Gerald Murphy
Gerald Murphy
Gerald Murphy runs a 107ha (275-acre) farm in partnership
with his parents in County Waterford on the south-east
coast of Ireland. Dairying is the main enterprise with
emphasis on milk from grass. The mainly all-grass unit
carries 110 Holstein Friesian cows and also grows forage
maize and cereals for home consumption.
IN the end our maize was all cut together because cutting was delayed by bad weather. The results from the plastic were not as good as expected. Allowing for the difference in the weather between this year and last year bulk was well down, but we had a better cob and are expecting a good starch level in the analysis.
However, better analysis will not justify the cost of the plastic if the extra tonnes of dry matter are not there. The plastic cover will have to put an extra 1.1-1.2t of grain/acre into the crop to compete with barley coming off the combine at £72/t. As far as we are concerned the performance wasnt even close to this.
We havent made up our minds definitely about whether to use plastic next year as there seemed to be so much research work backing it its use that the fault may lie with us. One step we will definitely be taking is to change some of the sites. We sowed four acres in ley ground this year and the weed control cost £15/acre as against almost £60/acre on the fields in their fifth and sixth year in maize.
We now have 30 autumn calvers milking, and they are now on three quarters of their winter ration plus grazing. They are grazing by day and in on a sacrifice paddock close to the feed shed at night. They are getting 15kg DM from the TMR and we hope they are picking up 5kg outdoors. The stale cows are getting 15kg DM of maize plus 1kg of wheat and they seem to be going along well. The stale cows are still at grass day and night and will be hopefully until the end of the month.
We will be starting the last rotation on Oct 15 and it should last us until Nov 20. The milkers will be followed by a group of dry cows who will be made to bare off the paddocks very severely. At this stage all of the stock will be housed except for a group of around 30 dry cows who are being moved to an out-farm to graze 17 acres of stored grass which we hope should last them into the new year.n
The last grazing rotation started on Oct 15, and should last until Nov 20. Dry cows will follow the milkers to bare off paddocks, says Gerald Murphy.