80% of your land has to be in grassland each year
going to grow an extra 10 acres of maize here this year to build up a good fodder bank. Those 10 extra acres are in stubble any way abd wouldn’t grow a whole lot of forage after being reseeded in comparison to a maize crop.
we’re just gone in to dero as well now this year. What’s the 80% rule?
agree but this bullshit 80% rule if your in dero needs changing
And make sure those cats "have an appetite" as the experts say about cows going out to grass in this weather 😀
A few ferral cats should do the job.
The thing is with the nitrates restricting stocking rates you would wonder where there should be any need to buy in maize. Lads should have enough land to grow the feed for their allowed stock numbers.
That was an interesting trial growing the beans with maize. It doesn't seem to raise the protein by much but it might help to cut down on the nitrogen.
I was thinking something similar. Iv a river near the yard. Id just fear I wouldn't be able to keep the rats out of it.
Questions for lads with Maize... what size pit would be ideal for 15 acres? Any what kind of covering does it need, 2 sheets plastic and mesh/netting to keep off birds?
From vet Stock update
Estrumate - due to production error it will be out of stock until July / August
As far as I recall 2011 was a dull wet summer but was a great year for silage yield. I recall getting 88 bales off a 7 acre paddock at one stage. And I remember the bales to the acre yield being a talking point on here for many. There was a very short mild winter that year. Christmas Day 2011 was 20 degrees warmer than Christmas Day 2010!! . I remember talking to a guy who was confidently predicting he wouldn’t need to make silage in 2012!!! Such was his surplus. There was good growth and some cattle were grazing around here in Feb/march . However From April onwards it all went downhill. The summer that year was an absolute **** show. 2013 there was a dry cold east wind the entire spring. Growth was absent but ground was dry. That’s the big difference this year. No two fodder crisis are the same. This one is probably more similar weather wise to the 1985/86 crisis. Wet summer followed by a wet extended winter/spring. Although the tillage situation this year was probably never as dire.
tillage boys up here going for maize ..beet and even cover crops ….they’d want to be well covered as regards payment and guarantee any customer that want it will take it ….straw looking to be a major problem
That's not so much a rotation as a vortex!
Was talking to the lad from Samco today. Maize seed orders are gone ballistic. Apparently a lot of tillage guys are planing to grow it this year as well.
nice day here in mid tipp.good drying and was surprised when I took a load of water from parlour out.going to hang tough on letting them back out as I’m ok for silage.paddocks that are grazed not looking too bad.lucky I got out urea on last Saturday of January and had nearly 1/2 re done again
would you not try and source seem good feed with the fodder scheme after been announced, you likely have a good % of paddocks that need to be left recover and build covers, going in on them now and churning them up could screw you for the year
I hope we get the growth rates you're expecting! Even to go back into covers of 1200 needs a growth rate of 80 every day.
I'll never ever forget 13 ran out of feed on the 20th of May and still had to get silage was very lucky a friend gave me 20 middling bales and some pit silage it was enough roughage to keep them going with a heap of meal and a pluck of grass did some ploughing of the place them years
2012 did the damage for the spring of 2013. I remember well as we were building the house. Blocks were laid in march and may. The block layers lost only 1 day to weather. April was cold. And then the summer was a disaster trying to roof it.
First cut was split from the end of may. The remainder of the 1st cut was a smash and grab of pit at the end of july. It was like wire, but cattle ate it and it saved me in 2013
13 was dry at times but the wind burnt all in late spring.I remember doing a long days work and going looking for feed at night it got that bad i ended up buying 2000 small squares at 4 euro each il never forget 13 and handling those bales
Im into second rotation with 20 bales left, light covers. Was looking at paddocks for day and night from Friday, would 15 day rotation be too short
It won't. March April was our summer in 2012. I'm always wary of those really kind, mild springs, as we generally pay for it with a crap summer.
So I reckon we're almost guaranteed a 2013 or 2018 style summer, if we can knock a few more weeks out of the monsoon!
Ya agree it all started in second half of eleven 12 was a right off and then when the pressure was on in 13 the weather turned in April and May. Edit just to say I still think we got better stretch of weather to get slurry and stuff done
There was a few good weeks in April 2012 but the second half of 2011 had been bad like last year in the west which is what compounded 2013.
I'd say it'll clear before the end of the month …
As it stands their 2.4 cent a litre behind lakeland on base-price if they up base price to match lakeland for March and give a 3 cent top-up than fair play, if they don't their just using it as a pr stunt, liquid milk and fixed milk suppliers will be delighted in fairness
worn out sums it up. the appetite is gone on allot of the farmers.
Ya Cos early 12 was no where near as bad as this year is around here
Was at an ICMSA meeting last night. Full house and not a word out of them. Normally at these things there would be some few lads complaining about something, but not a word. Are lads so worn out they are giving up the fight.
Alot of the problem in 2013 was caused by the absolute lack of a summer in 2012. I just hope this year isn't going to be another 2012.
Got caught for feed in about 2004 but haven't been caught since.i had alot of rented ground planted with kale which failed which resowed with rape which also did poor and to compound it the rats attacked the bales in the fields. Have been ok since but I nearly always be buying away too if its offered. Our problem this year is we don't have any silage fit for milking left since Patrick s weekend.2018 was a bitch on the calf front for us,scared me for life
