I have continuously postponed writing this update in anticipation of a rainy day. What is seldom is wonderful! This extended dry spell has been a super opportunity to gather fodder for the winter. We can now breath a sigh of relief as we cross another item off our ‘to-do’ list for 2014. Calving season is over, calves are weaned and silage has been harvested. Next on the agenda was to get as many cows in-calf, as quickly as possible.

After six weeks of breeding, we had a non-return rate of 83%. This seemed too good to be true, so last week we decided to scan all of the cows that did not repeat. One cow was scanned not in-calf, leaving us with an 81% conception to first-service rate. Estrumate was administered to the empty cow immediately and she was inseminated, following observed heat, two days later. Although it was disappointing to find a cow not in-calf, we are very pleased with the scanning results. This outcome could not have been achieved where it not for the efficient service provided by our two AI men, Kevin Rigney and Peter Grogan of Progressive Genetics. Great praise should also be given to our vasectomised bull. If there was an EBI for libido, I expect he would be top of the list! A chin ball was strapped to his head after week three of breeding to aid heat detection. This was recommended by members of our discussion group and it definitely made a difference. It is a nugget of knowledge like this that make us value the membership of a discussion group. Their support and advice has been extremely important during our development to date.

A requirement of the New Entrant to Dairying Scheme is participation in five one day courses hosted by Teagasc. At one of these meetings, the importance of building a team for your farm was emphasised. A modern dairy farm requires expertise in a variety of disciplines from accountancy to veterinary. No one man can do it all. The outcome of our new venture depends a lot on how we utilise the skill set of those around us. We are lucky to be surrounded by good people. One person in particular who has made a substantial contribution to our progress is our Teagasc advisor, Jim Moyles. He assisted us with everything from our business plan to farmyard layout. I have no doubt that a lot of mistakes were avoided with his involvement. I would strongly encourage anyone thinking of making the switch to consult your local agri-advisor. Conversions are becoming commonplace. Their experience and advice could make life a lot easier.

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The weather over the past few weeks has been ideal for grass growth. In an attempt to maintain quality ahead of the cows, we are measuring grass every three or four days. During the latter half of last week, the farm grew 90kg of grass DM/ha, resulting in a cover per cow of 210kg. Demand on the milking platform is 57kg DM/ha and consequently we skipped two paddocks for baled silage. This week, we had a similar growth rate and skipped another two paddocks. Even still, our pre-grazing cover has crept up to 1500kg DM/ha. Our low stocking rate has resulted in a lot of surplus grass, but I suppose it is better to have too much than too little. Quality silage in the yard is money in the bank. Currently our cows are producing 20 litres of milk at 3.57% protein and 3.65% fat (1.5kgMS/cow/day) on one kilogramme of meal, with a TBC of 4 and an SCC of 71.

Elsewhere on the farm, we dosed the calves for lungworms and hoose for the second time this year. A few days later we moved them onto after-grass. Using strip wires, we divided them into two groups. The lighter (predominately later born) calves are offered 2kg of meal per head per day, while the remainder are receiving 0.5kg/head/day. Our calves are the future of our herd, so we see this additional feeding as an investment. To date, we have fed a total of 80kg of meal per calf.

With the end of breeding season in sight, a significant reduction in workload may offer an opportunity to watch a world cup match or two without feeling guilty! To be honest, the past month has felt like extra time and penalties. Although, physical fatigue can be undone with a powernap on a Sunday, mental tiredness is more difficult to overcome. The discipline of maintaining concentration during breeding by regular observation of the cows has been a challenge. Our motivation? The difference between a conception to first service rate of 60% and 80% on our farm is worth approximately €1,700 in additional milk sales (3 weeks extra milk (€170/cow at current milk price) from 10 cows). We are now entering the mating season equivalent of additional time. Concentration is even more important now than ever. The Offaly hurlers proved this point last weekend. Nothing is certain until the final whistle.