Over 40mm of rain fell over the course of the last week and as a result the farm has been completely transformed in colour and has begun to start growing grass again. Growth rate has jumped to over 50kg per day for the last number of days so the farm is building up with grass which should allow the winter feed diet be removed in the next week.

The cows are still getting almost the same diet – beet pulp nuts, a kilo or two of distillers to bring a little extra protein to the mix, and first-cut silage. The silage was tested at 30% dry matter so it’s relatively high in dry matter as a lot of first-cut silages will be this year.

Sixteen cull cows went to a speclialist feeder during the week averaging about €370 each – a mix of high cell count cows, lame cows, and old cows. The vasectomised bulls were also sold at €600 a piece – the 10 Friesian bulls were purchased at €2.20/kilo for 435kg average so about €950 each.

So this year, the direct cost of them from purchase to sale was €3,500. Remember they also had to be fed and watered while they were on the farm (May to end of July). So it’s a real cost to the business, but the benefit they bring in picking up cows in heat can be repaid very quickly, if not-in-calf rates are kept down around the 10% or less in a 12-week breeding season.

Milk solids have taken a bounce up during the week – a factor of bringing the kilo of distillers into the diet (a little extra protein) and the fact that there is more green grass getting into the diet over the last couple of days.

The last milk test (3 August) shows a result of about 16 to 17kg per cow at 3.74% protein up from 3.61%, 4.86% fat up from 4.60%, so that is essentially still around 1.4/1.45kg MS/cow. Cell count is at 201 SCC similar to 198,000 last week and 16 TBC and 4.78% lactose.

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Rain arrives in Kilkenny at last