The cows were drenched for rumen fluke with Zanil, as dung sample results indicated that rumen fluke was an issue.

There was some debate over whether one or two drenches were necessary, but the best advice was to ensure they get one drench in and it would set the herd up well for 2018.

Interestingly, I see new withdrawal guidelines have been issued for Zanil. Now the milk withdrawal is 108 hours, or 4.5 days, for milking cows. Some farmers give a second dose of Zanil at calving and hence these new withdrawal rules would impact decision-making.

When the cows were being drenched they were also sorted by calving date, so the early calvers are together in a batch.

The in-calf heifers will start to come back from the contract-rearing farm this week – about a week before they are due to calve. They will be well sprung up, so it will be important that they are kept clean. While the due date is 27 January, a proportion will probably have calved before that date.

Repairs

While the farmyard work is still relatively quiet, attention has turned back to the fields and the necessary repair jobs on gate gaps, water troughs, etc.

There are some wires on the ground after the hedgecutter clipped a few wires and where improvements need to be made, etc.

Fodder

There is still silage in the yard, but farm manager Eoin bought some first-cut pit silage at €35/t, rather than to run out in February when the pressure is on calving.

There is still a good share of high-quality, round bale silage but these will be ,held for late March when normal grass supplies are tight.

Urea will be priced over the weekend and ordered, so that will be another job completed. The calf shed is ready and straw is in-house.

Insurance creeping up

The annual farm insurance bill was paid this week and at €7,000 for the year it’s a big cheque. It has crept upwards slightly over the last few years, as more cows are milked on the farm.

There are 374 due to calve, with the plan to milk about 350 for 2018, at the moment. The insurance covers all eventualities, full-time employed staff and public liability, etc.

The final invoices for the capital changes to topless cubicles and stand-off pads, etc, are still being gathered up, so when it’s all in I’ll detail the costs.

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