She's turned into a lovely wet drought.
We have a delay until October I think. To give time to apply for a derogation, which for a dairy farmer is virtually impossible to obtain as we can't meet requirements.I thought next year, but it's been coming for a while.
Destocking here, stores went last week, more to go later in the year. Getting some parcels of land immediately adjacent has helped, but the threat of TB again isn't nice.
Can’t beat farming with one hand tied behind your back!We have a delay until October I think. To give time to apply for a derogation, which for a dairy farmer is virtually impossible to obtain as we can't meet requirements.
I just pass on what little knowledge I have when a comment calls for it.Can’t beat farming with one hand tied behind your back!
The main problem I see is the affect the 170kg/ha has on the stocking rate, with hard bands for milk yield. Sub 6k stock at 2.2 LSU , which for the vast majority of farms is where they’d be, 6-9k, 1.7 LSU/ha, 9k+, 1.4 LSU/ha. Why it’s not a gradual approach I don’t know, at our discussion group, the consensus was you need to be at the top of the yield band to avoid the discrimination.
Don’t know what this has to do with the drought, mind you!
Uncross them nowFingers crossed the tide is changing...
No surplus here yet, r2s have today gone back to just grazing, the cows will be buffered with silage for at least another week.Is this still even a thread? We’ve had over 250mm in the past 25 days here, never ceases to amaze how quickly it changes, we were feeding silage and growth was in single figures, grew 86 last week which feels like a record for July although I’ve not checked, growing a huge surplus and half the cows are dry now so will be making a lot of second cut.
We’ve never made as much silage/hay as we have this year,just need the maize to come to a decent crop and it’ll all be good here.nice drop of rain, things are greening up nicely, cows are grazing 'spring' grass, milk is staying up, when really it should be dropping, started drying off, a new definition of marginal litres !
but the drought is not over, ground aquifers etc have not had enough rain to replenish themselves, unless we have way above av rainfall, for the rest of the year, we will go into next year, in a deficit situation.
With the variation of UK weather, anything could happen.
Wow we had half that in DevonWell,50mm yesterday, grass is motoring again, I can actually get some days off from doing bloody yard work again as they are going back out full time tomorrow, hooray!
and that's a problem, rain is tending to come in 'heavy' downpours, a big % of which just runs off, reducing its effect.Wow we had half that in Devon
What they eating?Dry cows happy. View attachment 1124735View attachment 1124736
Have not got round to Bury the pipe yet. Turnips/mud by day, some grass by nightWhat they eating?
Overland hose to move the water trough along?
More rain in July now than April, May and June combined. Not fun anymore.