Farmer Focus: Investment held back by poor land security
© Steffan Hill I think it is safe to say that in my two short years at home on the farm, I have experienced the best and the worst that spring has to offer.
Last year, we were counting down the days until the silage ran out. This year, we have been counting down the days until silage starts.
However, it has got me thinking: what is the one thing that we farmers are concerned about? Greater milk production? A better work-life balance?
What is undermining all of these goals? It comes down to limiting factors.
See also: How to plan and set goals for dairy farm business success
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For example, what limits calves’ daily growth? It stems from milk consumption.
This year, our farm began feeding calves at double the rate of previous years.
Every newborn calf now receives 6-8 litres of milk over two feeds a day, or as much as they can take.
A higher consumption of nutrients equates to faster growth rates (close to 1kg/day) and healthier calves – or at least that’s the idea.
As grass-based farmers, nothing is more important than maximising yields from forage.
This spring, with daily grass growth reaching 100kg dry matter (DM)/ha on parts of the farm, and pasture utilisation in excess of 80%, it is hard to see where the downfalls are, but they are there.
When it comes to factors affecting spring growth, land security is limiting.
Uncertainties around conacre (seasonal) land rental on our milking platform has led us to prioritise investment in fields that we will retain longer term.
No other formal rental agreements exist in Northern Ireland, so the fields rented under the conacre system, which we deem too “risky” to invest in for reseeding or infrastructure, have produced lower grass growths, poorer milk conversion rates, and below-average tonnages (the worst fields produce as low as 7t DM/ha).
At some point, we will have to take the leap and make the investment.
The reintroduction of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ business sustainability discussion groups has given us the chance to have our farms viewed from a different perspective.
Within the dairy industry, there are many limiting factors that are out of our control.
It is vital that we start by recognising the ones we can control.