Greenfield Open Day

KJL said:
Once in 30-40 year event. We have our cows and stock in roofed sheds and there was nothing but misery. I don't think any yard was different over the past few days.

It's easy to get up on a 'high horse' after an event like the last few days.
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I love when people quote weather events as a once in a X amount of years ocurrence and then a year or two down the line it happens again :laugh:
 
KJL said:
Once in 30-40 year event. We have our cows and stock in roofed sheds and there was nothing but misery. I don't think any yard was different over the past few days.

It's easy to get up on a 'high horse' after an event like the last few days.
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Even the cattle in the forestry are looking rough this weather.
 
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Yea remember 2010 ice on the woodchip pad was a once in a lifetime event as well.
But in fairness well done to the staff it looks like it was horrendous work. Makes me wonder what it would be like to be relying on staff to milk a large number of cows.
 
I think it's a fair point that KJL makes. I know the snow made pure muck out of any straw bedding here unless the back of the shed was to the east. It went right back 47' feet or so in one shed and would have went more if it could.
 
I note the Irish Water Head man mentioned high Ammonia levels in drinking water on Radio 1 this morning. He specifically mentioned West Cork.

Slurry spreading/pollution of water seems to have been in more discussions this winter than at any other time I recall.
The increase in the national herd is having an effect that is not going unnoticed.
 
Now I am not a stockman, but surely having the cows so exposed would have some effect on milk yield, not just during the last few days but for the coming weeks until they get back on their feet. Not to mention the increased labour required to defrost machines in an event like this and other frosty conditions.
 
CORK said:
I note the Irish Water Head man mentioned high Ammonia levels in drinking water on Radio 1 this morning. He specifically mentioned West Cork.
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I heard that and he seemed to emphasis the point. A cow uses about 25% of the artifical N applied, where does the rest end up
 
Profi Farmer said:
Now I am not a stockman, but surely having the cows so exposed would have some effect on milk yield, not just during the last few days but for the coming weeks until they get back on their feet. Not to mention the increased labour required to defrost machines in an event like this and other frosty conditions.
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seems to be allot of cutting off their noses to spite their faces, It wouldnt cost much to put in shelter brakes for the cows. Wind protection and a dry lye will keep most animals happy, they dont have to be under a roof
 
Ozzy Scott said:
I heard that and he seemed to emphasis the point. A cow uses about 25% of the artifical N applied, where does the rest end up
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The vast majority of the remainder ends up being immobilised by soil microbes. A small proportion may end up being leached through the soil profile and into ground water in high soil moisture situations. The problem with this small proportion is, it's increasing.
 
CORK said:
I note the Irish Water Head man mentioned high Ammonia levels in drinking water on Radio 1 this morning. He specifically mentioned West Cork.

Slurry spreading/pollution of water seems to have been in more discussions this winter than at any other time I recall.
The increase in the national herd is having an effect that is not going unnoticed.
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Was at an interesting meeting recently where it was stated that nitrates and water quality is going to be the single biggest challenge facing our expanding dairy industry in the future. As a rule, the EU commission don't allow nitrates derogation for any country where water quality is deteriorating. Our water quality is deteriorating but we were given a free pass because it's still of very high quality relative to the European average. That won't last forever though.
 
gone said:
https://www.independent.ie/business...l&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
The Indo is playing this for all it is worth??
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Definitely taking advantage of an opportunity.

I know of animals on farms that died in sheds too, smothered to death by snow in one case.

It does highlight the animal welfare subject though, stories like this are fuel for the vegan brigade.

Farmers have a duty of care towards animals and it’s in everyone’s interests that animals are treated well and not just as a crop. It’s only respectful for the animals and don’t need to make it easy for the loonies.

On the subject of veganism, whilst I was slugging milk from an Avon more carton in the kitchen just now (don’t tell my wife - drives her nuts), I was wondering where vegans get their calcium? Ground limestone?....
 
This part I disagree with is that's its all just to cut costs. How far do we need to cut it, till we can produce it for 10c/l?
If you can buy milk cheaper than water there is something wrong. We need to learn how to sell it cause somewhere along the line someone isn't doing enough to put a premium on it in the supermarket
 
I think lads need to calm down a bit on social media re. Greenfields site. Having expanded our similarly exposed farm with topless cubicles and calf shelters here the last few years, I would be in the unique position of having both cubicle sheds and a calf shed also. The wind blew in from the North and straight up through our cubicle shed gathering all the powdery snow off the fields and dumping it on to the beds, the cows were frozen in it, a shed needs to have the North side open by right, the outdoor cubicle beds were sheltered by a wall, albeit cold the beds weren't covered in snow, unlike the shed. The calf house was a nightmare, the wind blew the snow in over head and carried the snow in to make a fine mess of the straw beds, wheras we shut the calves in to the shelters for 36 hrs only letting them out to feed, these calves were snug and dry. However, saving money on a concrete wall in a parlour is madness in my opinion, a lorry load of concrete wouldn't be far off of completing the walls in a parlour. Also, letting cows calve outdoors is not a good idea in my books, any rain/wind/snow/frost and the calf is going to be against the odds. A small (relatively) , well sheltered shed for calving wouldn't break the bank either.

