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Size of your dairy herd

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  • 28-05-2015 10:48pm
    #1
    Feckthis
    Closed Accounts Posts: 504 ✭✭✭


    Just curious as to how many of you have increased your herd this year and by how much?
    Every dairy farmer I have spoken to has increased number.


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    #2
    mahoney_j
    Registered Users Posts: 11,084 ✭✭✭✭mahoney_j


    Feckthis wrote: »
    Just curious as to how many of you have increased your herd this year and by how much?
    Every dairy farmer I have spoken to has increased number.

    Increased by 24%,will go another 20/25% over next 2 years.thatl take me to 3.5 Sr.


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    #3
    frazzledhome
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,278 ✭✭✭frazzledhome


    Tiny increase here. We were at full production a few yrs ago as we had spent a lot on quota.

    We are on target to grow 2 tonne more grass this year. I feel that this will allow us to add another 10% in cow numbers with most silage being brought in.
    No major capx necessary aside a bit of labour saving. We will however need to increase the calf housing.


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    #4
    Timmaay
    Registered Users Posts: 11,394 ✭✭✭✭Timmaay


    mahoney_j wrote: »
    Increased by 24%,will go another 20/25% over next 2 years.thatl take me to 3.5 Sr.

    Only up this year by 10%, Current aim is 50% more which when I offload the heifers of the milking block, will stock me at 3 cows/ha, but critically about 130 which is about the limit of a single labour unit.


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    #5
    Deepsouthwest
    Registered Users Posts: 2,282 ✭✭✭Deepsouthwest


    Increased by 10% this yr, have increased by around 10/15% every yr for nearly the last ten yrs. This was done by acquiring quota through most means possible(parent partnership, buying from relations, buying restructuring quota, mpp partnership, temp leasing etc). Never paid a super levy fine, not even this yr. however it's all worth zilch now, and I'm left buying shares!


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


    Deepsouthwest wrote: »
    Increased by 10% this yr, have increased by around 10/15% every yr for nearly the last ten yrs. This was done by acquiring quota through most means possible(parent partnership, buying from relations, buying restructuring quota, mpp partnership, temp leasing etc). Never paid a super levy fine, not even this yr. however it's all worth zilch now, and I'm left buying shares!

    Sounds familiar, often told how lucky we were ;);)


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    #7
    keep going
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,551 ✭✭✭keep going


    Deepsouthwest wrote: »
    Increased by 10% this yr, have increased by around 10/15% every yr for nearly the last ten yrs. This was done by acquiring quota through most means possible(parent partnership, buying from relations, buying restructuring quota, mpp partnership, temp leasing etc). Never paid a super levy fine, not even this yr. however it's all worth zilch now, and I'm left buying shares!

    Similar here, have gone up 10 cows ayear with the last six and intend to continue the same way but I must admit the volume of work is starting to show so may draw a line somewhere


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    #8
    Mulumpy
    Registered Users Posts: 815 ✭✭✭Mulumpy


    Increased herd size by 12% this year to bring my avg. Sr to 3.5. The weather over past month has really put me and cows under savage pressure. Will be going back to original 3.25 level for next year. Lesson learnt, no interest in paying stupid money for renting grass


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    #9
    visatorro
    Registered Users Posts: 3,108 ✭✭✭visatorro


    increased 60% over last four years. will be cutting back due to labour issues and my own management not being what they should be because of a number of other things going on. have highly stocked milking block here. it's difficult unless you have a perfect grass year like last year. with my situation more doesn't mean more money


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    #10
    RightTurnClyde
    Registered Users Posts: 2,141 ✭✭✭RightTurnClyde


    Up 33% this year. Plan to do another 28% for next year. That will bring me to a SR of 3.3 and I'm stopping at that. I have very little CapEx to do and the additional 28% is being done to cover getting a full time milker next year.
    Have to have a life aswell.


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    #11
    mahoney_j
    Registered Users Posts: 11,084 ✭✭✭✭mahoney_j


    frazzledhome wrote: »
    Tiny increase here. We were at full production a few yrs ago as we had spent a lot on quota.

