You would think that in a country like this the chances of running out of water would be pretty slim.

However, that hasn’t been the case with our borehole. Over the last number of months, as we come towards the end of washing down after milking, the water has run out. It means that someone has to come out again after tea to finish off the job when the water has built up again.

Initially, I was worried that the pump was about to give up, but after some investigations it seemed to be the case that the water level in the borehole was dropping. We came to this conclusion by filling a yellow bucket with water at different times of the day, and timing how long it took to fill.

As the day progressed, and more water was being used around the yard, the time to fill the bucket increased. Therefore, by evening milking, with a big demand for water, there is less water to pump, which is why we have been running out. Our borehole is 450ft deep, and apparently it takes three months for ground water to soak down to this level.

Advice is that the best solution is to build a reservoir of water during the day, so that at times of high demand the borehole won’t be under pressure. To do this, we have installed two 20,000-litre tanks and a series of pipes and water pumps.

An added benefit of this project is that we will be able to plum a 2in pipe from the storage tanks into the plate cooler and back to the storage tanks. This water will be pumped in a continuous loop and will mean that the plate cooler will be working to full capacity, meaning that the milk will be going into the tank colder. Therefore, the tank will be running more efficiently.

To prove this, the company doing the job has installed a system to monitor the temperature of the milk entering the tank, as well as water temperature, and units of electricity used.

Once the job is finished, the company will be able to give us before and after figures.

Regardless of increased efficiency, it is a real hassle trying to save water during milking and still running out.

Production

Cows are continuing to milk well, and at 149 days in milk, production stands at 35 litres. Solids are holding up, with latest test results of 4.04% butterfat and 3.32% protein (2.57kg/solids/cow/day).

With three scanning sessions under our belt, fertility also seems to be good, although saying that, the last session was disappointing compared with the first two.

Of 16 cows scanned, only 11 were positive. Hopefully, this was just a blip or perhaps it is down to the ‘‘Christmas effect’’ when less attention was being paid to what was going on in the cubicle house.

Heifers, on the other hand, scanned well with 13 diagnosed positive out of 14, mostly to sexed semen, apart from a couple the bull served when he was turned in over Christmas.

Price

We will all be watching closely to see where milk price goes over the next few months. Since the start of the year markets have stabilised, and with three successive positive GDT auctions, let’s hope that the predicted price drops later in the year won’t be as severe as some were suggesting.

A question perhaps worth asking now is how long can milk buyers use the excuse of intervention stocks hanging over the market? With some of this stock over two years old, is it still even fit for human consumption?

Read more

Keeping on top of calf health this winter