All things Dairy

[Beef farmer]

I wish it was, 320mm this year and 319mm this year, rain stopped 10th of April last year, then into drought of 18mm for May

We got stuck on 1st cut 5th May. Can't have stopped 10th April down here! Won't stop 10th April this year either.

 

[sidjon]

We got stuck on 1st cut 5th May. Can't have stopped 10th April down here! Won't stop 10th April this year either.

Sure that wasn't just the high tide, will check with the wife who looks after the rain gauge, but I did think it was wet Into may as well last year.

 

[som farmer]

On a brighter note, this March was drier than last year ........... by 1mm

we were better than you, 212 last,129 this, but l found it hard to believe.

its got to stop one day, hasn't it ?

april was 84mm

may was163mm, then it dried up, but nearly half of may's rain, came in 48 hrs.

june was 10

another washout july, 162mm in a short time, just enough to fill our near empty lagoon, for the second time ! Washed a ditch right out, and into the lagoon.

 

[sidjon]

we were better than you, 212 last,129 this, but l found it hard to believe.

its got to stop one day, hasn't it ?

april was 84mm

may was163mm, then it dried up, but nearly half of may's rain, came in 48 hrs.

june was 10

another washout july, 162mm in a short time, just enough to fill our near empty lagoon, for the second time ! Washed a ditch right out, and into the lagoon.

I've stopped looking at long range weather as it's too depressing, last week of April looks dry.......

 

[Wesley]

Sure that wasn't just the high tide, will check with the wife who looks after the rain gauge, but I did think it was wet Into may as well last year.

First cut here was third week (ish) of May & was still wet enough in places. Had to pull a trailer out…should’ve listened when we told them to load going downhill in one spot rather than up hill Maize went in late here too because it was wet.

 

[mixed farm]

Iv had enough of this sh!t View attachment 1173246View attachment 1173247View attachment 1173245View attachment 1173248

It has been the most mentally challenging 12 months of farming I have endured. The 9to5 looks tempting at the moment bit hopefully the sun will come soon and we'll fall back in love with farming.

 

[som farmer]

I've stopped looking at long range weather as it's too depressing, last week of April looks dry.......

really hope the 3rd week looks dry and warm.

 

[Princess Pooper]

August/Sept heifers. Top deck a year older - the in calf heifers would normally be out by not but still far too wet and we have a load of fencing to do but can't get a tractor on the land!

 

[Ducati899]

With tonight’s band of rain forecast as well as the end of the week I think turnout or chance of getting any fert on is a while off still,probably made the most forage we ever have in 20 odd years last year and seems like Mother Nature decided we needed that going forward.
This is the highest field on the farm so didn’t bother going to the lowest

 

[vantage]

On the positive your grass and hedges look top notch!

 

[Conrod96]

Slurry has grew plenty of grass anyway but it’s hard to get on and get it topped up

 

[vantage]

Slurry has grew plenty of grass anyway but it’s hard to get on and get it topped up
View attachment 1173394

Now those are tyres!

 

[Conrod96]

Now those are tyres!

Picked them up for £700 7 years ago do a nice job for us stay on for rolling grassland and then Cambridge rolling the cereals too

 

[Ducati899]

On the positive your grass and hedges look top notch!

Thankyou,only took us about 20 years to get the hedges how we wanted them after years of neglect before our time,think we’ve pretty much layed every hedge now

 

[Mr Mackay]

Had to laugh at our newish Cotswold Wash Station this morning .
I went to use it with hands already plastered with Swarfega and oil and it refused to work when I offered my hands up to the sensor .
Cue lots of swearing as it didnt matter how close or what direction I moved hands in front of the sensor window , it wasnt having it!!!! Cut power ,then retried but no!
So in comes the wife ,wanting to know what cussin is about , puts her hand in front and off it goes
But as much as I try ,it wont work for me !!!! She tries again ,and it strikes up !!

Is it me? I recall our parlour man trying to make it work when he did the plumbing and it would only work for me on that day
But it doesnt want to today !!
Discrimination??
The other funny thing ,is the tanker driver frequently sets it going when he walks past in his hi Viz waistcoat , bloody thing

Just a tip for other frustrated Hyco wash units that refuse to go half the time . The footrimmer was saying how its also a problem at another farm they go to !
We talked about the tanker drivers hi Viz setting it off every time ,and stupidly I thought it was the yellow material ,but its actuallly the silver reflective strip that does it !!