    We are on target to grow 2 tonne more grass this year. I feel that this will allow us to add another 10% in cow numbers with most silage being brought in.
    No major capx necessary aside a bit of labour saving. We will however need to increase the calf housing.
    Talking to my vet a while back and he says that this is where most lads are falling down ,load in extra cows and cubicles but nothing done with calving pens or calf sheds.load of lads that never had calf rearing issues had them this spring due to packing too many calves into small poorly ventilated sheds


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    #12
    frazzledhome
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,278 ✭✭✭frazzledhome


    mahoney_j wrote: »
    Talking to my vet a while back and he says that this is where most lads are falling down ,load in extra cows and cubicles but nothing done with calving pens or calf sheds.load of lads that never had calf rearing issues had them this spring due to packing too many calves into small poorly ventilated sheds

    Totally agree, never a truer word. We've kept Pre 28 day mortality below 3% but there's pressure building. The way we manage is to keep bull calves moved off farm weekly for March.

    We've got the housing but its not calf housing iykwim. All penned and then into grps of 35 in bigger sheds.

    Reason we're slow to purpose build is I haven't come across a successful calf house yet. I think the person rearing has an awful lot to do with calf health


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    #13
    st1979
    Registered Users Posts: 936 ✭✭✭st1979


    When u lads say s.r of 3.5 do you mean on the grazing block or whole farm.


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    #14
    Timmaay
    Registered Users Posts: 11,394 ✭✭✭✭Timmaay


    st1979 wrote: »
    When u lads say s.r of 3.5 do you mean on the grazing block or whole farm.

    Grazing for most I'd say. I'm surprised at the amount of yas close to your limit already, the harvest 2020 50% increase won't be coming from here unless we all go down the high input/output road ha.


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    #15
    Greengrass1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,493 ✭✭✭Greengrass1


    will be about 15% up on last yrs numbers. Next yr is a big jump. About 30% on this yrs figures.
    All ill be basicly doing is cows and calves. Have a lad in mind to approach about doing some relief milking for me next spring.
    Dad does majority of feeding during winter. That helps alot
    could go another 20% agsin but ill need somewhere to grow silage or contract rear heifers. Contract rear heifers would be s good option I think but how many are keen to tske on winter and soring heifers


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    #16
    oxjkqg
    Registered Users Posts: 307 ✭✭oxjkqg


    Increased 9% here, up to 78, will not go much more than that. The harsh winters and harsh spring and really harsh summer so far are inhibiting our abiltiy to grow grass.


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    #17
    kevthegaff
    Registered Users Posts: 6,884 ✭✭✭kevthegaff


    Gone up 30% and another 10% nxt year, going to increase until this mountain cant take no more bovines! SR 1.8


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    #18
    Sam Kade
    Registered Users Posts: 12,313 ✭✭✭✭Sam Kade


    Timmaay wrote: »
    Grazing for most I'd say. I'm surprised at the amount of yas close to your limit already, the harvest 2020 50% increase won't be coming from here unless we all go down the high input/output road ha.

    Harvest 2020 is a load of codolodgy.


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    #19
    mahoney_j
    Registered Users Posts: 11,084 ✭✭✭✭mahoney_j


    Timmaay wrote: »
    Grazing for most I'd say. I'm surprised at the amount of yas close to your limit already, the harvest 2020 50% increase won't be coming from here unless we all go down the high input/output road ha.

    Ultimately Timmay,cows cN only walk so far and access to milking block land will shove us all that way ,wether we like it or not


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    #20
    mahoney_j
    Registered Users Posts: 11,084 ✭✭✭✭mahoney_j


    Greengrass1 wrote: »
    will be about 15% up on last yrs numbers. Next yr is a big jump. About 30% on this yrs figures.
    All ill be basicly doing is cows and calves. Have a lad in mind to approach about doing some relief milking for me next spring.
    Dad does majority of feeding during winter. That helps alot
    could go another 20% agsin but ill need somewhere to grow silage or contract rear heifers. Contract rear heifers would be s good option I think but how many are keen to tske on winter and soring heifers

    Big jumps there gg but will u have slurry storage and extra cubicles/calf creating facilities in place.no point loading on nos to be a busy fool,no offence!!


