Hitting the grass 23

[som farmer]

grass sample
21% protein
13 me
12.5% sugar
nitrates 0

w/wolds after maize + £60acre from wessex water, for cover crop between maize

had no slurry and only half application of urea, just to much grass, and to wet, for anything more.

but its a very heavy cut, looked poor take all winter, gone mental in the last month

 

[Grassman247]

We sat down in late autumn/ early winter with a piece of paper and brainstormed where we can perform better - from major to minor tweaks - and gradually have been working through the list.

The first major change was to install a water treatment plant to make the borehole more potable by extracting manganese (potable should be <50 micromoles per litre & the borehole was >1000) and to filter solids out. Before and after testing has shown we achieved water of human drinking quality now ... and more importantly, and without any other changes, it put 2500 litres a day on. Adding a Juno pusher later added another 500 litres.

The other KPI was forage quality and after weighing all the pros and cons and with settled and sufficient staff, controlling harvest is the next step after recent experiences with contractors
So yes, we have a chopper

although I rib bald Rick on his love of machinery he is right. Not much good forage gets made anymore. Margins are tight and everyone’s in a rush to do it faster than ever with more cows in one spot. We are just as guilty. How we overcome that I’m not sure. Staffing it being the biggest issue.

 

[crashbox]

although I rib bald Rick on his love of machinery he is right. Not much good forage gets made anymore. Margins are tight and everyone’s in a rush to do it faster than ever with more cows in one spot. We are just as guilty. How we overcome that I’m not sure. Staffing it being the biggest issue.

Kit share, if you and a neighbour are both at scale, competent and fair with each other...

 

[Grassman247]

Kit share, if you and a neighbour are both at scale, competent and fair with each other...

Would love to do it. My father tried to get 6 local farmers to do it after we saw the kiwis doing it and one of the sons would run it. As per usual for uk farmers non of them could agree

 

[Conrod96]

although I rib bald Rick on his love of machinery he is right. Not much good forage gets made anymore. Margins are tight and everyone’s in a rush to do it faster than ever with more cows in one spot. We are just as guilty. How we overcome that I’m not sure. Staffing it being the biggest issue.

Seriously looked at our own kit this year but maybe not enough acres to justify it or the staff, looked at wagons too but thought it would just take too long

 

[bar718]

Kit share, if you and a neighbour are both at scale, competent and fair with each other...

That’s exactly what we do. Started sharing and buying machines together nearly 15 years ago and the list of machines we share has grown quite substantially but those machines not jointly owned are used just as much on each others farms. Work well for us.

 

[Bald Rick]

although I rib bald Rick on his love of machinery he is right. Not much good forage gets made anymore. Margins are tight and everyone’s in a rush to do it faster than ever with more cows in one spot. We are just as guilty. How we overcome that I’m not sure. Staffing it being the biggest issue.

Looked at kit share but weather windows on the island can be tight and then there is always the issue of breakage and who racks up the hours.

 

[pappuller]

What water system are you using? We've installed 2x pedrolla systems. Transformed our water. Costs, but farm superior water coming out

Your welcome

 

[pappuller]

Seriously looked at our own kit this year but maybe not enough acres to justify it or the staff, looked at wagons too but thought it would just take too long

We have mostly our own kit now as son is keen on the seat, we still call in help when needed but things like having a shovel hired in for the pit have made a big difference to clamp management now we use a wagon

 

[kiwi pom]

Looked at kit share but weather windows on the island can be tight and then there is always the issue of breakage and who racks up the hours.

Yep, can't see how it can work without argument, especially if there's a rough pilot in the mix.
Surely if you kit share, you're in a similar boat to waiting for a contractor when the weather comes right?

Having your own kit is good but you need staff with a different skill set.
If you're spiltting staff between the cows and tractors there's a danger of taking your eye off the cows.

I've a feeling we had this conversation a few years ago though.

 

[bigw]

Agri contractors are going to become fewer and further between with the cost of kit and lack of decent labour so can see why doing things in house can stack up if it doesn't affect stock work and can use the labour all year round. You need to invest in side sheets too @Bald Rick as that is a very easy gain!

 

[Bald Rick]

Yep, can't see how it can work without argument, especially if there's a rough pilot in the mix.
Surely if you kit share, you're in a similar boat to waiting for a contractor when the weather comes right?

Having your own kit is good but you need staff with a different skill set.
If you're spiltting staff between the cows and tractors there's a danger of taking your eye off the cows.

I've a feeling we had this conversation a few years ago though.

Chopper driver is our full time tractor driver who never milks. Pit man is our GFW who has been with us 10 years and does everything.
Things have settled down greatly and to an extent our hand was forced by issues which I'm not going in to

 

[Bald Rick]

Agri contractors are going to become fewer and further between with the cost of kit and lack of decent labour so can see why doing things in house can stack up if it doesn't affect stock work and can use the labour all year round. You need to invest in side sheets too @Bald Rick as that is a very easy gain!

Re side sheets.
We used to religiously but we have found there is very little side or edge waste if properly compacted & the top sheet is tucked in .. and we go through clamps relatively quickly

 

[d williams]

Chopper driver is our full time tractor driver who never milks. Pit man is our GFW who has been with us 10 years and does everything.
Things have settled down greatly and to an extent our hand was forced by issues which I'm not going in to

What happened to the John deer forager??
Didn’t you have one of those

 

[Bald Rick]

What happened to the John deer forager??
Didn’t you have one of those

Sold it about 5 years ago I think

Claas is a better machine IMO ... easier to set up chop length, change blades, drive and uses significantly less fuel.
Drawback is dealer is in Chester not Llangefni but not too onerous

 

[Bald Rick]

What water system are you using? We've installed 2x pedrolla systems. Transformed our water. Costs, but farm superior water coming out

X3 Pentair scrubbers. One takes out solids and two manganese (one works, one scrubs itself then goes to standby until number of cubic metres have gone through then swop), x2 massive 300 litre/minute pumps, huge salt rub, 1m uv light and final filter

Scrubbers are over 6ft tall

 

[Beef farmer]

X3 Pentair scrubbers. One takes out solids and two manganese (one works, one scrubs itself then goes to standby until number of cubic metres have gone through then swop), x2 massive 300 litre/minute pumps, huge salt rub, 1m uv light and final filter

View attachment 1178394
View attachment 1178397


Scrubbers are over 6ft tall

Snap, but we've a 4th tall filter. Wouldn't know what it does tho. Water is crystal clear!

 

[pappuller]

X3 Pentair scrubbers. One takes out solids and two manganese (one works, one scrubs itself then goes to standby until number of cubic metres have gone through then swop), x2 massive 300 litre/minute pumps, huge salt rub, 1m uv light and final filter

View attachment 1178394
View attachment 1178397


Scrubbers are over 6ft tall

We binned the salt bin off and replaced with an enclosed softener that doesn't use salt and needs cleaning every 2 yrs and water is softer as a result

 

[Bald Rick]

We binned the salt bin off and replaced with an enclosed softener that doesn't use salt and needs cleaning every 2 yrs and water is softer as a result

Have a feeling the salt in our system is something to do with regenning the manganese filters looking at the way it is plumbed in. Uses about 1.7 pallets a month
Anyway, regardless I'm not going to dick about now it has transformed the cows. Just wish we'd bitten the bullet years ago

 

[Wesley]

Have a feeling the salt in our system is something to do with regenning the manganese filters looking at the way it is plumbed in. Uses about 1.7 pallets a month
Anyway, regardless I'm not going to dick about now it has transformed the cows. Just wish we'd bitten the bullet years ago

Are they just physically drinking more or do you think it was affecting their metabolism in some way?