Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

straight · 22-08-2022 09:08AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504003#Comment_119504003

You couldn't lose. Better again if you had the ground to finish them.

mahoney_j · 22-08-2022 09:18AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504249#Comment_119504249

U should talk to the many beef farmers that know there figures and have left the beef game …..there is next to nothing out of it ….the bps and glas etc keeps the show on the road ….good friend of mine finishing a couple of hundred cattle a year and knew his cost to a tee exited the beef game 3 years ago and now milking 150 cows ….difference to income is night and day …he misses the cattle game and wouldn’t have the same love for the cows but financially a no brainer

straight · 22-08-2022 09:40AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504296#Comment_119504296

He's earning it now though. He wasn't putting in the same work or investment with dry cattle. You, like me lost money giving away fine calves at the peak of the market. If I had an outside block I'd keep them. Plenty people making money from calf to beef.

mahoney_j · 22-08-2022 09:45AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504399#Comment_119504399

All costs factored in I’m better off taking what I got at 22 days …I have sheds to keep all calves but getting a decent calf and not sparing beastings /milk etc for that period makes far more sense ….the calves that I gave away were all twins and small calves ….I was delighted that someone wanted them…they’d of cost me a fortune and left me a bill keeping them any longer

straight · 22-08-2022 09:53AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504437#Comment_119504437

18 month old fr bullocks are making nice money at the moment. 1000 I'd say easy.

It's not all about the money here. I lose alot of money on my calves in the spring but it's more that I put a different kind of value on my calves and I have created a bond with them and grow fond of them. Would love to keep them with me for their lifetime and whatever about profit I'd have plenty cashflow.

Most of the problem in the spring is caused by everyone doing the same thing.

cute geoge · 22-08-2022 09:57AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504399#Comment_119504399

Talking to a few lads who kept onto fr bull calves ,they were glad to be able to sell them in the last few weeks ,the bills for ration are mounting up .I dont think grueller factored all costs ,like a grass cost of 60 euro ,there is no land charge in that .2.5 calves to the acre for the best 6 months of the year would peg back profit and no mention of tb test cost either

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504003#Comment_119504003

Grueller · 22-08-2022 10:02AM

Fed no hay. Straw and nuts as calves. Bit of straw with them at grass too.

I agree 100% that there isn't a shilling in it really. I had over 80 sucklers at one time and the beef game as a whole is a bet job in this country. I really only threw my costs and prices up to open up this debate. I am not basing any business plan around these boys😂😂

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504220#Comment_119504220

mahoney_j · 22-08-2022 10:19AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504524#Comment_119504524

It’s only when u sit down and do proper costs u get a true picture of what’s really out of cattle …we always kept cattle here with cows ….the 13 cheque I called them …super job to keep some money together but the reality was/is there’s no worthwhile money to be made keeping them any longer than as calves …

Siamsa Sessions · 22-08-2022 10:22AM

Would there be a big difference in rearing a bull calf from a British Friesian cow compared to a bull calf from a JEX cow?

And would the costs to rear them to 6-7 months be the same?

cosatron · 22-08-2022 10:50AM

we keep all fr/hol bull calves up to finishing. We let them off them out of the shed in early feb this year between 22 to 24 months this year and average 1200 a head, some were finished others weren't. Ideally you need to keep them for the third summer of grass to put right flesh on them, they need time. Is there money out of them, i don't know, they keep money together and they cover there own cost but one thing i will say about them, they are hardy boys and are absolutely no bother from a health and temperament point of view and if you feed them they will finish, a fierce under rated beef animal.

mahoney_j · 22-08-2022 11:09AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504718#Comment_119504718

3 summers …2 winters ….they def keep money together but bottom line is ….is there profit and worthwhile profit to keeping them that long …u can throw in nitrates now /sr etc

Gillespy · 22-08-2022 11:11AM

Got €330 to 350 for March fr bulls two weeks ago. Father saw some being sold the week before and decided to let the lot off. Money for old rope.

