Slurry

[Ukjay]

The storage requirement needed now does already have a substantial contingency built in. When you work out the calculation you are supposed to allow for the amount of rainwater that you haven’t managed to exclude from the system, and dairy washings, etc. Then you have to have enough storage (is it 4 months outside of NVZ areas?) for far longer than the ‘closed’ period when you aren’t allowed to spread any.

Of course, it could be argued that the contingency needs to be extended, or spreading regulations tightened further, but it should be remembered that this is an almost unprecedented prolonged wet spell, even for Wales (local rainfall figures are used in the capacity requirement).
Just last winter, was very different indeed, for example. Which is the norm to base these contingency plans? Last winter +50%, or this one +50%?

Neil

With due respect, I am sitting questioning myself as to why you wish to continue to drag me back into this debate when we both know we will never see eye to eye on the root cause, and it is a subject very emotive to others that then brings with it name calling etc.

You know my take is that the elephant in the closet is still that the management system employed / current design of this set up is seriously flawed imho, as can clearly be seen by now having a major potential issue on the horizon if the sh!t hits the fan due to more rain and nowhere to go - and noone can justify any possitive reason to accept that.

I truly hope it doesn't happen, but it would definitely be interesting to see what would happen with views if the unfortunate were to happen and this were to end as another environmental disaster simply due to not having enough storage or a better more robust contingency..


YMMV, its life.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Farmer says 2012 'the worst harvest in my lifetime'
That was the headline at the time, i gave up growing corn after that harvest when i almost lost the whole crop, extreme when we have not had a harvest that bad since

 

[Cowabunga]

Farmer says 2012 'the worst harvest in my lifetime'
That was the headline at the time, i gave up growing corn after that harvest when i almost lost the whole crop, extreme when we have not had a harvest that bad since

To compare that with livestock farming this year [if that is possible], the farms with maize crops were very lucky this year in that it was harvested unusually early, allowing them to spread slurry and muck on that ground in plenty of time before the early wet weather. Not often that happens. More often the maize is hauled out through mud and ruts between wet days. Certainly around these parts.

 

[Henarar]

Arnt we as farmers all guilty of not planning for the worst, but as we have no idea what the worst can be how can you plan for it !

you can plan for the worst you have had
worst we have had since I have been running the show was the seven month winter of 2012/2013 so now I make sure we have enough silage, hay and straw for seven months with the cattle inside, if it turns out to be only a 5 month job like last year just sell some or not sow as much fert the next year and don't make as much.
also have enough dung storage [we don't have slurry] for seven months

 

[Ffermer Bach]

I have decided not to coment anymore on Brexit after what my young daughter had to witness in London yesterday .
I am sorry if i have been rude to anyone on here on the subject .
We should be here to help one another
Hope you all have a nice day , i can actually see a bit of Blue Sky this morning

can I ask what she witnessed in London?

 

[Tarw Coch]

Farmer says 2012 'the worst harvest in my lifetime'
That was the headline at the time, i gave up growing corn after that harvest when i almost lost the whole crop, extreme when we have not had a harvest that bad since

Ground is wetter here now than 2012 allthough there’s certainly parallels between 2012 and this year, both following exceptionally dry years , the summer of 2012 was far wetter here than it has been this summer, this summer being near ideal here but we’ve had serious rain through October/November.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Dont take everything to heart 7610 i for one think you have been very unfortunate in the cards you were dealt during the various cap reforms. Nothing to do with you management or your business . It cant be a disaster as you are still in the game l often agree with your views and like youre posts but these days its hard to know whose right or where the solution lies . Only certainity is that we will continue to have to run faster to stand still. Many of the arguments on here go sour when things get personal unfortunately whichever side of the divide you are on

I tried to have a discussion on facebook with my cousin's son in law about the election and the NHS, I was trying to discuss facts, he resorted to low level bullying and saying that anyone who could vote conservative was rich and had no compassion what so ever, and that I only voted tory because I owned a farm. In the end I gave up as some people "try to play the man, instead of the ball"

 

[Tarw Coch]

To compare that with livestock farming this year [if that is possible], the farms with maize crops were very lucky this year in that it was harvested unusually early, allowing them to spread slurry and muck on that ground in plenty of time before the early wet weather. Not often that happens. More often the maize is hauled out through mud and ruts between wet days. Certainly around these parts.

