All things Dairy

[Holsteinfriesian90]

old AI chap told us the best bulls in the world, go as bobby calves, that was years ago, genomics are here now, but then it was matching a good cow, to a bull, that one thought would turn out right, and some did, others didn't. Old man bought a well bred hol bull, well bred, ever so quiet, lovely to handle, he broke his own rule, 1 yr hfrs, 1 year cows and out, we used him over a lot of hfrs and cows, ended up with about 80 hfrs, none of which beat 4000 litres. Yet very well bred, plenty of milk behind him, lesson learnt.
The reverse side, with more grazing type cows, do you actually want a pli 700 plus bull ? Because if you use one of them, on your 6000 litre grazing type cow, it isn't going to work out that well.

I give up chasing pli don’t get me wrong I sill use it as a tool but I can’t keep up with it now bulls come and go so fast.

 

[dinderleat]

old AI chap told us the best bulls in the world, go as bobby calves, that was years ago, genomics are here now, but then it was matching a good cow, to a bull, that one thought would turn out right, and some did, others didn't. Old man bought a well bred hol bull, well bred, ever so quiet, lovely to handle, he broke his own rule, 1 yr hfrs, 1 year cows and out, we used him over a lot of hfrs and cows, ended up with about 80 hfrs, none of which beat 4000 litres. Yet very well bred, plenty of milk behind him, lesson learnt.
The reverse side, with more grazing type cows, do you actually want a pli 700 plus bull ? Because if you use one of them, on your 6000 litre grazing type cow, it isn't going to work out that well.

Depends on what traits you go for if you concentrate on fertility/health traits and constituents You should end up with better Progeny than it’s mother so you would see genetic gains.

 

[som farmer]

Depends on what traits you go for if you concentrate on fertility/health traits and constituents You should end up with better Progeny than it’s mother so you would see genetic gains.

should, with genomics, should all be pretty reliable, and I have little doubt the hol breeders will produce bulls, for the grazing herds. Interestingly, uk sires have some very old fr semen, ones sire, born 1959- grove brandy, son born 1979, good in there time, still might be a good cross on extreme hols !! But, as it stands today, most holstien bulls, will not produce serious grazing only cows, in time, they will, they have a large genetic base, to select from.

 

[I thats it]

Gave just under £200/head

Bought in auction? A herd dispersal?

 

[I thats it]

Gave just under £200/head

Bought in auction? A herd dispersal?

 

[DairyMark]

This is the picture thread, for posting of dairy pictures and a brief discussion thereof, I am the self appointed picture policewoman.

Okay, like this?

I just want to know, don't mind.

 

[Irish NZ]

As it's a picture thread. Some slightly different cow feed. Kiwifruit. Cows love it

 

[Spudley]

Look! A puddle!

 

[Spudley]

Haven't seen this for a while either!

 

[farmboy]

Look! A puddle!
View attachment 880590

Cows look clean though!

 

[I thats it]

A little more rain over night

 

[Spudley]

Cows look clean though!

It was only a small puddle ?

 

[farmboy]

Bought in auction? A herd dispersal?

Yeah from the market, just surplus heifer calves I believe

 

[ilovemilk90]

But providing you buy well bred bulls you can use the same genetics, and its a job you don't have too think about, because you know a bull unlike a lot of staff won't cut corners he'll do his best to get them incalf, I personally can't put a high enough price on not having to think or worry about fertility. No one should ever hit a bull, worst thing you can do, you just need a good sensible dog and you'll never have a problem. (or that's what I've found)

also cant deny the old girls a big of shagging, life's too short!

 

[lizness]

Cows out. Though how long for? No more grass waiting

 

[pine_guy]

Cows enjoying a fresh bite of grass and some trees in the background for @Beef farmer as he can’t go to the pub ?

 

[Beef farmer]

Cows enjoying a fresh bite of grass and some trees in the background for @Beef farmer as he can’t go to the pub ?View attachment 880636

So youve had no rain, yet you've still got grass. Here the yellow patches expand daily. Milk is now after holding for ages, dropping like a stone down a well and its all sh1t to be fair.

 

[som farmer]

So youve had no rain, yet you've still got grass. Here the yellow patches expand daily. Milk is now after holding for ages, dropping like a stone down a well and its all sh1t to be fair.

similar, all silage ground will be grazed, just hoping it will rain, a good 'wet' will get everything moving, even the forage rape is slow, cows now getting hay, to slow the gut down, to keep the grass inside of them. The stream through the farm, is dry, earliest ever known that, our 'old' spring and reservoir system, feeding 1 trough, b-all there, and it used to keep everything going till july, and people wonder why we moan about the weather !!

 

[The Agrarian]

So youve had no rain, yet you've still got grass. Here the yellow patches expand daily. Milk is now after holding for ages, dropping like a stone down a well and its all sh1t to be fair.

Not being smart here, but when did you house cows at the back end, and turn out this year?

 

[pine_guy]

So youve had no rain, yet you've still got grass. Here the yellow patches expand daily. Milk is now after holding for ages, dropping like a stone down a well and its all sh1t to be fair.

Errrr, thats one of my silage fields. Hasn't been a mouth in there since sheep went out of it in late Feb. I have about 30 acre left of similar looking silage fields ranging between 3000 and 3900 cover.and that is it. No grass, grazzing or silage ground (sppsrt from 30 acre I've rented extra which hasn't really grown ). We have had a bit of rain last night, was forecast so fired a bit of bag on yesterday, hopefully it will grow something before it all evaporates again. Have a field of late sown spring barley that hasn't germinated. And a 12 acre stubble field I was going to DD kale into, but its like concrete.