Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

That’s just marketing …..there trying to get a foot in the door and compete with Munster Eurogene dovea etc ….there main catalogue contains some v solid bulls

No just a example supersire/punch/renegade/frazzled/ coonway would be the bulls used here from wws had been all semex until recently but wanted a few outcross sires, westcoast peresus/ardor/neptune/river/boldi armour/jabir would make up a good % of cows been milked with wws heifers only coming into the parlour this year, their alot stronger type cow in fairness but I wouldn't like them any bigger

My point is that plenty people want a simple life of not putting in that feed. The EBI system isn’t designed for those inputs. I agree with you though. This thing of ranking a farmer by his EBI when it mightnt be his perogative it’s rubbish.

What you’re talking about is shaping the system around the cow tbf Mahoney. If you don’t want to buffer feed, then breed a cow that you can avoid it but the way you’ve phased it there sounds like you aiming to have nice profitable cows and working the system around them. That’s grand if that’s what you’re comfortable doing but a lot of people don’t want that is my point. To quote the most misused statement “make the system work for you not you working for the system “

My point is that no one forces you to take any advice. Yes there was a lot of bad advice given out for sure. Everyone knows the cock up they made with the calf issue anyway.

But you have to remember that they’re a national advisory body. All marketing of product in this country emphasises grass fed, natural approach with minimised inputs. Whether it delivers a premium is another kettle of fish. There’s nought wrong with different systems but advice is a la carte. No one forced anyone to milk 200 cows. It’s people who take advice too seriously is where the problem lies. I appreciate there should be other options there but there are plenty private advisors out there that will point you in the direction you want to go. Small milking platforms with high stocking rates do not fit the National image which we trade off.

Do what suits you and don’t go to these events or don’t read the journal if it annoys you to see people who don’t understand your circumstance talk down to you.

It grates on me to see people get annoyed by what Teagasc say. It’s a bit like the free speech argument. You choose whether you get offended or not

Delaval do one as well might be worth pricing them also,I'd imagine they would be as good if not better than Lely

Saw a 20ft broughan trailer on the road with silage this morning full to the gills

pit silage not grass silage

Anyone well into their 2nd round probably has great covers from early grazed stuff, but ground that was ploughed up in March must be suffering the affects of it.....

Plan to knock all 1st cut and strong paddocks not grazed next week, I reckon we are in for a 2018 weatherwise year, it's been very similar so far

Growth was 42 last week, slower this week I'd say. Dont like covers so low coming into breeding, 2 days in to 3rd rotation, waiting for dry weather to work on some reseeding.

Ya just went with 30 units 3 weeks ago and urea and 18 6 12 again last week. Weather is too unpredictable in Feb and March to lob out heaps of urea

That 80 units is madness and so also is anybody on their third round after the Spring we have had. You need to give the grass time to grow. That high nitrogen grass is pure poison. To get cows back in calf you need buffer feeding preferably with maize or wholecrop.

going into 3rd round here tonight 1400 on it, it was grazed on the 28th of March cause other ground was too wet

skipped 2 paddocks of 2nd round and will graze last paddock of the 2nd round after next paddock

2k gallons slurry on all paddocks plus 60 units urea to date. 20 units of that went out on Monday

had been feeding silage up till about 12 days ago