Agreed 💯. no volume no profit doesn't matter what any of the rest of them say.
If you have enough head space at the barrier you can just give 2kg of a high energy high protein (soya soya soya )as a midday feed also make sure its a high protein ration/nut in the parlour. You can safely get to 8kg in the parlour (slowly).
It's unreal what lads who can't turn a pound on there land will look to bleed the Tennant dry......
Well the high protein is one way to get cows to milk off their backs after calving. High energy low protein feeds are the only way to go for fresh calvers if you want to get them back in calf again.
Thats if your getting enough grass into cows?
Would be dry enough here once you pick your spot. Grazing since late January and you can see the regrowths. Cows are only out for an hour or 2. No damage really. Just wouldn't be doing a farmers journal grazeout!
Lovely shower landed about half an hour after they went in there. They aren't closed in so just wobbled back to the yard.
If you want milk you need go put in protein......... you can do both believe it or not. 18 %ration with a ufl of 1.15 22% here with a ufl of 1 (cows indoors need protein and that protein needs to be largely soya bean meal. Small bit or rapeseed distillers and even hulls is ok keeps everything in balance ...…but the cow has to have the ability to produce the milk before you go to the work of feeding her.
I feed the yearling heifers a 20% protein heifer nut. I have too much of it in the bin at the moment as I only ordered 3 ton the other day. Maybe that nut would do as a midday feed. I know there is soya in it.
feeding 2 kg of soya and 2 kg of maize meal in the diet feeder with maize 82dmd silage and brewers grains
Feed to yield in parlour maxed at 9 kilo a day
Currently doing 33litrea at 4.88fat and 3.78 protein
I never buy rations only straights
Ya definitely there would want to be soya in it for young stock to grow anyway . On another note 20 is a bit high for young stock really ....
Maybe it is but it's from southern milling and they've been doing well on it for the past few years. I'd give it to them in the autumn when they are about 6 months old until they go out to grass at 13-14 months old.
No there wouldn't, not if they get the right quality silage.
disagree. I didn’t grow maize myself till 2 years ago. Was buying it it before. It’s piss easy. Few days work around sowing it and that’s it bar a weed spray till it’s in the pit. 25kg/hd going into ours plus 1.25 kgs soya and 4 kgs 18% in the parlour
Theres a real opportunity now to get proper return on the land, TBF it's the greed of dairy farms that's driving it, much wants more. Dont blame the landowners.
We're not making anyone bid for the land against their will
The problem with maize is where do you grow it. Hardly a viable proposition to go and rent land at 400 to 500 an acre and you would certainly be off your nut to grow it on land that you can graze cows on.
Now we grow maize but it is on owned land that cows cannot graze.
I think I’d be far better off growing maize on the mp and forget about grazing and keep the cows in on an indoor robotic system
Better to rent land at 400/ac or even 500 than pay 75/t for it to be grown on contract and you have the maps for it then
We grow it on rented land and it’s costing about 60/t to grow last year. If we had a better growing year and got higher tonnes it would have been less again
The reality is 80 dmd silage brought up to 30% starch with crimped grain would be far better feed.
nah the addition of maize to the diet dramatically increases intakes of dm which increase both yields and percentages
The crimp with with wet distillers has the same effect. Again the reality is that our dairy products are traded on an international market. Maize can be grown far cheaper in our competitors countries. Ask Dawg . The only competitive advantage we have, certainly down here in Kerry is our ability to grow grass. Then with maize there is the lost opportunity to shorten the winter where cattle could be out grazing that ground in the Spring and Autum.
There's a real professional beef finishing unit in north Cork. They gave up growing their own maize because the south West is not sunny enough.
Is that with a contractor doing all the work or your doing some or all. As well how far ahead of supply are you committed to purchase. If you are growing on rented land it a much more forward commitment. Is the supplier demanding total payment on commitment to supply...or is he only looking for a deposit or verbal agreement to purchase
I would have thought that too up to recently, my yearlings were on a 15% beef nut, and I ran out one day and fired in a kg/head of 19% dairy nut. It didn't hurt so I just kept doing it. The past two weeks,it's only every second day as they might be out soon. But they are like different heifers. Tall and shiny.
So was the beef nut shiite or was it the extra protein and calcium
most would be looking for half uat sowing. On the 20 acres we grew last year I was 6,000 better off. Aswell as that you have much more control over quality. A contractor might grow a high yielding variety that could be lower in starch compared to what you would grow yourself. You also haven’t much choice over cutting date. Plenty have cut it early to get the trailers weighing heavier.
TThere Is .... but it's madness ....its a race to the bottom and it's no small part of cop getting out of control.
Greed or lads not stopping for a second to weigh things up.
Can I just qualify there gtm that's on some of the best land in the country in the best climate in the country and you operate in an even more favourable micro climate in that area. I don't doubt what you say re figures on it but it doesn't stack up at that money away from the eastern/southeastern sea board.
Edit just to say I'm not having a go it's where you're based.
YYour Right on both thoughts I would say . The beef nut is poor (most of them are ) the soya is putting a shine on them and aids growth. Calcium is a problem if feeding males but i think you're only heifers. 17/18 %is what we use but if i could get a 16 with enough soya it would be plenty good for heifers
Amy idea what in calf heirs are making atm, calving soon, high ebi, but not pedigree. Average herd nothing fancy. Are we talking about 2K?
if they’ve good dams records for milk and solids in n calf to Ai or calving b soon an easy 2 k
Anyone know of sales where 2nd or 3rd lactation cows might be on offer? Calving soon or freshly calved.
I'm looking for a half dozen British Friesian or Holstein types.
