The what jdunn55 has done wrong thread...

[Tim G]

I have my weak spots same as everyone, if someone came round and called me crap I'd laugh, if the same person came round and said my cows were crap I'd be in tears no questions asked!

Take it from me, there gets a point when it gets to you. I've had it, all of a sudden I'll flip. Remember you've already achieved something that many haven't.

 

[In the pit]

Quality of grass doesn’t change much through the year and it should be easy to keep it 12me + but the problem comes when it rains and high dm grass becomes low dm

 

[vantage]

Quality of grass doesn’t change much through the year and it should be easy to keep it 12me + but the problem comes when it rains and high dm grass becomes low dm

My cows have never milked as well as this Spring, the grass DM of 25%, together with the low rejection rates on first and second round were key.

 

[Jdunn55]

Quality of grass doesn’t change much through the year and it should be easy to keep it 12me + but the problem comes when it rains and high dm grass becomes low dm

I found that in may once it started raining, cows were eating the same amount of grass but milk dropped a bit as the cows were eating more water as such, sorted my fpd out though

 

[betweenthelines]

My yield aims are the following:
Heifers 6000 litres @4.2% and 3.5% to make 450kg solids from 1500kg of cake (extra to allow for them growing still) with 3500litres coming from forage

Second calvers - 7500litres @4.4% and 3.6% to make 600kg solids from 1500-1750kg of cake with 4000 litres from forage

Third plus calvers - 9000 litres @4.4% and 3.6% to make 700kg of solids from 2000-2500kg of cake with 4500litres from forage

So far I seem to be mostly on track to do that with the exception of my heifers who arent quite doing that, I'm thinking I've set my aims for them a little high.
As for third calvers, our of my 15-20 I would have said 3/4 of them are on track to do that, theres a couple of lower yeilders and 1 or 2 three quarter cows who wont but they're higher constituents and being fed less cake so are making up for it. Also theres a couple who didn't go dry due to the vet getting dates wrong who wont do it this time but will next time.
All of this will be from 12+kg of grazed grass in the grazing season followed by grass silage in the winter and early spring. They'll also have access to 2kgdm each of wholecrop as they enter and leave the parlour to help maintain butterfat and protein levels, plus it's better than them standing as round waiting for milking or to be let out across the road

Go!

Quite frankly, all the above is a waste of your time if you don't match it with a P&L forecast and a cash flow forecast.

Your Bank, who is funding your business, doesn't give a whistle about yields, feed rates etc. They just want to know that you can afford to pay the Interest and that you won't run out of cash.

You didn't even know how much you're paying for cake the other day and actually seem to be paying more for blend.

As I've said, you're not just milking cows, you are running a business. For example, do you know where you are now in comparison to your cash flow forecast? And more importantly, do you understand why?

 

[jimmer]

My yield aims are the following:
Heifers 6000 litres @4.2% and 3.5% to make 450kg solids from 1500kg of cake (extra to allow for them growing still) with 3500litres coming from forage

Second calvers - 7500litres @4.4% and 3.6% to make 600kg solids from 1500-1750kg of cake with 4000 litres from forage

Third plus calvers - 9000 litres @4.4% and 3.6% to make 700kg of solids from 2000-2500kg of cake with 4500litres from forage

So far I seem to be mostly on track to do that with the exception of my heifers who arent quite doing that, I'm thinking I've set my aims for them a little high.
As for third calvers, our of my 15-20 I would have said 3/4 of them are on track to do that, theres a couple of lower yeilders and 1 or 2 three quarter cows who wont but they're higher constituents and being fed less cake so are making up for it. Also theres a couple who didn't go dry due to the vet getting dates wrong who wont do it this time but will next time.
All of this will be from 12+kg of grazed grass in the grazing season followed by grass silage in the winter and early spring. They'll also have access to 2kgdm each of wholecrop as they enter and leave the parlour to help maintain butterfat and protein levels, plus it's better than them standing as round waiting for milking or to be let out across the road

Go!

