grand as long as there is enough lads willing to put the time and money into breeding. A couple of batches of low fertility/low solids heifers will soon wake lads up to the value of a national breeding programme.
fees here are going to more than triple by 2019.
I still think its good value considering all that can be got out of it.

Yeah I said the people selling stock will use it. Just thinking would I still be able to milk record with them if I'm not a member

alps wrote: »

Easy come , easy go



We now have gross duplication of services.

We pay an Agrinet, ICBF, IHFA, now gonna be a Pasture Base one, Milk recording....all leading to duplication of data collection and service...

I'm firmly of the the opinion that a fee increase is never warranted without a corresponding efficiency gain, or increased level of service...

No industry in the world allows or tolerates such an increase...

We are soft as sh**

I believe the icbf are one of the better value for money organisations. All of the other organisations listed above can be stopped, its up to each of us to decide whether they are value for money for your business. for all its shortcomings the icbf is farmer owned, if a private company had all our breeding info would they let us have the service at current rates? I also think there is a price to be paid for independent advice.