All things Dairy

Jdunn55

Member
Also should have said I'm also cautious after two reasonably dry years that this way there should be plenty of moisture in the ground for the next cut, whereas if I left it until may when it could be dry and no rain until august it might not do as well if that makes sense
The drought conditions is also why I'm putting festollium in with the italian ryegrass and a herbal mix in this spring and maybe sowing some chicory in with any white clover/perennial ryegrass mixes sown
 
20200322_180536.jpg
spring sprung at last
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
Also should have said I'm also cautious after two reasonably dry years that this way there should be plenty of moisture in the ground for the next cut, whereas if I left it until may when it could be dry and no rain until august it might not do as well if that makes sense
The drought conditions is also why I'm putting festollium in with the italian ryegrass and a herbal mix in this spring and maybe sowing some chicory in with any white clover/perennial ryegrass mixes sown
our drought resistant festololiums, succumbed in 2nd year, first year great, even though it was a drought, second year drought, they fested off, full reseed last autumn, looks great now.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
shock today, calves to mkt today, rung up to see what they made, had to wait until auctioneer could speak to me, luckily we weren't worried about price, just needed to thin some out, Auctioneer started to explain demand etc, told him not to worry, as we weren't, decent Friesian bull calves, £1, names angus to £6, bb bull calf £35, hfr £21, all good calves, bit young, but sound, apparently, can't get the staff, at abattoir to deal with them, corona. Luckily, that will have eased the pressure, no more dairy bred to come, so will keep most now, we acidify the colostrum, and have 2000 litres treated and stored, so cost will be miminal, and we are still calving, 6 hfrs, and 20 cows left !
 
Location
Cornwall
shock today, calves to mkt today, rung up to see what they made, had to wait until auctioneer could speak to me, luckily we weren't worried about price, just needed to thin some out, Auctioneer started to explain demand etc, told him not to worry, as we weren't, decent Friesian bull calves, £1, names angus to £6, bb bull calf £35, hfr £21, all good calves, bit young, but sound, apparently, can't get the staff, at abattoir to deal with them, corona. Luckily, that will have eased the pressure, no more dairy bred to come, so will keep most now, we acidify the colostrum, and have 2000 litres treated and stored, so cost will be miminal, and we are still calving, 6 hfrs, and 20 cows left !

What market was that?
 
shock today, calves to mkt today, rung up to see what they made, had to wait until auctioneer could speak to me, luckily we weren't worried about price, just needed to thin some out, Auctioneer started to explain demand etc, told him not to worry, as we weren't, decent Friesian bull calves, £1, names angus to £6, bb bull calf £35, hfr £21, all good calves, bit young, but sound, apparently, can't get the staff, at abattoir to deal with them, corona. Luckily, that will have eased the pressure, no more dairy bred to come, so will keep most now, we acidify the colostrum, and have 2000 litres treated and stored, so cost will be miminal, and we are still calving, 6 hfrs, and 20 cows left !
How do you store it?
 
shock today, calves to mkt today, rung up to see what they made, had to wait until auctioneer could speak to me, luckily we weren't worried about price, just needed to thin some out, Auctioneer started to explain demand etc, told him not to worry, as we weren't, decent Friesian bull calves, £1, names angus to £6, bb bull calf £35, hfr £21, all good calves, bit young, but sound, apparently, can't get the staff, at abattoir to deal with them, corona. Luckily, that will have eased the pressure, no more dairy bred to come, so will keep most now, we acidify the colostrum, and have 2000 litres treated and stored, so cost will be miminal, and we are still calving, 6 hfrs, and 20 cows left !
After commission did you get any money?
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
How do you store it?
acidify with formic acid, after 7 days meant to kill johnes ! Formic acid is hard to get, at the moment, actual rates of inclusion rates vary, so for them, ask your vet, or search the internet. We have been using it for 7 years, but this being our 1st proper spring block, we have had a few problems with intake, and looseness, which we think is because of the 'richness' of colostrum.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
After commission did you get any money?
yes, I think, but it definitely not going to be rushed to bank, worked out £8 calve before commission, the auctioneer politely suggesting, might be better to shoot crap calves. We have bb's and aa calves to come now, job to know best way, keep or shoot, not what we want to do, we will keep the beef, and some very good fb's, but what will the mkt be like in 2 or 4 months ?
 
Location
East Mids
Salisbury, after tonights announcements, suspect mkts will be closed.
Melton put a facebook post up last night. LAA got guidance from Defra. Market will go ahead today. No public and no ancillary market stalls. Vendors to drop stock, wash and go, leave any selling instructions with auctioneer. Buyers keep safe distance from each other.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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