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    #21
    frazzledhome
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,278 ✭✭✭frazzledhome


    mahoney_j wrote: »
    Big jumps there gg but will u have slurry storage and extra cubicles/calf creating facilities in place.no point loading on nos to be a busy fool,no offence!!

    Get the cows on GG the rest will follow, Rome wasn't built in a day. Get that tank full


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    #22
    frazzledhome
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,278 ✭✭✭frazzledhome


    st1979 wrote: »
    When u lads say s.r of 3.5 do you mean on the grazing block or whole farm.

    Whole farm for us. At 3.2 now


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    #23
    Sam Kade
    Registered Users Posts: 12,313 ✭✭✭✭Sam Kade


    frazzledhome wrote: »
    Get the cows on GG the rest will follow, Rome wasn't built in a day. Get that tank full
    and keep refilling it.


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    #24
    whelan2
    Registered Users Posts: 29,131 ✭✭✭✭whelan2


    hope to get back to my 2009 numbers next year, not buying in stock ever again between johnes and ragworth posioning it was a total feck up


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    #25
    jaymla627
    Registered Users Posts: 6,476 ✭✭✭jaymla627


    Timmaay wrote: »
    Grazing for most I'd say. I'm surprised at the amount of yas close to your limit already, the harvest 2020 50% increase won't be coming from here unless we all go down the high input/output road ha.

    Lads for the most part aren't breeding the cows to go the high output road anyways, with lads chasing high ebi their neglecting kilos of milk you really need a milk sub index of plus 200kg across the herd to be doing 7,000 litres plus


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    #26
    mahoney_j
    Registered Users Posts: 11,084 ✭✭✭✭mahoney_j


    frazzledhome wrote: »
    Get the cows on GG the rest will follow, Rome wasn't built in a day. Get that tank full

    Agree to a point but how about nitrates,and extra cows need extra storage and beeding and feeding ditto calves as well as more parlour units.not having a go but from his posts these are all things that we are told he is short ,slower steadier growth adding as u go is what I'd do unless you want to really bite the bullet and borrow heavy and build from start loading nos at same time


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    #27
    mahoney_j
    Registered Users Posts: 11,084 ✭✭✭✭mahoney_j


    jaymla627 wrote: »
    Lads for the most part aren't breeding the cows to go the high output road anyways, with lads chasing high ebi their neglecting kilos of milk you really need a milk sub index of plus 200kg across the herd to be doing 7,000 litres plus

    Disagree jay,chasing ebi here,not neglecting milk and delivered 7300 milk kg last year.milk sub index for herd is+144 kg


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    #28
    stretch film
    Registered Users Posts: 1,057 ✭✭✭stretch film


    frazzledhome wrote: »
    Whole farm for us. At 3.2 now

    Exporting slurry to satisfy nitrates?


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    #29
    stretch film
    Registered Users Posts: 1,057 ✭✭✭stretch film


    Up 30% this year . Slower progress next few years. Just barely requiring derogation last year so really talking stocking rates in that context see whole farm at 2.8 to help smooth bumps


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    #30
    Greengrass1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,493 ✭✭✭Greengrass1


    mahoney_j wrote: »
    Big jumps there gg but will u have slurry storage and extra cubicles/calf creating facilities in place.no point loading on nos to be a busy fool,no offence!!

    I was waiting for this :D
    have a massive hay shed here that's always half empty by feb so we'll get pens made up for it that will hold alot of cakves. Man buying calves has said he'll take bulls every week which will help alot
    tbh only for the winter milkers I don't need cubicles. Dry cows are great on the straw. Bit of work alright but if we get lagoon or some form of storage in this yr and parlour in ill be doing vert well. And sure of I don't get parlour in I wouldn't be the first lad to milk 100 cows through a 6 unit


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    #31
    Mehaffey1
    Registered Users Posts: 1,571 ✭✭✭Mehaffey1


    This year went to 800 peak milked from 690 last season. Stocked at 3.2 to the ha at peak this year


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