Paula Hynes: Slurry, snow and thawing pipes this week on the farm
Corks Denis Barrett pictured with Scot Donaldson of Harris and Hetherington in Carlisle
For most, the countryside looks magical when Jack Frost is out in full force, but it makes farming a nightmare.
Our whole day every day last week was spent thawing pipes, ensuring everything had water and getting the automatic calf feeder working again. Our milking parlour was partially frozen every day this week, which added at least an extra hour to morning milkings.
We also have a lot of air lines in the parlour for gates and sequential baling, and while we could lift the baling to allow cows to exit the parlour however, ice was blocking valves, meaning the bailing would not come back down.
Thankfully, we are only milking one row of cows at the moment, so it allowed us time during the day to thaw air valves with the trusty diesel heater when it wasn’t in use thawing the calf feeder.
We only have four calves on the feeder, so they don’t keep it busy enough at night, which allows pipes a chance to freeze. When frosts like this come in late February, we don't seem to have issues with the calf feeder freezing, big numbers of calves keep it busy.
The fresh calvers seem to be enjoying the daily grazing now, they are waiting to go out each morning, and we have been using a paddock that catches the early morning sun, and it really is a joy to watch the cows lying down chewing the cud with the midday sun on their backs.
Dry ground conditions have also afforded us the chance to get some slurry out, which will hopefully help some paddocks with lighter grass covers grow on to provide some grass for March.
I did notice the recommendation this week asking farmers to hold off on spreading slurry until late February when conditions are more favourable.
I think we are all well aware of the value of slurry now, given the cost of artificial fertiliser in the last two years, but I do wonder how Teagasc know conditions will be more favourable in three to four week's time; most weather forecasts are only accurate up to seven days and to be fair cows were housed a lot earlier in the autumn, so everyone's slurry storage tanks are under pressure.
I agree research needs to constantly evolve, but it is getting hard to keep up with all the recommendations, which always encouraged us to get grass growing in early spring. Their current advice is only creating a headline to help fuel the anti-farming activists who thrive on telling farmers they are doing things wrong.
I have so much respect for so many great researchers in Teagasc, some of whom are great friends, but perhaps some at the top would do well to remember that family farms don’t have an endless financial budget like the research farms, slurry storage tanks don’t fall out of the sky for most of us.
One thing is for certain: when I get their big yearly salaries from dairy farming, I’ll certainly invest heavily in concrete to avoid the tax man and ensure I can store a full year's slurry on the farm.
With International Dairy Week finished, Becky had a fantastic show, picking up plenty of rosettes with heifers, making new friends and also meeting lots of our friends from around the world who attended the show.
Big shows always lead to sleep deprivation, so she'll need plenty of early nights. She still has a few weeks left in Australia. We will be looking forward to having her home, but it will only be a short visit as flights are already booked for the UK, so she can start preparing for Borderway UK Dairy Expo.
It is a fantastic show with top-class judges from around the world, a welcoming show where the staff are very helpful, help in Carlisle at Borderway Mart run by Harrison and Hetherington.
The agreement has the potential to offer buyers and sellers a dramatically improved experience.
Denis is no stranger to dairy livestock showing, having been very successful in the YMA ranks - combined with growing up on a top-class dairy farm has given him the knowledge to spot what stock will perform in the show ring and in the milking parlour, and he is an auctioneer respected all over the world.
We purchased Panda Global Magic through Harrison and Hetherington, and we have also purchased some fantastic show heifers through Denis Barrett, all of whom have delivered red rosettes.
Personally, I think the collaboration is a massive step forward. It is great to have someone local we can contact if we wish to buy or sell a heifer at one of the elite dairy sales.
I’ll probably have to give the bar at the UK Dairy Expo a skip in case Denis and Glyn Lucas try persuading me over a few hot whiskeys to purchase another heifer, but at least I know it will be a show winner if they do capitalize with the sales pitch.
