Milking on

This week, we outline the implications of milking cows on for longer this winter.

In any other year the advice would be to give cows between eight and 10 weeks dry to build up body condition score and prepare for next season. The big change this year is that cows are in much better condition score than normal and they are milking more than normal.

Based on cows producing around 1kg of milk solids per day and eating between 4 and 6kg of meal, it’s a more or less a breakeven sum. The value of the milk pays for the silage and the meal. But when compared against the alternative – drying off cows and feeding them silage – it makes more financial sense to milk the cows on because the cost of the silage will be covered by the value of the milk. However, the big risk is that condition score will be stripped off cows being milked on silage. If this happens, it will be a disaster and end up costing a lot more than the value of the milk produced. The other risk is burnout. After a year of hard work, is milking on for another few weeks the right policy?

Dairy Day

Dairy Day is being held next Tuesday at Punchestown Event Centre, near Naas in Co Kildare. If travelling from Cork/Limerick/Waterford, exit the M7 at junction 10. Follow the signs for Naas/R445 and then follow the signs for Punchestown Racecourse. If travelling from the Dublin side, exit the N7 at junction 6, keep left at the first roundabout and then turn right at the next roundabout. Keep on the L2019 and cross to the L2023 to Punchestown. The first sessions start at 9.30am and the last finishes at around 5pm. People are free to make their way around between the three stages and exhibitor areas.

One of the sessions in the Skills Hub at Dairy Day is about making sure you never run out of silage again. Richie O’Brien from Teagasc and myself will go through a detailed plan. This is just one of six sessions at the Skills Hub and each is repeated in the afternoon. The Calf Shed Talks are the same, with Tommy Heffernan repeating his sessions morning and afternoon. The third stage with Jack Kennedy looks at what happens to our product beyond the parlour. With big changes in processing and consumer trends, it’s important that farmers, as owners of the industry, are armed with the facts and can dictate the direction of future travel. See more in our Dairy Day supplement. The new edition of the Irish Dairy Farmer magazine will be on sale at Dairy Day.

Lime

With most cows housed, the risk of mastitis has increased. Hygiene is the critical thing. Milking cow cubicles should be scraped down and limed twice a day. Hydrated lime has a lower pH than ordinary lime and is proven to kill more bacteria. But hydrated lime can be hard on cows if used in high quantities. Not more than a fistful should be used per cubicle per day. Some quarries sell a blend of hydrated and ground limestone which is a sort of a halfway house. I’m hearing tonne bags are available for about €200/t.

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