So having had a couple of reflective strips that had fell off the Kuhn Tub Mixer ,I took one into the dairy ,and BOOM , every time you hold it up to the Infra Red sensor dot ,it goes

Hope that helps someone

 

[Jdunn55]

Population explosion here today

old girl just calved in again with a heifer

 

[Beef farmer]

@som farmer pulling the plug on the milkers? Concentrate on calves?

 

[som farmer]

@som farmer pulling the plug on the milkers? Concentrate on calves?

2nd person to tell me that.

yes, 70+ Exeter on friday, rest will go as and when, some we will fatten, some we will sell fresh next autumn, and some will be sucklers.

taken over a year for son to decide, partly waiting to see how much siblings want, we still don't know, but we will lose land. Kivells have had to wait, but they have been really helpful, talked it through with him several times.

but slurry regs, parlour needs a chunk of money, the buildings are tired, needs a lot of money spent, and he doesn't want to borrow that much, and l can't blame him, plus he's only missed 4 milkings, in the last 8 yrs, so he's done his stint. And l am pretty useless for any work now, this winter has aggravated the arthritis. And this has been a shite winter.

its fine, until something goes wrong, it all relies on him, and there isn't any decent labour about. So really the decision was simple, it was the mental one, that was hard, and only he could make that decision. And he's still got 60 to milk, fading out gradually !

agreed to grow a lot of maize, at a per ton rate. Amassed a fair sum on SFI, plenty of off farm work for him, any spare grass, is 'booked'.

and a lot of calves to rear. Then there are 'other' plans, when we finally sort siblings out, so not much to worry about, income wise.

 

[Martyn]

2nd person to tell me that.

yes, 70+ Exeter on friday, rest will go as and when, some we will fatten, some we will sell fresh next autumn, and some will be sucklers.

taken over a year for son to decide, partly waiting to see how much siblings want, we still don't know, but we will lose land. Kivells have had to wait, but they have been really helpful, talked it through with him several times.

but slurry regs, parlour needs a chunk of money, the buildings are tired, needs a lot of money spent, and he doesn't want to borrow that much, and l can't blame him, plus he's only missed 4 milkings, in the last 8 yrs, so he's done his stint. And l am pretty useless for any work now, this winter has aggravated the arthritis. And this has been a shite winter.

its fine, until something goes wrong, it all relies on him, and there isn't any decent labour about. So really the decision was simple, it was the mental one, that was hard, and only he could make that decision. And he's still got 60 to milk, fading out gradually !

agreed to grow a lot of maize, at a per ton rate. Amassed a fair sum on SFI, plenty of off farm work for him, any spare grass, is 'booked'.

and a lot of calves to rear. Then there are 'other' plans, when we finally sort siblings out, so not much to worry about, income wise.

I’m bringing up bulling heifers to if they pass pmt testing this week

 

[kiwi pom]

2nd person to tell me that.

yes, 70+ Exeter on friday, rest will go as and when, some we will fatten, some we will sell fresh next autumn, and some will be sucklers.

taken over a year for son to decide, partly waiting to see how much siblings want, we still don't know, but we will lose land. Kivells have had to wait, but they have been really helpful, talked it through with him several times.

but slurry regs, parlour needs a chunk of money, the buildings are tired, needs a lot of money spent, and he doesn't want to borrow that much, and l can't blame him, plus he's only missed 4 milkings, in the last 8 yrs, so he's done his stint. And l am pretty useless for any work now, this winter has aggravated the arthritis. And this has been a shite winter.

its fine, until something goes wrong, it all relies on him, and there isn't any decent labour about. So really the decision was simple, it was the mental one, that was hard, and only he could make that decision. And he's still got 60 to milk, fading out gradually !

agreed to grow a lot of maize, at a per ton rate. Amassed a fair sum on SFI, plenty of off farm work for him, any spare grass, is 'booked'.

and a lot of calves to rear. Then there are 'other' plans, when we finally sort siblings out, so not much to worry about, income wise.

If there's lots of family involved who need paying out, why not sell the place when you pack up milking, divide the money and let your son set himself up somewhere without the worry of paying people out?