Irish Farm Business - Vol 7 Issue 2 Autumn/Winter 2020

FANTASY?

Farm Business >> SEE PAGE 22

>> SEE PAGE 38

>> SEE PAGE 46

IRISH

Volume 67 Issue Edition Issue12 Spring Autumn2019 / Winter 2020 Edition Price 3.95/ £2.95 Price €4.95 £4.50(Stg) (Stg)

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PARLOUR PROTOCOLS HELP THE COW & THE MILKING PERSONNEL

FARM DESIGN TIME MACHINES DEVELOP A LONG-TERM PLAN FORYOUR FARM

Saving You Time And Money HOW GOOD IS YOUR SILAGE? PG 24

WHICH PHONE IS BEST FOR FARMERS PG 14

HOUSEKEEPING FOR DAIRY FARMERS PG 10

PG 30

Your local Co-Op Superstores for all your Farm, Home & Garden Needs

PART OF

YOUR

LOCAL COMMUNITY

• Farm Supplies • Gardening Supplies • DIY Powertools & Handtools • Solid Fuel, Heating & Stoves • Paint • Electrical Appliances • Household • Workwear • Petcare

Stores across Munster & Online @

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Foreword/Contents/Credits

Farm Business >> SEE PAGE 22

>> SEE PAGE 46

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IRISH

Features

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Volume 67 Issue Edition Issue12 Spring Autumn2019 / Winter 2020 Edition Price 3.95£4.50 £2.95(Stg) (Stg) Price €4.95

10 Housekeeping For Dairy Farmers

Aidan Kelly of ADPS outlines a list of items that need checking before housing cattle full-time and in particular before the onslaught of the calving period. Planning will make life easier and more safe.

PARLOUR PROTOCOLS

14 Which Phone is best for Dairy Farmers?

HELP THE COW & THE MILKING PERSONNEL

With the increasing reliance on Apps in farming what should

10

26

FARM DESIGN

you look for in a phone so that it will suit your particular needs? By Dr Diarmuid McSweeney an expert in agritechnology.

24 Silage Testing : how good is my silage?

Joe Patton of Teagasc advises that it is worth getting silage tested so that you know what you have under the cover. He then gives details on the meaning of each part of the test and

DEVELOP A LONG-TERM PLAN FORYOUR FARM

the actions to be taken as a result.

30 Time Machines: Saving you time and money.

In this edition Alistair Chambers, looks at some time and

30

38

Foreword In this edition we have lots of tips from experts on important and relevant topics like how to plan for the winter months including a checklist for preparation. We have an extended machinery section as many farmers are finding it difficult to cope with labour shortages. As many farmers increased herd size and output it is now following through with the extra demands on mind and body. The main asset on the farm is the farmer and it is necessary to keep that asset safe and in good health. Not many farmers test silage, and it may be a good idea to think about it as you then know what you have in the pit and any supplementing that may be required to maintain the output of milk

from the cows. Once it drops it is difficult to increase it again. The new Government, are placing a great emphasis on climate change mitigation and protection of waterways etc. We have a detailed article outlining the potential benefits of Silvopasture: the integration of trees and animals on the same fields. We are likely to hear more about this in future as policy moves down the track.

If you are thinking of getting a new phone for Christmas read Diarmuid McSweeney’s article on smartphones first!

Hope you enjoy and gain from this edition…

labour saving machines that could be employed on a modern Irish dairy farm.

38 Why Dairy Farming and Silvopastoral Agroforestry could be the perfect match?

In this article the potential benefits of integrating trees on the farm are explored by the Irish Agroforestry Forum.

50 Grain Treatment

Inform Nutrition introduce a new alkaline grain treatment called KERVA that can increase the usage of home grown grain, thereby saving on imports writes Des Cronin Head Nutritionist at Inform Nutrition.

Until the next time…

52 Winter Challenges

The Publisher Irish Farm Business

Farmers need to change our behaviour at work to make the workplace safe for the Farmer, family and others. It takes time

Publisher: Denis Lane Editorial: Denis Lane Advertising: Denis Lane Production: Hugh Lane, Shauna Quinn Design: Colin Brennan Email: dlane@dawnmedia.ie Contributors: David Gleeson, Joe

Patton, Donal Patton, Philip O Connor, Aidan Kelly, Richard Walsh, Tom Houlihan, Cara Sheridan, Dave Merrins, Stephen Kelly, Rebecca Dawson, Henry Walsh, Donal Carey, Amanda Dunn, Christine Cummins, Bernadette O’Brien,

Marion Beecher, Pat Aherne, Tom Farrington, Tom Fallon, Martina Gormley, Pat Griffin, Clive Bright, Alistair Chambers, Diarmuid McSweeney, Des Cronin, Henry Walsh

Distribution: EM News Newspread Published by: Dawn Media Ltd, 2 Barrack St Clarinbridge Co Galway Tel. + 353 91 777 222 Email. dlane@dawnmedia.ie

and effort to change behaviour but is well worth it writes Martina Gormley.

All material contained in this edition is copyright of Irish Farm Business 2020 and may not be reproduced or electronically stored without the permission of the publisher. However items may be freely reproduced provided the source is acknowledged. Content and views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the publishers.

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Volume 6 Issue 1 Spring 2019 Edition Price 3.95 £2.95 (Stg)

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3

News

IFA Will Reject Any Proposal To Impose EPA Licensing On Dairy Farmers

I

FA Dairy Chairman Tom Phelan said that the Department of Agriculture did not make any proposal to IFA that dairy farms should be licensed by the EPA, as suggested in the media yesterday.

He said that any such proposal would be rejected by the IFA. Such a move would be over the top and disproportionate. “It would be tantamount to using a sledge hammer to break a nut,” he said.

“Media coverage yesterday based on quotes from an unnamed Department of Agriculture ‘source’ was a kite-flying exercise,” he said.

“Dairy farmers are already heavily regulated with cross compliance and the nitrates derogation. Farmers are also participating in voluntary programmes such as ASSAP and the Agricultural Catchments Programme to improve water quality in selected catchments,” he said.

“Irish dairy farmers have invested over €79.6m on Low Emission Slurry Spreading equipment which will yield positive results for water quality. Similarly, sales of protected urea have increased significantly this year. From Jan to June, just under 40,000 tonnes were sold, compared to 21,000 in 2019. Derogation farmers also abide by strict requirements to protect water, which have been enhanced in the past

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IRISH

Volume 6 Issue 1 Spring 2019 Edition Price 3.95 £2.95 (Stg)

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year following a voluntary mid-term review”.

The inevitable lag time between implementation of improved management practices and water quality response mean that water quality improvements may not show definitive results within the monitoring programme period, particularly as lag times are highly site and pollutant specific and can range from months to years to decades.

He said that the changes in agricultural practices and the new measures to be introduced as of the Jan 1st next must be given the time to work. It is the responsibility of the EPA to adjust expectations due to these lag times and recognise the time it will take for these improvements to be shown in water quality.

“Dairy farmers were constrained by quotas for over 30 years. It’s only natural that there would be a period of expansion following their removal in 2015. This has had huge benefits for farmers, their families and rural areas. Farmers must be given the chance to adapt their practices. Change is occurring at farm level,” he said.

Stay in touch with us online with daily updates from our specialists & researchers Open the camera on your phone & scan the QR code for more information

Visit www.teagasc.ie/daily

Agri Technology Innovation

Telus Agriculture Launches With 7 Acquisitions And More On The Menu

C

anadian telecom giant Telus has unveiled a new business unit dedicated to providing connected tech solutions to the ag industry.

During the past year, Telus has completed a number of acquisitions to form the new entity. Here are the companies that it has acquired to date: • AFS Technologies (US) – Supply chain management platform (previously acquired Exceedra and Ignition) • AGIntegrated (US) – API integration • Agrian – (US) – Management platform for precision ag, agronomy, analytics, and compliance • Decisive Farming (Canada) – Precision agronomy and farm management expertise • Farm At Hand (Canada) – Farm management software • Muddy Boots (UK) – Farm-to-food traceability and supply chain management • TKXS (US) – Custom data and program management It’s also partnering with Hummingbird Technologies, having co-led the UK remote sensing startup’s $10 million Series B round in October 2019.

“The acquisitions are structured in a couple of different segments.

There are a few that are direct to the farm like Decisive and Farm At Hand […] looking at agronomic and farm data,” he says.

“Extending into distribution, which could be ag inputs retailers and distributors, AGI and TKXS are core to that. Eventually, we get all the way to the food side and we see a company like Exceedra through AFS, which is the largest of the acquisitions.”

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As a result of these deals, Telus Agriculture now believes it has the capacity to connect every participant in the ag value chain, from seed manufacturers and farmers to grocery stores and restaurants.

More acquisitions are on the menu, In particular, the business has its eye on people power, as well as specialty crops and livestock.

“The biggest thing we are looking for is the team. Talent is the biggest piece.” Other than that, he continued, “a lot of our infrastructure today is around row crops and we’re excited to get into specialty crops, and livestock when it comes to virtual animal healthcare.”

“On the food side, there will be all kinds of tracking and information tied to weather that I’ll be paying attention to in those markets as well,” he said.

Putting all of these moving parts together has certainly come with challenges for Telus, even as a seasoned corporate player. The effort came to a head over the last month or so, Armbruster explained, meaning Telus Agriculture has operated exclusively against the backdrop of the global Covid-19 pandemic. This has created new challenges around teamwork and common culture.

Some of Telus’ other ag-focused efforts include joining forces with tech giants Microsoft and IBM in 2018 to back a C$250 million ($193 million) project to enhance cross-industry use of agricultural data.

Last year, Telus invested C$16 billion ($12.2 billion) into developing Alberta’s fiber-optic broadband network, with support for agtech applications on farms one of its stated objectives.

Article first published by Lauren Stine of AFN.

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World News

New York Times - Cutting Greenhouse Gases From Food Production Is Urgent, Scientists Say

E

fforts to limit global warming often focus on emissions from fossil fuels, but food is crucial, too, according to new research.

Global emissions from food amount to roughly 30 percent of humanity’s carbon output. Rising greenhouse gas emissions from worldwide food production will make it extremely difficult to limit global warming to the targets set in the Paris climate agreement, even if emissions from fossil-fuel burning were halted immediately, scientists reported.

But they said that meeting one of the targets, limiting overall warming this century to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or about 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, could be achieved through “rapid and ambitious” changes to the global food system over the next several decades, including adopting plant-rich diets, increasing crop yields and reducing food waste.

“If we’re trying to meet the 1.5-degree Celsius target there is no single silver bullet that is going to get us there,” said Michael Clark, a researcher at the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford in England and the lead author of the new research, an analysis of the climate effects of global food production published in the journal Science. “But together all of them will.”

Meeting the 2-degree Celsius target would be easier, Dr. Clark said.

But in both cases, he added, the analysis is based on immediately reaching “net zero” emissions from the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, transportation and industry. Although countries have

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Volume 6 Issue 1 Spring 2019 Edition Price 3.95 £2.95 (Stg)

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pledged to reduce them, current fossil-fuel emissions are nowhere near zero, and once they are factored in, he said, “any food transition probably needs to be larger and faster.”

Credit : This article was first published in the NEW YORK TIMES.

Cattle in Hereford, Texas, being shipped to a slaughterhouse.

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Available from your Local Co-Op, Merchant, and VetFarm Shop.

Business 9 For more information call Agrihealth on 047 71800 or email info@agrihealth.ie Distributed in Ireland by Agrihealth. www.agrihealth.ie IRISH

Agrihealth

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Winter Check

Housekeeping for Dairy Farmers Aidan Kelly of ADPS outlines a list of items that need checking before housing cattle and in particular before the onslaught of the calving period.

Is your farmyard winter ready: Before housing stock

•

All animal areas should be powered washed and disinfected ready for stock.

All scraper systems should be checked and serviced and ready for use.

All slatted tanks should be empty before the slurry closing date.

Clean all water troughs well and check all water pipes are ready for the winter period.

Fix any broken or damaged gates or cubicles in the shed.

Check all shed and yard lights are working correctly.

Check calving cameras so they are ready for use.

All gutters should be checked and cleaned ready for use.

