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Shop around for UFL values in feed rations
If I had a euro for every time I have been asked about what constitutes a good ration for the autumn, I could take over NAMA myself and make a profit. Dairy farmers have great difficulty grasping the whole quality issue and what constitutes quality in a ration.
Conferences are worth making effort to attend
It's that time of year again -- bright mornings and dark evenings. It's also the time of the year when several conferences are held. Conferences are important for various reasons. From the organisers' point of view, they are a useful means of getting their key messages out to their target audience. Some might say conferences are all about public relations. But they are far from it.
Assessing the benefits of a dry treatment programme
'Well, I'm going to throw the kitchen sink at her. Maybe I will be successful," said a frustrated dairy farmer when he was talking about drying off treatment for some of his cows.
Searching for answers to Curtin's stocking dilemma
What kind of a breeding season did you have on your farm this year? Were the figures as bad as the figures from Curtin's farm in Moorepark? These figures have received much comment from dairy farmers since they appeared a few weeks ago.
Find time for body condition checks
At discussion group meetings for the past few weeks, we have been looking closely at the body condition of cows. It has been a tough year on dairy cows. Grass intakes were a major issue at various times during the year. One would expect body condition to be a quarter of a percent back on where it should be for the time of year. First and second calvers seem to have suffered the most.
Focus on reaching grass cover target
The Moorepark yearly feed budget for a stocking rate of 2.47 lu/ha (1 cow/ac) reads as follows: 4,040kg of grass dry matter, 1,100kg of silage dry matter and 35kg of concentrates.
Opt for silage to keep stock going
Straw is a poor feed for ruminant animals. It is low in protein (6pc-8pc) and its unit of energy (UFL) value is poor. Wheaten straw has a UFL value of 0.42, barley straw 0.44 and oaten straw 0.50.
Winter feed shortage looms
Last week was a dreadful week out on dairy farms. Morale is at an all-time low and much of the time is spent fire fighting, asking dairy farmers to think long-term and not to have all their focus on the problems created by low milk price and the incessant rain.
Don't be tempted to sell productive cows in face of dire silage shortage
It's worse than April and May -- this was a comment made to me by a seasoned Teagasc advisor in the southwest last week. I thought about it for a moment and cast my mind back to May in particular. Dairy farmers on wet soils were in dire straits last May. At the time I actually mentioned that farmers should look out for their neighbours, such was the pressure dairy farmers were under.
Autumn supplementation -- cost is the critical factor
It was always considered economically viable to feed meals to cows in the autumn. All the research work showed that the best response to meal feeding was got in the autumn. Why is this?
Breaking News
- 03:12 Health care reforms vote in Senate
- 23:12 Hadron Collider gets started again
- 22:27 Injustice may help Blues: Hodgson
- 21:27 Strike prompts hospitals warning
- 20:22 Galileo bones to go on display
- 20:02 One killed in Miley tour bus crash
Top stories from Friday, 20.11.09
- 21:27 Strike prompts hospitals warning
- 19:17 Civil servants' £150m pay offer
- 18:47 Anger over lack of open dam warning
- 17:02 More rain for flood-hit communities
- 16:37 Saville report - more delays feared
Top stories from Friday, 20.11.09
- 03:12 Health care reforms vote in Senate
- 23:12 Hadron Collider gets started again
- 20:22 Galileo bones to go on display
- 20:02 One killed in Miley tour bus crash
- 19:42 Six killed in Colombia bus attack
Top stories from Friday, 20.11.09
- 22:27 Injustice may help Blues: Hodgson
- 16:57 Benitez impressed by 'miracle' cure
- 16:57 Zola - Cole's staying put
- 14:22 Burnley loss cleared by Premier season
- 14:22 Robinho makes Liverpool trip
Top stories from Friday, 20.11.09
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Columnist Comments
• Kevin Myers: Armistice Day poppycock threatens our free speech
They started wearing the poppy on the BBC last week, midway through October, nearly a month before Armistice Day. They also ambushed the British National Party (BNP) leader Nick Griffin.
• Ian O'Doherty: All hail Xenu. Or something
The Cult of Scientology is having a really, really bad week. They have been found guilty of fraud in France, and slapped with a large fine -- although given how expert they are at bilking money from the gullible morons who buy into their claptrap, they shouldn't have any problem raising it.
Competitions
Win family tickets Jack & the Beanstalk and over stay!
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Tickets to Ireland v South Africa + overnight stay in the Merrion Hotel up for grabs!
Win 1 of 10 pairs of tickets to Top Gear Live!
Don't miss out on this year's Top Gear Live in the RDS!
Win Jamie Cullum's album plus a Jazz goodie bag!
Jamie Cullum goodies up for grabs!
