All things Dairy

[Ball acre]

One of the farming topics around here, is about roll-over money, and what we would do with it, 2 local farmers, have taken the cash, and relocated, certainly 1 to a much larger, and better farm, and without the debt ! I expect it will be a question all local farmers may have to answer, in the near future.
Whether it's right or not, doesn't matter, but 5 long standing local farming families, no longer farm locally, which is a pity, but life.
The question hasn't arisen here, yet, and perhaps it wont, but we have farmed here for 100 yrs, and we have a nice farm, which would take some replacing, plus tradition as well. But money talks, and you would be looking at a very large sum, and things may look very different when faced with it.
Koos is 68, so he is on the downward slope, age wise, and he will have amassed a huge estate, it's what happens when he departs, that is the question. Employment wise, it has brought a fortune into the area, with 7/800 working on the place, there will come a time, when a lot of those builders, will no longer be needed.
No one knows his long term plans for the farms he has bought, only guesses, but l doubt if any will be available to rent, so the longer term benefits will not have quite so better effects.

C'est la vie. Money talks. The Aviaries was a lot more than 350ac years ago. There used to be about 7 dairy farms touching its boundary twenty years ago. Now there is two I think

 

[Bald n Grumpy]

Farm goes under the hammer and sells for almost £5million

BRIGHTWELLS had a number of firsts at their recent farm auction of a 250-acre Herefordshire farm which was sold for £4.7 million.

www.herefordtimes.com

roll over money is dangerous!

Talking to someone at builth ram sale and he said somewhere near him had sold for 26k acre, kington or knighton way ? Around 200 acres
Don't know if it's right?

 

[Happy hillbily]

Orrible weather for calvings. Brought her down from the hill last night to somewhere slightly more sheltered.

 

[Martyn]

Busy night in the calving paddock, Def need new water proof! Late feeding calves. I don't know how some people manage to keep calves out in paddocks on this system this time of year, I know some do but seams extreme with the weather.

 

[Martyn]

Most of our heifers now would be 90% plus fresian now, real quiet but great strength. Another sex heifer calf.

 

[Jdunn55]

Anyone else opened the cubicle house door yet? Mine are in tonight, I did move the fence for them and open the gate but they all gave me a look as if I was nuts to think they were going out of the yard anytime soon

 

[Martyn]

Anyone else opened the cubicle house door yet? Mine are in tonight, I did move the fence for them and open the gate but they all gave me a look as if I was nuts to think they were going out of the yard anytime soon

I gave up with my voice and had to get the dog! Waiting on delivery of sawdust so no choice! A herd of cows that don't want to move in this weather takes some moving

 

[som farmer]

this bloody weather will cause a problem, ours eat some silage, chew some grass, and take forever to get in. Keen to go out though, just want to lie on some grass, seems like.
just started our autumn calvers, as they calve, they wont be going out, full winter ration, 1 down 75 to go.

 

[supercow]

New shed/cubicles! Has anyone went for the half steel half plastic cubicles and how do you find them? Went for the thick mayo matts they seem comfy! Desperate to get the cows in!

 

[Martyn]

New shed/cubicles! Has anyone went for the half steel half plastic cubicles and how do you find them? Went for the thick mayo matts they seem comfy! Desperate to get the cows in!

Looking smart, we have the thick mayo mats on about 1/4 of our cubicles cows prefer them to the old mattresses. Will you use sawdust?

 

[vantage]

New shed/cubicles! Has anyone went for the half steel half plastic cubicles and how do you find them? Went for the thick mayo matts they seem comfy! Desperate to get the cows in!

Tidy job. What ridge do you have?

 

[Cows 'n grass]

Busy night in the calving paddock, Def need new water proof! Late feeding calves. I don't know how some people manage to keep calves out in paddocks on this system this time of year, I know some do but seams extreme with the weather.
View attachment 989330

Put them somewhere with a decent westerly hedge and they'll be fine. Summer's back tomorrow.

 

[Spudley]

We kept ours in last night, they were happy enough to have silage for an hour then they were ready to go back out. To be fair they made quite a big of mess the last couple of nights so we may keep them in at night now to save the ground for the days. The aim is to keep them out till the welsh dairy show, which is sadly abandoned, the last week of October.

 

[vantage]

The aim is to keep them out till the welsh dairy show, which is sadly abandoned, the last week of October.

The show ground are making far more money as a COVID test station, I doubt the dairy show will return anytime soon. Not that I was a fan, £12 entrance fee was excessive, to talk to people you already know!

 

[buffalo_soldier]

Here we go rain gauge fans.
Weather made a bit of an effort yesterday. 86mm

 

[farmeronecow]

New shed/cubicles! Has anyone went for the half steel half plastic cubicles and how do you find them? Went for the thick mayo matts they seem comfy! Desperate to get the cows in!

Heck you even went for the joining strips

 

[vantage]

Here we go rain gauge fans.
Weather made a bit of an effort yesterday. 86mm

View attachment 989379

That’s some rain. Reminds me of a local builder who’s client had a rainguage, client went out on a glorious day and returned at 4 to see the builder, builder said had been an horrendous afternoon, client saw 2” of rain in the gauge, didn’t twig the ground was still dry!

 

[buffalo_soldier]

That’s some rain. Reminds me of a local builder who’s client had a rainguage, client went out on a glorious day and returned at 4 to see the builder, builder said had been an horrendous afternoon, client saw 2” of rain in the gauge, didn’t twig the ground was still dry!

Well I deffo had some drizzle at least .
Good news is I'm caught up on paperwork

 

[Bald n Grumpy]

That’s some rain. Reminds me of a local builder who’s client had a rainguage, client went out on a glorious day and returned at 4 to see the builder, builder said had been an horrendous afternoon, client saw 2” of rain in the gauge, didn’t twig the ground was still dry!

Chap I know has a fancy ornate rain gauge on his lawn, was having problems with the accuracy until they caught grandson topping it up from his own supply

 

[Jdunn55]

Put them somewhere with a decent westerly hedge and they'll be fine. Summer's back tomorrow.

I've had to bring all my spring calves in and treat for pneumonia, nearly had a couple die on sunday, gone bitterly cold here