Dairy farming

Im just going to leave this here....

Teagasc: Smarter Milking Event farm of Conor & Liz Fitzpatrick,Annabella,Mallow P51HX32 on Thurs 18th July @ 11am.Cow Flow,Saving Energy,Time &Money.KT APPROVED
Did anyone go to this?
 
Just reading this thread here now (well bits of it). Advice seems to be to make drastic changes to probably have no effect on your working day. I don't mean to offend but you need to hear it, the problem is poor organisation. And I'm not going to say I'm an angel here either as I've done those hours before, but won't do it again.
1. Start earlier, up at 6am, slice of toast and milking by 6.45/7am. Get a breakfast after. Surely one person can feed calves while other milks. 96 cows in a 12 unit should see you in for breakfast by 8.45.
2. Ask yourself why you are feeding calves at this time of the year, be ruthless with your analysis.
3. Topping? I don't need to elaborate on that.
4. Figure a way around washing your yard.
5. Go for your cows at 3.45pm, milking at 4, in for dinner at 6pm

There's probably other stuff going on too that just needs perfecting. You won't enjoy dairying with those hours. You also have to force both yourself and your Dad to take at least one day off a week, absolutely no exceptions, silage/hay/calving doesn't matter, one day off a week and plan it out a month in advance (it should be 2 days).
I hear about this struggle between ould lads and children the whole time, and believe me the relationship is much the same on any farm, my own included, the difference is organisation and diplomacy. Have a chat with him and tell him that in this day and age those hours are not sustainable and you both (him included) dont owe it to anyone to be working those hours. You'll do twice the work in less time if you prioritise the work, plan your day and get on with it.

My inspiring Grandad said you needed to have something outside of farming to spend time on.

Leave your parish once a day, your County once a week, your Provence once a month and your country once a year.
 
Fair enough Brucey but as said before it's still a 12 hour day no matter what way you go about it 6am to 6pm or 8 to 8 .!
Well not to breed of your own cows if they are good cows does seem a bit mad I suppose fiat 450 but like if labour is scarse the other way is tempting ..
 
Fair enough Brucey but as said before it's still a 12 hour day no matter what way you go about it 6am to 6pm or 8 to 8 .!
Well not to breed of your own cows if they are good cows does seem a bit mad I suppose fiat 450 but like if labour is scarse the other way is tempting ..
But if you are finished at 6pm theres time for a life apart from on farm. If you're not finished until 8pm or later there's not much time for other stuff
 
Bang on. Finish 6 your washed, changed and on the way to somewhere by 7.

Finish 8 and it's 9.... films have started, everyone has eaten, social meetings and clubs are well into their evening.
Or you can get a few tanks of spray out, wash a shed, go ploughing/sowing, empty a tank, dose cattle, fix a combine, do a vat return, the possibilities are literally endless :sweat: the odd time maybe even have a little drinky :drunk:, in that case it is very important that you don't need two people to milk!!
 
Fair enough Brucey but as said before it's still a 12 hour day no matter what way you go about it 6am to 6pm or 8 to 8 .!
Well not to breed of your own cows if they are good cows does seem a bit mad I suppose fiat 450 but like if labour is scarse the other way is tempting ..
Would it add that much in the long run? Of you just keep enough to see you out year on year the most young stock (calfs, heifers) would be 50 maybe. This time of year management is simple enough to. But look it's your call you know your own set up
 
Fair enough Brucey but as said before it's still a 12 hour day no matter what way you go about it 6am to 6pm or 8 to 8 .!
Well not to breed of your own cows if they are good cows does seem a bit mad I suppose fiat 450 but like if labour is scarse the other way is tempting ..