Check that all downpipes and clean water soakaways are ready for use.

Check machinery the in the yard; tractor, loader, diet feeder etc.

Have them all serviced and ready for a long winter.

Rodent control should also be in place. Put it in place now to control for later months.

Check the well/pumps or water supply to ensure everything is in order.

Check calving jack, calving gate and calving shed is ready for use.

Do any farm roadway improvements like patching, widening or extensions. Grass verges on roadway edges should be removed to extend life span of roadway.

Check does the farm fencing require replacement stakes.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

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Volume 6 Issue 1 Spring 2019 Edition Price 3.95 £2.95 (Stg)

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These jobs are easier to do now with the stock out of the shed. Once the animals are in the shed you will be working in dirty areas making these job messy and dangerous and they will take twice as long to complete.

Parasitic Diseases are on the increase with intensive winter housing systems. Hygiene is the key to keep these at bay. If you had an outbreak of disease in the previous winter like cryptosporidium, all sheds should be power washed and disinfected, then steam cleaned and disinfected again.

Things to have ordered and in stock on the farm • • • • •

Order lime/sawdust ready to lime cubicles.

Order Minerals in bag/block or liquid form.

Bedding material for calving; straw, peat, sawdust, bark mulch etc Calving items; order spare calving ropes, lube and gloves.

Calf feeding items; order new teats for calf feeder, single feed bottles and electrolytes.

New Investment if required

It may be the time for a new investment. This is the final year of Tams ii grant (subject to extension) which is available at 40% rate for older farmers and 60% for young farmers under Animal Welfare and Storage Schemes. Repairs such as rewiring existing farm buildings, replacement sliding/rolling doors, roof lights, slate replacement, scraper, safety rails and replacement silage pit floor are all available as well as other items under this grant scheme.

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Our lorries come equipped with Moffett Mounty Forklift for ease of unloading at your Farm / Yard Large and Small Deliveries made throughout Northern and Southern Ireland

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Winter Check There is a lead in time of 3 to 6 months with all these items so best to get the Tams ii application in early. All above repairs do not require planning permission so can be applied for today if you are eligible.

Check sheds have the correct ventilation

Check all sheds have the required ventilation. If you have concerns now is the time to address them.

• Are there adequate inlet vents?

• Are there adequate outlet vents?

• Things that indicate poor ventilation in existing sheds • Poor smells in the shed.

• Cobwebs and black material on existing sheeting.

• Issues with sick stock in previous winters.

In older sheds it may be possible to lift roof sheets to put in extra outlet vent in the roof. Solid side sheeting can be replaced with vented sheeting to allow inlet vents. If calf sheds are poorly ventilated you could consider mechanical ventilation to help improve this environment after trying the above.

Always get expert advice as incorrect ventilation can cause drafts which will add to any existing problem.

Farmyard Safety •

Check all manhole covers are correct and in working order and not broken.

Check existing slats are in good condition, that they have another full winter life span.

Make all farm machinery safe to use. Make sure handbrakes are working correctly and PTO guards are in place.

Check all protective fencing and gates around open tanks or lagoons.

• • • •

Investment for the future

Are there investments needed for next year? If so now is the time on a dairy operation to be making these plans.

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Volume 6 Issue 1 Spring 2019 Edition Price 3.95 £2.95 (Stg)

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• • • • • •

Does the milking parlour require work?

Is an extra unit, bigger bulk tank, larger collecting yard, drafting area/crush area needed?

Do I need more cubicle space or extra feeding area?

Is there enough slurry storage for the next year?

Is a need a new calf shed or loose calving area needed?

Is more silage pit space needed?

All above will need careful design and consideration. They will also require planning permission which will take 4 to 6 months to put in place. These jobs need to be planned now so they can start next summer and be in place for the following winter to reduce workload and stress in the farm yard.

Labour and staff

If you require relief labour or fulltime staff in the spring, it is also a good idea to have this person lined up now and already familiar with the farm. They will then understand your set-up and how you and the farmyard operate. It is also good to have them trained into your milking parlour and all farm machinery as there is no time in the spring to achieve this properly. If this training is left until spring time it can lead to mistakes and cost the business time and money. Also, if this person is not suited to your system it gives you time to find a suitable replacement before you get too busy.

Take a break to recharge yourself for a busy Spring

At this time of year dairy farmers have the opportunity to take a break from the farm to recharge their batteries. Spring time is only around the corner, the farmyard needs to be ready but more importantly you must also be fit and ready to go yourself.

Contact Details: Agri Design & Planning Services (ADPS) Molough, Newcastle, Clonmel, Co Tipperary. 0857466211, Aidan@ADPS.ie www.adps.ie

Tel: 057 9151417 Email: info@banagherslats.com Web: www.banagherslats.com

Jim O’Gorman: 087 2570755 Billy Guilfoyle: 087 2526723 Johnathan Sutton: 087 6572249

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Phones

Which Phone Is Best For Farmers?

With the increasing reliance on Apps in farming what should you look for in a phone so that it will suit your particular needs? by. Dr Diarmuid McSweeney

The average smartphone today has more computing power than all of NASA when they first put a man on the moon.

It is no wonder that many farmers today, when woken up by the alarm on their phone, will check weather, heat detection apps, calving cameras, or Co-op results before getting out of bed. Only a few years ago this list of tasks could take a couple of hours and involve sitting down in front of a computer. The smartphone is now an essential part of any farmers toolbox. Like any other tool on your belt, the smartphone follows the same motto; the better the quality the better the performance. With Christmas not too far away, there will be new phones appearing under many trees. Before you get talked into something that seems like a bargain, consider some of the practicalities when purchasing a new smartphone.

The right phone for you When shopping for a new phone there are a few things that should be taken into account. A common misconception is that phones branded “farmer” or “builder” phones are a good purchase, however these ruggedised phones generally have low quality components and outdated operating systems (OS) making them unable to run some newer apps. If you decide to purchase an Apple iPhone you can’t go too far wrong, all versions are built to a high standard.

However, if you have your heart set on an Android phone, be aware that they come in many shapes and sizes, but most importantly, quality. When picking the right Android phone for you it’s best not to buy on price alone as not all phones are created equal.

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Volume 6 Issue 1 Spring 2019 Edition Price 3.95 £2.95 (Stg)

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Phones Battery Life Finding a phone that will do a whole day’s work can be a challenge.

A decent battery capacity is a good place to start and 4000 mAh should be respectable enough to do a full day of heavy use. Another consideration is the charging speed of the phone battery. Many brandname phones offer a rapid charge feature that can support upwards of 20 Watt (5 V-3amps) charging capacity, which equates to a full charge within an hour. Fast charging rates need a charger to support the rate, so make sure it comes with a suitable charger.

IP Rating You have definitely seen “IP rating” on different pieces of technologies over the years but maybe you weren’t sure exactly what it meant. First of all, IP stands for Ingress Protection. IP is followed by 2 numbers for example - IP68. The digit 6 means the device is completely ‘dust-tight’.

The digit 8 means the phone is suitable for immersion in up to 1.5 metres of water. Many phones now come with IP68 rating making it a good choice for work on the farm.

Robustness As previously stated, many phones that claim to be “rugged” are probably best avoided if it is to be used in conjunction with other technologies across the farm. However, there are some very reputable companies offering well-designed phone covers that can protect a phone from even the roughest of operators. A few, but by no means the only, are Otterbox and Lifeproof.

Connectivity In order for a phone to be able to interact with all the sensors and technologies around the farm it needs to have full spec Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC. Of these the most commonly used is Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Wi-Fi standard has not changed much over the years, however the same cannot be said of Bluetooth.

Bluetooth 5.0 is the new standard in Bluetooth, ensuring your new phone has this will guarantee that all sensors and technology new and old will connect to your phone. In the Android world avoid any cut down versions of the standard phones and stick to the full-spec models such as the S10 and S20 in the Samsung line, and avoid other less expensive models.

Camera Having a decent camera on your phone is useful for more than just snapchat and Instagram. Having a good camera on your phone gives you the ability to take pictures of documents, receipts/invoices or even troubleshooting an issue with a technician. We would recommend anything with 12 megapixels plus.

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Volume 6 Issue 1 Spring 2019 Edition Price 3.95 £2.95 (Stg)

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Screen brightness / Quality As rarely as we think the sun shines here in Ireland a good quality screen that has the ability to be brighter than the environment around it makes it far easier to view in bright conditions. However, there is trade-off between a phone that’s large enough to view with ease and a phone that is too large and impractical and cumbersome to keep in your pocket. We recommend not going much bigger than 6-inch screen.

Updates Keeping the phones OS updated is important, but rarely is there a panic to update the minute an update becomes available. Invariably there are bugs in new updates and it’s better to wait a few weeks before updating. If auto updates are enabled then repeat the process a few weeks later if you are having any issues.

What About the Future?

There are two big developments on the horizon – 5G and Starlink.

1.

2.

Fifth-generation wireless (5G) is the latest iteration of cellular technology, engineered to greatly increase the speed and responsiveness of wireless networks. This means increased internet speed and a rise in the accuracy of location services on your phone. It is currently being rolled out in major cities across the country. However, it will be some time before it will be available in more rural areas as the infrastructure necessary for its deployment is expensive and requires a lot more cellular masts to be erected. 4G was meant to bring a big increase in speed but it has lots of coverage problems in more rural areas, so waiting a bit (like a year or two) before opting for 5G would seem sensible.

Starlink is a satellite internet constellation being constructed

by SpaceX (the people that make Tesla electric cars) providing satellite Internet access. This could really be a game changer for people with poor phone reception around the farm. This system will ultimately have 42,000 low earth orbiting satellites and will have the ability to offer speeds in the gigabit range. The initial phase of 1700 satellites will go live late this year or early in 2021 offering speeds of 100mps. The commercial offering on this is less well defined for Europe – but one to watch.

In Conclusion The smart phone is now a critical tool on the farm. When looking for the right phone it really comes down to personal choice and of course budget. Just keep in mind as the old saying goes, “buy cheap buy twice”! A simple rule of thumb is to look at any model in the iPhone range or the S range from Samsung and you can’t steer too far wrong.

Dr. Diarmuid McSweeney is an executive director with True North Technologies Ltd and obtained his PhD from WIT in Agri Technology.

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Are one or two starting to lag behind?

These are questions you may be asking yourself and these are questions a smart approach to weighing can answer. WeighRite offers the farmer a quick and easy way to monitor one of the most important performance indicators on the farm - the growth performance of the herd.

Farming is now a truly data-driven enterprise. Informed decision making is the new driver of farm performance. The era of ‘best-guess’ has truly passed and farming is now an exact science and the farmers who are best positioned to capitalise on new advancements in science and technology are those collecting and using data on their farms.

Capitalising on the advancement in smart-phone technology, WeighRite is a system offering features only found on products at a much higher price point – if at all. Additionally, WeighRite meets all the reporting requirements you might need for administrative and regulatory purposes and the information is always available WeighRite remembers everything.

Using links to the cloud coupled with the abundant processing power of the smart phone or tablet, WeighRite has brought livestock weighing into the 21st century. Backed by award winning product design and service, you can rest assured a WeighRite Livestock Weighing System will take your enterprise to the next level.

For more information call: Agrisolutions Centre Park Road, Cork. Tel. 021 4874441

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Real Time Results Paperless Recording Smart Port EID Input Drafting Output AIMS / ICBF Auto Sync Record BCS & Docility

Further Information from: Agrisolutions, Marina Commercial Park, Centre Park Road, Cork.

Tel 021 487 4441

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Republic Republic of of Ireland Ireland T T041 041 983 983 1041 1041 EE dairy@flogas.ie dairy@flogas.ie flogas.ie flogas.ie

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FREE FARM VISIT

News

Managing with the Kingswood Herd App

O

ver the last year, Kingswood’s development focus in its bestselling Herd App has shifted from compliancy issues (calf registration, animal remedies and cattle movements) to broader herd management functions. Linking to on-farm equipment such as drafting units, electronic weighing scales and EID readers and to outside agencies like Marts and Veterinary Practices is central to this move.

