Realistically there should be a 7 to 10 cent a litre penalty imposed by the coops on milk from Jersey blood. It could be called the climate holistic levy. Money goes and rewards those producers who produce a calf of a certain grade with no Jersey background.
nice heifer
It is what it is.cows don't owe you a living but if you prepared to put the work in and run a tight ship financially there still good money to be made but there plenty lads can't pay their bills too
If I could clone a herd of this heifer I'd be a happy camper, power and strength, with a good cull value, lots of milk and will throw a great beef calf
Holstein now finishes into a good animal. You'd see cull cows making 1700. Hol x fr same and British friesian same get the grades. Montbeliarde also. Have them and as quiet as lambs. Depends on bloodline same as limousin.
The camera flatters in rings too. I've been at intakes where staff are sending home calves belonging to farmers. And this was 2024. They just wouldn't let them into the sale. An outside advisor coming onto the farm here would be telling that these farmers are the ones everyone should be emulating. There's no squaring that circle. Same farmer would likely be telling themselves they are the tops because they have small calves going for sale. I saw a pair of freemartin nzfr heifers born in feb for sale recently through the calf ring. 400 and 380 they made. I had april born lim bullocks make 1050. Heifers make 990. Montbeliarde feb born 1190. Have to change bull though I think from lim. Tend to carry too long gestation. Before you know it cows calving in april.
The chief here watches alot of auctions online, not as much shite as you used to see. Even plain fr bulls making good money atm. When the flush of calves comes this will change but you don't see nearly the number of **** calves you did 10 years ago. Also a even a good fr is still a poor animal. Just out of interest what breed do you suggest for a better calf? All the dual purpose breeds over the years don't seem to keep cattle men satisfied either.
little charloias calf born
unfortunately I know loads of people that are
had a cow calf last night for her 7th time with a calving interval of 364 over those seven births- she has averaged 711 kg of milk solids Over her 6 lactations
She has a fertility index of minus 1
No way would I cull her but my point is loads of lads are
when she doesn't go in calf 😁😁😁
I wouldn't think too much of it. Most dairy farm around here are still one income houses, and the wives aren't doing the working the farm of their mother in laws either. Some wives are working for their own personal reasons rather than household financial pressures. Farms have become a lot more streamlined with lower labour requirements over the last generation anyway.
On some farms the wife/partner is important and and an active participant, on many others they aren't relevant.
This isn't meant in the slightest sexist or misogynistic way, it's just the way it is in many situations that I know of. A partner isn't obliged to be involved in the others work above being sympathies and caring as per their rest of the relationship
Why would anyone cull cows based on some figure some ass,,,e in ICBF came up with. Every farmer knows their good cows and bad ones themselves or at least they should.
And here in lies the issue with all farming .trying to explain it all away sure Johnny down the road is struggling too.
It's a great perspective to have on here straight a person who has seen both sides of the fence
But you didn't get treble time into your account. Half that went in tax. It's about useable income for you and your family.
My point refered to owner operators and what is possible to take from the business for personal drawing.
130 cows here probably take about 30 weekends off in the year and 3 weeks holidays, 10-12 k labour bill. Worked it out before and would have to be making 100k as a paye worker to have equivalent useable income.
Genuine question . And I'm not interested in the lads blowing shite about being millionaires in waiting.
But genuinely. Kg and everyone else who all know the work and effort that goes into cows .... how does that make people feel when you read that statement. I for one found it a stark one
A lot of lads forget that when talking about farm income and seem to view it as a sign of failure or shame if there needs to be a second income coming into the house. The vast majority of non farming families are 2 income families and farmers shouldn’t expect to be any different in that regard.
What kind of a wage would a 100 cow dairy farm provide if all labour and land rent was costed? Remember now that it's time and a half over 39 hours and double time after that. And it's illegal for anybody in the EU to work over 60 hours per week. Add in the bank hols too. I used to get paid treble time when night worked a bank Holiday.
I'd say 150k labour bill and 40-50k land rent. So about 200k before you start with stock, buildings or machinery.
11 blocks of land hardship
Its most households now that rely on two incomes, farming or no farming
The group of lads I went to secondary school with all their partners work. Their households couldn't survive on one income. They are teachers, guards work in construction. I am the only fulltime farmer. Cost of living is so high now for everyone.