Not much maize been harvested around here in good conditions, infact quite the opposite, many, no doubt like you with your slurry hoping weather conditions would improve. As for getting muck out onto maize ground after harvest, not the best idea unless you plan to sow a crop straight afterwards.

 

[Cowabunga]

you can plan for the worst you have had
worst we have had since I have been running the show was the seven month winter of 2012/2013 so now I make sure we have enough silage, hay and straw for seven months with the cattle inside, if it turns out to be only a 5 month job like last year just sell some or not sow as much fert the next year and don't make as much.
also have enough dung storage [we don't have slurry] for seven months

The conventional wisdom when I was at college was that a good efficient business planned for everything but the one in ten or one in twentieth year worst event. For those worst event years, which always occur no matter what the planning unless one is not exactly pushing their assets, then they pay to sort it out. Whether buying in fodder due to drought or extended winters, frost, some disease or other striking, or indeed the weather causing a failure to spread slurry in a timely fashion. It's all in a farmer's daily work and where no two years are the same. It's the ability to solve these problems that is important.

 

[Cowabunga]

Not much maize been harvested around here in good conditions, infact quite the opposite, many, no doubt like you with your slurry hoping weather conditions would improve. As for getting muck out onto maize ground after harvest, not the best idea unless you plan to sow a crop straight afterwards.

Just shows what regional variations there are in a not too big region. Much maize ground here is spread with 25,000 litres/hc slurry after harvest, which is not a lot. If it can be put on grassland they do. Much maize ground is also planted with some short term grass or fodder beet to feed some sheep as a cover crop to use the slurry and provide cover over winter.
Less maize grown these days than twenty years ago around these parts. Only the bigger farms with free draining land do so now and many of those seem to have given up as well. Probably caught by the weather one too many times?

 

[Hilly]

A

A nice 600 acre farm in Wales and a house in Brighton. Things have been awful whilst members of the EU

As he posted above , 15 million cattle down to nine now what a joke.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

you can plan for the worst you have had
worst we have had since I have been running the show was the seven month winter of 2012/2013 so now I make sure we have enough silage, hay and straw for seven months with the cattle inside, if it turns out to be only a 5 month job like last year just sell some or not sow as much fert the next year and don't make as much.
also have enough dung storage [we don't have slurry] for seven months

Last years drought came to an abrupt end . What if it hadn't , what if its wet like this next May ,. Im glad im out of milk. @Cowabunga topic has bought back memories of what it was like in a,wet winter. Having a slurry pit looking like an oversize mushroom . . The NRA checking your stream every week and no hope of getting any out

 

[davedb]

What a load of sh!t,literally
Worse than primary school kids the lot of you
I suggest you go romance your better halves and get a bit ,might take the edge of your moods


I'm out

I’ve never seen anything like it, the duck could of dug himself a clay lined lagoon with a spade the length of time this has been goin on

 

[vantage]

I have a cunning plan


We’ve recently taken on 85ac at the mouth of the estuary and the main holding is about a mile upstream......

When you get to 2k + cows , apparently this becomes a necessity!

 

[Henarar]

Not so long ago they would scrape it in to a 150 rotaspreader and take a load out each day, each farm only had one load at the most to get rid of so could find a dry bit if it was very wet weather

 

[Tarw Coch]

Not so long ago they would scrape it in to a 150 rotaspreader and take a load out each day, each farm only had one load at the most to get rid of so could find a dry bit if it was very wet weather

My neighbour still does.

 

[Speedstar]

May come to that but I have a thousand tons to spread and that will run off if put on too thick.

There's a heck of a lot of dairy farms in the same situation at the moment.

Get it put on with a trailing shoe and umbilical cord system and it will not run off ,if on slopes do it on a angle a cross the hill
We have had to do this before and with the right Tyres on the tractor and right machine there will be mess at all

 

[neilo]

Not much maize been harvested around here in good conditions, infact quite the opposite, many, no doubt like you with your slurry hoping weather conditions would improve. As for getting muck out onto maize ground after harvest, not the best idea unless you plan to sow a crop straight afterwards.

Still a bit to harvest round here, some of which has been under water a few times.?

 

[neilo]

Not so long ago they would scrape it in to a 150 rotaspreader and take a load out each day, each farm only had one load at the most to get rid of so could find a dry bit if it was very wet weather

Wasting most of the nutrients as they went.

 

[Henarar]

Wasting most of the nutrients as they went.

How is that any different to what they do now