Kingswood’s unique MartLink facility allows farmers to read in the commercial details associated with livestock movements, prices and weights, and so turns the App into a management tool providing sales & purchase analysis at the touch of a button. Similarly its Livestock Inventory report provides useful end of financial year information for an accountant without any further effort than staying compliant with the Department. For suckler farmers, a helpful Sire Analysis report relates weight gain of offspring to their Sires. And of course its Beef Sales Planner is an essential tool for any beef finisher, indicating at a glance the age, length of stay on farm and withdrawal status of any animal.

Finally, Ireland’s only remaining independent farm software company continues to live up to its long-standing mission of keeping farm software easy and cost-effective. With only its farmer customers to answer to, there’s no doubt that Kingswood is always on the farmers side. This is demonstrated by its very competitive pricing which starts at €100 per year. But there’s no need to take our word for the product. You can start a 30 day free trial by logging on to www.kingswood.ie.

Kingswood Computing can also be contacted at 01-4596677.

Cormac Tagging – Celebrating and offering 5 free Calf Tags to Farmers

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his week Cormac Tagging were announced as worthy winners of the All-Ireland All-Star Agri Business for 2020. This award is the latest in a long list of notable achievements and awards for the Company. The Company is now also enjoying the position as the number one electronic cattle tag supplier in Ireland, just four years after entering the market.

The accreditation and award from the All-Ireland Business Foundation was judged under titles of trust, commitment, performance and customer centricity. The Foundation acknowledged the company for its efficient quality management systems, its authentic customer service vision which was evident across the business and its successful technology platform www.cormactagging.ie “We are thrilled and so grateful to accept this award, this feels like an endorsement from all our customers and we want to acknowledge their continued trust in us and our quality low loss rate tags.”

We really want to celebrate our news and award with all our customers new and old by giving five free bonus tags on all orders of over 50 calf tags between now and the 15st of November. Order form included in this week’s paper or order on line @ comactagging.ie “We are also so proud of our team to have accomplished this achievement as it recognises the dedication and hard work of our team of providing a best in class service to all Irish Farmers, this award is really special in 2020 given the difficult year for businesses and farmers during Covid-19”.

Free Replacements on any of our lost tags and a Free applicator with the first order of 50 tags are still on offer from the company.

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Machinery News

New Year Arrival For All-Electric Merlo E-Worker Telehandler The highly-visible green liveried Merlo telehandler range is set to take on a second ‘green’ dimension with the arrival into Ireland early next year of an all-new, all-electric battery powered Merlo e-Worker model.

M

anufactured in two model variants – a 2-wheel drive 25.560 version and a 4-wheel drive 25.5-90 version – the new e-Worker has a 2500kg capacity, 4.8 metres height and 44/60 kW/HP power output which, at an average 6 kW/h consumption, translates into a working span of 8 hours.

Suitable for on-road and off-road applications, the e-Worker has a distinct edge when working in enclosed environments such as warehouses, grain stores, stables, industrial and underground environment where low noise and zero emissions are a requirement.

Distributed here by McHale Plant Sales, it boasts a number of features, safety and comfort being high amongst them – for example, it meets all active regulations for frontal tipping prevention and offers maximum driver comfort and visibility thanks to its easy-entry 785 mm wide cab.

Its compact dimensions add to its manoeuvrability and handling in tight spaces while its versatility is seen in the wide selection of attachments it is designed to handle. Another key attribute is its efficiency – its battery powers the hydraulic pump for arm movements while motors power its traction and movement.

With order books already open ahead of its early-2021 arrival, McHale Plant Sales general manager Denis McGrath says: “on smooth roads and surfaces or out in rough terrain, the e-Worker range in two or four-wheel drive format is wholly configured to meet the needs of owners in an increasingly climate-aware Irish marketplace”.

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Continuing to gain in popularity, as evident by a record 7% increase in turnover at the company last year, Merlo enjoys an over 40% share of the Italian market and league topping performances in a number of international markets. In Ireland its popularity within the farming sector is increasing as interest in their highly versatile Turbofarmer and Multifarmer ranges continues to grow.

Another feature of the e-Worker range success is reflected in its growing tally of international awards the latest being an EIMA International 20/21 Mentions award secured on top of recent gold medals for Innovation presented in Verona and a Grand Prix Mateìriel award presented to them in Paris.

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Silage Testing

How Good is my Silage?

How well will your herd eat for the next 5 months? - test your silage to find out advises Joe Patton of Teagasc.

As the grazing season draws to a close, silage feeding again becomes part of the daily routine on dairy and beef farms. That black plasticcovered heap in the corner of the yard now becomes the determining factor for the standard of nutrition for the herd over the next 4 to 6 months. Do we know what’s under the cover? Given that only 5% of livestock farms tested silage last year, the likely answer is no. However, there is great information, and money to be saved, by running a silage analysis to find out.

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What should I look for on my silage analysis? The first question to ask for any analysis is ‘are the results reliable?’ Commercial silage analyses are mostly done by NIR scanning which gives a rapid result, but the result is only as good as the system used to generate it. Teagasc recommend that only results from an accredited lab (FAA, forage analysis assurance group) be used to make feeding decisions. Make sure also that a representative sample is taken- speak to your adviser for more details.

Which measures are most important? Analysis results can be broken down into measures of feed quality, and indicators of preservation which together will give a picture of overall value. The principal measures of feed quality are: • Dry matter is simply a measure of dry feed per tonne of fresh material. The optimum range is for high performing stock approximately 28 to 34%. Dry matter also affects the bulk density of the silage stocks and should be factored in when completing a silage budget, especially if stocks are tight. Table 1 shows that

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while wetter silages have more fresh weight per cubic metre, there is actually less feed per cubic metre compared to drier material.

Something also to be kept in mind when measuring out daily feed or indeed if buying feed.

Dry matter digestibility (DMD) is the most important measure of feed quality. It measures how much of the feed eaten will be utilised for weight gain/milk production. High DMD silages will have better nutrient content per kg and also higher intake potential due to their lower fibre content, giving a double benefit to performance. National average DMD is 66% which is suitable only for dry suckler cows- fresh milking cows need silage at 74 DMD plus to perform well without excessive concentrate feeding; similar silage is needed for growing stock.

Energy (UFL) content per kg silage is linked to DMD value. High DMD silages have UFL values of 0.85 per kg, low values are 0.70 and below. Energy is the main limiting nutrient in winter diets so it is important that forage UFL is high for feeding to high performance stock. Dry cows require only moderate UFL silage of 0.75 to 0.78 approx.

NDF fibre is determined by growth stage of the plant at harvest and directly relates to DMD. Stemmy silages have NDF values of 50% plus, while good quality silages will be at 40-42% approximately. NDF is important because it has a large effect on intake potential of forage.

For example, weanling heifers will eat up to 1% of their bodyweight as NDF per day. For a 250kg heifer, that is 2.5kg of NDF per day. On good quality silage at 44% NDF, such a heifer

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Silage Testing •

can eat 5.7kg per day. For poor quality silage at 55% NDF, the heifer can eat only 4.5kg DM. This is a major difference in intake and requires at least 1.5kg extra concentrate to maintain target growth.

Crude Protein is a measure of Nitrogen content and a reasonable indicator of true protein content. However, some silages may have high levels of degradable N which will be lower quality for high performance diets. The typical range in protein is 10-16%.

Higher DMD silage usually has higher crude protein due to more leafy grass, but some early cut crops that did not receive adequate fertilizer N may have lower than expected crude protein. Lack of sulphur may also cause lower than expected protein in silage.

Diets should be balanced for protein using the PDI values quoted on the analysis, which estimates the true protein value of the feed.

•

The main silage preservation indicator targets are constant irrespective of the type of stock to be fed and include: • pH measures acidity of the silage. Target pH depends on dry matter (DM) content of the ensiled crop. A pH of 3.8 to 4.3 indicates good preservation at <28% DM. Dry/wilted crops (>28% DM) can be well preserved at pH up to 4.5. Wet silage with pH values of >4.2 are generally poorly preserved and will need to be fed out daily. Where silage pH is very low (less than 3.6), usually due to wet silage, adjust diets to ensure correct rumen function.

Consult your advisor before using buffer ingredients, in dry cow diets especially.

• Ammonia measures the level of protein breakdown in the pit.

Lower is better, with values less than 8% meaning excellent preservation. Values above 15% may result in refusals and will require daily feeding to reduce waste.

• Lactic acid is produced during fermentation of the crop; a value of 8% or higher means the silage is well preserved. Low values (<5%) means that fermentation was poor and may cause intakes to be reduced. As a guide, lactic acid silage is clean, cold and palatable. Acetic acid silage tends to have a characteristic wet, yellow vinegar quality, while butyric acid silage is dark and pungent. Butyric silages have poor voluntary intake values.

Is my silage chopped too short? Chop length tends to generate quite a few queries on dairy farm visits. The concern is, for 90% of the queries, that silage has been chopped too fine. The reality is, for 99% of farms, that the silage is probably chopped too long for optimal performance.

This is often tied up in a debate between bale v wagon v precision silage, which is largely irrelevant to silage quality.

So what does the research say on chop length? For dry cows, and younger stock on low levels of concentrate, longer silage chop length is not really an issue. However, for high producing dairy cows, silage chop length should be around 20-25mm on average, which is no more than the diameter of a 50 cent coin. This is important because it strikes a balance between good rumen function, high feed intakes, and good feed stability in the pit.

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Importantly, it also reduces the capacity of cows to sort through the diet if feeding a mixed ration. A good guide is that if the forage particle is more than half the width of the cow’s mouth she will leave it behind if its poor quality. This is why we see dock leaves and straw left in the feed passage on many farms.

So am I wasting my time adding straw to the diet? That depends.

First of all, we have to ask, ‘what adding straw will do to the total diet’?

It will dilute the energy and protein, reduce mineral content (probably) and will also reduce silage intake. This might be beneficial if we are trying to ration out silage or reduce nutrient density to dry cows in good body condition. For milking cows though, the challenge is usually to increase energy and protein intake from forage, not dilute it.

There is little point in making high DMD silage and then reducing its impact by adding fibre back in.

The next question is ‘does the total diet need straw to meet the animals’ fibre requirement?’ This most frequently applies to fresh milking cows.

A common claim is that it ‘helps keep the stomach right on good silage’ (though sometimes I wonder how that works when it’s mostly left on the feed passage floor). However, it is actually total forage intake, and diet balance overall, that will deliver good rumen status.

The good thing about high DMD silage is that cows eat more of it than the bad stuff. Fresh Holstein cows can eat up to 14.5kgDM of high 75 DMD silage compared to 10-11kg DM of 68 DMD. This means that total NDF fibre intake from forage is 6kg per day which meets the standards need for healthy cows. It also reduces the need for high starch concentrate to meet milk production targets, another benefit to rumen health. In short, having good silage eliminates the need to mix in straw.

Should I test minerals in the silage? In short yes, and especially if there is a history of metabolic or mineral issues on the farm. The main things to look for are • Potassium: Over 2.5% K increases milk fever risk • Phosphorus: values <0.3% mean supplementation is needed for dry cows • Magnesium: average value is about 0.17%, if lower then extra supplement may be needed • Sulphur: target is 0.2%, if silage is very low in S then review fertilizer. Very high S values (> 0.32%) could interfere with trace minerals so use fertilizer based in test results • CAB (also written as DCAD) measures the balance of major minerals in the silage which affects risk of milk fever. High CAB value silages (>300meq/kg) increase of metabolic problems and should not be fed to cows on the point of calving; they are ok to feed to other classes of stock A trace mineral analysis may also be carried out to examine levels of copper, zinc, iron, cobalt, selenium, iodine and molybdenum. High iron and overall ash content (>8%) in silage analysis may indicate a risk of poor absorption of trace minerals.

Otterstown, Athboy, Co. Meath.

C15 XH52

T: 01 485 1323 E: info@aneuco.ie W: www.aneuco.ie

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Environmentally friendly - manufactured from recycled PVC. Saves on water usage due to it’s easily cleaned surface Suitable for a solid concrete core or the beaded concrete mix which results in an insulated wall Farm Business structure IFB0219 ISSUE 1.qxp_Layout 1 07/03/2019 13:30 Page 1

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Commercial Feature COMMERCIAL FEATURE

FLEXIBLE FINANCE FROM FARM TO FORK Understanding the challenges of modern day farming is half the battle, according to Pat O’Neill, Agri Sales Manager at First Citizen Agri Finance.