Credit where credit is due - there’s an interesting article in last week’s IFJ on a dairy farmer milking 80 cows and finishing all his beef animals.
Can’t find the link to it online but some pics below. There’s talk of calf/beef CBV figures it I didn’t see herd EBI mentioned once. Holstein Friesian cows and Hereford bulls
Yes and no.they mightn't be out feeding calves but if you go to the bank nowadays the first thing they will ask what job has your partner.whereas one time a farm might have reared a family on its own alot of farms now rely on wife's income to keep the household afloat.every successful operation has a strong and capable women driving it..the woman is always more important than the man
I've a cow herd ebi was 15 when I got the cert ......she has a calf year in year out. ......... should she be culled . Who knows anymore ebi is just figures on a sheet of paper in my opinion anymore 🤷
Plenty of 50 and 60 cow farmers down here, running profitable businesses.
Milk income, good quality calf income, good quality culls, plus sfp, disadvantage payments, acres payments.
All you have to do is be careful, and don't squander it on labour, machinery and rent. Most of us sit back and like chatting to each other about the lads paying 500/acre or those spending a million on buildings. That’s not real for most of us. Take it easy boyzz
another question do lads cull low fertily index cows
Change that big bull calf for a small calf born that bulks up and becomes a profitable beef animal in demand..
As I say the Irish farmers visiting New Zealand came back with ideas from there to change the model of farm, model of pricing, model of rewarding themselves for new zealand cow bred through icbf changes.
the world wants dairy protein and dairy fat. That’s how it has been for a very long time. My father was milking jerseys in the 80s because he was given a better milk price. thats a fair few years ago now and I and many others have changed our view on calf quality but I still don’t and won’t be sacrificing milking cow genetics for a big bull calf. I’ve no issue selling our calves now. I wouldn’t get top prices like you but I’m happy that I’ll get it the other end from the milk
You're only rewarded by the fact that the milk processor gives more money if there's more Jersey blood in the herd. And this pricing was brought here from New Zealand. It wasn't always thus and we didn't always chase and promote the new Zealand model.
Take a look in a marts intake on calf day and look at the big names that advisors would hold on a pedestal and then look at their calf quality coming out of the trailers. Even you yourself were caught up a few years ago and delighted with yourself if you got "beer money" as you described it years ago on here for calves. Any old calf would do. And you had calves go for Limerick. That was never dairy farming. And it should never have been made a joke. The way to make money then was more animals of this type. Which farmers of your former mantra took to follow.
All ingrained in dairy Ireland Inc and as I say the pricing by the processor, icbf and teagasc advice.
Everything I posted about was true. It offended people that have the complete dairy Ireland Inc mantra that it's the greatest thing going. The industry is now back thousands of cows. I could see it happening locally and I still see more sell outs. Maybe if people just admit it rather than thinking they are still in 2016.
I'd make a great speaker at a positive dairy farmers conference. The fact that it's a thing is telling in itself. Or one of the originators is in jail for murder.
Any well run 100 cow dairy farm would produce a better wage, when you take in the benefits of having farm to write off personal expenses.
No one is putting a gun to anyone's head to keep milking.
There has never been a better time to get out of dairy farming, sky high stock and land rental prices. Yet there is no Exodus.
If you were on this forum last year, lads were posting that you would not be able to get herds booked in to sell at marts due to all the dispersal sales. Nothing of the sort happened. Very few dispersal sales and they are mental expensive.
your biggest gripe there is with the calf quality and issue which I agree with you on. That was one of the reasons I moved away from jex.
But if you’re breeding a cow that your main driver is a big bull calf to sell then you may aswell be a suckler farmer. By all means try and breed a good calf but sacrificing the milking cow to do so isn’t the way. We’re farming to make money and the money is in milk not the calf. Ppl were right to follow best practice to be more profitable. I don’t agree with your view on that
I've always said that the whole industry is built on slave labour. The women are out working now and contributing in a different way.
You must be like a fish out of water down there in West Cork. Anytime I talk to lads down there it's all about hundreds of cows and rotary parlours. Alot of the land is pretty rocky and not great and lads have an awful horn for the cows. Over in east Cork they have plenty good land and they're not that bothered.
