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Silage thread

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Comments

  • #1292
    sean1141
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,088 ✭✭✭sean1141


    just do it wrote:
    Done and dusted, last 7 bales got a sprinkle of drizzle and light rain set in soon after. Phew!

    Out of interest why don't you stack them on the ends?

    Picked up 35 acres with a local contractors today.. that trailer work is a young lads game! I'm in bits after it!


  • #1293
    frazzledhome
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,278 ✭✭✭frazzledhome


    sean1141 wrote: »
    Out of interest why don't you stack them on the ends?

    Picked up 35 acres with a local contractors today.. that trailer work is a young lads game! I'm in bits after it!

    We're you driving a wreck?


  • #1294
    sean1141
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,088 ✭✭✭sean1141


    frazzledhome wrote:
    We're you driving a wreck?

    99 new Holland 8560


  • #1295
    Timmaay
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,392 ✭✭✭✭Timmaay


    mahoney_j wrote: »
    25% many little more ,top will be fine but middle of swarth damp,grass cut this early needs to be Tedded .all conditioner dose is fluff swarth up ,don't see point.contractor here runs 3 butterfly mowers with no conditioners .local dealer here has seen huge demand for 4 and 6 rotor tendders this year and struggled to keep up with demand.big swing to high quality high dm silage here with lads going for less bulk and more quality

    Yeh thinking that 25% the most I can expect, looking under the swards tonight it's still quite damp and unlikely to improve much more. But anyways Yeh fully agree, we are stocked too high here to be wasting time on a full 1st cut which takes 2wks at least to recover after cutting, my local contractor is priced reasonable but basic setup, no tedder/rakes etc and charges us per acre (which is part why my dad wants quantity). Moving forward I'll probably be considering a wagon on a per load bases, but we don't have a mower, tedder rake etc, and I ain't a fan of splashing out on machinery, esp if it only gets used for 5 days a year. Plenty of back of the envelope figures to be done. Meanwhile also, I need to ditch the autumn milk because any cow who calves here in the autumn is almost guaranteed to milk 1000l or so less than her equivalent spring comrade, 25dm silage doesn't cut it for a HO on full whack.


  • #1296
    MIKEKC
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,251 ✭✭✭MIKEKC


    Timmaay wrote: »
    Yeh thinking that 25% the most I can expect, looking under the swards tonight it's still quite damp and unlikely to improve much more. But anyways Yeh fully agree, we are stocked too high here to be wasting time on a full 1st cut which takes 2wks at least to recover after cutting, my local contractor is priced reasonable but basic setup, no tedder/rakes etc and charges us per acre (which is part why my dad wants quantity). Moving forward I'll probably be considering a wagon on a per load bases, but we don't have a mower, tedder rake etc, and I ain't a fan of splashing out on machinery, esp if it only gets used for 5 days a year. Plenty of back of the envelope figures to be done. Meanwhile also, I need to ditch the autumn milk because any cow who calves here in the autumn is almost guaranteed to milk 1000l or so less than her equivalent spring comrade, 25dm silage doesn't cut it for a HO on full whack.

    Cut last years receed Thursday night ,not baling until Monday morning ,is this too long ,spread out today


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  • #1297
    visatorro
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,955 ✭✭✭visatorro


    not tedding out here either. getting excited with a Tedder or rake brings clay up into the sward which isn't right either. butterfly conditioner mower, and 30 ft rake then. precision chop. moving away from wagon for a few different reasons. hopefully it will all work out!


  • #1298
    mahoney_j
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,809 ✭✭✭✭mahoney_j


    MIKEKC wrote: »
    Cut last years receed Thursday night ,not baling until Monday morning ,is this too long ,spread out today

    All my pit silage knocked this afternoon ,Tedded today ,tomorrow and before dinner Monday ,raked and pitted from 3 o click Monday .turn again tomorrow ,it'll be fine ..over 100 bales already in bank from surplus paddocks and Italian cut mid April ..not gettin whole crop this year and will chase highest possible 2/4 bale per acre surplus bales for milkers


  • #1299
    mahoney_j
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,809 ✭✭✭✭mahoney_j


    visatorro wrote: »
    not tedding out here either. getting excited with a Tedder or rake brings clay up into the sward which isn't right either. butterfly conditioner mower, and 30 ft rake then. precision chop. moving away from wagon for a few different reasons. hopefully it will all work out!

