The grazing season

Will be going in tonight here the earliest ever beating our previous record of October 6th.
I'm rapidly losing enthusiasm for this dairying lark.
 
jpt said:
Will be going in tonight here the earliest ever beating our previous record of October 6th.
I'm rapidly losing enthusiasm for this dairying lark.
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The winter lasted until the 3rd week of April and mid September it's back, totally sickening. Surely we'll get a good dry spell after this, hopefully. That on top of low milk prices would make you wonder what we're at.
 
dstig said:
Had to admit defeat yesterday View attachment 39712 evening and got the shed ready for the next few bad days with the forecast that's given ,a yellow warning ! Brought the cows in around 10pm and at 12 it started raining and has been at it all night long
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Will you up the ration or leave as it is. I'm the same as you. Brought them in at 10 pm and in they'll stay for a while. Currently feeding 2 Kgs of dairy 14% in the parlour. Very reluctant to upping this.
 
We are not as wet as Ye lads but we are giving them access to straw at milking times, they are eating about 400grammes per hd per day, they are quite content. Feeding 2.5kgs of meal, 1.4kgs of milk solids.
 
harvey said:
Will you up the ration or leave as it is. I'm the same as you. Brought them in at 10 pm and in they'll stay for a while. Currently feeding 2 Kgs of dairy 14% in the parlour. Very reluctant to upping this.
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No I won't be upping the feed they are not giving enough to justify it,I will have them all dry by Nov anyway
 
What would people on here see as the correct residual for this time of year?

Grazing out wetter ground at present, but happy to go back over again with lighter stock in a few weeks as it won't be grazed again till late March.
 
nashmach said:
What would people on here see as the correct residual for this time of year?

Grazing out wetter ground at present, but happy to go back over again with lighter stock in a few weeks as it won't be grazed again till late March.
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As tight as possible, and you will probably get another round
 
Been feeding silage for 2 weeks now and 4kg of soya hulls. Ground was holding up ok till yesterday
 
Most of the cows in here and calves weined and out on grass again. In total contrast to the wife's place only 60 miles away, ground is holding up very well over there. I topped some of the wetter ground at the weekend - ground that I expected to be very soft, but I never left a track. At least another 4 weeks feeding over there unless things get really wet. Not going to complain about our own ground any more. It is what it is, we can only try to make the best of it. We'll have good years and bad ones like this one. All that we can do is build up a buffer of silage to cover any situation that arises.
 
Anyone else finding cattle are mowing through grass?. Aftergrass all summer just doesn't seem to have the same cut in it that you'd usually expect.
 
diesel power said:
Anyone else finding cattle are mowing through grass?. Aftergrass all summer just doesn't seem to have the same cut in it that you'd usually expect.
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Around here it's both the land and grass that's wet. But yes cattle are eating and alarming amount and fecking all growth of late. Housing for everything is going to be early this year :ohmy:.
A dearer winter on top of a bad year. Something is going to have to change or give as year on year it ain't getting any better :sad2:
 
diesel power said:
Anyone else finding cattle are mowing through grass?. Aftergrass all summer just doesn't seem to have the same cut in it that you'd usually expect.
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I'd a few heavy covers, they are gone in a flash, was doing a bit of mental arithmetic this morning, sort of 3 days on that square, 5 on the next, reckon I should be able to keep them out 'till early Nov if the weather plays ball.
 
JOHNNY BOY said:
Around here it's both the land and grass that's wet. But yes cattle are eating and alarming amount and fecking all growth of late. Housing for everything is going to be early this year :ohmy:.
A dearer winter on top of a bad year. Something is going to have to change or give as year on year it ain't getting any better :sad2:
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Thats what I'm seeing as well JB. The land is standing up well to the rain but you wouldn't go out with a plough now either. Grass just hasn't any bulk or something in it. With the shite factory price on offer atm I'm seriously considering putting a bunch or 2 in the yards and feeding them on for a month or 2 and to hell with the 30mths thing. Let them go overage. If the prices move up that'll make up for the 12 cent a kg loss and the cattle will weigh more. A fcuk of a year turned out:unsure:
 
JOHNNY BOY said:
Around here it's both the land and grass that's wet. But yes cattle are eating and alarming amount and fecking all growth of late. Housing for everything is going to be early this year :ohmy:.
A dearer winter on top of a bad year. Something is going to have to change or give as year on year it ain't getting any better :sad2:
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The way that I look at it, grain is cheap this year. It's better to buy a few extra ton of meal than have to buy bales (when i don't know the quality of silage in them) at €20 each. It will save the land in the long term.
 
Cows in full time since Friday night and travelling around these parts alot of second cut silage to be got yet ! Just a pic of one where they tried and failed !
20160927_091718.jpg
 
diesel power said:
Thats what I'm seeing as well JB. The land is standing up well to the rain but you wouldn't go out with a plough now either. Grass just hasn't any bulk or something in it. With the shite factory price on offer atm I'm seriously considering putting a bunch or 2 in the yards and feeding them on for a month or 2 and to hell with the 30mths thing. Let them go overage. If the prices move up that'll make up for the 12 cent a kg loss and the cattle will weigh more. A fcuk of a year turned out:unsure:
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That's the thing with the factories and the whole 30 month thing as well as the time of year. They know bloody well that this time of year is the time that they will get more stock available to them so they turn the screw on everyone. Would it be an idea to hold them till nearer spring when finished stock won't be as readily available and finish slower like. I know it's not ideal but what is with a year like this.
Would it be an idea going forward if a man had some of his stock ready in say June when their might not be such a glut of cattle their for them.
 