I hope I didn't sound condescending in previous post, I certainly don't mean to be. I'm definitely no angel, but I have made some adjustments/changes to my working day/week that have had a positive effect on my time off work, time in work and physical/mental health. Hoping to milk an extra 40 cows next year, there is extra work with 40 cows, but I won't be starting any earlier in the morning or finishing any later in the evening. There is nothing wrong with milking at 7am and 3pm.
That topper may go, get some decent PROFESSIONAL advice on grassland management, spending 2hrs a week with a plate meter will not only benefit you financially, but will save you the time you are spending on the topper.
As big headed and all as it sounds, value your own time twice what others are charging and you'll soon learn to delegate.

Dairying can be an awful tie down, can be soul destroying, mentally and physically exhausting, and can be an isolating vocation. Or it can be a rewarding, flexible, profitable, healthy way of making a living, you choose.
 
All great valued points lads ! As ye say no point talking about them unless I am going to implement them ! Do you milk at 7am and 3 pm brucey ?
 
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At this time of year you could be out of the yard by 5pm. Plenty of long days during the spring. Nows the time to chill .
 
Dairying can be an awful tie down, can be soul destroying, mentally and physically exhausting, and can be an isolating vocation. Or it can be a rewarding, flexible, profitable, healthy way of making a living, you choose.

I don't want to be big headed either, but I largely dug myself into that 1st hole you presented there in the 1st year or so here, but throught abit of planning, pure presistance, and abit of luck I'm definitely at the 2nd part now. I specifically remember one summer evening, a Yr after I'd started proper compact calving, just thinking to myself jezz I've just had like 3 very handy weeks here on the farm only doing the bare 6hrs a day milking/moving fencing, and thinking to myself maybe this all isn't too bad after all.
 
All great valued points lads ! As ye say no point talking about them unless I am going to implement them ! Do you milk at 7am and 3 pm brucey ?

Start milking at 6.45, in for breakfast at 8am. Milk at 4pm and finished at 5pm, gate on yard closed at 5.30. We'd be in some businesses in town before closing and you'd hear "Heading home to milk now I suppose?" I'd have no issue with starting milking earlier in theory, just would find it hard to get all done, room for improvement on my part.

Honestly, I have been at it the other way, milking at 8am, putting in all day rooting with machinery. Not finished by 9.30 pm, and longer hours during peak season. There's guys that specialise in working and managing machinery, you need to specialise in working and managing your cows, your facilities (aside from your collection yard) might not need much investment. But you need to invest in yourself and put more of a value on your time, get ruthless with your breeding, you really should not be feeding calves at this time of the year if you are manufacturing milk.

We hooked up to our topper here last week for the first time in about 7yrs, wanted it to cut thistles under wires (result of making the mistake of spraying under wires) but we couldn't find the PTO shaft so we opted for the hedge cutter!

We are using this time of the year to do things that will save us time another time if the year, eg, I fitted a valve on the milk line of our milking machine on Saturday that will save a bit of time washing and will make it very easy to get milk for calves or to dump antibiotic milk. We are also at fencing and roadways now.
 
At this time of year you could be out of the yard by 5pm. Plenty of long days during the spring. Nows the time to chill .
Plenty of light in the day still drive her one. Seriously doh I'd have my feet up only have to bring the little one into hospital tomorrow for a scan on her hip so keeping on top of things as today went completely tits up on me
 

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In fairness the two posters above have scale and are established. When your trying to get going somtimes it's different.
When kids come along there's no excuse for being in the yard after 6pm on a summer's evening. Plenty of time for being down the yard when they are grown up and gone. You can't turn the clock back when they are older and you realise you missed out on their childhood due to work. No job is worth that
 
When kids come along there's no excuse for being in the yard after 6pm on a summer's evening. Plenty of time for being down the yard when they are grown up and gone. You can't turn the clock back when they are older and you realise you missed out on their childhood due to work. No job is worth that
Well shit happens at times so what can you do.
 
Shit doesn't happen every evening. But sure if ya prefer to spend time with the cows rather than your own kids so be it
 
Shit doesn't happen every evening. But sure if ya prefer to spend time with the cows rather than your own kids so be it
I could say something else but I am not bothered as we will go around in circles here and I haven't the energy for it
 
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