Dairy chit chat II

Gawddawggonnit · 26-05-2018 09:18AM

Surface water analysis results were emailed to me from Dept yesterday. It’s the first time that they’ve given me the results and it’s on the dairy farm. I’ve no idea if the results are good or bad...someone here surely will, maybe Yosemitesam?

Chemicals.
Pesticides and herbicides I presume....0.00ug/L lowest and 0.01ug/L is the highest from 29 samples.
(I’m presuming this is good?).

Nitrates.
Lowest results were (from 30 samples) 8mg/L and highest 12mg/L.
Good or bad?

Interestingly the highest results were from the irrigation lakes. Makes sense because it’s rainwater runoff from farmland. Some of the runoff is from neighboring farms...that’s my excuse anyway!

K.G. · 26-05-2018 10:14AM

I regard dehorning as one of the most satisfying jobs in the year and dont feel right until its done.i dont know what the big deal in doing it is , you go througj 20 calves in an hour at your ease

Mooooo · 26-05-2018 10:24AM

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Surface water analysis results were emailed to me from Dept yesterday. It’s the first time that they’ve given me the results and it’s on the dairy farm. I’ve no idea if the results are good or bad...someone here surely will, maybe Yosemitesam?

Chemicals.
Pesticides and herbicides I presume....0.00ug/L lowest and 0.01ug/L is the highest from 29 samples.
(I’m presuming this is good?).

Nitrates.
Lowest results were (from 30 samples) 8mg/L and highest 12mg/L.
Good or bad?

Interestingly the highest results were from the irrigation lakes. Makes sense because it’s rainwater runoff from farmland. Some of the runoff is from neighboring farms...that’s my excuse anyway!

Dunno where the range is for the nitrates, but chemical you'd assume it would very much depend on the compound, altho at ug levels of measurement they are probably covering the ones that are active even at low concentrations

Water John · 26-05-2018 11:00AM

Those nitrates are low. 10mg would be the drinking limit of potable water in USA. It used to be 25mg would be a flag in Irealnd with 50mg triggering action for potable water. May have changed in the last few years.

Timmaay · 26-05-2018 11:45AM

Bull out with the cows, off to Belfast now for 24hrs, but jezz that took too much effort juggling stuff to be able to escape, too many calves still here, 2 fresh calvers, 4 old crocks of cows who shoulda been gone last yr, strip grazing paddocks, mostly self inflicted issues as usual ha. Got a good reliable milker at least.

Water John · 26-05-2018 12:04PM

There you are, fecking off on a break, and letting the poor bull at home, working hard, on his own.

Keepgrowing · 26-05-2018 12:40PM

Water John wrote: »

Those nitrates are low. 10mg would be the drinking limit of potable water in USA. It used to be 25mg would be a flag in Irealnd with 50mg triggering action for potable water. May have changed in the last few years.

50mg is still the limit in the EU

yosemitesam1 · 26-05-2018 02:05PM

Keepgrowing wrote: »

50mg is still the limit in the EU

There can be differences in how the results are given. 50mg is for total nitrate, a lot of tests will show nitrogen in nitrate form which is roughly 20% of total nitrate.

whelan2 · 27-05-2018 12:34PM

Have 4 Angusx bull calves born last October and 2 fr bulls. The AA got crypto as calves. They are flying now. What would they be worth? They are not squeezed. All nice square calves. Would they go in the calf sale?

mengele · 27-05-2018 02:04PM

whelan2 wrote: »

Have 4 Angusx bull calves born last October and 2 fr bulls. The AA got crypto as calves. They are flying now. What would they be worth? They are not squeezed. All nice square calves. Would they go in the calf sale?

Calf sale is say. 200~250 each?

Mooooo · 27-05-2018 02:32PM

whelan2 wrote: »

Have 4 Angusx bull calves born last October and 2 fr bulls. The AA got crypto as calves. They are flying now. What would they be worth? They are not squeezed. All nice square calves. Would they go in the calf sale?

Haven't gone in last few weeks but aa have had a big drop in demand. Fr bulls making more than them. The bit of age may get em beyond that and your aa may have better shape than others

Gawddawggonnit · 27-05-2018 02:49PM

yosemitesam1 wrote: »

There can be differences in how the results are given. 50mg is for total nitrate, a lot of tests will show nitrogen in nitrate form which is roughly 20% of total nitrate.