Ronan Holcroft (First Citizen Agri Finance), Michael Fleming (First Citizen Agri Finance) and David Toolan (Cashels Engineering)

“W

e’re here to assist farmers and help them plan their cash flows throughout the year, providing flexible finance options when they need it most.

Our Asset Finance Agreements have a fixed Interest Rate to help farmers budget and manage their cashflows.”

Pat joined First Citizen Agri Finance in 2016, having worked for many years in the Irish Agri Finance sector and is excited to be engaging again with farmers across all farming sectors in the Republic of Ireland, not least Dairy. The Dairy sector carries its own unique challenges and it’s important that those employed in this area have the necessary supports available not just to survive but to excel.

This, Pat added, is where First Citizen can help.

First Citizen Agri Finance offer flexible finance for Agri asset purchases to Farmers and Agri SMEs. If a farmer is looking to purchase equipment outright, then the Non Consumer Hire Purchase Agreement is the flexible and cost effective alternative solution to overdrafts or term loans. The asset becomes the property of the purchaser when the final instalment and completion fee due under the Agreement is made. Some key features of this product are:

Bernard Wallace (Clarke Machinery) and Pat O’Neill (First Citizen Agri Finance)

Both Hire Purchase and Leasing Agreements are available to finance new and second hand Agri assets. Only assets purchased from a First Citizen Agri Finance approved Agri Dealer or Distributor are eligible for finance – and First Citizen are always on the look out to partner with new Suppliers in the Republic of Ireland. Payment terms vary from two to seven years, depending on the type and age of the asset being financed. A variety of payments terms are available including ‘Seasonal’ whereby payments are from, for example, April to September each year.

“The key to our success is our focus and dedication to the Agri community. At First Citizen Agri Finance we know that our business depends on farming – a unique industry facing constantly changing circumstances. Therefore, we make it our business to understand the needs of farmers and Agri SMEs and we provide financial solutions where possible. We have a presence nationwide and invite farmers and Agri Dealers to get in touch with us.” – Pat O’Neill, Agri Sales Manager at First Citizen Agri Finance.

First Citizen Finance is a dedicated provider of Motor, Agri, CRE (Commercial Real Estate) Finance and recently announced a new

“With a presence nationwide, this young Asset finance company is making new Agri Supplier partnerships on a weekly basis” -

Fixed payments over a fixed term €100m fund for Equipment Finance. So, whether it’s a new or used Payments which can be timed to suit income patterns of the farm vehicle, Agri asset or any other type of equipment you’re looking enterprise or Agri business for, First Citizen Finance may have the solution for you.

- The VAT on the purchase price can be re-claimed immediately Visit www.firstcitizen.ie for further details. after the transaction, provided the entity is VAT registered Pat O’Neill (First Citizen Agri Finance) and Terry - Interest charges can be offset against taxable profits Reilly (Agri-Spread International) - Flexible deposit payable (minimum 10%) - Claim back capital allowance costs on the cost of Asset However, let’s say the Farmer is looking to simply pay for the use of equipment over a set period. The asset is leased in this case at a fixed rental for a fixed term at a fixed rate. Put simply, First Citizen owns the asset and charges the farmer for the use of it until the final rental is paid. At the end of the rental period there is the option to purchase the equipment for a nominal fee or trade it in as a deposit against new equipment. Some other benefits of leasing are: - Initial Capital Outlay is minimised, thus preserving cashflow - Leasing rentals may qualify for tax deductions - Farmer gets to use the equipment just as if they owned it - Flexible repayment terms - The VAT element of the rental payment can be reclaimed provided the entity is VAT registered IFB0219 ISSUE 1.qxp_Layout 1 07/03/2019 13:30 Page 1

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Hire Purchase and Leasing AGRI FINANCE

New and Used Agri Assets Competitive Rates, Premium Service Quick Decisions on your credit application Prompt Payment to Suppliers/Dealers

Flexible Finance for your Agri Asset Purchases

Our Agri Finance Team - Contact Details Talk to Celine Griffin, Gabrielle Fee or Margaret Gilchrist in our office. First Citizen Agri Finance, Phone (01) 884 6700, Bloom House, Gloucester Square, Dublin 1.

Pat O’Neill, Agri Sales Manager (086) 252 9309 pat.oneill@firstcitizen.ie

Robert Kidd Carlow, Kilkenny and Wexford (087) 258 0824

Owen O’Reilly Limerick, Clare, and North Tipperary (087) 258 0851

James Cahill South Dublin and Wicklow (087) 383 3920

Gerry Oakes North Louth, Meath, Cavan and Monaghan (087) 263 3000

Brian Fitzgerald Waterford and South Tipperary (087) 253 6774

Ronan Holcroft North Dublin and South Louth (086) 075 7452

Pat Murphy Cork (087) 260 3163

Michael Fleming Galway and Mayo (087) 252 6403

Vivienne Shannon Dublin West and Leixlip, Celbridge Area (087) 242 0958

Ray O’Connell Cork/South Munster (087) 799 4814

Alma McDermott Galway (087) 121 9535

Ciara Wyer Kildare (085) 704 4097

Jim Hoare Kerry (087) 408 9111

Gerry O’Donnell Sligo and Donegal (087) 258 0769

Liam Daly Laois, Offaly and Westmeath (087) 449 6159

Donal Galvin Kerry and North Cork (087) 683 7586

Eileen Sweeny Roscommon, Leitrim and Longford (087) 629 6457 IFB0219 ISSUE 1.qxp_Layout 1 07/03/2019 13:30 Page 1

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Lending criteria, terms and conditions apply. Credit facilities are subject to repayment capacity and financial status and are not available to persons under 18 years of age. A minimum deposit of 10% is required. A joint hirer or guarantor maybe required.

Non Consumer Hire Purchase and Leasing facilities are provided by First Citizen Agri Finance DAC. Registered Office: Bloom House, Gloucester Square, Dublin 1.

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Labour Saving Machines

Time Machines…

Saving Time and Money In this edition Alistair Chambers looks at some time and labour-saving machines that could be employed on the modern Irish dairy farm Introduction

Time is money on busy dairy farms, especially during the autumn and winter when feeding and bedding are at their busiest. We have looked at the different machines that can make this winter a little easier on the body and save your most precious asset, time. Ranging from relatively simple bale unrolling machines to the very latest in robot feeding technology the time and energy savings can be massive depending on the farm requirements. Removing some of the hard-physical work also has the added advantage of reducing the fatigue suffered during these months which will lower the risk of a farm accident occurring.

The ability of these machines to safe time, money and improve safety means that they should be discussed on all modern dairy farms.

Straw bedding and Silage feeding with McHale

The floor conveyor on the McHale C4 Silage Feeder & Straw Blower Range, consists of a hydraulically driven chain and slat conveyor. Speed can be adjusted, and the conveyor can be reversed from the tractor cab. There are galvanised slats mounted on 11mm high tensile chains using “U” bolts for easy maintenance. Heavy duty wear resistant rollers and nylon strips reduce wear to a minimum. The conveyor formation on all machines has been designed to ensure consistent and even feed to the rotor. The McHale C4 Silage Feeding and Straw Blowing Range is controlled via an electronic control console fitted with a remote-control joystick which allows the operator to control machine operation from the tractor cab. This user-friendly control console provides the operator with access to all the functions of the machine without ever having to leave the comfort of the tractor seat. Overall, farmers are looking for a simple reliable and easy to use machine which is what we provide. The large-scale farmers are seeking to get more output so hence our biggest machine is the McHale C490 with a cubic capacity of 6.85m3. The need to process both silage and hay as well as straw is very popular and has been for several years. Farmers want to speed up the time they spend bedding animals but also feeding them too, so McHale have designed a machine to handle baled and clamped silage as well as blow straw.

Self-propelled cubicle bedding from Tuchel

The McHale C4 range of silage feeders and straw blowers extends to 4 machines. The C430 is a linkage model while the C460, C470 and C490 are all trailed models. A twin speed gearbox provides the power for distributing hay & straw at 280rpm while silage and haylage is distributed at 540rpm. All models in the C4 range are fitted with a large 1.57m diameter flywheel which distributes the crop through a 300° three stage chute. This three-stage chute design minimises resistance and allows for maximum blow distances to be achieved The chute is joystick controlled, allowing the operator to adjust the chute height and the shoot direction easily from the control console in the tractor cab. The chute can be rotated 300°, which allows material to be spread on the left, right and behind the machine. The chute may also be lowered to blow material on to the feeding slide for better control when distributing feed along a barrier. The McHale C4 range of silage feeders & straw blowers come equipped with a Rotor with Hydraulic Activation which is fitted with 56 knives across 7 discs as standard. This rotor is driven using a high torque belt drive which can be hydraulically engaged or disengaged. This type of system ensures that the flywheel can be worked independently of the rotor and reduces the amount of power required to start and run the machine.

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Tuchel machines are now being imported into Ireland by Anner Agri.

The main machines in their line up are the Tuchel Trac Mini 2 and the Tuchel Tool Farm Clean. The Trac mini 2 comes with a 10.2hp Honda petrol engine, drive is via the front wheel. This self-propelled machine has the capability to brush the floor with a circular brush, scrape the brushed material in front of itself and simultaneously spread fresh lime/straw on to the cubicle area. There is a selection of other attachment available, a slurry scraper, a bedding tool, a fodder push blade, radial brush for cleaning floors and a wire weed brush for cleaning weeds from cobble lock and other surfaces. The tool farm clean is a walk behind machine that also can carry out similar tasks as

BOBMAN Labour Saving Machines the larger machine including cubicle bedding, brushing and scraping at the same time. It is powered by a 5.5 hp engine and has an infinite speed range from zero up to 3.7km/h. Other attachments are also available. Both of these machines would be very useful on any dairy farm and reduce the time and effort involved in many daily tasks.

Automated zero grazing with Lely Exos

cost of ownership. The robot follows its route using sensors. Detection sensors on the robot ensure that it stops automatically when it detects objects in the way. The feeding robot can be combined with all types of Triomatic feed kitchens. The feeding robot has a large-capacity battery with a short charging cycle. Once the robot enters the feed kitchen, it connects to the electricity grid, meaning the battery is not used in the feed kitchen to move the robot or mix the feed. The battery begins to charge as soon as the robot is connected to the grid. It can also be charged via solar energy. The Triomatic loads feed to an accuracy of one kilogram. The feed is mixed and cut at high speeds to create a homogeneous mixture, preventing the cows from choosing which feed to ingest. The robot can mix while in motion, enabling multiple groups of cows to be quickly fed one after the other. The robot starts to administer the feed using just one auger to save energy. To empty the mixing tub fully, the augers rotate at a higher speed at the end of the feed session.

The Triomatic feeding robot makes it possible to feed animals multiple times a day with a balanced ration without losing any feed or requiring additional effort. One robot can feed about 350 cows, but multiple robots can be deployed at the same time.

Market leading Bobman cubicle sweeper

Lely have recently launched the latest in labour saving machinery, the Exos. This is basically a fully autonomous zero grazer. The Exos is a new breakthrough in exploiting grassland. A dairy farmer can now use the raw materials available optimally. The nutritional value of fresh grass is 10 to 20% higher than that of silage grass, because there are no significant losses during harvesting, conservation and feeding,’ according to Korstiaan Blokland, Head of Innovations at Lely. Currently the Exos is only a protype but machines are working on farms in Europe already and after some years of testing it is hoped that they will be commercially available. This technology combined with in shed automated feeding systems could greatly reduce labour requirements.

Trioliet Robot feeding Bobman have been in this market for many years and their highest selling machine is the Bobman super this machine has the ability to clean and bed up to 250 cubicles. It is a 3 wheel drive machine with excellent ground clearance. Perfect for applying chopped straw, sawdust, wood shavings, waste paper, lime or disinfection powder from a 500 litre hopper. It comes with a 1 metre wide scraper and 750mm rotary brush. This machine is manually loaded. It comes with a Hatz diesel engine or a fully electric version (E-Super). To ensure the longevity of your machine it can be specified with a galvanised finish.

