Improved herd fertility on Nigel Corbett’s farm near Banbridge, Co Down, has allowed average milk yield per cow to increase while concentrate feed levels have only risen marginally. In January 2019, rolling average milk yield stood at 8,083 litres from 2.2t of concentrates, representing an increase of 816 litres and 0.1t from year-earlier levels.
In terms of milk from forage, it stood at 3,139 litres/cow in January 2019, up 516 litres/cow or 20% from the same period last year.
Since joining phase one of Dairylink Ireland in 2015, Nigel has been focused on improving herd fertility by establishing a more compact calving block in his autumn-calving herd.
Some think that milk output will drop if a strong focus is put on fertility. However, when he revisited the Corbett farm last week, programme adviser Conail Keown asked the fundamental question: “What makes a cow produce milk?” The answer is, of course, having a calf. Conail encourages programme farmers to have fertility as their number one priority in their herds, regardless of system type.
In the case of Nigel, he has been active over phase one of Dairylink in culling cows that are slow to get in calf and are subsequently falling outside of his autumn-calving window.
This has meant Nigel has more freshly calved cows (and fewer stale cows) in the herd, which has boosted milk yield and allowed a better response to concentrate feeding. He is also getting more from winter bonus payments, with more cows calving earlier in the autumn and fewer cows calving in late winter or the spring.
Culling
The process of getting rid of late-calving cows has been gradual on the Corbett farm. This is mainly because there were not adequate numbers of heifers coming forward that could replace cows if a very hard-line approach was taken to culling all late-calvers.
There are still four cows to calve on the Corbett farm at present and all of them are due in May. The plan is to sell these cows before breeding and replace them with bought-in heifers or cows that are calving at the right time of year.
The main objective is to increase the number of cows that are past the voluntary waiting period and are eligible for service at the start of breeding in December. This will mean more heifer calves will be born earlier in the season and will be suitable for replacements, as they will be calving at the right time of year at 24 months of age.
Nigel plans to use more sexed semen in the first weeks of the breeding season so that he has a good supply of autumn-calving heifers coming forward, which will allow a more aggressive approach to culling late-calvers.
Grazing
Cows got out to grass during the day on the Corbett farm for 10 days in February, but had to be rehoused full-time when ground conditions deteriorated. Grazing recommenced last Monday and the whole milking herd has been at grass during the day since.
Nigel has surplus grass on the milking platform, with average farm cover standing at 1,200kg DM/ha and some paddocks measuring over 1,900kg DM/ha. The four dry cows, as well as all in-calf heifers, were turned out to help graze off covers and the aim is to get cows out full-time this week. Urea was spread on the milking platform and outlying silage ground in the last week of March and slurry was spread on silage ground during the dry spell in February by a contractor with an umbilical system.
Production costs rise during 2018
Production costs on the Corbett farm increased during 2018 and stood at 20.21ppl, excluding loan repayments, drawings and taxation. Overall, production costs are up by 3.5ppl on 2017 levels, mainly due to increased concentrate costs and investments made on grazing infrastructure during 2018 that were funded from cashflow.
Average milk price on the Corbett farm in 2018 was 28.38ppl, with average butterfat and protein standing at 4.17% and 3.36% respectively.
The plan on the Corbett farm for 2019 is to carry out reseeding on around 10% of the grazing platform, probably in the autumn. There is also more work to do on grazing infrastructure, mainly improvements to laneways.
Nigel is considering options for calf-rearing facilities, either by renovating a roofed silo or building a new calf shed. This has stemmed from cows calving in a tighter time frame in the autumn, which has put some extra pressure on existing calf accommodation.
Farm facts
102 Holstein cows. 8,083 litres. 2.2t concentrates.4.17% butterfat.3.36% protein.Dairylink farm walks
Two participants in the second phase of the Dairylink Ireland programme are holding farm walks later this month. John Oliver is hosting the first event on his farm near Limavady, Co Derry, on Tuesday 16 April, with the second taking place on Frank Goodman’s farm near Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, on Thursday 18 April. Both events are free to attend and run from 11am to 1pm. A full preview of the two farm walks will feature in next week’s print edition.