How would I know what way the results are presented?
Do I multiply by 5 for an accurate result?

Somehow in the back of my mind I reckon that the Gov would be trying to make the nitrate figures as large as possible...then use them as a stick to beat me.

Gawddawggonnit · 27-05-2018 02:55PM

Staff fun day today...karting!

Unfortunately there’s a team here also from the local contractor. Competition time.

Reggie. · 27-05-2018 04:22PM

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Staff fun day today...karting!

Unfortunately there’s a team here also from the local contractor. Competition time.

Just nick a few fuel lines #simples

yosemitesam1 · 27-05-2018 04:24PM

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

How would I know what way the results are presented?
Do I multiply by 5 for an accurate result?

Somehow in the back of my mind I reckon that the Gov would be trying to make the nitrate figures as large as possible...then use them as a stick to beat me.

Usually its either written as no3 or no3-n, first is total nitrates. It can be all over the place though depending on weather, for the catchments here they're tested every 20minutes or so I think

Gawddawggonnit · 28-05-2018 06:59AM

yosemitesam1 wrote: »

Usually its either written as no3 or no3-n, first is total nitrates. It can be all over the place though depending on weather, for the catchments here they're tested every 20minutes or so I think

All that it says is ‘nitrates’. No indication other than that.
No streams on the farm, only ‘dry’ drainage channels that take storm water to the smallish river. This river dries up every summer.
The irrigation lakes would hold the majority of runoff water.

Gawddawggonnit · 28-05-2018 07:08AM

Reggie. wrote: »

Just nick a few fuel lines #simples

Not so easy Reggie.
Got our ass kicked, badly.
Three ladies on our team, two in their fifties and one teenager that doesn’t even drive.
The contractors team are all professional drivers from a 60+ workforce. Should’ve known better when they all had their own helmets and matching overalls sponsored by the company.

I can hardly walk today I’m so stiff and sore. Good craic though.

Waffletraktor · 28-05-2018 11:16AM

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

Reggie. wrote: »

Just nick a few fuel lines #simples

Not so easy Reggie.
Got our ass kicked, badly.
Three ladies on our team, two in their fifties and one teenager that doesn’t even drive.
The contractors team are all professional drivers from a 60+ workforce. Should’ve known better when they all had their own helmets and matching overalls sponsored by the company.

I can hardly walk today I’m so stiff and sore. Good craic though.

What would the abilities of drivers over there be though, here about 50% would be oxygen thieving chunks of meat that can't get work elsewhere, 25% would do a job and 25% would be of any use.

Gawddawggonnit · 28-05-2018 12:17PM

Waffletraktor wrote: »

What would the abilities of drivers over there be though, here about 50% would be oxygen thieving chunks of meat that can't get work elsewhere, 25% would do a job and 25% would be of any use.

On average the native drivers here would be about 90% steering wheel attendants.
8% would be quite adequate and the top 2% would hold their own anywhere in the world.

I share a top driver with a neighbor...working ok so far, but he’s getting a bit fed up with the drivers around him.
He’s from a 6000ha Farm in Romania. Poached him last year.

Mooooo · 28-05-2018 08:29PM

Last 4 heifers for ai 2moro morning, the broken weather 3 weeks ago made heifers awkward to catch. Had a small group on out farm to manage grass who've been with the bull for the last 2 weeks will put them all together with him Wednesday. Will put the vasectomised bulls with cows Wednesday as well and ai for another 3 weeks and put the a bull with the cows then. Depending on how the next week/10 days go with cows may switch to beef ai, and put bull in earlier. Any easy calving Hereford recommended to follow the bull with? Are the polled ones any good ? Have a few blue straws that i will use as well.

yewtree · 28-05-2018 08:55PM

Mooooo wrote: »

Last 4 heifers for ai 2moro morning, the broken weather 3 weeks ago made heifers awkward to catch. Had a small group on out farm to manage grass who've been with the bull for the last 2 weeks will put them all together with him Wednesday. Will put the vasectomised bulls with cows Wednesday as well and ai for another 3 weeks and put the a bull with the cows then. Depending on how the next week/10 days go with cows may switch to beef ai, and put bull in earlier. Any easy calving Hereford recommended to follow the bull with? Are the polled ones any good ? Have a few blue straws that i will use as well.

