mahoney_j wrote: » So milk yield per cow has no relationship with profit .hmmmmmm good yield is essential but good solids % is also just as essential extremes of one or other not what u want .look at greenfield report last week and the glaring hole in the milk Cheque ,guts of 50 k Ltrs less milk sold in may with more cows and more feed gone in if and in all likelihood we are going to get more weather extremes where more feed is going to have to be fed stocking rates and cow type is going to have to be readdressed ....
yewtree wrote: » My point is that yield alone predicts nothing, there are lots of lads who are very profitability doing 420 kg of solids and there are guys doing 580 kg and are profitable. If you have seen research work that shows something different you might post a link to it. The one thing I really dislike is the way farmers are turning on each other. Some lads are very insecure about their own system if all they can do is criticise other farmers. There will be loads of battles in the future where will need to pull togeather
mahoney_j wrote: » Don’t see it as turning on one another ,lads are just pure head strong on both sides some more than others .i maintain what I said earlier and use greenfield as an example where they have serious sokid % low yields and down 50 k litres on same month last year with more cows and more feed (expense)ignoring yield at expense of solids and vice versa ain’t right were paid on kgms so that’s what we need to produce as much of them as efficiently as we can
yewtree wrote: » Agree with you on that focusing on any one thing is not a great idea. We should have a balanced view on things. Having very high protein isn't a cast iron guartee a farm is making money either. Some of the stuff on twitter can get quite nasty though. It seems to turn into a game of one upmanship. Without going over old ground, take the greenfield it seems to have had a rough few months, but surely the project should be judged on its lifetime performance rather that a few hard months. Every farm experiences a few difficult periods
Mooooo wrote: » It always seems to go round in circles but the same conclusion arrives. Doesn't matter what cow type are there, it's the management is key. We all know farmers with high yielders and lower yielders who we would class as good operator and both do fine. Just like some may try to follow the low input and mess up, plenty more have gone trying the high input and messed up, by either not getting the yields or waste or whatever and id prob include myself in the second group there for a bit but hopefully learning. All systems require the same basic thing cows well fed, how that's done can be different but it's circumstance and management determine it really.
Keepgrowing wrote: » This is becoming a nasty place
jaymla627 wrote: Swings and roundabouts, have 1000 bales and 60 acres of pit in the yard be about 8 months feed if no grass in the diet , but I'm one of those high cost farmers feeding to much meal with low ebi cows who's doing the whole job wrong.... It's a tipping point this year for a lot of lads who have simply bred high solid/low volume cows that simply won't respond to feed like a good Holstein cow will, its the perfect system when grass is their but goes tits up when your get weather events like this year
Panch18 wrote: » I don’t think it matter what cow or what system you have, they is simply f&&k all money out of cows and we are only coddling ourselves thinking there is I think we need to face up to reality
mahoney_j wrote: » Panch18 wrote: » I don’t think it matter what cow or what system you have, they is simply f&&k all money out of cows and we are only coddling ourselves thinking there is I think we need to face up to reality We’re just the numpty price takers at the bottom of the food chain ,every body else’s margin up along is protected bar the idiot producing it .harsh but true
jaymla627 wrote: » Swings and roundabouts, have 1000 bales and 60 acres of pit in the yard be about 8 months feed if no grass in the diet , but I'm one of those high cost farmers feeding to much meal with low ebi cows who's doing the whole job wrong.... It's a tipping point this year for a lot of lads who have simply bred high solid/low volume cows that simply won't respond to feed like a good Holstein cow will, its the perfect system when grass is their but goes tits up when your get weather events like this year
Panch18 wrote: » All the risk, all the work and none of the benefits Dairy farmers need to wake up, we are being made fools of
Keepgrowing wrote: » jaymla627 wrote: » Swings and roundabouts, have 1000 bales and 60 acres of pit in the yard be about 8 months feed if no grass in the diet , but I'm one of those high cost farmers feeding to much meal with low ebi cows who's doing the whole job wrong.... It's a tipping point this year for a lot of lads who have simply bred high solid/low volume cows that simply won't respond to feed like a good Holstein cow will, its the perfect system when grass is their but goes tits up when your get weather events like this year A nasty post. I cannot abide farmers who take pleasure and strive to massage their own insecurities through others misfortune A clear illustration of growing up to be done[/q Empathy is something I do lack to be fair, especially when lads can't step back take a look at their own system and question where they are going when a bad 9 month spell of weather literally puts them on their knees.... Have absolutely no sympathy for lads blowing about growing grass up over the ditches and been absolute rockstar farmers and like pointing it out to anyone that will listen, who now going forward if the weather doesn't revert back to a perceived norm can't feed their cows going into the autumn/winter, assumption is the mother of all f**k-ups is something i like to farm by, I could of assumed that I don't need to take a good bit of rented land and cut a massive amount of silage year in year out at a huge cost to the business in terms of monetary and extra workload placed on myself, but i do just for the security blanket I now have going forward into the rest of this year when it's badly needed...
charolais0153 wrote: » None of the benefits....christ almighty you're fickle ,ya you'd say something if price was on floor 22-23c a litre but prices are good and the outlook for prices are good.
Keepgrowing wrote: » A nasty post. I cannot abide farmers who take pleasure and strive to massage their own insecurities through others misfortune A clear illustration of growing up to be done
Coolfresian wrote: » It's doesn't seem to me a nasty post. In fact it seems like a farmer who's system is working and is prepared for any challenges that comes weatherwise. If anything the late spring and drought conditions has exposed a weakness in the promoted way of dairying for many farms. Only 3 weeks ago during the grass growth spurt ppl were talking about needing more cows, and now their trying to source feed! It's a discussion forum here and it's good to see some farm systems are adapting to the weather challenges this year.
GrasstoMilk wrote: » The biggest thing with this dry weather we're getting ATM is to try not let it affect your farm output over the coming years. I've been told quite a few times 'oh get rid of cows' 'reduce stocking rate' etc. Those two things will be the very last resort here and the fact that it's just thrown out there with out even knowing your stocking rate is silly, We're not stocked high, stocked lower than last year infact and we made 5 months of silage last year (granted it was a great grass year) We're not worried yet, there's still 6 months of the year left. If we plan it right we all could be grazing into December and even at silage into October! There's plenty of options there for everyone to have a look at to help there own situation. Worrying over something you have no control over is a waste of time
Mooooo wrote: » Saying what works for you is fine and indeed helpful, but calling out lads with a different system whom may be struggling now is pointless. Plenty lads here older than me, how many of ye can remember a weather spell like this? Or even have all three events we've had this year come in the same year? We are where we are and if lads change tack after this year all well and good but everyone is going to have a toughspell to get thru at some stage, it's a case of get thru it learn and move on. If anyone had all the answers we would all be doing it that way. It's outside the door, look after yerselves and do the best ye can
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://w6.vanillicon.com/v2/6b045e3248245c8ff8c1e910a6b3b442.svg)