With its 1.8 metre turning circle the Bobman super can work in any area including stalls with robotic systems.

Simple but effective Blaney bale unrollers

Automatic feeding will become an integral part of professional livestock farming. This Triomatic battery-powered robot has the largest capacity (3m3), the best mixing quality and the lowest total

With almost 30 years’ experience of in-house R&D, design and manufacturing in Co Antrim, Blaney’s Forager X10 bale unroller has proven to give outstanding performance with difficult bale conditions commonplace in UK and Ireland and has made the daily chore of feeding livestock easy. The Blaney X10 bale unrollers are now a common sight on farms throughout Ireland and UK, having proven themselves in all conditions. While Blaney offer other models of bale feeding machines the Forager X10 is often described as the ‘perfect design’, which due to registered design rights cannot be legally replicated. Blaney have worked hard perfecting these machines, and with an ethos of innovation and continual improvement the Forager has become the market leader in Ireland. Blaney as an innovative IFB0219 ISSUE 1.qxp_Layout 1 07/03/2019 13:30 Page 1

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Labour Saving Machines and lowered. On the left side it has an extra support and rubber wear strip for sliding along by the heel stone when sweeping the cubicles.

There is the option of a bespoke longer scraper wing on the right if you want to clean more of the walkway on each pass or even use the Q-Bed for scraping a collecting yard.

Kubota RTV

company has developed the Forager X10 life-changing piece of equipment and for many customers has become the most prized tool they own, being easy on the back and the pocket, saving hours of daily back breaking labour and reducing bale waste by around 20%. The Forager X10L is a special loader/telehandler version of the Forager bale unroller incorporating all its innovative features. Fitted to any front loader or telescopic, it means that high stacked bales are no longer a problem and silage can be fed along passageways, into feeders or used to unroll into mixer wagons to speed up processing times. For those with troughs or barriers to feed over, the X10W with extension side is ideal for getting silage into these hard to reach feeding areas. This model is available for use on 3 point linkage or for a loader/telehandler.

An RTV or UTV can be a very useful piece of equipment and over the years Kubota have produced some of the best on the market. Since 2006, Kubota’s powerful RTV900 has been setting the standard for ruggedness and reliability, letting you work day after day in all kinds of conditions with more comfort, convenience, and performance.

Now a new Kubota RTV is ready to take to the field. The RTV-X1110 comes with a bigger engine and stronger transmission/HST, giving you the power and acceleration to take on even the toughest tasks— like climbing hills—while enjoying the same smooth ride, excellent drivability, superior legroom and improved ergonomics as the RTV-X900. The smaller machine comes with a 21.6 horsepower diesel and the more powerful 1100 comes with 24,8 hp. Both machines have the capability to tow 450kg from a standard 50mm ball hitch and carry a load of 500kg on their sizeable cargo bed. To secure these loads there are in built lashing points. All this working ability is possible with amazing comfort and agility, the cabin can be completely sealed, and a heater can be specified for those cold winter mornings. Having tested plenty of these machines, the off-road capability is astounding. This allows for the farmer to get to the wettest and roughest parts of the farm in any conditions.

Q-bed in the shed

The Q-bed does three operations in a single pass. The 700mm diameter brush sweeps the end of the cubicle bed and a flywheel blower dispenses fresh bedding along the lying area. A 1.0m wide scraper at the very front pushes any muck away from the heel stone. Supplying the power is a single-cylinder Hatz diesel motor churning out 10hp.

It uses a tandem pump, One looks after the transmission, the other is used for all of the other functions, which are well labelled making them easy to identify. In front of the 500-650 ltr depending on spec hopper is the standard 1.0m wide scraper which is hydraulically raised IFB0219 ISSUE 1.qxp_Layout 1 07/03/2019 13:30 Page 1

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This article has covered many different labour and time saving machines from the relatively uncomplicated bale unrollers to the very futuristic automated zero grazer from Lely. One thing that stands out is that dairy farms continue to grow in both size and number, every opportunity to reduce labour costs and lessen the physical effort involved in making the business run smoothly should be thought about. Never has it been truer that in the future of Irish dairy farming being efficient and labour smart will make any business more profitable and these and other machines and technology can help with this aim.

ESB Networks

Farm Safety – Watch Out For Overhead Electricity Wires When Transporting High Loads Of Hay And Straw Coming in contact with overhead electricity wires is extremely dangerous and can be fatal.

R

ecent serious incidents have highlighted the importance of ensuring high loads can pass safely beneath overhead electricity wires.

Overhead electricity wires are erected with best international clearances to permit the transit of loads safely. However serious problems arise when loads are so high that they physically interfere with live electricity wires. In some cases high loads have pulled down wires and poles, often with the driver completely unaware of the dangers to anyone unlucky enough to be nearby. In other cases, loads have gone on fire with danger for the driver of the vehicle as well as to nearby property. In recent months there has been a significant increase in the number of incidents involving high loads. In one case a high load of bales pulled down wires which landed on a car with the driver in the car. Electricity wires are always live and, in this case, the driver of the car, or indeed someone coming to their assistance were put at risk of electrocution. In a situation like this the advice is to stay in the vehicle and keep others away, and immediately contact ESB Networks on 1850 372 999.

In another case a high load of bales being driven on the public road came in direct contact with overhead wires and the trailer went on fire.

The driver had just enough time to pull in and un-hitch the burning trailer. Afterwards, all that remained was the burnt-out remains of the trailer.

These are very serious near misses and are a timely warning of the very real dangers of coming close to electricity wires.

Electricity wires are always live and never safe to approach. Keep clear of electricity wires and remember that electricity can jump gaps.

The advice from ESB Networks Public Safety Manager Arthur Byrne is “When loading hay and straw onto a tractor or lorry, the only safe way is ensure that the load is low enough to allow for safe transit, and avoid putting the public at risk. When planning the route with a high load, identify where electricity wires cross the road. Where there is doubt, establish if there is adequate clearance and, if necessary contact

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ESB Networks. In a field, always stack bales away from overhead wires.

NEVER, under any circumstances touch an electricity wire or anything the wire may be in contact with, including any part of tractor/ lorry/trailer that may be in contact with live electricity wires.

In an emergency situation contact ESB Networks immediately on Tel: 1850 372 999. Store this number in your phone.

There is more information and advice available in the Farm Safely with Electricity Booklet which can be downloaded from www.esbnetworks.ie.

Guidelines for safe working near overhead lines in agriculture and the Code of Practice for Avoiding danger from overhead electricity lines are other useful publications and are available from the HSA (www.hsa/ie ) and ESB Networks websites (www.esbnetworks.ie).

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Product News

Effective Foot-bathing

Without Antibiotics The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has issued advice warning against the ‘off label’ use of soluble antibiotic powders such as erythromycin and lincomycin in footbaths to treat lameness in dairy cows. The unauthorised use of antibiotics carries a significant risk to public health, due to potential residues in milk and meat, antimicrobial resistance and environmental contamination. Alternatives to antibiotics must be the first choice for use in footbaths as part of a prevention programme to control lameness.

F

oot-bathing for lameness control helps to reduce the incidence of new infections and improve the condition of the hoof - effective foot-bathing can reduce lameness by up to 70%! Renowned cattle veterinarian Roger Blowey, FRCVS steadfastly advises fellow farmers to treat hoof issues as you would treat mastitis and footbath all milking cows daily, just like teat dipping. He emphasises that for effective control of lameness, prevention is the best approach. He also asserts that greater economic benefit comes from foot-bathing more frequently than any other animal health change made on farm.

Mortellaro, or digital dermatitis (DD), is an infectious condition and one of the major causes of lameness reducing mobility, comfort, feed intake, milk yield and fertility. This infectious condition can spread quickly through the entire herd and can reduce milk yield by at least one litre per cow per day. Foot-bathing throughout the year consistently keeps the number of lame cows to a low number and is an important way to reduce the DD challenge.

Footbath solution

Formaldehyde and copper sulphate are the most commonly used non-antibiotic footbaths and both have issues for sustained use. These chemicals quickly become ineffective when in contact with organic matter so choosing a scientifically proven footbath solution which also has robust on-farm data is important. A clinical trial by the Royal Veterinary College compared Hoofsure Endurance to formalin. 90 cows were involved in a 24 week split footbath study. Results after 12 weeks showed Hoofsure Endurance to be 19% more effective than formalin*. The Journal of Dairy Science published a study comparing Hoofsure Endurance to copper sulphate. After 9 weeks, Hoofsure Endurance was 7% more effective than copper sulphate at reducing the incidence of lesions*.

Topical application

While foot-bathing plays a vital role in preventing many lameness conditions, topical applications to lesions is required where infection rates or pressure are high.

Hoofsure Endurance can be used as a 25% topical spray in conjunction with or as an alternative to foot-bathing. Provita Konquest Gel (see image 1) is a unique concentrated blend with potent penetrating action and advanced bio-adhesion properties. Can be used with or without a bandage on those larger lesions. Provita Combat is a unique film-forming spray which provides long-lasting activity, it can be used easily in the parlour.

New Developments

Spraying infected animals with 25% Hoofsure Endurance Solution Hoofsure Endurance can be used as a 25% topical spray using an acid resistant sprayer in conjunction with or as an alternative to footbathing. This involves 4 simple steps: 1. Clean feet if necessary.

2. Do not overfill the sprayer, leave at least 1 litre space at the top. If overfilled and/or over pumped the sprayer will be damaged.

3. Spray feet with Provita Hoofsure Endurance (1 part product to 3 parts water).

4. Apply for three consecutive days.

For further information please contact Whelehan Animal health at 01 4688900. *References available on request

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IF YOU THINK FORMALDEHYDE OR COPPER SULPHATE IS THE ANSWER • • • •

Formaldehyde is carcinogenic - EU Regulations/IARC Potential prosecutions for untrained use - DEFRA Copper Sulphate cannot legally be used in a footbath - EU Regulations May result in lifetime contamination of soil - Hoards Dairyman

THINK AGAIN! Hoofsure Endurance •

•

•

Footbath solution Organic acids and tea tree oil - non-toxic, non-carcinogenic and biodegradable 7% to 19% better results than Copper Sulphate and Formaldehyde respectively The safer, proven alternative *References available on request

SPECIAL OFFER Purchase 3 x 20 litre Hoofsure Endurance

RECEIVE FREE 5 litre acid resistant sprayer

Contact Whelehan Animal Health on

(01) 468 8900 PROVITA EUROTECH Ltd. 21 Bankmore Road, Omagh, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland, BT79 0EU Tel: +44 (0)28 8225 2352 Fax: +44 (0)28 8224 1734 FREEPHONE 0800 3284982 Email: info@provita.co.uk www.provita.co.uk

Agroforestry

Why Dairy Farming And Silvopastoral Agroforestry Could Be The Perfect Match “Silvopasture, is the practice of integrating trees, forage, and the grazing of domesticated animals in a mutually beneficial way.”

C

ould we be missing a trick here? Could silvopasture be a design solution to the environmental challenges facing farming? Can it be the ideal mechanism to combine agriculture, forestry and ecology with very positive outcomes for farmers? Well -designed silvopasture can help increase profits and productivity, animal, and soil health, diversify the farm business, buffer against increasingly variable weather, drought and flood risks while benefiting the environment, the water cycle and the carbon cycle.

Due to the lifting of milk quotas and industry pressures, there has been a considerable growth in farm herd size and milk production in the past few years. This has resulted in more intensive dairy farms seeking to grow their businesses to meet market demand efficiently and productively.

This productivity can sometimes come with environmental challenges.

Irish agriculture is being scrutinised around issues of water quality, biodiversity loss, greenhouse gas emissions, tree cover and air quality.

Nationwide, the obligations to meeting climate change mitigation goals are being pushed into the realm of the agriculture sector. These issues raise questions about our “social licence” to farm, hence the increase in scrutiny of farmers and farm practices in the media.

