Fodder Crisis

tomwaterford wrote: »

Possibly not helped by increased amount of stock kept??

This is one factor that the IFA, Teagasc, processors and politicians fail to take into account. Over the last two years even with higher exports we have nearly 200k more drystock for slaughter in the country. There must be about that many extra dairy cows as well. As well 50% of exports are not as calves but weanlings/yearlings. That is a awful lot of extra mouths to feed.

A suckler cow premia could add another 150K extra suckler cows and there calves.

Muckit wrote: »

I agree. It's a dangerous thing having a headage type payment linked to sucklers. The very lads that can't feed them will increase numbers just for the few pound.

Its obviously going to be for what you had this year or last year rather than a rolling type of payment

Bass Reeves wrote: »

This is one factor that the IFA, Teagasc, processors and politicians fail to take into account. Over the last two years even with higher exports we have nearly 200k more drystock for slaughter in the country. There must be about that many extra dairy cows as well. As well 50% of exports are not as calves but weanlings/yearlings. That is a awful lot of extra mouths to feed.

A suckler cow premia could add another 150K extra suckler cows and there calves.

It's a poor outlook that if you want to keep cattle in this country that you have to buy them from dairy farmers.
Of course suckling has to be made viable

No fodder crisis around here but slurry crisis is getting a big issue ,months of rain ,land sobbing wet (even on this dry farm)and tanks at or near capacity

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Will you explain why we should put a subsidy in place to encourage extra production or maintain production so that the process can reap the benefit. 100 euro on a 380kg carcasse is 26c/kg a subsidy might drive the price of beef down twice that. As well we may see fodder hard to access because of higher dairy numbers. We cannot control dairy calf numbers so people will have no choice but to adjust. Look at the present beef price and ask yourself how viable are sucklers in this senario

There's not going to be any difference in the amount of land that's available, so how will numbers increase, all that's happening at the moment is that farmers are being forced into dairy calves and the processors that are doing trials with dairy calves don't have any good news either. It's bad enough being in a low income situation without having to farm cattle that you hate the sight of.
There mightn't be as many dairy calves around either if they closed intervention for SMP.
Why subsidise one and not the other, 100 acre farm stocked with sucklers won't produce as much beef as one stocked with calf to beef.
I think I've given you enough reasons to subsidise sucklers there.
Oh and Dairy calves are a rip off at the moment

Willfarman wrote: »

A man with 2 acres and one cow. Now teagasc tells that man you should have two cows on that two acres because the gate and wire would keep two as ready as one. Or even 3 or 4 or five...

The same farmer that does that will keep 2 calf to beef units per acre too.....some farmers will be rimming it no matter what enterprise they're in.
Can't understand how they get through cross compliance inspections.....an AO said to me lately he can't look over the ditches at all when he's driving for the last fortnight

Did a recount today of silage bales.
I have enough till the 17th March.

Called up someone local to me today and have enough now till end of March hopefully now.

Did a quick look on DD and there's a lot of fodder for sale in Wexford.

I should have a good cover of grass on turnout as they were in earlier than normal last year. In when everyone else on here had stock still out.

Water John wrote: »

Agreed, for many it depends on a weather change. Really important to have systems in place that will move fodder from east to west. It's still only mid January.

The government are going to pay for a transport scheme though now?

It's partly a reason that forced me to get moving.

Managed to get 6 small square bales of straw this evening. Very handy for putting in behind a cows shoulder if she's after being down. Had to go to a few farmers to get them, alot have none

Base price wrote: »

It is a sign of the times
Not so many years ago most tillage farmers would always bale up a few acres in small squares unfortunately that is no longer the case as they cannot get help/labour. I know an older tillage/dairy/mixed farmer that invested in machinery that stacks the bales after the baler and he uses a grab (with spikes) on his fourtrack to load them on a trailer and then load them into the shed. As far as I know he doesn't have to put a finger on a bale.
He only makes 2000 small bales to suit his own and a few neighbours requirements.

Round bales are considered safe and waterproof once they're baled, whereas squares aren't, you'd have to be in a position to draw immediately.

wrangler wrote: »

Round bales are considered safe and waterproof once they're baled, whereas squares aren't, you'd have to be in a position to draw immediately.

The big squares suit a lot of farmers too. A lot less labour and they can be opened and sections taken and the bale tied up again nearly as handy as small squares if you have a suitable spot to open it.

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

The big squares suit a lot of farmers too. A lot less labour and they can be opened and sections taken and the bale tied up again nearly as handy as small squares if you have a suitable spot to open it.

I've been using rounds in the individual lambing pens too, roll out a few feet pickit up in layers, best part is it's already shook out when you drop it in the pens

Are soil temps still not on the low side for nitrogen?

kay 9 wrote: »

Are soil temps still not on the low side for nitrogen?

Check out the soil temperatures.

http://www.met.ie/latest/yesterday.asp

When it's above 6c grass grows.

Robson99 wrote: »

Have the boat out ready to go.

She’s letting down a good drop here in Galway at the minute.getting mighty sick of this weather.the storms are getting fierce plenty.nothing here lately but big closhes of water and rivers are full to bursting

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

She’s letting down a good drop here in Galway at the minute.getting mighty sick of this weather.the storms are getting fierce plenty.nothing here lately but big closhes of water and rivers are full to bursting

In Galway too. Non stop torrential rain the last 3 hrs.

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

Same in Kerry. Good drying today in preparation for the deluge again.

When the weather does start improving though the place will be quick to dry , we're still in January so theres time get back on track before grazing or putting out manure would usually start (here anyway )

gozunda wrote: »

With the very wet conditions fertiliser nitrogen highly likley to be lost by run-off in surface water and leaching from the soil

Conditions very poor here despite temperatures

Fully agree with that post ,soil temps 7 plus degrees in few paddocks yesterday ,got a lot of slurry out with umbilical ,no way I’d travel with tank ,land is too wet and water table to high to put out urea .no point been a hero and pouring fertliser down the drain .when conditions are right out with bag of urea ,could be next week ,could be 2 weeks time

Will be late feb early March before I do anything with bagged fert here have plenty of storage.The land while I can get slurry out early February.I find it’s a waste of time with bagged Fert as land isn’t warm enough for it.
The contractor uses the umbilical dribble bar here since glas was joined some difference to the response from it and the time to spread slurry.

No point being a hero with slurry either. Leaching is also possible. Inevitable l would say. But what's all that GAEC stuff about anyways