End of quota: Many dairy farmers have too many cows relative to quota owned this year, as they prepare for the quota brakes to come off next year. Now that its mid-July, you should have a picture of your fertility and calving information for next year so you can do your sums on expected calving dates and milk supply next spring.

I’ve heard of farmers doing very different things to manage this final year of milk quotas:

  • Some are switching to once-a-day milking now to reduce autumn milk volumes. Remember, while volumes will drop, milk solids will rise and this will use up quota. Expect a 20% drop in volumes for the rest of autumn, but effectively this may only result in a 15% drop in autumn supplies due to increased milk solids. Do your sums on normal September/October and November milk deliveries and reduce them by 15%.
  • Some are going to continue milking and dry off all cows in October to allow time for development work around the yard. In this scenario, you will have an extended dry period for all cows, allowing you to build condition score for next spring – which should result in slightly higher milk production next spring when they calve down.
  • Some are going to continue with present numbers, but not bring in any additional meal this autumn so yield will drop off faster. Depending on grass growth rates, the amount of grass on the farm will also drop off quicker than normal and cows will be housed earlier. However, the farmers are happy to do this if it means more grass next spring and less meal feeding required next spring.
  • Milking 13 times a week – Dropping one milking on Sunday will do little or nothing in terms of reducing milk supplies at this time of the year. However, it can help reduce weekend labour significantly.

    • Feeding meals: Many farmers are feeding meal now due to poor growth as paddocks dry up. Some are feeding up to between 4kg and 5kg/cow. Think about the cost of this, especially if you are going over quota. Might you be better to take out any culls now to reduce stocking rate? Would feeding round-bale silage make more sense to extend what grass you have available? Would it be better to feed meal to calves or heifers to help them maintain growth rates if grass is not available?

    Reseeding: The Focus supplement this week on reseeding and feed options. Spray off this week if you’re thinking of reseeding. This will allow you to do your cultivating in August and grow grass in September. We also discuss some of the options farmers are considering if barley is making €130/t off the combine.

    If you can buy off a local farmer and then roll and treat the grain for another €30 to €40/t you could potentially have a high quality ration for €170/t. That kind of price is cheaper than making grass silage, but then again you might buy good quality silage for less this year as it struggles to make €20 per round-bale in places. Remember, pit silage will hold well from year to year, but you are better off using bales rather than carrying them over.