Farming Youtubers

Yes I put few early videos up in 2009 that I took with my phone. But didn’t start putting up talking videos until 2017-ish. Didn’t show my face until 2020 or so. Should have done that earlier, but that’s a whole other story. 👍

Ah Gerry, where were you hiding?

I think grouping is a good job in lighter cuts especially but even good first cuts. Cut dry and baling the next day is perfectly adequate for baled silage. When you're limited by tractors, manpower and time, it speeds up the job a lot. No fruity tedders and rakes needed, burning diesel, compacting fields and introducing soil into the silage. All to save a few bales.

Mr CVX on youtube is coming to the same conclusion.

Have a Kv 4028 with one, so nine foot. Doubled up it makes a nice row for the baler. Really like mowing with it too, feels like you're making more progress than you are with the bigger rows.

Yes I ripped Mats out of shed for this reason. The matting was bolted to the slat and grooves cut out of it. Worked well for first 3/4 years. Cattle thrived well on it…. They would lay out on it like they would outside on summers day. Great job. .then, after that time, We purchased in an animal with a foot rot/ mortal arrow, then the issues started. First year spread to few in the shed, washed entire shed down that summer, disinfected the shed. Thought that would be it, following year had problem back again. 10 times worse. The fot rot bacteria was living in the space between the slat and the rubber mat. You couldn’t lift it to wash it or disinfect. So I ripped it out. After washing, never had that issue again. The newer matting I’m told, some of the mat actually goes down a little bit on each side of the slat and stops that happening. I’d have to see it.

im not sure there’s enough of a performance difference to justify the cost of the matting in any case What’s others thoughts on it.? Be interested to hear.

Think I read it here sometime ago that if you were to mat all your slats, what you’d spend would buy build you a good dry bedded shed for lame cattle.

Have a few pens done here with Easyfix mats. Jury still out weather they thrive better on them. They are far more confident on them and bulls jump about as if they are on grass.

I was watching you foot bath bulls in the winter. is it just at housing you do this or is it something you do on a regular basis.

You obviously find it helps? Just use formaldehyde and copper?

Whats your plans for this winter with the price of meal? Will you feed away as normal? I’d imagine if factories want cattle in the spring they’ll have to come to some agreement with finishers on price with meal heading for €500.

Would never go back to keeping suckler cows on bare concrete slats anyway. Never had the problem you describe but is there any mats that can be lifted and replaced( have easyfix here and wouldn't be easy )

They have.

Yea that what I use. Works well….. for this winter, i have some of stores on grass but will need another 130-ish head to fill up. I’ll see as year goes on what happens with price. Could be better selling what grain and finish what I have. I’m not going to give a robbery for stores in the hope that beef prices will remain high. Beef finishers would need a guaranteed beef price at this stage. Costs are too hight to sustain the arse to fall out of beef next spring it’s same with all ends of the business at the minute. Dangerous times

@farmerphil135, really interesting video about the dyno testing. Did you think the 99 would have had a higher horsepower than the 200? I think the fast track was similar hp too but just shows the bigger liter engine in the 99 was more able for the triple mowers than the fastfrack.

No replacement for (engine) displacement!

Yep you're right, the Russell fella mentioned that. Must be a fair drain on the engine those transmissions.

Few interesting remarks about those old Massey's turning the steering wheel to help get the 1st tractor started wto let off the pressure on the closed centre hydraulics, and leaving the forward reverse lever in gear when doing stationery work.

Farming life at la forge is pretty good also