Sean Moher: I'll be following Shalloo's advice and knuckling down on costs in 2025
Farmer Sean Moher on his farm at Croughmore, Mitchelstown, Co Cork. Picture Dan Linehan
The Dairygold Signpost dairy farmers had our last meeting of the year in Moorepark. First up was a meeting with Laurence Shalloo. Laurence is a pleasure to listen to his knowledge and positivity of all things dairy is great to hear.
He said our focus in 2025 should be on getting our costs down, some of this will happen anyway but there is a lot of scope to reduce it further. Concentrate use, grass grown and utilisation are three of the things to focus on. He was also very positive on the issues of emissions and nitrates.
A couple of farmers in the group are involved with trials on slurry additives that will further reduce methane levels. A peroxide solution is pumped into the tank every two weeks in several places through small pipes let down into the tank. Another positive development.
I was unaware of one reduction in emissions: the improvement in grass quality we’ve witnessed since quotas went into effect, which has already reduced methane emissions.
The equally knowledgeable Mike Egan gave us a tour of some of the clover trials. It was interesting to see the massive differences between the different clover varieties.
Fearga and Aberclaret are two red clover varieties, while Aberherald, Aberswan, W140134, and Clodagh are four white clover varieties that have been trialled well. Soon, an equivalent of the grass PPI for clover will be available.
Well done to all involved. We finished grazing by day on December 17. We normally don’t grow much here over the winter, but this year’s exceptionally dry October and November have left a bigger-than-normal cover on the earlier closed paddocks.
We received our payment from DAFM for the multi-species sward and red clover seeds this week. I’ve been asked by a few people if I am happy with them and if I will set them again.
Teagasc trial work has now backed up results from abroad about the benefits of plantain in a sward and how it reduces the amount of nitrogen in urine, thereby reducing the risk of leaching into waterways. Drying off is the main focus now. We’ve picked 65% of the herd to get sealer only and no antibiotics.
We’ve been doing this for a number of years and only once had to go back in with an antibiotic to an older cow who, in hindsight, should have got them at dry off as she was on the free-flowing side.
The silage analysis results came in recently. The first cut red clover silage tested at 76 DMD, 10.5% crude protein and UFL 0.86 while the second cut came in at 74DMD, 15.4% crude protein and UFL 0.83.
Just to compare, second-cut conventional silage came in at 76 DMD, crude protein 13.3 and UFL 0.86. We only do bales now as we find it more flexible in order to get good quality compared to managing it as a single crop.
- Sean Moher is a Signpost dairy farmer based in Mitchelstown, Cork.
