The swallows are gone. Last Thursday, the weather changed. A harsh wind circled around the farm and temperatures dropped. It’s been a good dairy farming year to date. Winter is now definitely on the way. My grandson Ricky woke crying during the night. My daughter Julie thought he was just cold. It feels early to be putting on heating, but on it will have to go.

Still, all the farming activities are pointing towards winter arrangements and preparation for spring. Tom Healy, who supplies our straw has made several trips over the last few days. The familiar clanging of the bale trailer and the sight of golden straw bruss along the edges of the drive means winter bedding is stowed. Tim spread out bark mulch across the cow sheds to allow it to dry out before the straw will go on top. It will add soakage and reduces the cost of the straw.

Scanning results

A few weeks back, a message appeared on the WhatsApp farm group: “Scanning in Ballyanley at 8.30am tomorrow.” I knew my son Colm had no help. I hadn’t been about the farm since my surgery in June so I volunteered my services. To my delight, my offer was accepted for recording the results. It was my first day out on the farm and I felt useful and better. Being with the cows was perfect therapy.

Leo Healy from Macroom has been scanning cows for us for years. He got suited and booted in his white boiler suit and I felt like singing: A spaceman came travelling... but silenced myself in case I’d insult Leo. He put the scanner on his back and entered the pit with his ladder. If a calf is not found on the outside right, then Leo will have to insert the probe to find the calf. The dreaded words: “I’m afraid she’s empty,” are bound to come. Sometimes it is expected and other times it’s that good cow that’s milking heavily that gets her end of career card. At one point I saw Leo go to the left side of the cow.

This COVID-19 climate ruins our everyday social interaction with the lovely people that work regularly with us

“She’s in calf alright! One in 100 lie on the left,” he explained. “Bang on!” is Leo’s favourite phrase when I call out the date. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up especially with two pairs of eyes looking up at me and three when we got home to Woodside. Leo was chancing his arm at predicting a Jersey if the calf seemed small and an Angus if bigger and he was generally. “Bang on!”

Leo went to the filling station for his tea break and we went to the house.

There was a time when scanning day was a nightmare

This COVID-19 climate ruins our everyday social interaction with the lovely people that work regularly with us on the farm. We had a 13% empty rate across the herd after a 10-week breeding season. We’d like it to be below 10%. Leo also found a few cows with cysts which prevents cows cycling or holding onto a calf. We expect a 20% replacement rate, all told, due to natural herd events.

There was a time when scanning day was a nightmare. Thanks to EBI, Teagasc and ICBF for research and measurement tools; fertility has improved on dairy farms and scanning day is now an organiser for the spring.

Grass to milk

Our main aim is to grow as much grass as possible. Then using an efficient cow at an appropriate stocking rate; convert that grass to milk. The appropriate stocking rate differs for every farm and every field. The right rate for us is somewhere between 2.5 and 3 livestock units per hectare. Our number of cows is dependent on the amount of grass we can grow and on the nitrate regulations that govern us.

There is an average of 900kg of grass dry matter per hectare on the farm at the moment

The heifers go to Billy O’Shea, our heifer rearer, in Kildare, so the grass here is reserved for the cows. We will have 63 heifers calving in February and early March and the aim is to milk 255 cows between the home and the leased farm; 130 and 125 respectively. There is an average of 900kg of grass dry matter per hectare on the farm at the moment. It was 1,000kg last week so it’s clearly dropping and must be managed. Quality bales of silage have been introduced to extend the grazing period. The rotation has stretched to 40 days. Building a good wedge of grass for the spring is now the priority. How quickly the seasons roll around.