Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

I've seen plate coolers blocked with maize where the parlour was being washed down as the machine was washing.

Can pick up circodine p in local agri shop down here. I use it away in machine, haven't failed any chlorine test but i do two rinses after milking and two rinses after the detergent if using it. Electric milk pumps don't empty the system the way the old double diaphragm pumps did so a split or double rinse to reomove residue is important.

May be no harm to give the bulk tank a second wash after next collection as well or have a look inside it, just be careful if looking inside think a lad for stuck upside down a few years back checking his tank

Have you a tap on the vacuum line to allow you to suck an acid descale through the vacuum line? If not get one fitted and get your parlour tech to show you how to use it. I had the same problem and that cured it..

If you mix an acid and base( caustic or chlorine based) Chlorine gas can be released and can kill so important to rinse between any type of wash if done one after the other

Nearly caught someone out trying to clear a sink when they put a small amount of caustic down after the bleach didn't work

We run a parasitic wash every morning after 2 rinses

only do a detergent or acid wash in the evenings

last tbc was 5000 and thermo 160

Don't count anything as surplus here till the following March/ April.

12/ 13 thought me that

Welcome to the joys of fragmented farms...have the same problem with contractors drawing bales 10 miles every year.

No problem leaving them until the winter and taking as you need them but they’d want to be on hardcore or in a yard off the road to avoid smearing with both wet land and traffic on roads.

regarding tedding was the same here this year we have two contractors who do the baling for us one was providing a tedding service the other sold his last year and had to get a friend of mine to tedd for us twice this summer. A Tedder would be a good purchase but not one for this year anyway.

I've tried the hay, easier draw but makes scraping a bit more tricky in the winter. My ground not suitable for maize or wholecrop really.

Will you be drawing back the slurry or using compounds to keep it right?

Exactly he’s invaluable to us, if you’re not making a huge amount of bales you’re as well off to draw them away as you make them but time on the road is the killer.

We planted maize there for 3 years got on relatively well with it but it’s draining on ground and it’s gone really expensive of late fellas were lucky with great yields the last year or two.

With regards you’re comment to nutrient replacement to straight above, fertilizer will only go so far when we were taking 3 cuts of silage off that far away ground it became ran out after a few years we have been drawing slurry by artic to the yard there the past 3 years and the difference is definitely noticeable when ground is receiving slurry along with fertilizer, it is very dry ground also so can be a great relief on slurry storage early on in the year.

Ye mine needs slurry or dung now.A yard there is a great job, the bit of ground I have is about 25 acres so it wouldn't justify a shed really. I wonder would those slurry bags be an idea on some of these outfarms. What can they hold or would you need planning I wonder.

Hoping not to cut anything down there next year and spend a few pound to get it better set up for grazing, the issue with that is water.

That would be ideal just grazing the far away blocks we lost leased ground for pit close to home yard 6 years ago so forced our hand going all bales. More expensive to say the least but being able to take out different cuts when they’re optimal has improved quality a lot of people would say we’re mad what we’re at dealing with 1100+ bales every year.

Would only take on rented ground for pit again if it was reasonably priced and it’s hard come by these days. Don’t know would you be any better off than our current setup given we own the outfarm 18 miles away.