In the broader context, today’s agriculture can place a series of pressures on the natural environment. These environmental pressures include changes to land use, emissions of nutrients and leaching of pesticides from soils to waters, changes to biodiversity impacting flora and fauna and their habitats, and emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and air pollutants such as ammonia. Eutrophication resulting from excess nutrients (N&P) from farmland is the primary water quality challenge. In 2018 the proportion of our rivers classes as ‘satisfactory’ was 53%, a decline of 5.5% from 2015 (EPA, 2020).

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Carbon dioxide take-up by trees is an excellent mitigation tool but overall tree cover in Ireland is well below the EU average and tree planting is not meeting national targets in recent years. Landowners cite contributory factors such as the lack of a forest/woodland culture, the need for more flexibility in support systems, as well as the need for integration with other farm environmental schemes.

In situations where conventional forestry is not an option to meet owner objectives, including climate benefits, due to the need to maintain existing grazing platforms agroforestry can provide options and has the potential to shift social perceptions towards combining farming and trees. With carefully planned silvopasture, dairy farms: indeed all farms, could integrate trees into their operations with minimal loss in pasture area, and produce integrated harvests of timber, or tree crops, all the while mitigating emissions, enhancing the environment and increasing farm resilience to climate challenges.

There is evidence from examples across Europe that the attractiveness and tourism potential of even intensively farmed landscapes can be significantly enhanced by integrating trees in an agroforestry scenario.

The broad social benefits of providing such public good would be farreaching, including the promotion of high- quality Irish food products.

A Dehesa - a historic and cultural silvopasture, with cork oak over pasture in Spain (photo courtesy of www.agforward.eu)

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Greenhouse gas emissions from Irish agriculture in 2017 were recorded at 20.2Mt. Teagasc projections for 2030 suggest a figure of 21Mt, with a range around this figure depending on how the national bovine herd changes. Most of these emissions are directly related to livestock farming systems. Ammonia is one of the critical issues; it is a potent air pollutant with significant implications for biodiversity and human health. In Ireland, 96% of ammonia emissions come from agriculture. Reducing these emissions is one of the most significant challenges facing agriculture in Ireland.

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Agroforestry

Agroforestry is a collective name for land-use practices where trees are combined with crops and/or animals on the same unit of land and where there are significant ecological or economic interactions between the tree and the agricultural components. In Ireland, the primary land use is livestock grazing. Silvopasture is the term used to describe the branch of agroforestry where trees are combined with grazed or cut pasture in a regular or varied pattern.

The role of hedgerows already sets a precedent for some of the benefits that perennial woody species can play in the landscape. On many farms, appropriately managed hedgerows perform a similar function as linear woodland strips, they enhance biodiversity, store carbon and afford many welfare benefits to livestock.

In addition to hedges, there is scientific evidence (much of it from the island of Ireland) that the introduction of wide-spaced trees in silvopasture systems can make these farmed landscapes more sustainable. Silvopasture can deliver a wide range of ecosystem improvements; improve water quality, generate healthier soil with increased carbon sequestration potential, increased tree cover and enhancement of biodiversity through a more complex, sustainable lower-input agriculture.

Climate and Environmental Benefits

Trees planted in an agroforestry setting improve soil structure which allows the soil to soak and filter water at much larger volumes. They have root systems which extend well below the understorey root network and can help absorb excess nutrients such as phosphate, and nitrogen, which might escape into the lower soil horizons and ultimately end up in the groundwater pool. There are additional benefits from root differentiation; a reduction in leaching losses of nutrients, faster nutrient cycling in the presence of grazing animals and reduced soil erosion. Silvopasture has a well-proven role in riparian buffer scenarios and gives resilience to grazing during extreme rainfall through improved soil permeability. Carefully designed planting of

agroforestry on hill farms can mitigate soil erosion and slow water runoff from higher slopes in water catchment areas, reducing the risk of flooding in waterways lower down.

Research in Northern Ireland has shown that silvopasture systems established with wide-spaced ash, measured at year 24, combined with grazed pasture can sequester up to 3.2 t C/ha/yr. If the sequestration potential of appropriately managed hedgerows is added to this, silvopastoral systems can support carbon-neutral livestock production at approximately 2 LU/ha. Hence, there is significant opportunity to help achieve our climate change targets by increasing the carbon storage potential from farmland through using soils crops and trees together.

With skilled silvicultural management, agroforestry is well placed to deliver high-quality timber. In this way, agroforestry can contribute to the broadleaf deficit in Ireland and create a resource supply for local sawmills. In turn, this has the potential to strengthen local economies and will increase positivity towards trees and instill a more significant forest and woodland culture into communities.

Most (92%) of ammonia emitted by livestock is released while they are housed and producing slurry. On an established silvopastoral site at Loughgall, Co Armagh it has been shown that the length of the grazing season (taken to be the period when soil saturation is below 40%) extended by up to 15 weeks compared to the control site without trees. The improved carrying capacity is due to better water infiltration allowing for better grassland utilisation. Shortening the housing period has animal health benefits and makes a significant impact on ammonia emissions and farm costs. Research is currently underway to quantify the volume of nitrogen trees can absorb from the atmosphere through their foliage when slurry is spread, and when stock graze below them emitting methane and ammonia.

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Agroforestry

Benefits to Farm Productivity and Profit

Environmental measures are often perceived as a sort of agricultural philanthropy, a sacrifice of time or space toward the greater good.

On the contrary, silvopasture is a low entropy measure for restoring healthy soil function and nutrient cycling. The living roots of healthy plants are crucial to soil vitality. Together with pasture plants, trees and woody species add another layer of complexity and root depth to the system, cycling nutrients and building fertility and structure lower in the soil horizon.

silvopasture. A key aspect of managing a silvopasture is a system of rotational grazing, which is standard practice on dairy farms.

Permanent paddock divisions offer ideal low-cost locations for initial rows of trees as you only need to build a new fence on one side of the trees rather than two. Tree layout and spacing can easily be configured around machinery use, with careful consideration to the width of alleys so to suit an exact number of passes with mowing equipment and the headlands measured for ease of turning, it is entirely possible to still cut silage between the trees.

The overall productivity of agroforestry systems is often greater than the sum of its individual parts when grown separately. Temperate silvopasture practices improve the productivity of land typically managed separately for pasture or trees by 42–55%, depending on whether the productivity of the pastures is measured by livestock or forage output, respectively (Pent, 2020).

Even a small proportion of a grassland on a dairy farm can be planted in silvopasture, the herbage can then be used at strategic times in the year to extend the grazing season while also delivering the benefits above. Areas of rougher grazing could also be a good starting point because well designed and managed silvopasture will undoubtedly improve that area and its pasture quality.

Economic predictions from agroforestry are difficult, given the number of variable inputs and outputs from the system. However, studies carried out by the University of Wales at Bangor on the economics of agroforestry compared to pure agriculture or pure forestry, have found that, due to the dual output, the productivity of a parcel of ground can be increased significantly in some cases.

Animal Health and Welfare

Herd health correlates directly with farm profit; silvopasture can enrich livestock diet, the quality of their living environment and the length of time they can remain outdoors, all of which correlates with improved herd health.

One area of active research in silvopasture systems is the browse benefits of different tree species. Browse is defined as the edible leaves and shoots from woody species. The roots of trees can access and accumulate minerals from much deeper in the soil than most pasture plants. For example, willow leaves have cobalt and zinc in high concentrations. Hazel, another palatable native species, is high in copper. Secondary compounds or tannins in willow have anti-parasitic properties and also have a reductive effect on methane production in the rumen. Willow also contains salicylic acid which is an antiinflammatory with pain reliving properties and animals have been observed self-medicating by browsing it.

The micro-climate under an open canopy of trees, especially when intersected with denser shelterbelts or hedges, is much less variable as it is buffered against extreme weather events.

Livestock can perform well, spend significantly more time under trees in hot, sunny weather and when it is rainy or windy than in the open. The intimate spatial integration of trees and agriculture provides shelter that reduces wind and temperature stress for animals. Livestock in an environment where they can maintain thermal comfort, graze more and are therefore more productive, i.e. produce more milk or gain more weight.

The shade and shelter effect is not only beneficial to the livestock, the pasture also thrives with this protection. From anecdotal evidence at the oldest silvopasture research site on the island of Ireland (established in 1989) at Loughgall in Co. Armagh, there was no reduction in grass growth observed during the droughts of 2018 and 2020. This result was attributed to the shade and shelter effect, reducing evapotranspiration and the increased water holding capacity of the soil under the trees. This sort of resilience and consistency of pasture growth is of significant value to any livestock operation, but especially to soils prone to severe summer drought, as farmers are better insulated from risk.

Trees also offer some protection from night frosts, which adds a considerable advantage to earlier spring growth and increasing the length of the growing season in autumn.

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Dairy herd grazing around new silvopasture alleys designed for ease of machinery use between rows (photo courtesy of www.agforward.eu)

The Economics of Silvopasture

The range of financial benefits that silvopasture delivers is not only from the resilience it brings to soil and animal health. There is real potential for combining enterprises and having multiple yields from the same acreage. As silvopasture is not yet widespread in Ireland, or indeed the UK, commercial models are still too rare to claim robust financial forecasts on additional income. However, depending on the planned tree species and land utilisation, logical modelling of expected yields is undoubtedly possible. The main advantage of silvopasture over other farm forestry systems is that there are both short term and longterm harvests of the pasture crop and the tree crop, respectively. Fruit and nut trees can start giving returns between five to twenty years. In contrast, harvests from timber trees vary from five years for rotation coppice to 80+years for standard hardwoods. The Soil Association in the UK has a fantastic downloadable publication - The Agroforestry Handbook – Chapter 6 outlines in detail financial forecasts for a suite of different models. - https://www.soilassociation.org/farmers-growers/ technicalinformation/agroforestry-handbook/ Silvopasture is an ancient practice in many parts of the world, but relatively unexplored on working farms in Ireland. There is

Agroforestry

Dairy calves grazing in Gavin Lynch’s four-acre silvopasture hazelnut orchard, in Wicklow.

(Photo by Clive Bright)

undoubtedly a need for more pilot/demonstration sites and knowledge transfer programmes to raise awareness of the benefits of silvopasture systems.

The current agroforestry scheme in Ireland falls under the Afforestation Programme, and covers up to 80% of installation costs.

The scheme allows for a wide range of tree species to be planted including fruit and nut trees, which may also account for up to 15% of the stock total. DAFM funding for agroforestry increased significantly in 2018 from an annual premium of only €260 per ha to a payment between €645 and €660 per ha (depending on area) for a duration of 5 years.

One of the barriers to uptake identified is that the agroforestry scheme is currently an area-based scheme and therefore, certain other areabased schemes like the Organic Farming Scheme payments cannot be claimed on the same area. This is either during the five years of the Agroforestry Scheme or thereafter, as the land area is categorised as forestry under the Forestry Act.

DAFM acknowledges these issues, and currently the scheme is under review. The new Programme for Government document has recognised the importance of trees on farms, stating the need to provide increased support for the development of agroforestry / silvopasture on Irish farmlands.

Silvopasture can help to better farm livelihoods, financial viability, and farm resilience without negatively affecting current farm production.

At the same time, it can deliver a valuable array of environmental good and contribute to rural community stability. It is a win, win, win that could improve both the perception and reality of Irish agriculture.

This article was written by the Irish Agroforestry Forum.

For further scheme details, refer to DAFM (https://www.agriculture. gov.ie/forestservice/) and Teagasc websites (www.teagasc.ie/forestry) References: Pent, G.J., (2020) Over-yielding in temperate silvopastures: a metaanalysis. Agroforestry Systems, 2020. 94(5): p. 1741-1758.

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BETTER FOR

THE COW AND BETTER FOR THE FARMER...

“We won an award with Animal Health Ireland for an average cell count of 48,000 for the year and this year we are running at 66,000. We are very happy with the Dairymaster parlour.”

- Geoff Cunningham, Co. Kilkenny “Since changing to the new Dairymaster parlour, our SCC has improved. The ACR’s are a great piece of equipment, especially towards the end of the year, it is very important that cows are not being overmilked.”

