Farm Safety: Dairy farmers are the highest risk group among farmers to be involved in farm accidents. At the IFA dairy conference yesterday, Pat Griffin from the Health and Safety Authority said that the risk profile of a person who is at a high risk of a farm accident is:
A dairy farmer – while they only make up 17% of the agri sector, dairy farmers account for 58% of deaths.A full-time dairy farmer.A farmer with over 30ha.Male.Over 55 years of age.Do what you can now to reduce the risk. Complete the online farm safety documents which highlight the risk areas around your farm. Take your time to sit down and plan what you need to do around the farm to make it safe for you and your family. If you, or someone in your discussion group, can help save a life or prevent an accident it will be very worthwhile and worth far more than any technical on-farm improvement.
Grazing matters: There is only a week left until the start of November, when 60% of the grazing platform should be closed by for spring grazing. If possible, dry stock could be diverted from other parts of the farm to increase grazing pressure on the milking platform. Once milking cows are dried off, they can graze heavy covers on paddocks away from the parlour. In the south and east, ground conditions are pretty good for late October and paddocks closed off for spring have low grass covers. This is an excellent opportunity to get ground lime out onto land. Liming soils improves the availability of nitrogen, phosphorus and trace minerals. At this time of the year, it will also encourage grass growth for next spring and reduce the risk of lime being taken up by silage crops and increasing the risk of grass tetany next spring.
Dry cow tubes: With cows starting to be dried off in the coming weeks, now is the time to plan what dry cow tubes to use. Some experts say it is important to change the active ingredient used in dry cow tubes on your farm every three to four years, but many are slow to change from tubes that are working. There are three main families of dry tubes licensed for use on cows: cloxacillin (+ampicillin), neomycin and cephalexin. If herd somatic cell count is very high, consult with your vet about carrying out a sensitivity or culture test to identify the best dry cow tube to use given the proposed length of the dry cow period, etc.
Housing: With stock likely to be housed in a month, now is the last chance to do any final maintenance jobs on winter housing. Check that any recent building works haven’t disturbed the functionality or ventilation of existing housing. It’s easier to get adjustments made before the animals come in. Try to pour any concrete now before cold weather sets in.
Farmyard manure: Last week for spreading farm yard manure. The last day for spreading is Friday, 31 October.
Farm Safety: Dairy farmers are the highest risk group among farmers to be involved in farm accidents. At the IFA dairy conference yesterday, Pat Griffin from the Health and Safety Authority said that the risk profile of a person who is at a high risk of a farm accident is:
A dairy farmer – while they only make up 17% of the agri sector, dairy farmers account for 58% of deaths.A full-time dairy farmer.A farmer with over 30ha.Male.Over 55 years of age.Do what you can now to reduce the risk. Complete the online farm safety documents which highlight the risk areas around your farm. Take your time to sit down and plan what you need to do around the farm to make it safe for you and your family. If you, or someone in your discussion group, can help save a life or prevent an accident it will be very worthwhile and worth far more than any technical on-farm improvement.
Grazing matters: There is only a week left until the start of November, when 60% of the grazing platform should be closed by for spring grazing. If possible, dry stock could be diverted from other parts of the farm to increase grazing pressure on the milking platform. Once milking cows are dried off, they can graze heavy covers on paddocks away from the parlour. In the south and east, ground conditions are pretty good for late October and paddocks closed off for spring have low grass covers. This is an excellent opportunity to get ground lime out onto land. Liming soils improves the availability of nitrogen, phosphorus and trace minerals. At this time of the year, it will also encourage grass growth for next spring and reduce the risk of lime being taken up by silage crops and increasing the risk of grass tetany next spring.
Dry cow tubes: With cows starting to be dried off in the coming weeks, now is the time to plan what dry cow tubes to use. Some experts say it is important to change the active ingredient used in dry cow tubes on your farm every three to four years, but many are slow to change from tubes that are working. There are three main families of dry tubes licensed for use on cows: cloxacillin (+ampicillin), neomycin and cephalexin. If herd somatic cell count is very high, consult with your vet about carrying out a sensitivity or culture test to identify the best dry cow tube to use given the proposed length of the dry cow period, etc.
Housing: With stock likely to be housed in a month, now is the last chance to do any final maintenance jobs on winter housing. Check that any recent building works haven’t disturbed the functionality or ventilation of existing housing. It’s easier to get adjustments made before the animals come in. Try to pour any concrete now before cold weather sets in.
Farmyard manure: Last week for spreading farm yard manure. The last day for spreading is Friday, 31 October.
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