Over the years we have lost animals due to pneumonia in sheds, we haven't had any, not even one health issue with the cows in topless cubicles.
 
bruceythom said:
I think lads need to calm down a bit on social media re. Greenfields site. Having expanded our similarly exposed farm with topless cubicles and calf shelters here the last few years, I would be in the unique position of having both cubicle sheds and a calf shed also. The wind blew in from the North and straight up through our cubicle shed gathering all the powdery snow off the fields and dumping it on to the beds, the cows were frozen in it, a shed needs to have the North side open by right, the outdoor cubicle beds were sheltered by a wall, albeit cold the beds weren't covered in snow, unlike the shed. The calf house was a nightmare, the wind blew the snow in over head and carried the snow in to make a fine mess of the straw beds, wheras we shut the calves in to the shelters for 36 hrs only letting them out to feed, these calves were snug and dry. However, saving money on a concrete wall in a parlour is madness in my opinion, a lorry load of concrete wouldn't be far off of completing the walls in a parlour. Also, letting cows calve outdoors is not a good idea in my books, any rain/wind/snow/frost and the calf is going to be against the odds. A small (relatively) , well sheltered shed for calving wouldn't break the bank either.

Over the years we have lost animals due to pneumonia in sheds, we haven't had any, not even one health issue with the cows in topless cubicles.
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We had a roofless slatted setup for bull beef, lost a fortune with it from cattle and pneumonia, wet is a killer and so is a draft, there is a difference between a draft and ventilation which we found out to great cost as that was during the reference years for the single farm payment. Got on so bad with the system we stopped bull beef the next year and lost out on the subs.
Anyway we put a roof on it now and rear heifer from 6-7months until about 14-16months in it and no bother.
 
Surprised no one has commented on Dr. Jack's latest investment in parlour feeders, and a generator!!. Maybe I'm the only one left that still reads the Bible? Think the cost after the grant will be around €13k. €37/cow. At the moment they are feeding 2.5kg. Most are feeding 4 or 5 I think. Still at 2.5kg thats 875kg to feed out every day with a wheelbarrow around the perimeter of the collecting yard. I could never figure out how that would work. Surely a lot of cows would get nothing and the rest would get it all.

He'll be getting ACR's and a proper tractor soon. :woot:
 
6600 said:
Surprised no one has commented on Dr. Jack's latest investment in parlour feeders, and a generator!!. Maybe I'm the only one left that still reads the Bible? Think the cost after the grant will be around €13k. €37/cow. At the moment they are feeding 2.5kg. Most are feeding 4 or 5 I think. Still at 2.5kg thats 875kg to feed out every day with a wheelbarrow around the perimeter of the collecting yard. I could never figure out how that would work. Surely a lot of cows would get nothing and the rest would get it all.

He'll be getting ACR's and a proper tractor soon. :woot:
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Both are being bought as they will be findings In The report About The snow when It's published!!

He's missed a few thousands of extra capital investments which Are down as almost incidental :scratchhead::confused3:
 
6600 said:
Surprised no one has commented on Dr. Jack's latest investment in parlour feeders, and a generator!!. Maybe I'm the only one left that still reads the Bible? Think the cost after the grant will be around €13k. €37/cow. At the moment they are feeding 2.5kg. Most are feeding 4 or 5 I think. Still at 2.5kg thats 875kg to feed out every day with a wheelbarrow around the perimeter of the collecting yard. I could never figure out how that would work. Surely a lot of cows would get nothing and the rest would get it all.

He'll be getting ACR's and a proper tractor soon. :woot:
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They are buying earmuffs and a stronger fencer.
 
nashmach said:
https://www.independent.ie/business...trybacked-greenfield-dairy-farm-37601237.html

This report on Storm Emma was issued today.

I'm beginning to think a lot of this was blown out of proportion.
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Jees, I'd hate to see the outcome of a report done on my farm should one be done!! I would, however, be very pissed off over losing 6 calves due to exposure, that shouldn't have happened. A small simple calving shed would suffice to pull off springing cows coming up to calving. Other than that, the problems that were faced during the snow storm were mirrored on a lot of farms, my own included.....report to follow.
 
nashmach said:
https://www.independent.ie/business...trybacked-greenfield-dairy-farm-37601237.html

This report on Storm Emma was issued today.

I'm beginning to think a lot of this was blown out of proportion.
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6 calves and 2 cows in a 300 cow herd dead, in our parish there is around 900 cows and nothing was lost despite every farm losing a shed or 2 in a hell of a lot more snow than what fell in kilkenny, they blamed the staff not being trained well enough to cope how do you cope with a milking parlour that has no walls around it ? teagasc and glanbia are 2 of the managers of the farm and they preach to us about clean images and high standards :cowboy::cowboy:
 
humungus said:
6 calves and 2 cows in a 300 cow herd dead, in our parish there is around 900 cows and nothing was lost despite every farm losing a shed or 2 in a hell of a lot more snow than what fell in kilkenny, they blamed the staff not being trained well enough to cope how do you cope with a milking parlour that has no walls around it ? teagasc and glanbia are 2 of the managers of the farm and they preach to us about clean images and high standards :cowboy::cowboy:
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Like like on the last sentence . How could work in some of the conditions there ? No one seems to stay there.
 
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