Read more
Dairylink: getting out to grass early in Co Down
Watch: sub-optimal soil fertility on Dairylink farms
Improved herd fertility on Nigel Corbett’s farm near Banbridge, Co Down, has allowed average milk yield per cow to increase while concentrate feed levels have only risen marginally. In January 2019, rolling average milk yield stood at 8,083 litres from 2.2t of concentrates, representing an increase of 816 litres and 0.1t from year-earlier levels.
In terms of milk from forage, it stood at 3,139 litres/cow in January 2019, up 516 litres/cow or 20% from the same period last year.
Since joining phase one of Dairylink Ireland in 2015, Nigel has been focused on improving herd fertility by establishing a more compact calving block in his autumn-calving herd.
Some think that milk output will drop if a strong focus is put on fertility. However, when he revisited the Corbett farm last week, programme adviser Conail Keown asked the fundamental question: “What makes a cow produce milk?” The answer is, of course, having a calf. Conail encourages programme farmers to have fertility as their number one priority in their herds, regardless of system type.
In the case of Nigel, he has been active over phase one of Dairylink in culling cows that are slow to get in calf and are subsequently falling outside of his autumn-calving window.
This has meant Nigel has more freshly calved cows (and fewer stale cows) in the herd, which has boosted milk yield and allowed a better response to concentrate feeding. He is also getting more from winter bonus payments, with more cows calving earlier in the autumn and fewer cows calving in late winter or the spring.
Culling
The process of getting rid of late-calving cows has been gradual on the Corbett farm. This is mainly because there were not adequate numbers of heifers coming forward that could replace cows if a very hard-line approach was taken to culling all late-calvers.
There are still four cows to calve on the Corbett farm at present and all of them are due in May. The plan is to sell these cows before breeding and replace them with bought-in heifers or cows that are calving at the right time of year.
The main objective is to increase the number of cows that are past the voluntary waiting period and are eligible for service at the start of breeding in December. This will mean more heifer calves will be born earlier in the season and will be suitable for replacements, as they will be calving at the right time of year at 24 months of age.
Nigel plans to use more sexed semen in the first weeks of the breeding season so that he has a good supply of autumn-calving heifers coming forward, which will allow a more aggressive approach to culling late-calvers.
Grazing
Cows got out to grass during the day on the Corbett farm for 10 days in February, but had to be rehoused full-time when ground conditions deteriorated. Grazing recommenced last Monday and the whole milking herd has been at grass during the day since.
Nigel has surplus grass on the milking platform, with average farm cover standing at 1,200kg DM/ha and some paddocks measuring over 1,900kg DM/ha. The four dry cows, as well as all in-calf heifers, were turned out to help graze off covers and the aim is to get cows out full-time this week. Urea was spread on the milking platform and outlying silage ground in the last week of March and slurry was spread on silage ground during the dry spell in February by a contractor with an umbilical system.
Production costs rise during 2018
Production costs on the Corbett farm increased during 2018 and stood at 20.21ppl, excluding loan repayments, drawings and taxation. Overall, production costs are up by 3.5ppl on 2017 levels, mainly due to increased concentrate costs and investments made on grazing infrastructure during 2018 that were funded from cashflow.
Average milk price on the Corbett farm in 2018 was 28.38ppl, with average butterfat and protein standing at 4.17% and 3.36% respectively.
The plan on the Corbett farm for 2019 is to carry out reseeding on around 10% of the grazing platform, probably in the autumn. There is also more work to do on grazing infrastructure, mainly improvements to laneways.
Nigel is considering options for calf-rearing facilities, either by renovating a roofed silo or building a new calf shed. This has stemmed from cows calving in a tighter time frame in the autumn, which has put some extra pressure on existing calf accommodation.
Farm facts
102 Holstein cows. 8,083 litres. 2.2t concentrates.4.17% butterfat.3.36% protein.Dairylink farm walks
Two participants in the second phase of the Dairylink Ireland programme are holding farm walks later this month. John Oliver is hosting the first event on his farm near Limavady, Co Derry, on Tuesday 16 April, with the second taking place on Frank Goodman’s farm near Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, on Thursday 18 April. Both events are free to attend and run from 11am to 1pm. A full preview of the two farm walks will feature in next week’s print edition.
Read more
Dairylink: getting out to grass early in Co Down
Watch: sub-optimal soil fertility on Dairylink farms
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