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With the improving weather in recent weeks, Ricky Milligan in Robertstown Co Kildare has been working hard to catch up on lost time. Fertiliser has been spread on his main silage fields. A combination of CAN and compounds appropriate to individual field soil test analysis has been spread in the last couple of days, with some of the ground received 3,000 gallons per acre, via an umbilical trailing shoe early on in the spring.
The ground was grazed before closing and has now received the equivalent of 100 units of N/acre. While N-uptake rates (2 units/day) mean that Ricky will determine harvest when grass is tested clear of nitrogen, though it is hard to see cutting before the first week of June – seven to10 days later than normal.
“The first cut needs that 100 units. Despite plenty of silage conserved from last year we were still forced to purchase fodder during the extended housing period," says Ricky.
"We will push for a good second cut and take surplus bales from our grazing area as and when we can. The dry cows don’t need top-quality silage, but I will be looking for the best quality possible for the weanlings.”
Calving
APZ cow rearing twins born on 10 Febuary.
Calving went well this year – Ricky has 42 live calves from 43 calvings. Mortality at birth was 2.2% and the herd’s calving interval was 377 days. Ricky’s six-week calving rate is an impressive 85% and the total season spanned eight weeks and five days. In terms of sires, 36% of this year’s calf crop were by AI bulls. Sires of note include ZAG (Limousin), Aubrac DSH and Hereford supremo SPL.
A Hereford fan, Ricky slaughters any Hereford-sired animals through the Hereford Prime programme, qualifying for a bonus provided they meet the required specifications.
Carcases must grade minimum O=, not exceed a fat score of 4= and weigh between 220kg and 380kg. Only animals less than 30 months of age qualify for the bonus payment. The second, third and fourth weeks of November are when the Hereford bonus is at its winter peak. Ricky must give Hereford Prime an idea of numbers by 9 October and cattle will be slaughtered in either Kepak or ABP factories.
New bull
Ricky Milligan's new Hereford stock bull.
Recently, a new Hereford bull was brought in to work Ricky’s herd when he finishes his stint of AI, which will run for the first three to four weeks of breeding season. Ballyaville Joel (HE 1926) is out of a YSG stock bull and carries good milk (7.2kg) and calving ease traits (5.1%). He is a two-year-old and will cover 27 cows in his first season. He weighed 870kg on St. Patrick’s day, but Ricky has restricted him since to reduce condition in advance of breeding season.
For convenience, Ricky is running a CIDR-based synchronisation protocol with his heifers: “Normally you would inject [Estrumate] heifers. But I’m going to go with CIDRs for two reasons. Firstly, you’re reducing labour further as they’ll be served with fixed time AI and secondly, I think that by keeping heifers that conceive to the programme, you’re selecting for fertility.”
Ricky will inject heifers with Receptal and insert CIDRs on day zero. On day seven CIDRs will be removed and heifers will be injected with Estrumate. Seventy-two hours later, heifers will be served and injected with Receptal.
An anthelmintic resistance trial carried out on Ricky's farm
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