    Why move away from wagon,would love to switch but current contractor would throw a hissy fit !!cows much prefer the longer chop of bales or wagon


  • #1300
    frazzledhome
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,278 ✭✭✭frazzledhome


    visatorro wrote: »
    not tedding out here either. getting excited with a Tedder or rake brings clay up into the sward which isn't right either. butterfly conditioner mower, and 30 ft rake then. precision chop. moving away from wagon for a few different reasons. hopefully it will all work out!

    Can't see us returning choppe silage any time soon. Love wagon silage, working well for a few yrs now


  • #1301
    Milked out
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,433 ✭✭✭Milked out


    After getting fierce warm out here in cork, wouldn't be surprised if there will be a few thunder showers over nite.


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  • #1302
    mahoney_j
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,809 ✭✭✭✭mahoney_j


    Milked out wrote: »
    After getting fierce warm out here in cork, wouldn't be surprised if there will be a few thunder showers over nite.

    Yer welcome to them,don't want any till Tuesday !!


  • #1303
    visatorro
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,955 ✭✭✭visatorro


    mahoney_j wrote:
    Why move away from wagon,would love to switch but current contractor would throw a hissy fit !!cows much prefer the longer chop of bales or wagon


    silage pits are too small for the volume I need. the wagon silage takes up more space. so the last few loads don't get a proper tramping. it also takes half the time, which means I can start at seven Monday morning and have pit covered at seven that evening. I personally don't see the cows having a preference, but I take your point. precision is easier on the diet feeder aswell ( although that thing could be sold this summer too). my contractor does both. his customers mostly going back to precision.
    saying that in 2012 when fields were wet the wagon was the only way to travel in fields so they could be back here again.


  • #1304
    Greengrass1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,493 ✭✭✭Greengrass1


    mahoney_j wrote: »
    25% many little more ,top will be fine but middle of swarth damp,grass cut this early needs to be Tedded .all conditioner dose is fluff swarth up ,don't see point.contractor here runs 3 butterfly mowers with no conditioners .local dealer here has seen huge demand for 4 and 6 rotor tendders this year and struggled to keep up with demand.big swing to high quality high dm silage here with lads going for less bulk and more quality

    Well mj all I can tell you is we made alot of 40 dm and 36 dm silage last yr apart from one piece that got rained on


  • #1305
    Greengrass1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,493 ✭✭✭Greengrass1


    frazzledhome wrote: »
    Wtf did you do? Did you rupture the bed?

    Ye hit a stone which bent a blade and sliced the bed. Dad managed to build it back it. She lost some amount of oil I'd have said the bed lost very little


  • #1306
    just do it
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,422 ✭✭✭just do it


    sean1141 wrote: »
    Out of interest why don't you stack them on the ends
    Can't see how it would affect quality and this way is easier.


  • #1307
    WheatenBriar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,170 ✭✭✭WheatenBriar


    Timmaay wrote: »
    Yeh thinking that 25% the most I can expect, looking under the swards tonight it's still quite damp and unlikely to improve much more. But anyways Yeh fully agree, we are stocked too high here to be wasting time on a full 1st cut which takes 2wks at least to recover after cutting, my local contractor is priced reasonable but basic setup, no tedder/rakes etc and charges us per acre (which is part why my dad wants quantity). Moving forward I'll probably be considering a wagon on a per load bases, but we don't have a mower, tedder rake etc, and I ain't a fan of splashing out on machinery, esp if it only gets used for 5 days a year. Plenty of back of the envelope figures to be done. Meanwhile also, I need to ditch the autumn milk because any cow who calves here in the autumn is almost guaranteed to milk 1000l or so less than her equivalent spring comrade, 25dm silage doesn't cut it for a HO on full whack.
    Glanbia are offering €16 a litre guaranteed for liquid milk contract
    No winter bonus on it for anyone buying


  • #1308
    sean1141
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,088 ✭✭✭sean1141


    just do it wrote:
    Can't see how it would affect quality and this way is easier.

