Silage 2017

85 was an awful year, something similar to Donegal last Autumn except for the full 12 months. A few neighbours pulled out of farming that year or the debts left after that year forced them out.

My father and uncle were chatting last weekend and the subject of 85 came up.

They were both in agreement that this year is far worse and that if they had the machinery and tyres that we have nowadays back in 85, there would have been no hassle whatsoever.

4wd tractors where virtually unheard off, trailers had glorified bicycle wheels, tall narrow things that would cut tracks anywhere!

Now with every tractor about the place 4wd, 550's on trailers we're struggling, it's definitely a worse year, weather is broke since July 29th and only giving a reasonably dry week this week when there is no drying, no sunshine and limited daylight hours.
 
My father and uncle were chatting last weekend and the subject of 85 came up.

They were both in agreement that this year is far worse and that if they had the machinery and tyres that we have nowadays back in 85, there would have been no hassle whatsoever.

4wd tractors where virtually unheard off, trailers had glorified bicycle wheels, tall narrow things that would cut tracks anywhere!

Now with every tractor about the place 4wd, 550's on trailers we're struggling, it's definitely a worse year, weather is broke since July 29th and only giving a reasonably dry week this week when there is no drying, no sunshine and limited daylight hours.

I was talking to my father about this last night too. In september 1985 he bought a 5ft buckrake with the hope of getting some weather for silage that month. It was the last week in October when he got 30 acres of silage gathered up into 2 small pits in the corners of fields. Meadows were mowed with an Aktiv fingerbar mower, rowed up with a farrinloose haymaker and picked up with the buckrake on a 20 diesel with double wheels. It took almost 10 days to mow and gather up the 30 acres. he used to mow about 5 acres at a time and pick it up. It was very wet going into the pit and they put on lashings of mollasses to try to help preserve it. It was into November when they finished and they opened the first pit on on the first week of December. He said that the grass never fermented, but came out of the pit the exact same way that it went in. He had gotten a small pit in June of that year but it had been used up by December 1st. the silage was brought back in to the barrier in front of the cows with the buckrake and the 20. He would cut benches with a hayknife and back into it and pick it up with the buckrake.

While things have been bad since early august, it's true to say that 1985 was bad from June 1st right through to mid october. In my mind we had a great summer 2017 up to the first week in August. Ground was dry and there was great growth.
 
There are lads out with mowers today going into places trying to get some grass but doing damage to ground,it's going to make a long winter
 
I saw a Fusion working yesterday , over @Peter s direction. Peter had the wagon behind the 6480 outside his house when I passed , but I think he was zero grazing for someone ?

I heard a SPFH working on Monday , but don't know what it was doing , or where . Maize has virtually died out completely around here , but there may be a bit somewhere.
 
Seen silage on the ground nearly three weeks with so much regrowth up through it, it had to be mowed again for baling tomorrow.
 
I saw a Fusion working yesterday , over @Peter s direction. Peter had the wagon behind the 6480 outside his house when I passed , but I think he was zero grazing for someone ?

I heard a SPFH working on Monday , but don't know what it was doing , or where . Maize has virtually died out completely around here , but there may be a bit somewhere.

Would you believe i had the wagon cleaned down and in the shed at the end of july and i pulled her out again at the end of august to give a lad a hand out and again last month to start zero grazing. The wagon has also proven handy for clearing straw off fields.
I was in portlaoise today and i brought with me a sample of the second cut silage to be tested in teagasc. I went in beforehand and got my dinner in the local restuarant and as i was leaving the phone rang and i left the sample behind me.:rolleyes2:
 
Would you believe i had the wagon cleaned down and in the shed at the end of july and i pulled her out again at the end of august to give a lad a hand out and again last month to start zero grazing. The wagon has also proven handy for clearing straw off fields.
I was in portlaoise today and i brought with me a sample of the second cut silage to be tested in teagasc. I went in beforehand and got my dinner in the local restuarant and as i was leaving the phone rang and i left the sample behind me.:rolleyes2:
Being Portlaoise some lad will be trying to smoke that tonight .
 
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I mowed all mine today. Growth has been very good and ive the same area of second cut as i had for first cut along with a couple of strong paddocks.
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Ive started to feed out this second cut in the past week. I meant to get a sample done the other day. I mowed it all into 20 ft swarths and picked it up with the wagon. No tedding,wuffling or raking done.
 
I got first silage result bad and it confirms my belief that I have half enough good stuff, given the year I would prefer too much bad stuff.
 
I got first silage result bad and it confirms my belief that I have half enough good stuff, given the year I would prefer too much bad stuff.
You never know what way the winter might turn out but if the worst comes to the worst you've an extra 4.5 grand to play around with that you didn't think you had. :Thumbp2::Thumbp2:
 
You never know what way the winter might turn out but if the worst comes to the worst you've an extra 4.5 grand to play around with that you didn't think you had. :Thumbp2::Thumbp2:
the way silage stocks are around here 4.5k wont go far:undecided:. I would normally be worried if I was looking at the current amount of feed I have, on the 1sst of January. :boat:
 
There was a man near here with no stock of his own who had a couple of small fields that weren't grazed or cut in 2017. He offered it to another local 5 or 6 weeks ago for free , but didn't want stock put on the land. The grass taker had his own machinery to do all the job , and what with the weather being the way it was , the grass wasn't mowed until Tuesday just gone. Baled on Thursday. Quite a number burst the net coming out of the baker, and the wrapper turned over a couple of times.
It should make nutritious stuff... He reckons " It will be better than a snowball. I will give them that stuff every 2nd day , and better stuff the other day ".
 
There was a man near here with no stock of his own who had a couple of small fields that weren't grazed or cut in 2017. He offered it to another local 5 or 6 weeks ago for free , but didn't want stock put on the land. The grass taker had his own machinery to do all the job , and what with the weather being the way it was , the grass wasn't mowed until Tuesday just gone. Baled on Thursday. Quite a number burst the net coming out of the baker, and the wrapper turned over a couple of times.
It should make nutritious stuff... He reckons " It will be better than a snowball. I will give them that stuff every 2nd day , and better stuff the other day ".
I saw stuffed baled in your parish today, and more stuff tedded out when I was passing this morning, still spread coming home this evening. Waiting for the fine weather no doubt.
 
I saw stuffed baled in your parish today, and more stuff tedded out when I was passing this morning, still spread coming home this evening. Waiting for the fine weather no doubt.

Herself cut the lawn on Thursday. Hardship. Days are too short now to let it dry. Today wasn't bad though for drying with the "hash wind but a dirty shower around 4 didn't help.
People will be glad of this stuff yet.
 
If you seen a lad out teding silage in November you'd have to wonder if he was a bit special.

I have tedder. Have to show it off to the commoners...That sort of special ?

You mowed grass very recently yourself :scratchhead::rolleyes2: . No tedding involed obviously.
 
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