Edward Bowe farms in partnership with his mother Catherine. Since forming this family partnership, the Bowes have expanded the herd from 40 to 65 cows, built a new parlour and just recently completed a new 60-cubicle shed.
The parlour is hot washed every morning
Farm roadways have been improved and a number of paddocks have been reseeded. The big issue on this Tipperary farm is fragmentation. In total there are 50ha farmed, with 27ha available to cows which have access by a public road.
The parlour is hot washed every morning. Edward installed a Dairy Geyser to create unlimited on-demand hot water. Why? A warm rinse before the detergent wash is one of the areas Edward really feels helps with cleaning of the machine. It cleans out a lot of milk residue and also warms the plant so the detergent wash retains a high temperature when circulated, he said.
Edward said it is crucial to have a good supply of water to the Dairy Geyser to make it work efficiently. He has a flow of water in the dairy of about 20 litres a minute so it takes about four minutes to fill the wash trough with hot water. Measurements show the detergent wash water temperature starts at 78° and finishes up at 58°, which is excellent.
Edward is just tip-toeing into the use of selective dry cow therapy
About 850kg of meal is fed per cow with average herd yield about 5,400 litres and about 425kg of milk solids delivered per cow. Herd EBI is good at €147. Edward is just tip-toeing into the use of selective dry cow therapy and used teat sealer only (no antibiotic) on about 10% of the cows last year.
This is a real family farm with Edward’s mother, wife and brothers pitching in when needed on the farm. Recycling and re-use is in operation with plate cooler water recycled for washing down yards. LED lights have been installed, hedges maintained and all waterways fenced off. Clover is included in all grass mixes and slurry returned to paddocks.
This Tipp business has made great progress of late and will make more in the coming years.
Cow numbers 2019: 62Herd EBI: €147Total milk delivered (2019): 332,895 litresTotal milk solids (2019): 26,367Fat % average: 4.16%Protein % average: 3.53%Milking parlour: nine-unit herringboneWeighted TBC average (2019): 8Weighted SCC average (2019): 85Detergent used parlour: Arkshield CF + Turbo AcidDetergent used bulk tank: Arkline CF + Turbo AcidProportion of herd using selective dry cow therapy (SDCT): 10%Nitrogen used (kg/ha): 134Proportion protected urea: 0%Measure grass: Yes
Read more
Young milking cows average €1,500 at Templemore Mart
Stricter rules on dairy labelling welcomed
Edward Bowe farms in partnership with his mother Catherine. Since forming this family partnership, the Bowes have expanded the herd from 40 to 65 cows, built a new parlour and just recently completed a new 60-cubicle shed.
The parlour is hot washed every morning
Farm roadways have been improved and a number of paddocks have been reseeded. The big issue on this Tipperary farm is fragmentation. In total there are 50ha farmed, with 27ha available to cows which have access by a public road.
The parlour is hot washed every morning. Edward installed a Dairy Geyser to create unlimited on-demand hot water. Why? A warm rinse before the detergent wash is one of the areas Edward really feels helps with cleaning of the machine. It cleans out a lot of milk residue and also warms the plant so the detergent wash retains a high temperature when circulated, he said.
Edward said it is crucial to have a good supply of water to the Dairy Geyser to make it work efficiently. He has a flow of water in the dairy of about 20 litres a minute so it takes about four minutes to fill the wash trough with hot water. Measurements show the detergent wash water temperature starts at 78° and finishes up at 58°, which is excellent.
Edward is just tip-toeing into the use of selective dry cow therapy
About 850kg of meal is fed per cow with average herd yield about 5,400 litres and about 425kg of milk solids delivered per cow. Herd EBI is good at €147. Edward is just tip-toeing into the use of selective dry cow therapy and used teat sealer only (no antibiotic) on about 10% of the cows last year.
This is a real family farm with Edward’s mother, wife and brothers pitching in when needed on the farm. Recycling and re-use is in operation with plate cooler water recycled for washing down yards. LED lights have been installed, hedges maintained and all waterways fenced off. Clover is included in all grass mixes and slurry returned to paddocks.
This Tipp business has made great progress of late and will make more in the coming years.
Cow numbers 2019: 62Herd EBI: €147Total milk delivered (2019): 332,895 litresTotal milk solids (2019): 26,367Fat % average: 4.16%Protein % average: 3.53%Milking parlour: nine-unit herringboneWeighted TBC average (2019): 8Weighted SCC average (2019): 85Detergent used parlour: Arkshield CF + Turbo AcidDetergent used bulk tank: Arkline CF + Turbo AcidProportion of herd using selective dry cow therapy (SDCT): 10%Nitrogen used (kg/ha): 134Proportion protected urea: 0%Measure grass: Yes
Read more
Young milking cows average €1,500 at Templemore Mart
Stricter rules on dairy labelling welcomed
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: