All things Dairy

[dinderleat]

Along side something else which you’ve bought ?

Everytging has a cost but no a bit of straw

 

[lazy farmer]

Everytging has a cost but no a bit of straw

Bought in ?

 

[dinderleat]

Bought in ?

Grow our own, doesn’t matter everything has a value. Unless your grass silage is free?

 

[Cows 'n grass]

Life as a jersey. 4th one in 2 months that's got mf over 70 dim View attachment 1006557

At a guess those ones have a taste for maize and eat very little grass silage. If you're offering any rock salt or mins then try chucking a bag of lime flower on top.

 

[Cows 'n grass]

Always better to make good silage

Unless you're spring calving...

You always want well made silage with low waste but for spring calvers multi cut silage an unnecessary expense.

Maize would be my preferred buffer through autumn and early spring. April cut grass silage doesn't compliment early or late grazing and wouldn't be my preferred fresh cow feed. A few surplus bales will keep late milkers going into winter and a massive early June cut is ideal dry cow fodder that is very cheap to make and doesn't need any faffing about mixing with bought in straw.

 

[In the pit]

Just make the best stuff you can
Dry to 30% dm in the clamp with it sheeted and sorted

 

[In the pit]

If you’re a proper spring grazer you won’t make silage until mid may having grazed your whole farm on the first rotation

 

[Cows 'n grass]

Yay Father Christmas been View attachment 1006085

Your scraping rig definitely looks smarter than mine. These Mensch tyre scrapers work brilliantly on a skiddy. Its a shame Bobcat haven't worked how to paint things properly. This one's only 2012 and lives indoors.

 

[frederick]

If you’re a proper spring grazer you won’t make silage until mid may having grazed your whole farm on the first rotation

He's in Cornwall.
He will have surplus grass to come out late April. He's also understocked from where he wants to be. He could be on second cut by late may

 

[In the pit]

He's in Cornwall.
He will have surplus grass to come out late April. He's also understocked from where he wants to be. He could be on second cut by late may

Won’t be much surplus with lack of fertiliser

 

[Jdunn55]

If you’re a proper spring grazer you won’t make silage until mid may having grazed your whole farm on the first rotation

I can't graze all my land, I intend to graze the whole of the dairy farm but I have circa 200 acres elsewhere which I can't graze because most of it is a 15 minute drive away! Of that 100 acres isn't grazeable because there's no water/too small a block/no fencing/because the landlord doesn't want me to
So the plan would be: 100 acres of away ground that IS grazeable would have youngstock and sheep on with any excess taken as hay in June
100 acres of away ground that ISN'T grazeable would have a first cut in April that would be clamped for autumn calvers and spring calvers when they don't have access to grazing,
when they do have access to grazing they will be buffer fed maize at the shoulders of the year instead which will be grown on the away blocks of land as a break crop

Before someone says why don't I increase numbers further with the land available, I might but it will depend on infrastructure because I'm maxed to 150 cows on this farm and dad's farm there's currently limited grazing around the yard which is where the holsteins come in... plus I intend to walk before I start running!

 

[Jdunn55]

Won’t be much surplus with lack of fertiliser

I got lucky and bought most of mine before the price increase

 

[dinderleat]

I got lucky and bought most of mine before the price increase

Which increase

 

[jimmer]

I made sputnik juice for my springs last two years, I've found it too good
This year I introduced maize to them as well, and the difference is staggering, they are cleaner, better conditioned and generally healthier
I intend making late may bulk grass silage this coming year

 

[lazy farmer]

This ^@dinderleat

 

[dinderleat]

This ^@dinderleat

HNY

 

[lazy farmer]

HNY

You too.

 

[som farmer]

Just make the best stuff you can
Dry to 30% dm in the clamp with it sheeted and sorted

we help our contractor, you would be amazed what some put in their pits, several leave it to bulk up till june, costs to much, otherwise, and moan their cows don't milk off forage. One very high yielding herd, uses grass silage as filler. But each to their own, for us, quality is king.

 

[dinderleat]

we help our contractor, you would be amazed what some put in their pits, several leave it to bulk up till june, costs to much, otherwise, and moan their cows don't milk off forage. One very high yielding herd, uses grass silage as filler. But each to their own, for us, quality is king.

Surprised your cows can keep up with what system you run let alone yourself

 

[Cows 'n grass]

we help our contractor, you would be amazed what some put in their pits, several leave it to bulk up till june, costs to much, otherwise, and moan their cows don't milk off forage. One very high yielding herd, uses grass silage as filler. But each to their own, for us, quality is king.

Bulking till June works fine if you're not trying to milk off it and it's the cheapest conserved forage you'll make. You can plaster it in slurry in March without a worry unlike something you plan to cut in April.

When you see the forager spitting black smoke at 5mph you know you're getting your money's worth