cosatron · 22-08-2022 11:17AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119504812#Comment_119504812

for us they are down in the rented out farm along with the replacement heifers and silage ground and if we don't keep them the grass would go wild, in fairness to them, if you have a few coming every year they will pay for the rent and fertilizer on the rented ground, so they are doing a job for us. when the nitrates kick in they will probably have to go and more silage will have to be made or sow some crops in some fields and all this money will be coming out of the milk cheque.

trixi2011 · 22-08-2022 12:31PM

How's the grass situation looking around the place ? We had floods here last week and still no grass growth after it . cows going into really low covers alot of silage and meal going in

mahoney_j · 22-08-2022 12:57PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119505191#Comment_119505191

5 meal 5 silage remainder silage from today ..no rain worth talking about for 3 weeks …grass is growing but nothing worth talking about

straight · 22-08-2022 01:00PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119505191#Comment_119505191

Growing 38 to 40. Had to graze some heavier covers the last week or so. Still on 2kg meal and no silage. Rotation is gone out to 40 days.

whelan2 · 22-08-2022 01:33PM

Cows going to aftergrass tomorrow, 60 acres in it. Topping away. 11 acres sprayed off for reseeding. Good bit of rain this morning

Mooooo · 22-08-2022 01:47PM

4kgs meal, OK for grass but quality is poor for time of year. A few acres to bale and another bit for reseeding but will get heifers off to outblock so reducing sr at home. Lower stocked this year has helped but meal fed won't be down much on last year. Doing 21 to 22L

Pinsnbushings · 22-08-2022 06:20PM

F all growth here, about 10mm rain in the last week but not enough to get things moving, ground is like a rock..2.5kgs meal and silage the last fortnight..not ideal oad this time of year, yield crashed a nice bit and protein down .1 too.

orm0nd · 23-08-2022 07:57AM

Silage since Sunday 4kg meal. Farm looking good but I walked it sfa covers.

Ground rock hard but not burning.

Grueller · 23-08-2022 08:03AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119509123#Comment_119509123

That's the stage I am back to after 5 weeks of feeding silage. Farm is as green as a cabbage again but begging for moisture.

K.G. · 23-08-2022 08:31AM

Struggling to keep at 20 days here.that hot week really flecked us.we re just coming right after getting that rain bank holiday week end and decided to premow a bit to tidy a few places which didn't help.up to 6 kilos and gave everything a big bang of 40 to 45 units.i m just worried that after these 2 weeks coming of more dry weather we ll be too late to come back out of the grass situation

Morris Moss · 23-08-2022 08:56AM

What way is everybody for silage? We've been lucky enough here, getting just enough rain to keep us going but know of lads feeding silage for the last 6 or 7 weeks.

straight · 23-08-2022 09:12AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119509235#Comment_119509235

That's big feeding. Never fed 6 kg in my life. Why did you spread 40-45 units? Had you skipped a few rounds. I may be low on nitrogen here after spreading 25 units all year and rotation stretched out.

mahoney_j · 23-08-2022 10:27AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119509344#Comment_119509344

Ok atm …..but depends on how long and how heavy I have to stay feeding for now

K.G. · 23-08-2022 12:39PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119509408#Comment_119509408

Well with milk at 60 cent and ration 42 I figure it was never cheaper.as for fert that was second last spread of the year and I felt it was better to front load it and probably owed the land a bit.

alps · 23-08-2022 12:45PM

Held off fert here since moisture returned and place has a blue shine off of it... Definitely enough N available for this regrowth without adding more.

Question here is if we should go for a 20 day round to reinvigorate growth, and immediately follow with a 30+

mahoney_j · 23-08-2022 01:21PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119510499#Comment_119510499

Seemingly rain on way tonight ….spread right up behind cows with bag of sweet grass /acre …will go with last split of 25 units of liquid between 7:10 September …..

alps · 23-08-2022 02:01PM

Are we on an earlier closing date for slurry this year?

straight · 23-08-2022 02:23PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119510472#Comment_119510472

The experts say that you are on a sliding scale of a litre per kg after 3kg of meal. I guess you are just filling the void left by grass but would silage not be better. I presume you're cows are still only milking 1.7 to 1.8 kgMs.

Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

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