    We usually stack them on the ends just to have a thicker layer of plastic on top. It helps with birds and cats walking across them


  • #1309
    Greengrass1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,493 ✭✭✭Greengrass1


    WheatenBriar wrote: »
    Glanbia are offering €16 a litre guaranteed for liquid milk contract
    No winter bonus on it for anyone buying

    Jeez dout well be buying any so


  • #1310
    C0N0R
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,962 ✭✭✭C0N0R


    sean1141 wrote: »
    99 new Holland 8560

    Not to worst to be driving, handy gears and a reasonable seat, slow as a funeral on the road though.
    Timmaay wrote: »
    Yeh thinking that 25% the most I can expect, looking under the swards tonight it's still quite damp and unlikely to improve much more. But anyways Yeh fully agree, we are stocked too high here to be wasting time on a full 1st cut which takes 2wks at least to recover after cutting, my local contractor is priced reasonable but basic setup, no tedder/rakes etc and charges us per acre (which is part why my dad wants quantity). Moving forward I'll probably be considering a wagon on a per load bases, but we don't have a mower, tedder rake etc, and I ain't a fan of splashing out on machinery, esp if it only gets used for 5 days a year. Plenty of back of the envelope figures to be done. Meanwhile also, I need to ditch the autumn milk because any cow who calves here in the autumn is almost guaranteed to milk 1000l or so less than her equivalent spring comrade, 25dm silage doesn't cut it for a HO on full whack.

    I feel your pain just about getting our man to rake it, last year it went wet into 20ft swards. Some Craic trying to milk over winter with it. Going to try get someone to Ted it this year, guy I work for probably going to be to busy to do it but seems to be a few about with tedders. Plan is mow Monday lift Tuesday or so fingers crossed.


  • #1311
    whelan2
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 30,985 ✭✭✭✭whelan2


    hope to cut towards the end of the week , will also do some bales, grass flying here now:)


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  • #1312
    oxjkqg
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 307 ✭✭oxjkqg


    Jez the weather for the next 7 days isn't lookin too hot


  • #1313
    mahoney_j
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,809 ✭✭✭✭mahoney_j


    whelan2 wrote: »
    hope to cut towards the end of the week , will also do some bales, grass flying here now:)

    Sorry to bust your bubble whelan but rain is back Wednesday night and rest of week not looking good,I'd go early in week,especially as your supplying winter milk and need quality feed


  • #1314
    Timmaay
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,392 ✭✭✭✭Timmaay


    WheatenBriar wrote: »
    Glanbia are offering €16 a litre guaranteed for liquid milk contract
    No winter bonus on it for anyone buying

    But you can't sell any for 3yrs afterwards. I'm hoping to have no autumn calvers well before then. I'd take a June calver over an autumn calver now ha.


  • #1315
    Cow Porter
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 472 ✭✭Cow Porter


    picking up later today, not great drying yesterday but escaped any rain last night thank god.

    this is our first year in a while getting all ground grazed in spring and cutting before bank holiday weekend. hopefully will test out good. one field was starting to head out but the rest looked good. fellas need to be making at least some best quality forage not just for winter milkers but to milk cows to 305 days, cant see why you'd dry off an april calver in december unless youll only be milking a small number.

    frazz, mahoney and stan can ye post up what yer silage ground plans would be from early in the year, ie graze first? closing date, units of n, latest slurry application, sulphur??? ground here got 70 units in early april


  • #1316
    Greengrass1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,493 ✭✭✭Greengrass1


    Mowed this stuff last night. Looks great quality. More 18 6 12 and cut in 6 wks
    TXgUsw.png
    BxBrQI.png


  • #1317
    Robson99
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,794 ✭✭✭Robson99


    Is that IRG gg?


  • #1318
    Greengrass1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,493 ✭✭✭Greengrass1


    Robson99 wrote: »
    Is that IRG gg?

    It is in its 3rd yr now. Will be grazing this ground in 2 yrs time with milkers I hope. Going to stitch hybrid into in after 3rd cut. Be great Craic trying to keep it grazed


  • #1319
    Reggie.
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,636 ✭✭✭✭Reggie.


    Serious grass


  • #1320
    bogman_bass
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 5,253 ✭✭✭bogman_bass


    Contractor got half way through cutting when a big dirty shower hit :mad:
    Another hour and we'd hAve been grand.
    He abandoned it and will finish at lunchtime today


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  • #1321
    Miname
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,984 ✭✭✭Miname


    Still trying to convince the old man to mow here, it's for sucklers so doesn't need to be exceptional stuff but he still wants quantity.


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