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Dairy chit chat II

Mooooo

One morning I need to get the cows done early dumbass here let's the wire down directing to parlour and cows head for a gallop to the last fecking field on the pasaage

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stretch film

whelan2 wrote: »

My cows haven't been out since Easter Sunday. They aren't even bawling to get out anymore.

Disillusion across all the species.

Bonus morning here. Predicted rain not here yet. Like moo best ground is grazed and the rest is too wet.
Second grazing on the early paddocks will be only option soon.

I'm feeling luckier than most.

whelan2

fepper wrote: »

I see over in the weather forum that continental warm air hits Ireland in about 8-9 days time so that should improve things dramatically on ground conditions and growth

Will we survive that long?

whelan2

jaymla627 wrote: »

Anyone on wet ground under pressure for feed are going to have to make some tough decisions, realistically cow numbers need to be dropped and any passengers cleared out, the spiel about it taking up next week is wearing thin, been the same line been rolled out since February, it would take a brilliant summer and autumn to anyway undo the financial damage that's occurred on farms and replenish feed stocks

9 calves gone this morning. 6cows going to factory tomorrow.

Coolfresian

whelan2 wrote: »

9 calves gone this morning. 6cows going to factory tomorrow.

Straight from parlour?

jaymla627

Coolfresian wrote: »

jaymla627 wrote: »

Anyone on wet ground under pressure for feed are going to have to make some tough decisions, realistically cow numbers need to be dropped and any passengers cleared out, the spiel about it taking up next week is wearing thin, been the same line been rolled out since February, it would take a brilliant summer and autumn to anyway undo the financial damage that's occurred on farms and replenish feed stocks

A lot of farmers on dry ground are as bad off or worse for feed and growth than lads on wet ground. Planning for a short winter is a risk and dry farms similarily will need a lot more silage and some less stock going forward. What's to stop us getting another spring like this? The last spring crisis was only 5 years ago.

Pretty simple stocking rates need to be reduced unless extra support land is got long-term by lads to have a buffer in place, but all this eats up cash and isn't fashionable when your on the expansion train and following "the low cost grass based system"
In truth it's a sad reflection on the farming industry as a whole and what tether hooks a lot of people are operating on when a extended winter and bad spring pushes a lot of farms to breaking point both financially and more worryingly mentally, you have to question what's the point in all these extra cows given the stress it's putting on systems and farmers been worked into a state of exhaustion and subsequently depression

whelan2

Coolfresian wrote: »

Straight from parlour?

They tested positive for johnes. No point hanging on to them. There is one going that has been fattening since October, bad feet and had to cut off two spins. She doesn't have johnes. She should fo well. Edited to say johnes positive animals can only be sold to the factory now

Mooooo

Same as Whelan, have offloaded 14 rollover cows, 50 odd weanlings and 6 more cows for factory but afraid to send them till i have cows calved due to a bit of tb paranoia

Say my name

fepper wrote: »

I see over in the weather forum that continental warm air hits Ireland in about 8-9 days time so that should improve things dramatically on ground conditions and growth

Don't bank on that.

A lot or rain still coming over the weekend and early next week for the south and west and maybe everyone.
They're giving a big long fetch of a low pressure dragging warm air from near the Azores so that'll be torrential rain like what cork and tipp got on Sunday.

Coolfresian

jaymla627 wrote: »

Pretty simple stocking rates need to be reduced unless extra support land is got long-term by lads to have a buffer in place, but all this eats up cash and isn't fashionable when your on the expansion train and following "the low cost grass based system"
In truth it's a sad reflection on the farming industry as a whole and what tether hooks a lot of people are operating on when a extended winter and bad spring pushes a lot of farms to breaking point both financially and more worryingly mentally, you have to question what's the point in all these extra cows given the stress it's putting on systems and farmers been worked into a state of exhaustion and subsequently depression

Exactly, all points spot on. Even more worrying the fact that in dairy anyhow last year was as good financially and growth wise as we could hope for. If there wasn't enough cash and fodder reserves made last year then when will there be?

orm0nd

have a cow that's fairly beat up after having a monster of a bull calf a few days ago,

a local girl from an non farming background is doing veterinary and often calls in for a chat etc, & a look at any "patients ".

asked her to check the cow,

"possible slight fracture of the pelvis & possible RDA, slight draw in the lungs and a bit anemic looking, other than that ..she's grand" :eek:

ground conditions improving but growth very sluggish luckily we have fodder for a while yet anyhow

Timmaay

2 fantastic days, where cows were on grass fulltime with no buffer, relaxing easy milkings with nice clean udders, no liming cubicles, no standing cows off, no going out at 11pm to let them out etc. And now it's pissing rain again so back to square one again ugh.

Say my name

Went to spread my wettest fields with fert.

