Mf240 would have been a regular poster here long before you joined.
Yeah have heard that about there rotary’s.
Big operator in mountmellick had 2 rotary’s on 2 leased farms in stradbally and they’re near enough Waikato machines now
in all fairness, you said you didn't give the cows meal and then you turned around said you gave them a pinch at milking time. A pinch more than likely a half kilo to keep a cow content so that's a kilo a day on top of the maize and silage, another poster has asked you twice what your milk urea is and you have failed to respond as allot of would be curious to know what it is with that type of feeding, surely is up in the high 30s with that level of protein as im sure the pinch of nuts aren't 15% either
Sound i believe you, no bother. Dont stress about it
What high protein, where do you get milk urea.
What Maize. It was silage and wholecrop they are getting.
@ this time of year we only have stale cows, milking 18 litres but not feeding meal, only silage and maize or wholecrop.
when you get a text from co-op with your milk sample results, the u in the text means urea. Look it forget about it if it's stressing you out.
Don't think I have ever seen a text with U in it from Kerry. Don't think they test for it.
Anybody that asks a question I will always thy to answer if possible.
It is nothing personal so don't get upset.
Kerry don't give urea results.
In all fairness Cosatron, it was I that asked for the MU. I asked so that posters might learn about different forages, and how to grow them. Nobody even asked what the forages consisted of…because from my experience on here there are two… ‘leafy bales’ and dry cow silage. Ginger posted the exact analysis of those forages and not ONE poster queried the constituents!
KG (moderator) posted recently that those that adopt to the new regs the quickest will stay ahead. I agree.
Pointing the finger at the Minister, Teagasc, Taisce, Vegans, Greens etc serves nobody. Finding solutions serves everyone.
tgsrs All very good if your farming at scale and have that scale to adapt ……many of us on typical Irish family farms are the ones who will feel the squeeze most …..and yes I do feel let down and not supported by our govt ,minister for ag ,advisory bodies etc …..with respect dwag very easy for you to throw statement like that out when your farming at scale your at
What do you see as the solution Dawg? I actually don't see going down the indoor route as a solution to be honest. You still have the nitrates problem and extra ground needed to grow the forage. Or possibly the same amount of ground growing more feed per ha when its in maize or wholecrop, but then not enough cows to eat it unless we go exporting slurry. That really isn’t viable for the vast majority over here as the tillage quality ground isn't available near most of the milk pool.
My own solution is stick under 170, cut cost to the bone, including my own labour to be able to keep my off farm income going as well. I have no opportunity alongside me for extra land and think the off farm option is less stress than an indoor system drawing everything in and slurry out.
Scoff at leafy bales and dry cow silage all you want dawg but the base of dairying in Ireland has and always will be how much high quality grass you can grow and get the cow to consume
it’s the cheapest and highest quality feed we can grow here. That’s our competitive advantage. You can grow soy bean and maize way cheaper than we can and that’s why it’s the basis of the European system due to various different factors
Irish farmers moving away from grazed grass will be to their detriment.
On the suck it up comments.
The peat constraints kick in in 2025. Probably after the next general election. The peat constraints are no ploughing, tilling allowed and most likely lower stocking rates than the case now.
There's has never been as much focus, interference and stick shown as is now in Irish agriculture.
We have two commentators on here saying just accept it. Those two commentators have other income other than farming. No slight on ye but ye wouldn't want to be in a government agricultural focus group. Ye wouldn't give a true picture of the farming community.
Maybe ye are the reality though and instead the ag colleges should have been teaching if ye want to farm make sure and have income outside of farming.
Ear to the ground on now just had a farmer who cut out spreading fertilizer this year. Went from 73 cows to 63 cows made 15% less silage this year ended up having to buy in silage for this winter also.
Is less still more going off of that? Hard to say it is.
Does anyone know how long it takes to get IBR blood samples results. They were sent to a lab in Roscommon.
I'm not dure if I am one of those comme tators SMN? If I am I certainly haven't said suck it up, just my circumstances leave it easier for me to stay under 170. That is mainly because I am fragmented here and it was drystock really that was driving me over the 170.
I noticed Ella didn't mention the cost of buying the silage. More propaganda.
Way more money to be made with 10000 litre cows doing 4.8f 4% p cows feed on leafy silage maize and brewers grains and feed to yield- less concrete less pollution and massively reduced kg of ghg emissions per kg of milk solids sold
i personally see derogation going as an advantage for my farm set up - grass based farming will become uneconomic freeing up land
If you included that the guy being interviewed is probably 20-30k at least worse off from the move.
If you feel that’s the way for your farm im
not the one to tell you you’re wrong but for me grass is still king.
msybe I’ll be wrong. Who knows
The survey says "It's not you" .😉
I'm feeling sorry for myself here realising with the current government and environment. I'd have been better going off farm and using the farm as security.
Was talking to a guy who was at a discussion group meeting lately . A few Teagasc boys were there and were discussing more bands for cows.... if they get their chance they'll hammer us more Stan just to keep their low producing nz type cow going.
Since you phased out using irish genetics what kind of lift have you got on milk solids a cow delivered?
He'll have to drop more cows then still if he wants to farm that way.
I've been on that journey for a few years now. The soil tests were showing adequate potash but this year was too tough on silage. The yields dropped too much. I had to wait too long to get an adequate yield. This year too was the first year I had to look at buying some to bring me back where I should be. I spread potash and sulphur back there a few weeks ago. I may look at the phosphorus situation in the new year. You'll cut back on N and run on your reserves of P and K but then when they run down you hit the wall. I spread f all p and k these last few years too. Thought I was a great fella.
I have one field/paddock that is an agronomist or environmentalists dream. It's index 4 in p and k and 11% OM but grows nothing. OM is too high.
Grass is king till you get a **** spring summer drought or washout or an autumn like we’ve just had ……I test grass weekly and for vast majority of year from April on it tested poorly …..knock on affect is silage Was cut later and subsequent cuts even at 30/40 days just didn’t cut it …..maize is best feed I have in yard this winter
Grass is our only advantage in our climate. Its always going to be the base feed in the vast majority of dairy farms.
The other problem with the high input system is it falls outside the bord bia grass fed standard. All the coops have signed up to it. I would have lots of issues with bord bia, but thats the standard now
Been on a few northern irish dairy farms. They are no more profitable than irish farms but the workload is huge, they always seemed badly paid for the work they put in.
Banding is a European thing, ask @Gawddawggonnit what it is in France for different yields. If in the high band your as well off going well into it as things stand if you can. If yields are between bands or in middle it will take a good bit of change in genetics and management to get there, whether that would be worth it or not another question. Can't see how growing crops etc unless it is to properly replace ration is the solution for most, if fragmented maybe but not where cows can walk to.
In terms of farm security it's prob a case of working out what suits you at 170 and see if it's viable and if not, I dunno, case specific. We'll be all renting out to tillage farmers and watch em look at waterlogged crops....
It takes a good 5-7 years to really start making changes in the soil. Didn't see ettg but if he just cut to nothing in one year, it was a stupid thing to do