- Enda Keaveney, Co. Galway

100% IRISH DISTRIBUTORS NATIONWIDE

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OPTION TO SUIT S A BUDGE LL TS CALL TODAY “Since installing the Dairymaster parlour, I already see a massive improvement in SCC. It is down from an average of 150 to 75 this year. I can certainly say that this is due to the new parlour.”

- Brian Curtin, Co. Cork “With the automatic cluster removers and cows not being overmilked the cell count has dramatically improved since moving into the new parlour, always being below 100.”

- Eddie Walsh, Co. Kilkenny

- 24 - 7 www.dairymaster.com

lity Monitoring

Slurry Gold

Slurry Gold

Slurry Gold - Tony Now has his T-Day Firmly In Place… Better Results From Your Slurry

T

ony Barrett runs a dairy enterprise just outside Mullinahone, milking 120 cows. During the winter cows are housed on solid floor cubicle sheds, where the slurry is scraped into a large outdoor tank. “My system of keeping the slurry out of the houses and filling the tank is pain free” explains Tony, “however, it feels like I am prolonging the agony when it comes to extracting it.” For Tony his problem is the crusting that occurs in the storage tank. “Having the tank outside does make it easier in that I can mix it whenever I like, and it is quite deep so capacity it not a problem with rain water.

The problem I have is the amount and frequency of mixing I have to do.” As slurry fills the tank the fibre will naturally float to the top and start to form crust. As months go by, this crust will increase significantly, causing a lot of extra work getting it mixed. “I spread slurry throughout the year”, explains Tony, “which means I have to mix it each time. I would hope that after the first mix, it would be easier the next time, however I just end up back to square one”. This was why Tony was interested in using Slurry Gold, after talking to a rep at the Ploughing in 2019. “It really sounded too good to be true, I found it hard to believe something so small and simple could solve such a headache for me”.

“I decided to give it a go and thankfully the rep very kindly called out to advise how to use it on my system. As the slurry is scraped daily, the treatment had to happen in my open tank, however as it is over 30 feet across, getting it treated across the whole tank took a bit of head scratching and a novel solution. We managed to get the product spread across the whole tank however at the time I couldn’t help but feel I was throwing my money away. Thankfully the results said otherwise!”.

Reduces Pollut ing Odours

Improves Nut rient Upt ake

When Tony came to mix his tank he couldn’t believe it. “At first glance there was still a crust on the surface, but as soon as I started to mix it quickly disintegrated. Not only that, I had to hardly mix the tank for the rest of the year!” exudes Tony.

Grass response Further benefits were witnessed when it came to spreading. “My father commented on there being less of a smell, and this was added to the improved grass response I got. Whatever was kept in the slurry, definitely did something in the ground.” Tony is now keen to look further into getting even more from his slurry. “Last season I probably used it as trial and error. Now what I know what to expect, I will be maximising what I can get from it in terms of savings from mixing and fertiliser use”.

Tony sums up his experience, “I suppose it is like most new things, until you have done it, you don’t realise how simple it is. I would advise all farmers to give it a go to see why.”

For more information on Slurry Gold and planning your T-Day, go to www. slurrygold.com or call 01 437 6894

M inimises Crust Format ion

Tony Barrett ready for T-Day

Enriches Soil Fert ilit y

NOW IS THE TIME TO PLAN YOUR T-DAY! www.slurrygold.com Tel 01 437 6894 #tday #slurrygold IFB0219 ISSUE 1.qxp_Layout 1 07/03/2019 13:30 Page 1

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Volume 6 Issue 1 Spring 2019 Edition Price 3.95 £2.95 (Stg)

PARLOUR PROTOCOLS HELP THE COW & THE MILKING PERSONNEL

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Farm Business IRISH

75

Huesker Huesker

Huesker:

A Trusted brand since 1861

Working with ventilation in Agriculture for more than 30 Years for any farm building old or new

H

UESKER was founded in 1861 and for the past 30 years has been creating products for the agriculture market. Known predominantly for the manufacture of technical textiles the decision to start using some of its own technology in ventilation systems and doors for farm buildings has led it expanding the range year on year. From side ventilation curtains to doors, fans and tubes, HUESKER has the product range to assist with ventilation in any farm building, old or new.

The Light and Air segment of HUESKER‘s portfolio features products designed to optimise the indoor environment of livestock houses. This includes the intelligent Lubratec® wind protection and side ventilation curtains and a range of doors and fronts to suit many agricultural applications. Our range also includes Skytex® light ridge for efficient daylighting, Vetsmarttubes® Smart Ventilation Tubes for venting and cooling as well as the Ventitec® high-volume fans for air distribution and cooling.

Intelligent constructions that guarantee adequately sized ventilation openings, efficient air extraction systems and systematic air distribution are now fundamental to professional dairy farming operations. Yet, these criteria are not always considered in basic design requirements. Factors such as dust, ammonia, heat stress, darkness, lack of oxygen and humidity affect the well-being of livestock. Undue exposure will severely diminish the vitality of cows and their resistance to diseases. To maximise performance, the animals need plenty of light, fresh air and rest. Daylight, cooling, a plentiful supply of oxygen and the constant extraction of humidity make a positive contribution by enhancing the vitality, resistance to diseases and productivity of livestock. An ideal indoor environment can only be created through

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the expert co-ordination of all components. As a full-service provider of natural ventilation systems, HUESKER can vouch for optimum indoor conditions in housings for dairy cow, pig and poultry.

Ingenious climate control solutions for livestock houses The HUESKER side ventilation curtains mainly feature “top opening” and “bottom opening” roll-up systems. Variants with a central roller are also available for larger opening heights. The greatest flexibility in terms of opening position is offered by the “top and bottom opening - central roller” model, for which a shading setting is also available on request. All systems can be either manual, electric or fitted with a climate control and sensors to give you piece of mind when it is fully controlled by the weather conditions set to optimise the temperature and air quality in the barn.

Housing your precious livestock in stress-free conditions is essential for maximising milk yield. Heat is the prime stress factor for cows: their metabolism is such that, depending on yield, they give off between 20 and 60 MJ of thermal energy per day. To prevent longterm exposure to heat stress in summer, fans must be kept running permanently for several months. Ventitec® wide-area fans ensuring continuous air circulation offer the most energy-efficient solution.

Respiratory tract diseases are often the result of poor environmental conditions in livestock buildings and remain a common cause of pulmonary illness. Active ventilation is a crucial preventive measure.

The cutting-edge Vetsmarttubes® ventilation system improves both the health and productivity of farm animals. As studies show, installation of the ventilation tubes brings about significant cuts in treatment costs. The support of Vetsmarttubes experts, in conjunction with

Huesker Huesker on-site veterinary advice and the relevant expertise in physics, enables HUESKER to custom-design ventilation tubes for barns.

Working in conjunction with experienced vets and farmers, HUESKER has developed the healthy calf barn – a concept for an optimised climate in calf barns. A healthy combination of natural and active ventilation, continuous air extraction and ample daylight characterise the barn. The micro-climate is defined by an optimised calf cubicle. A simplified building structure lowers the construction expenses.

Doors and Fronts Though extremely light, fabric doors make no compromises in terms of stability. Through the appropriate choice of fabric, these doors can also provide a ventilating function. The doors open from the bottom upwards and are available in various models: with manual drive/ electric drive, with/without lateral guide rails, with/without horizontal stiffening sections. Our smaller doors go up to 6m x 6m

Once you go above the 6m threshold we then move into fronts and large doors. Here we can close off the side of a building up to 50m long and make a large door to cover 20m x 10m. Apart from providing wind protection, these systems serve to seal off vehicle entrances that are larger than standard doors. In the closed position, they are tensioned by ratchets to create an effective barrier against wind and weather. In terms of opening action, a distinction is drawn between rolling and folding, and between upward and side-opening systems.

The use of robust, durable materials - e.g. polyester (PES) and polyethylene (PE) - ensures that all HUESKER door models offer extra-high weather and UV resistance. A choice of different widths, heights and drive options is available as standard. In some cases, customers can also select from a range of colours. If required, bespoke solutions can be developed, manufactured and customised directly at the factory.

To discuss any requirements you may have or to get any more information then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Huesker Ltd Huesker LtdHarvard Court, Calver Road 3 Quay Business Centre,

3 Quay Business Warrington WA2 8LTCentre, Harvard Court, Calver Road Warrington WA2 8LT

Tel: 01925 629393 Tel: 01925 629393 Email: info@huesker.co.uk Email: info@huesker.co.uk

Northern Farm Supplies 54B Roguery Road, Toombridge, County Antrim BT41 3TJ Northern Farm Supplies

54B Roguery Road, Toombridge, County Antrim

Tel: 07927 905150 BT41 3TJ Email: nfsuppliesni@gmail.com Tel: 07927 905150 Email: nfsuppliesni@gmail.com

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Commercial Feature

Expansion, Lameness & Profitability means to manage a large herd with limited land resources.This is not without detrimental effects on the animals and the efficiency of the farm if not managed. In Ireland and The Netherlands, use of concrete slats over slurry tanks is widespread. Studies show cows should lie in cubicles between 12 and 14 hours per day with the balance engaged in feeding, milking, drinking and socialising.That means 10 to 12 hours is standing on hard,wet, dirty and cold concrete slats.This is the primary cause of lameness in modern day dairy farming.

Lameness

Lameness reduces the cow’s mobility and causes loss of body condition through reduced feed intake.This affects the cow’s fertility most notably loss of body condition, inability to show sign of heat and increased likelihood of being hurt during bulling activity.The reduction in fertility is related to the severity of the lameness such as cows requiring more services The losses associated with lameness are a significant drain on the profits, with farmers often unaware of the scale of these losses.However, farmers are often of the opinion that large scale lameness “go with the territory” and is something to deal with as it occurs.

Challenges

The last number of years have been challenging to dairy farmers who have faced considerable hardship due to diminishing returns, poor weather and higher feed costs.The ending of milk quotas in 2015 has led to considerable debate to achieve sustainability and growth particularly with land availability and fragmentation limiting expansion. In this environment, many dairy producers are re– assessing production methods especially with climate change and the necessity for sustainable growth.There is a realisation that increased intensification is required,with a move to some version of confinement systems as inevitable.

Confinement

Much discussion has centred on the use of “confinement” farming as a solution.There are two versions – Total confinement where cows are housed inside year round, milked in parlours and fed mechanically harvested feed and Winter confinement – usually family sized farms with cows milked in parlours but during non–pasture season the cows are housed inside and fed mechanically harvested feed familiar to Irish farms today. The central benefits of confinement systems stem from the high level of cow management which achieves savings in production costs – labour, higher levels of performance by the herd (increased milk/milk solids yield). Also, adverse weather conditions have minimal impact on the day to day working of the farm especially as the herd cannot degrade the land by poaching.

Growth

With current weather patterns restricting grazing, farm fragmentation and limited land availability to facilitate an increase in herd size, it is difficult to see how the dairy industry can achieve the 50% increase in milk production through the traditional grazing practices. There are three possible paths to achieve the significant increases in milk yields envisaged – 1. Increase the herd size, 2. Intensify the farm production through farm consolidation and adopting total confinement practices or 3.A combination of the two.

The Netherlands

The average milk yield in Ireland is 4429 litres/year per cow while in The Netherlands is yield is 8101 litres/year.This near double the output is through the application of total confinement methods. In The Netherlands herds are often housed 24 hour a day as the only

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Volume 6 Issue 1 Spring 2019 Edition Price 3.95 £2.95 (Stg)

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Preventing Lameness – Enabling Growth And Productivity

How can The Netherlands achieve double the milk production to Ireland? The simple answer is they have recognized and invested in advanced animal health and welfare. Identifying lameness and tackling it has led to enormous productivity gains. One of the most cost effective is the use of specialized Plastic Flooring Systems.

There have been great advances achieved on flooring systems since the introduction of a simple black rubber fitted onto concrete slats and still used today in Ireland. Animal science and innovative manufacturing have moved beyond the limitations of flat black rubber mats. Manufacturers working with the Animal Science Group of Wageningen University (The Netherlands) have developed the next generation of flooring system to meet the challenges ahead. A study conducted by Dutch Hoof health Centre into lameness in Dairy Herds on such flooring systems show the “percentage of lame cows as low. On average 89% of the cows did not show any clinical signs of lameness”,which contrasts with 95% lameness (mild to severe) in an Northern Ireland (AFBI) study in 2011. Irish dairy farming has the advantage and disadvantage of low–cost grazing, so sustainable growth and profitability will only occur when we embrace more intensive milk production and innovative solutions to persistent dairy lameness.

