All things Dairy

[som farmer]

Unless you reduce labour within the business I really don’t see the benefit of a flying herd( if there on off land) and the problem with reducing labour is it makes other parts of the business creak at busy times.

the problems more getting labour, there simply isn't any spare around here, of anything better than #### even tried some of them, and that is a waste of time.
The advantage of a flying herd, you see the faults, and if you are careful, there are some very reasonably priced cattle out there, with good history.
The downside, disease risk, and, perhaps performance, risk losses up to, and including, calving, hfrs not turning out, as expected, hot on that point - we kept a seriously good, ped hol bull, with impeccable manners, that good, we kept him to long, 83 hfrs, and very low milk, very few saw 3rd lac, the very best got to 5000, the worst less than 4000, no idea why, pedigree great, big cost- so lesson learn't there !
It's a very debateable point, obviously TB risk is a major factor- we have 1 i/r to test soon. Available land etc, there are both good, and bad points. Financially, one you pay as you rear, the other a lump sum.
And as jd says, milk contract influences are getting tighter, our neighbour 'loses' points if his calving index goes over 415 days, and for calving hfrs over 24 months, and av lactation of cows in herd, all in the name of greater efficiency, a load of bull####, but another hoop to jump through.

 

[lazy farmer]

the problems more getting labour, there simply isn't any spare around here, of anything better than #### even tried some of them, and that is a waste of time.
The advantage of a flying herd, you see the faults, and if you are careful, there are some very reasonably priced cattle out there, with good history.
The downside, disease risk, and, perhaps performance, risk losses up to, and including, calving, hfrs not turning out, as expected, hot on that point - we kept a seriously good, ped hol bull, with impeccable manners, that good, we kept him to long, 83 hfrs, and very low milk, very few saw 3rd lac, the very best got to 5000, the worst less than 4000, no idea why, pedigree great, big cost- so lesson learn't there !
It's a very debateable point, obviously TB risk is a major factor- we have 1 i/r to test soon. Available land etc, there are both good, and bad points. Financially, one you pay as you rear, the other a lump sum.
And as jd says, milk contract influences are getting tighter, our neighbour 'loses' points if his calving index goes over 415 days, and for calving hfrs over 24 months, and av lactation of cows in herd, all in the name of greater efficiency, a load of bull####, but another hoop to jump through.

You forgot tbs close friend Johnes. By far the biggest issue in my mind. Have had to buy stock to cover for TB and incompetence the latest two groups came with the bloody stuff and A few had to leave immediately.

 

[Beef farmer]

You forgot tbs close friend Johnes. By far the biggest issue in my mind. Have had to buy stock to cover for TB and incompetence the latest two groups came with the bloody stuff and A few had to leave immediately.

100% this.
Farming with tb is easy.
Johnes is a tunc

 

[vantage]

100% this.
Farming with tb is easy.
Johnes is a tunc

Wouldn’t class Tb as easy, but Johnes is hard.

 

[DairyGrazing]

You forgot tbs close friend Johnes. By far the biggest issue in my mind. Have had to buy stock to cover for TB and incompetence the latest two groups came with the bloody stuff and A few had to leave immediately.

Staggered about how many people are in complete denial with Johnes. Good farmers that have been very successful. Near neighbour 800 cows all colostrum pooled and cows all block calved in one shed. Brought and sold a lot of cows over the years. Finally started quarterly testing, came round in a flap to ask what we'd done to deal with it and didn't like the answers!

 

[Beef farmer]

Wouldn’t class Tb as easy, but Johnes is hard.

Well it is, you test they kill you replace.
Farming down with tb is easier than flirting in and out.

 

[Martyn]

8 left. Last 16 will have all calved in DoorsView attachment 994068

Cows look well, just spot on to go, are they Irish holstiens?

 

[Jdunn55]

Well it is, you test they kill you replace.
Farming down with tb is easier than flirting in and out.

If they let you! Sometimes they won't let you replace
More difficult as well for those who aren't flying because its not just losing a cow it's losing families and pedigrees from cows that you know to replace with ones you don't, personally don't think you can put a price on knowing your stocks history

 

[vantage]

Well it is, you test they kill you replace.
Farming down with tb is easier than flirting in and out.

Ah, the simplicity of farming in England!

 

[In the pit]

If they let you! Sometimes they won't let you replace
More difficult as well for those who aren't flying because its not just losing a cow it's losing families and pedigrees from cows that you know to replace with ones you don't, personally don't think you can put a price on knowing your stocks history

99.9% of dairy farmers couldn’t care less about cow families or cow history

 

[som farmer]

You forgot tbs close friend Johnes. By far the biggest issue in my mind. Have had to buy stock to cover for TB and incompetence the latest two groups came with the bloody stuff and A few had to leave immediately.

very true, and omitted.
know at least 1 ci herd riddled with it, and it's best mate TB, sold as soon as 2 clear tests, despite announcing J1 J2 J3 or J4, for each cow, totally ignored, and cattle went to all parts of the uk, scotland and ireland, included. What a joke that makes of 'health security'.
To many years ago, l remember, johnes was associated with channel island herds, and pretty common, as hol/fr became more common, it ''disappeared', never gave it a thought, for 30 yrs, probably because h/f's never lived long enough to show symptoms, it is mainly the introduction of longer living cows, that it has become a visible problem. But in all those h/f years, it was quietly bubbling away, and overlooked, what else is bubbling away , unnoticed ?

 

[som farmer]

99.9% of dairy farmers couldn’t care less about cow families or cow history

probably a bit high, but pretty true, all those breeders, that stabilised the breeds, in the 18/19centuries, must be turning in their wooden jackets, at the speed, of xbreeding. Whether right, or wrong, time will tell.

 

[In the pit]

I only know of one person who knew history of all his cow families
He then had tb bad and lost half of his herd
His cow lines are wiped out now

 

[DairyGrazing]

know at least 1 ci herd riddled with it, and it's best mate TB, sold as soon as 2 clear tests, despite announcing J1 J2 J3 or J4, for each cow, totally ignored, and cattle went to all parts of the uk, scotland and ireland, included. What a joke that makes of 'health security'.
To many years ago, l remember, johnes was associated with channel island herds, and pretty common, as hol/fr became more common, it ''disappeared', never gave it a thought, for 30 yrs, probably because h/f's never lived long enough to show symptoms, it is mainly the introduction of longer living cows, that it has become a visible problem. But in all those h/f years, it was quietly bubbling away, and overlooked, what else is bubbling away , unnoticed ?

Milk quota probably did the most damage.

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

99.9% of dairy farmers couldn’t care less about cow families or cow history

I think you would be surprised.

 

[In the pit]

How many on this forum would serve cows on family lines and history’s???

 

[Water Wheel]

If we can't even eradicate BVD as an industry there is not much hope of takling Johnes

 

[Jdunn55]

99.9% of dairy farmers couldn’t care less about cow families or cow history

I disagree! Think there's more that care than you realise

 

[Water Wheel]

How many on this forum would serve cows on family lines and history’s???

Cow families , what are they ? Last cow I bought was 1973 all home reared since then.
I spend hours picking bulls. If I bothered can trace breeding back but never do.

 

[Jdunn55]

How many on this forum would serve cows on family lines and history’s???

I don't think the forum is particularly brilliant at showing the uk dairy industry though, think there's more jersey farmers on here than holsteins as an example, not to mention flying herds, whereas in reality I know of one flying herd around me