Severity of fodder crisis revealed
On a farm visit in Newtowngore, Co. Leitrim, a client informed me that a farmer bought silage for €45 per tonne. The sale of silage was advertised on the website. The silage in question was going from Co. Leitrim to a customer in Co. Cork. The customer wanted the farmer in Co. Leitrim to wait […]
Read More
Scanned a cow with endocarditis carrying 2 heifer calves
We visited a farm outside Ballymahon, Co. Longford, where a cow with endocarditis, was scanned. The client was advised to cull the cow. I scanned the cow carrying 2 heifer calves which were 80 days of age. The client immediately contacted the vet to organize a program to provide full health of cow and calf. […]
Read More
Farm accident associated with suckler cows
I had to undertake a farm visit to a client who was selling his suckler herd. I acquired a reasoning behind the sale, as the man appeared young and fit. He told me that he had a farm accident associated with calving a cow earlier in the spring. Cows can become extremely temperamental around the […]
Read More
Scanning cows reveals pregnant cows showing signs of heat
We scanned cows in Trim, Co. Meath and Tyrellspass, Co.Westmeath that were presumed empty but were in fact pregnant. Up to 10% of cows show signs of heat while pregnant. Frequently these cows are mistakenly slaughtered.
Read More
Twinning in a Holstein Friesian dairy herd
Scanned a dairy herd outside Kingscourt, Co. Cavan where we identified 6 cows carrying twin pregnancies in a group of 34 cows. The overall reproductive performance of the herd was poor, with a calving interval extending beyond 400 days, and an empty rate of 20% with a 17 week breeding period. In my opinion twinning […]
Read More
Act now and prevent a fodder crisis on your farm
Article by Dr. Dan Ryan published in the Farming Independent October 16, 2012 The potential impact of a fodder crisis is the primary topic of conversation on farm visits over the past month. When combined with the price of milk and cost of concentrates, farmers are faced with difficult decisions. The reality at farm […]
Read More
Botulism in the dairy herd
On a farm visit in Co. Cavan a farmer informed me that a neighbour fed silage to his dairy herd which was poorly fermented and contaminated with snails and slugs. A number of his cows died and this was associated with Botulism.
Read More
Milk price differential between Ireland and England
Farmers in Northern Ireland are currently receiving up to 42 cent a litre, while the maximum that Irish counterparts are receiving is 32 cent, with bonuses included. Many farmers are irate at the present time that Co-ops, Glanbia, Lakeland, and the Town of Monaghan are paying more for their milk in the North of Ireland […]
Read More
Fodder Crisis in Co. Kerry
In Lispole, Co. Kerry, a client informed me that the Co-Op were going to address the fodder crisis with five different approaches: Fodder abroad Deferred account Cheap nut Teagasc Nutritionist Pay €1.30 a share to all shareholders Of course, none of the approaches were implemented bar the 5th option which involved paying a dividend to farmers […]
Read More
Cow values for Friesian cows have collapsed
A client in Co. Kerry today, informed me that 100 cull cows were entered in a sale and sold for between €200 and €500. Feed shortages are forcing farmers to sell empty cows at least 4 to 6 weeks earlier than in previous years. There is no demand for these cows resulting in a high […]
Read More