For further information contact Comfort Slat Mats Tel: 01 8643494.

Email: sales@comfortslatmat.com or www.slatmats.com

Grain Treatment

KERVA - New Innovative Product for Grain Treatment Inform Nutrition introduce a new alkaline grain treatment that can increase the usage of home grown grain, thereby saving on imports. Writes Des Cronin, Head Nutritionist.

Darren Mulcahy, General Manager & Pawel Mazur, Production Manager, Inform Nutrition

An innovative new cost-effective, animal health promoting and environmentally friendly grain treatment system has been introduced to the agri-market by Ireland’s leading independent manufacturer of animal nutritional feed additives, Inform Nutrition Ireland Ltd. KERVA is an alkaline grain-treatment system for the treatment of whole or rolled grains for indoor or outdoor storage. It significantly improves animal health and food production, is made specifically for Irish conditions and is the only grain additive of its kind that is manufactured in Ireland.

Not only can KERVA help farmers save money by increasing the protein content of grain by 30% but is also better for the environment because it uses 100% natural ingredients. Using KERVA can therefore help farmers reduce their carbon footprint by reducing the need for purchasing additional imported protein products from overseas.

KERVA can be used to preserve or treat a range of crops including: fresh mature grains at harvest (barley, wheat, beans and maize, moisture content 14-22%); rolled, crimped or whole grains; mature whole crop; and mature straw.

The KERVA grain treatment process involves covering the grain with polythene and treatment time is just two weeks (14 days). KERVA can also be used to treat stored, dried or dead grain (grains that are no longer actively respiring) however water will then need to be added.

Grains that are treated whole need to be rolled or crimped before feeding.

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Dairying and KERVA: KERVA treated grains can be fed to dairy cows, beef cattle and store cattle. Feed intake is key to improving all facets of dairy production and using KERVA treated grains allows farmers to safely feed higher levels of concentrate, and concentrates with a higher level of grains.

Its use has been shown to improve feed intake, reduce acidosis and laminitis in cows. It has also shown to help improve milk production, volumes, solids and fats as well as leading to better condition during lactation and improved fertility.

Acidosis is a significant issue in dairy cows. There has been a marked increase in picas (for example cows eating stones and clay) with research indicating a significant cause of these picas is acidosis. Even at sub-clinical levels, acidosis will reduce butter fat levels, feed intake and body condition score. Loss of body condition score during the breeding season can affect fertility. KERVA-treated grains are ideal to use in a buffer feed or as part of a concentrate ration.

KERVA can be mixed at harvest via a diet feeder if treating whole grains. However, most farmers crimp the grain at harvest time and KERVA can be added through the crimper.

Farmers say they like using KERVA for a variety of reasons: grains are easier to treat; there’s less need to purchase expensive imported proteins; there are no fermentation losses or waste compared to crimp; grain has a longer shelf life in storage compared with other grain treatments; and it’s easy and cost effective to store.

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Grain Treatment Instructions for use of KERVA: Add 20kgs of KERVA per tonne of grain through crimper, diet feeder or other mixer. Do not roll grain heap. Cover grain and leave for 2 weeks. For grain stored indoors remove the cover after 2 weeks.

Storage: KERVA Treated Grain must be kept in a clean dry pest free store. It may be necessary to line walls and floor with polythene.

It can be stored outdoors and kept covered. Once the pit is opened after removing grains for feeding, replace the cover across the face of the pit to avoid the face of the pit getting wet.

To get the best use in feeding your livestock with KERVA Treated grains consult your nutritionist or a KERVA representative.

KERVA is researched, developed and produced by Inform Nutrition Ireland Ltd. at the company’s Cork research and manufacturing facility in Watergrasshill, Co. Cork.

Farmer Testimonial: “We always grow our own barley and wheat and for the past 2 years have been using KERVA to preserve it. We have found it a great benefit to be able to utilise more of our grain in the animals diet. We can increase the inclusion rate of KERVA treated home grown grain in animal diets without the risk of acidosis while also reducing the need for bought in protein.” - George Jagoe, Nohoval, Co. Sustainability: Inform Nutrition recently announced plans to become a world leader in providing sustainable solutions to help combat the global food security challenge. It is estimated that by 2050, the global food and drinks industry will need to produce 70% more food with less land, water and energy, while simultaneously reducing environmental impacts, including methane emissions, by half.

The Cork company has launched a Sustainability Policy committing to focus on the research, development and production of further 100% traceable green ingredient premixes and feed additives, like KERVA, to feed the animals that will feed the future.

Launching Inform Nutrition’s Sustainability Policy, Director William Twomey said: “By researching, developing and producing sustainable alternatives to enhance animal feed, we can help farmers maximise animal production, performance, health and welfare to ensure there is enough quality food for future generations.”

Contractor Case Study Padraig Noonan runs Noonan Agri Contractors Ltd., with his father Maurice and brother Seamus, in Conna, Co. Cork.

Contracting duties include harvesting and combining crops including silage and maize, and crimping over 1,000 ton of grain per year.

Padraig has seen a shift from wet crimp to alkaline-based grain treatment systems over the last 20 years as farmers see the benefits of increased protein and pH for buffering from use of products like KERVA which increase the pH of grain. KERVA treated grains increase pH levels to from an average 8.5 up to approximately 8.8 or 9. This increase in pH rapidly kills off yeasts and moulds, which if not killed off will cause the grain to heat and spoil.

Padraig made the move to KERVA treated grain last year with no regrets. He said that the combined product in a single 20kg bag per ton of grain makes the whole preservation treatment operation much simpler and more efficient.

“Competitor products on the market involve the mixing of products to get the desired result, whereas KERVA is a lot more straightforward with the added benefit of the product activating faster, speeding up the whole process,” said Padraig.

Farmers who contracted Noonan Agri and treated their grain with KERVA were also very happy with the results.

Padraig has seen that when the farmer has the correct storage facilities on the farm for grain, such as a clean dry storage area with good floor quality or lined with plastic, then KERVA is a great preservative option. The higher pH of KERVA grain ensures grain can be stored on the farm for longer periods and without aeration.

For further information, see www.informnutrition

Padraig Noonan pictured here, on the left, with Stephen Gumbleton of AMAC farm supplies in Midleton, Co. Cork

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Animal Bedding

Tottenham Timber

T

ottenham Timber, established in 2003 is a family run business providing specialist supply & services within the Forestry, Farming and Animal Bedding sectors. We are one of Irelands leading independent suppliers of Quality Animal Bedding for the agricultural, equine & industrial sectors, providing a nationwide delivery service throughout all of Ireland & the Uk. Various grades of high quality Sawdust, Woodchip, Woodshavings are available to choose from in stock.

Tottenham Timber provide a wide range of supply options from single pallet deliveries to bulk walking floors using our in-house fleet of vehicles for our animal bedding supply. We strive to have a product and suitable delivery option for all our clients depending on their various circumstances.

Tottenham Timber are also leading in their field of Forestry Consultancy and also specialise in Timber Harvesting and the Marketing of Timber, Biomass supply and all other Forest Products.

Visit www.tottenhamtimber.ie or find us on facebook.

ATTENTION FARMERS, IT'LL BE HARD TO BEAT OUR PRICES!

• Sawdust • Woodshavings • Woodchip • Forestry Consultancy • Timber Harvesting & Marketing For further information contact us at 086 8362522 or visit www.tottenhamtimber.ie IFB0219 ISSUE 1.qxp_Layout 1 07/03/2019 13:30 Page 1

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53

Farm Safety

Winter Challenges Challenges on Winter on the the Farm Farm

at work work that that keeps keeps Yes, behaviour matters, and it is how we plan and manage our behaviour at everyone safe and sound.

S

adly, too often it is the near misses and indeed the injuries that are the lessons that reform our behaviour. A few hurried seconds on a farm can turn into a life-changing event with no possibility of turning back the clock. Almost one third of all farm deaths last year in 2019 involved tractors and machinery and over one third were livestock related, so identify & eliminate risky behaviours.

As the grazing season is drawing to a close thoughts are turning to housing of animals. Particular attention being paid to bulls who are getting a bit stressed from lack of activity. Hence, it is important that their grazing paddocks are strong, their pens are in good condition and if they show any sign of aggression now is the time to cull them.

The last of the slurry is being spread, often under severe time pressure. Shorter days, wetter conditions and poor visibility all conspire to create a potentially dangerous work environment. Allow adequate time for the job, as work that is rushed is likely to be unsafe and of poor quality. Make time to check your machinery, check PTO covers and before using any tractor check cabs, fix lights, mirrors, brakes and tractor steps. Do not continue to work if fatigued, as so often it is the last load, the last run that catches us out.

Traffic management around the yard is, as always, key to preventing accidental interaction between drivers /pedestrians. A good traffic management plan will identify the following: Vehicles must be: • parked safely facing outwards • maintained in good working order • properly used • only operated by trained persons In relation to pedestrians that: • safe and suitable pedestrian access routes visibly identified/marked out • work related vehicles and pedestrians are kept apart • pedestrian routes are organised and controlled • reversing is minimised • hi-vis PPE is worn Slips trips and falls should be assessed and repairs undertaken as this is the quieter time of year. Let’s not forget about our buildings in the IFB0219 ISSUE 1.qxp_Layout 1 07/03/2019 13:30 Page 1

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yards and assessing risks associated with working at heights to clean out gutters or fix roof sheeting. In the last 10 years (2010-2019) 37 people suffered fatal injury on Irish farms due to falls (collapses) from heights.

STOP and THINK. Do you realise that when a farmer commissions the carrying out of construction and maintenance on farm buildings, You (Farmer/client) must appoint in writing a project superviser. Here’s an example; A Farmer needs routine Maintenance work on a roof, (this involves a particular risk), therefore: appointments are needed:The Farmer arranged for a section of roof sheeting to be replaced, as it was leaking. The farmer (client) must and did inform the contractor that the adjacent section of roof contained fragile rooflights. Work was at a height constitutes a particular risk and therefore written appointments are required. Why? To manage the work safely, such as preventing a roofer stepping onto the adjacent roof and falling to his death. Communication by the farmer of his/her safety statement/risk assessment document to all involved is also essential.

Lone working on farms is a significant risk. Farmers are advised to reduce these risks by telling someone where he/she is going before starting a job, carrying a charged mobile phone, wear appropriate PPE such as hi-vis and recognise that some tasks are just too dangerous to be done alone. Make arrangements for assistance and backup. The key message must remain that priority is given to your personal safety.

MAKING IT EASY ISOBUS* TELEMATICS* RTK* MULTIFUNCTION JOYSTICK*

ARION 410-460 Six models 90-140hp

PROACTIV front axle

PANORAMIC CAB

110 litre load sensing hydraulics *Optional

RELEASE THE TECH – WITH ARION 400 CLAAS have made it easy to choose your next 100hp tractor.

The ARION 400 comes as standard with many hi-spec features, together with a number of optional extras including ISOBUS, TELEMATICS, RTK and a MULTIFUNCTIONAL JOYSTICK, allowing you to tailor your tractor to meet your specific requirements.

Each new ARION 400 is also delivered with 3 years / 1,500 hours Warranty. Terms and Conditions apply.

EASY technology, EASY back-up, EASY finance – it’s an EASY decision.

Call your dealer today. claas.ie

GAIN PRE-CALVER GOLD is a unique pre-calver mineral designed specifically for both the cow and the unborn calf.

Key Benefits • Helps prevent Milk Fever after calving • Contains high quality organic minerals, Sel-Plex® and Bioplex® • Reduces the chances of retained placenta

• Stimulates the immune response of the cow and unborn calf • Results in good quality colostrum and calf thrive • Supports quicker and better calving

For more information please contact, your local Glanbia Ireland Representative, Branch or glanbiaconnect.com Lo-call number 1890 321 321 Send us an email info@gainanimalnutrition.com