As long as you have stress tested those aims to 30%less and they still stack up

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

My yield aims are the following:
Heifers 6000 litres @4.2% and 3.5% to make 450kg solids from 1500kg of cake (extra to allow for them growing still) with 3500litres coming from forage

Second calvers - 7500litres @4.4% and 3.6% to make 600kg solids from 1500-1750kg of cake with 4000 litres from forage

Third plus calvers - 9000 litres @4.4% and 3.6% to make 700kg of solids from 2000-2500kg of cake with 4500litres from forage

So far I seem to be mostly on track to do that with the exception of my heifers who arent quite doing that, I'm thinking I've set my aims for them a little high.
As for third calvers, our of my 15-20 I would have said 3/4 of them are on track to do that, theres a couple of lower yeilders and 1 or 2 three quarter cows who wont but they're higher constituents and being fed less cake so are making up for it. Also theres a couple who didn't go dry due to the vet getting dates wrong who wont do it this time but will next time.
All of this will be from 12+kg of grazed grass in the grazing season followed by grass silage in the winter and early spring. They'll also have access to 2kgdm each of wholecrop as they enter and leave the parlour to help maintain butterfat and protein levels, plus it's better than them standing as round waiting for milking or to be let out across the road

Go!

Would 9000 litres for a friesian be a bit optimistic?

 

[Cowmansam]

Would 9000 litres for a friesian be a bit optimistic?

You need to feed it like you would a 12000 litre Holstein

 

[Jdunn55]

Would 9000 litres for a friesian be a bit optimistic?

No I dont think so, I'm going off the yields that the cows have done for @Friesianfan other than a few that are 3/4 or didnt go dry I would have said 90% of my 3rd plus calvers will do 9000

 

[Rossymons]

I think your 4000 - 4500 litres from forage might be a tad optimistic this year unless your silage and grazing is excellent. Not saying impossible though.

 

[lazy farmer]

Yield from forage figuresshould be banned. It’s a rep figure with little relationship to profit.

 

[Durry cows]

Yield from forage figuresshould be banned. It’s a rep figure with little relationship to profit.

I disagree with that on the whole tend to see quite a positive correlation between yield from forage and profit and I’m guessing you’re pretty good on both fronts!?

 

[lazy farmer]

I disagree with that on the whole tend to see quite a positive correlation between yield from forage and profit and I’m guessing you’re pretty good on both fronts!?

I have no idea. Don’t Know any of those margin figures soooo loved by cake reps.

 

[som farmer]

Would 9000 litres for a friesian be a bit optimistic?

not if you have the right genetics, we have 2 heading north of 10,000, how they ever produced that much, and back in calf, on time, l have no idea whatsoever. They didn't have the best of rations, quite a lot of hay included in it, l would love to say, it was our management, but it wasn't. Quite a lot around 9, suspect av yield on the autumn ones will be close to 8. Those 2 were bought in. It has altered my view on hay though, as they have eaten a lot of it, all winter, and last summer. The interesting fact, the autm calvers are matching the spr calvers in daily yield.
Exeter on friday, 80 odd out of sync cows, from surrey, over the last few years, we have bought a fair few, this year, they don't start calving till jan, so not for us, but they are good solid cows. Price, no idea now, nov calvers last monday, were 1400 to 1600 g's, looked proper fr though.

 

[Sylution]

Of all the figures that can be used to measure herd performance, it was only when I started having a proper CFP done through my discussion group that I grasped what is important. An eye opener, and now look forward to it every year.

 

[vantage]

Of all the figures that can be used to measure herd performance, it was only when I started having a proper CFP done through my discussion group that I grasped what is important. An eye opener, and now look forward to it every year.

CFP isn’t perfect either. Example being power and machinery and contractor costs can be super low on cfp, but a stack of finance for new kit outside of it.
Regarding the milk from forage, one of our discussion group members has very high yield, very high milk from forage and the highest cfp by some considerable margin.

 

[lazy farmer]

CFP isn’t perfect either. Example being power and machinery and contractor costs can be super low on cfp, but a stack of finance for new kit outside of it.
Regarding the milk from forage, one of our discussion group members has very high yield, very high milk from forage and the highest cfp by some considerable margin.

Agreed. But there is a massive difference profit wise from having 5000litrrs from grazed grass and 5000 litres from silage.

 

[More to life]

Agreed. But there is a massive difference profit wise from having 5000litrrs from grazed grass and 5000 litres from silage.

some folks can make silage that's more expensive than barley

 

[Bald n Grumpy]

IMO the only figure that matters is the £££'s left after you have paid your Bill's for the month
A few years ago when selling fat Lamb's a chap told me it didn't matter what they made it was how much of it you managed to keep was the important part

 

[dinderleat]

Would 9000 litres for a friesian be a bit optimistic?

Be fine got some that do 10k plus regularly