Tuesday, May 26, 2015

All You Need to Know About Applying for Young Farmer Grants

The Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme covers an array of equipment and buildings. 

It opens to applications on the May 28 and closes on August 28.

The Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney said the Scheme is very important – offering eligible young farmers a special rate of aid of 60% of investment costs, compared to the standard rate of 40% which will be generally available to other farmers.

Applications must be submitted online through https://agfood.agriculture.gov.ie/ssoauthagfood/individual.jsp

Applicants who wish to apply online or through their agents must first be registered for online services (OLS) with the Department.

Instructions for registration can be found online at www.agfood.ie or you can contact agfood online services helpline in the Department’s Portlaoise office Locall 1890252118 or 0761 064424 or email agfood@agriculture.gov.ie

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Save Money on Farm Veterinary Costs

Average veterinary/animal health costs on dairy farms were 1.16c/L in 2014 (€60 per cow, 5% of total costs), according to Teagasc.

It says controlling veterinary costs is not about simply cutting costs; it can also be about ensuring that you are getting a good return on your investment in animal health.

Small changes may yield big returns, Teagasc says.

Teagasc tips:
1. Firstly, you must spend money on protecting and maintaining the health of your dairy herd. 

A really useful first step would be to consult with your veterinary surgeon so as to develop an animal health plan for your farm. 

Can you work with your veterinary surgeon to improve your herd performance? Prevention will always be better than cure.

What are you doing to reduce the risk of a disease outbreak or an animal health issue on your dairy farm that requires costly treatment?

2. Apart from the annual cost associated with veterinary/animal health, disease/poor health can reduce animal/farm performance, thereby reducing your output and receipts. 

For example, reducing SCC from 200,000-300,000 cells/ml to <100 1="" 40="" a="" almost="" by="" cells="" could="" dairy="" delivered="" farm.="" from="" hectare="" increase="" kg="" milk="" ml="" o:p="" per="" solids="" year="">

3. The three elements of good animal health are:
•             Recording herd health status – including bulk milk sampling and other tests.
•             Biosecurity – keeping infectious diseases out and reducing infectious disease threats within the farm.
•             Vaccination – it is important that vaccines are administered correctly; cows should get all, but only necessary vaccinations.
    
4. Savings can be made by challenging the cost of products, the number of treatments and the cost of various services. Knowing what the disease challenges are on your farm and the health status of your animals, helps in this regard. As with other costs, all costs must be justified for your farm.

5. By having an idea of your main veterinary supplies needed for 2015 (list of all vaccines, doses, etc.), you may be able to get a better deal from your supplier (an example of bulk purchasing).

6. In the longer term, can you breed a more robust type of cow that has lower veterinary ‘running costs’?


In summary, you can either reduce costs or get better value for the same costs. Both are a ‘win’ for you. This can be achieved by seeking the best advice, planning, taking action and monitoring.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Dairy Detergent Offer

Lets keep it simple this week!

Buy 3 x Liquid Detergent 25 Litre or 3 x Cold Wash Powder 20Kg
and get a FREE DESCALE 25 litre worth €46.00!

Limited stock so order today
Offer ends Midnight 22/05/2015

CLICK HERE TO BUY

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Grass Tetany Problems?

Grass Tetany Problems? 

With increasing grass growth and some very cold nights, there is a risk of lactating cows developing tetany. 

We are continuing to hear reports of cows getting grass tetany and this is the highest risk period for it, so ensure every cow is getting covered.

There are various methods of prevention, from buckets, using a hi-mag bolus, and adding magnesium to water troughs. 

All methods have their merits and vary in success but prevention is the main objective, regardless of which option you use.


Flakes, Liquid Magnesium, Boluses and Buckets are all available to prevent Grass Tetany.