JOHNNY BOY said:
That's the thing with the factories and the whole 30 month thing as well as the time of year. They know bloody well that this time of year is the time that they will get more stock available to them so they turn the screw on everyone. Would it be an idea to hold them till nearer spring when finished stock won't be as readily available and finish slower like. I know it's not ideal but what is with a year like this.
Would it be an idea going forward if a man had some of his stock ready in say June when their might not be such a glut of cattle their for them.
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There is little point in talking about feeding meal in June, in the end of September, or talking about the factories knowing when cattle are turning 30months.
Spring 14 calves are 30months about now, prices were always going to drop, the only difference the weather is making is cattle did not thrive as well this summer.
Beef price falls every autumn, followed by a drop in store cattle.
Farmers know this and yet many do the same thing year and year out, expecting a different result.
Of all years this summer was the one to be feeding meal. We feed meal to cattle every year and it pays without question every year.
 
ithastopay said:
There is little point in talking about feeding meal in June, in the end of September, or talking about the factories knowing when cattle are turning 30months.
Spring 14 calves are 30months about now, prices were always going to drop, the only difference the weather is making is cattle did not thrive as well this summer.
Beef price falls every autumn, followed by a drop in store cattle.
Farmers know this and yet many do the same thing year and year out, expecting a different result.
Of all years this summer was the one to be feeding meal. We feed meal to cattle every year and it pays without question every year.
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That's kind of hitting on the point I was trying to make. It seems the same story around this time every year. That's why I was saying would it not be better try and have some stock finished in the likes of June than having the bulk of animals ready when everyone else has too. It's not only spring time calves are born.
 
No it's not but a large number are born in the spring, it's not that hard to work out when cattle will be plentiful (30 months from the highest month of birth registrations)

Absolutely, farmers should be aiming to have cattle fit earlier, a bit of extra feeding will get them away earlier and allow to buy stores, that even if they seem expensive have a few months of grass to thrive on before going into a shed.
Cattle need to be pushed harder, we can complain all we like about factory feedlots, though I can't see them being banned from having their own cattle.
All we can do is try to do our job better, the performance, herd health and management of most big feedlots with out many farmers to shame. All we can do if we want to stay at this business is get better.
 
ithastopay said:
No it's not but a large number are born in the spring, it's not that hard to work out when cattle will be plentiful (30 months from the highest month of birth registrations)

Absolutely, farmers should be aiming to have cattle fit earlier, a bit of extra feeding will get them away earlier and allow to buy stores, that even if they seem expensive have a few months of grass to thrive on before going into a shed.
Cattle need to be pushed harder, we can complain all we like about factory feedlots, though I can't see them being banned from having their own cattle.
All we can do is try to do our job better, the performance, herd health and management of most big feedlots with out many farmers to shame. All we can do if we want to stay at this business is get better.
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Is their any sort of age bonus for putting them in at say twenty ? Months. If so same amount of meal over shorter time period should leave a margin compared to present situation would be my thoughts on the matter.
Totally agree with you on the time of year buying in stores as well.
 
JOHNNY BOY said:
Is their any sort of age bonus for putting them in at say twenty ? Months. If so same amount of meal over shorter time period should leave a margin compared to present situation would be my thoughts on the matter.
Totally agree with you on the time of year buying in stores as well.
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I don't know much about bullocks (or steers as some call them) a bullock needs age imo, 20 months would be too young, I don't know of any bonus for young bullocks, over 30 months loose 12c QA.
A qualifying bullock under 30 months, could be over 900 days old, (possibly more depending on how truthful the farmer was when registering the calf)
Taking a figure .75kg/day plus a birth weight of 45kg. That animal should be 400kg deadweight, (many talk about cattle doing 1kg/day)
If a figure of .85kg/day was achieved the deadweight would increase to 450kg, thats €200 more on a good continental bullock, or possibly be killed younger at a lighter weight, either way that's what has to be achieved, get the animal into more weight and more money or get them away earlier with less expense.
 
There's no bonus to kill a bullock younger. As long as he's under 30 mths you get a QA bonus of 12c a kg provided he's not under or over fleshed or over whatever weight the factories decide they want. Atm 420 kg's is the limit with the local factory here and over that your penalized.
 
diesel power said:
There's no bonus to kill a bullock younger. As long as he's under 30 mths you get a QA bonus of 12c a kg provided he's not under or over fleshed or over whatever weight the factories decide they want. Atm 420 kg's is the limit with the local factory here and over that your penalized.
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What's the penalty over 420kg?
Do you get paid up to 420kg and a reduction on the extra kg above that?
 
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