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Dosing: The more information you have when it comes to deciding on whether or not you need to dose dairy cows for parasites the better. Bulk milk tank tests for worms and fluke will tell you if the herd has been exposed to parasites or not. For me, this test tells you the trend over time rather than being a definitive determinant of whether you need to dose or not.
Faecal egg counts are a better measure for stomach worms and fluke, but aren’t very effective at telling if you have lung worm or not. The easy thing to do might seem to be to dose all animals regardless and at least then you’re covered. But this is not wise as firstly, you could be spending money and effort on dosing when it’s not needed and, secondly, dosing when there is no need could lead to anthilmentic resistance.
Some farms don’t have any fluke and never had. Watch youngstock coming into the herd that may have been grazing different land to the milking herd or on a contract-rearer’s.
Usually, the young cows in the herd are more exposed to worms than the older cows. Whether or not to dose is a decision that should be made based on facts, not habits. If it needs to be done, do it in the early part of the dry period. Rumen and liver fluke can only be dosed without milk withdrawal during the dry period. For a lot of ivermectin-based wormers, there is a 60-day milk withdrawal period.
Fertiliser: At the Teagasc National Dairy Conference in Killarney, it was said that if the CAN fertiliser being used in Ireland was changed to protected urea it would offset the greenhouse gas emissions of 100,000 cows.
When protected urea is combined with low-emission slurry spreading, it can significantly reduce emissions from dairy farms. There are three extra units of nitrogen available in every 1,000 gallons of slurry when it is spread with low-emission slurry gear such as trailing shoe or dribble bar.
At a Centenary Thurles sustainability meeting in Tipperary last week it was said the shelf life of protected urea is potentially shorter than ordinary CAN and urea so you should only buy fresh product close to the time of use. It was also said that gloves and face masks should be worn when handling it.
On fertiliser prices, the market seems stable enough. Whether to buy fertiliser now depends on cashflow and tax implications. The real way to save money on inputs, whether that is meal or fertiliser, is to question how much you need and then only buy as much as that.
Planning: Nollaig Heffernan is a consultant who works with businesses on time and people management. She says that now is a good time to plan ahead for 2020. Year planners are available that can be put up on a wall where everyone can see them. Write in the non-negotiable days off first, such as family holidays and weekends off. Then fill in dates such as employee holidays and busy times of the year such as calving and breeding so you can easily identify the busiest periods and plan accordingly, such as getting in relief help or employing contractors to do certain jobs.
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