We used kentucky kid he2043 a polled one from progressive very happy with calves, easy calving and calves came on time

Gawddawggonnit · 28-05-2018 09:52PM

Mooooo wrote: »

Last 4 heifers for ai 2moro morning, the broken weather 3 weeks ago made heifers awkward to catch. Had a small group on out farm to manage grass who've been with the bull for the last 2 weeks will put them all together with him Wednesday. Will put the vasectomised bulls with cows Wednesday as well and ai for another 3 weeks and put the a bull with the cows then. Depending on how the next week/10 days go with cows may switch to beef ai, and put bull in earlier. Any easy calving Hereford recommended to follow the bull with? Are the polled ones any good ? Have a few blue straws that i will use as well.

What’s the obsession with Hereford?
Surely continental crossés would be much better beef animals?

charolais0153 · 28-05-2018 10:00PM

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

What’s the obsession with Hereford?
Surely continental crossés would be much better beef animals?

Angus look like jersey.
Belgian blue are 'hard calved' for holstein and peipleare afaid.
Everyhing else has too long a gestation

Mooooo · 28-05-2018 10:14PM

Gawddawggonnit wrote: »

What’s the obsession with Hereford?
Surely continental crossés would be much better beef animals?

Gestation length main reason. Will use blues, the two bulls are both AA. Will try a few Hereford as well. Difference for me this year is that late calvers may be dry longer as exiting winter milk this year, well depending on how tb testing goes and restocking. Could buy in calved winter cows and milk on make the bonus and bull with spring herd or buy in in calf stock in the autumn depending on scanning results. Testing next week, if I go clear I'll have to test again in 6 months so may be too risky to wait for calved stock in the spring in case I go down again

Water John · 28-05-2018 11:02PM

We like a good steak.

Timmaay · 28-05-2018 11:22PM

Mooooo wrote: »

Gestation length main reason. Will use blues, the two bulls are both AA. Will try a few Hereford as well. Difference for me this year is that late calvers may be dry longer as exiting winter milk this year, well depending on how tb testing goes and restocking. Could buy in calved winter cows and milk on make the bonus and bull with spring herd or buy in in calf stock in the autumn depending on scanning results. Testing next week, if I go clear I'll have to test again in 6 months so may be too risky to wait for calved stock in the spring in case I go down again

Don't know why you would bother buying the calved winter cows just to fill the bonus, hardly worth the effort unless you got a very tidy bonus? The only reason I've stuck out winter milk is the few late April and may calvers, alongside a few culls just about still fill the Jan contract, but that's coming more and more under pressure as I go compact calving. Wayyy too many issues with April calvers and their calves this year has definitely sickened it all for me also.

freedominacup · 28-05-2018 11:27PM

charolais0153 wrote: »

Angus look like jersey.
Belgian blue are 'hard calved' for holstein and peipleare afaid.
Everyhing else has too long a gestation

Using blues here since the early nineties. Never had any calving issues with them. Pedigree ho cows across the board.

Mooooo · 28-05-2018 11:36PM

Timmaay wrote: »

Don't know why you would bother buying the calved winter cows just to fill the bonus, hardly worth the effort unless you got a very tidy bonus? The only reason I've stuck out winter milk is the few late April and may calvers, alongside a few culls just about still fill the Jan contract, but that's coming more and more under pressure as I go compact calving. Wayyy too many issues with April calvers and their calves this year has definitely sickened it all for me also.

Trying to work around tb testing. If go clear next week will have to test again in dec/ Jan. If I wait for spring calved cows next year I run the risk of getting locked up and caught again. So buying in before that it's the options of buying incalf heifers in the autumn or calved autumn calvers. Advantage of autumn calvers would be output straight away and wouldn't be drying off late calvers early. Also less calves to deal with. Advantage of incalf heifers would be the better ones tend to be sold before the winter so maybe a better pick and it will be all spring. Again ideally I'd buy calved in the spring but too much of a risk to take with getting locked up.
Maybe I'm overthinking it but the fcuking thing would have your head wrecked. Will see how next week goes first

Mooooo · 29-05-2018 07:35AM

Most of the cows thru the fence wire but the wire still standing, fcuking steeplechasers I'm breeding

whelan2 · 29-05-2018 08:00AM

Mooooo wrote: »

Most of the cows thru the fence wire but the wire still standing, fcuking steeplechasers I'm breeding

Mine broke into the paddock next to them which was a bit stupid as there was slurry spread on it the other day.

Dairy chit chat II

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