Over the last week a number of issues have arisen due to the warm weather. The first problem is with cooling milk. I was chatting to a milk lorry driver over the weekend who said that a couple of farms on his route are having difficulty with bulk tanks.

The problem is with the control and fuse box overheating and tripping out, leaving partly cooled milk in the tank and no agitation.

The electrics are overheating because the compressors are running for longer. There’s two reasons for this. Firstly, while most herds are just gone off peak now, collections are still big so there is a lot of milk to be cooled.

Secondly, and more importantly, the air is warmer. Compressors on bulk milk tanks are like large fridge units. They suck in cold air to cool the condenser unit. But on the really hot days rather than sucking in cold air they suck in warm air, which slows down the cooling process meaning the units run for longer, burning more electricity and are prone to overheating.

As for solutions, some of the more modern tanks have alert systems for when problems occur, but for most farmers it just means they need to be more vigilant for breakdowns. It's generally older units that give the problems.

Using a plate cooler to take as much heat out of the milk as possible is great to reduce the work of the compressor.

Another possible cause of problems is compressor units being too small for the job. In the past, some bulk tanks were sold with undersized compressor units, which may have been fine because herd size was smaller, but where herds are larger and tanks are nearing capacity the capability of the compressor becomes an issue.

In terms of energy use, Teagasc work has shown that milk cooling accounts for around 31% of electricity usage on farms. In the current conditions, milk cooling could be using up a lot more electricity if the compressors are running most of the day.

Grass growth slows

There is further evidence of a slow-down in grass growth over the last few days. Dry and exposed farms along the east coast are being hit first.

Decisions about feeding should be made based on facts. So measure grass and measure growth. Where average farm cover is in between 150 and 180kg/cow and growth is more or less equal to demand then you should be able to ride it out, as rain is expected by mid-week.

Where average farm cover is lower and rotation length is speeding up, then supplementary feed is necessary to slow down the round. Meal is the first option and then silage.

If pre-mowing fields that were destined for silage, don't cut it all at once. Cutting no more than 12 hours ahead of the cows is best and it also reduces the amount of soiling cows will do on cut grass.