Had to abandon the operation.
Lucky to make it out alive.

einn32

Say my name wrote: »

Went to spread my wettest fields with fert.

Had to abandon the operation.
Lucky to make it out alive.

Sickening day here. It can't stop raining. Got a few loads of slurry out where possible but still damage. Fertilizer abandoned. I have some grass coming though. Body is creaking. Cows out by day. At least they seemed happy after p.m.milk chewing the cud. Serious culling is occurring in places I've heard but who knows if true.

Hogan might get his wish of stopping Irish dairy expansion!

whelan2

be careful where you spread slurry , local lads slurry here ended up polluting a neighbouring houses well.

Gawddawggonnit

White Clover wrote: »

Is the hay coming in as a back load dawg or is there a truck going out especially for it?

Back load.

K.G.

einn32 wrote: »

Say my name wrote: »

Went to spread my wettest fields with fert.

Had to abandon the operation.
Lucky to make it out alive.

Sickening day here. It can't stop raining. Got a few loads of slurry out where possible but still damage. Fertilizer abandoned. I have some grass coming though. Body is creaking. Cows out by day. At least they seemed happy after p.m.milk chewing the cud. Serious culling is occurring in places I've heard but who knows if true.

Hogan might get his wish of stopping Irish dairy expansion!

Your in west cork too i think and we are probaly hearing the same stories.i suppose less said the better

Gawddawggonnit

Cuckoos arrived here yesterday evening.
Nice to hear them.
Still raining...

3 the square

Anyone thinking of switching from urea to pasture sward with sulphur on the grazeing ground with fine weather coming ??

Gawddawggonnit

https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/farmingsectors/yearofsustainablegrassland/

That went well...

GrasstoMilk

3 the square wrote: »

Anyone thinking of switching from urea to pasture sward with sulphur on the grazeing ground with fine weather coming ??

Went with a bag of urea with sulphur on Monday. Getting a response already I think.

Gawddawggonnit

I see that there’s some posters here (or in another thread) that reckon it would be more cost effective to buy maize meal than get forage maize grown on contract...my advice would be to buy the maize meal now because it may not be dirt cheap later.

Reggie.

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

I see that there’s some posters here (or in another thread) that reckon it would be more cost effective to buy maize meal than get forage maize grown on contract...my advice would be to buy the maize meal now because it may not be dirt cheap later.

Everyone thinking the same for the future and put pressure on supplies

Gawddawggonnit

Reggie. wrote: »

Everyone thinking the same for the future and put pressure on supplies

Not exactly.
Maize price has risen fairly sharply and dragged barley price with it. Looks like yank farmers might plant more soya than corn.
It’s going on 6yrs of dirt cheap feeds also and commodity cycles usually turn on years 7-8...

It’s only my opinion btw.

Gawddawggonnit

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Cuckoos arrived here yesterday evening.
Nice to hear them.
Still raining...

Stopped raining just now.
On cue a neighbor rings asking for the telescopic to load fert...that should be fun. Land is totally sodden. Madness spreading it really.

I’ll post pics of a tractor and fert spreader buried to the oxters.

GrasstoMilk

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

I see that there’s some posters here (or in another thread) that reckon it would be more cost effective to buy maize meal than get forage maize grown on contract...my advice would be to buy the maize meal now because it may not be dirt cheap later.

Talking to a Rep from a seed company this morning, Maize seed is usually 10% of there business with all the calls he's gotten in the last few weeks and farms he's visited maize seed sales will probably be up another 20%

Mooooo

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Not exactly.
Maize price has risen fairly sharply and dragged barley price with it. Looks like yank farmers might plant more soya than corn.
It’s going on 6yrs of dirt cheap feeds also and commodity cycles usually turn on years 7-8...

It’s only my opinion btw.

Is it possible that a rise in grain will be enough to cause the Americans to pull back on the milk?

Timmaay

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Talking to a Rep from a seed company this morning, Maize seed is usually 10% of there business with all the calls he's gotten in the last few weeks and farms he's visited maize seed sales will probably be up another 20%

Assuming you are in the suitable area (southeast ideally), have the suitable dry sunny sheltered field, and can feed it out easy enough, then it's a good way to help build back up fodder reserves, grass silage is hard to compete against getting the likes of 20ton+ of maize out of the same field.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Mooooo wrote: »

Is it possible that a rise in grain will be enough to cause the Americans to pull back on the milk?

I imagine there will be a bit of a time lag on that seeing as a lot of US feed supply is forward bought.

3 the square

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

Went with a bag of urea with sulphur on Monday. Getting a response already I think.

Will u keep going with the urea if temperatures warms up

GrasstoMilk

3 the square wrote: »

Will u keep going with the urea if temperatures warms up

Don't think so. Compound next, ground needs a p and k boost