FARM NOTESFARM NOTES

Lo-Call1890-47-47-20

Fax042-969 4389

www.lakeland.ie

Printed by Blacks Cavan Tel. 049-433 1655

Lakeland Dairies do not in any circumstances accept responsibility for the accuracy of anyadvertisement published and disclaim all and any liability for loss or damage of any naturearising from the publication of any advertisement.

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 145 APRIL 2015VOLUME 1 ISSUE 145 APRIL 2015

FFOORR SSAALLEEPedigree Registered Friesian bulls with Genomic EBI`s to€327, born Spring 2014, suitable for heifers, breed by top AI

bulls PBM, QGH,OTL,TYH,PCW. Vaccinated for BVD,LEPTO and IBR.

Contact: Kevin Clare, Ardee, 087 2766672.

Selection of service age Holstein Friesian bulls, dam yields to 10,000lts, at 5.05% Bf and 3.86% Pr.

Contact: Stephen Lawlor 087 9252243.

30 cows, calved and springing, from a high EBI herd (172 average). Low SCC 149 and high constituents of 4.39%

Bf and 3.65% Pr, last year’s averages.Contact: 087 9482821.

British Friesian Heifers in calf to Hereford Bull out of highyielding herd. Good B.F and Protein. Due in April.

Westmeath Area.Contact: 086-3017562

Sale; by Taaffe Auctions 041 9881288Saturday 18th April 2015 at 12 noon sharp,

for Stanley and Evelyn WrightAbbeyshrule, Ballymahon, Co. Longford.

40 P.B.R calved cows and heifers and 20 bulling heifers. Herd average

7000lts at 4.00% Bf and 3.40% Protein, medium size with good udders.

Contact; Stanley at 087 6383275.

If you are considering Milk Recordingcontact Louise Knight at 087-250 5723

If you have milk metres that you wish tosell please contact Louise Knight

at 087-250 5723.

IFFPG Farm Plastic collections inassociation with SMITHS PLASTIC

RECYCLINGLONGFORD: Granard Mart 11th April, Aughnacliffe

GAA 14th April, Dromard GAA 15th April,Longford Shroid Slashers GAA 16th April, Killashee GAA

17th April, Ballymahon Mart 18th April,Drumlish Muleadys Ltd 22nd April.

WESTMEATH: Castlepollard Co.Co. Yard 9-4.30pm 24thApril, Delvin Mart 25th April,

Kilbeggan, John Gannon Concrete Ltd 28th April, MoateAgri Supplies 30th April, Rochfortbridge

Ex-Ascon Site, Rhode Rd. 2nd May, Colm Steel & Tools,Creggan, Athlone 7th May, Flynn Machinery

Yard, The Downs, Mullingar 9th May.MONAGHAN; Mc Nally's Quarry, Glaslough 12th May,

Threemile House GAA 14th May,Clones Mart 16th May, Ballybay Mart 19th May, Scotts

Corner Landfill 8-4pm 21st May,Magheracloone GAA, Carrickmacross 23rd May, Broomfield

Agri Castleblaney 26th May. Contact Ronan 086 2506129

DONEGAL FRIESIAN BREEDERS SHOW AND SALEWednesday 22nd April 2015 Show at 11.00am and Sale at 1.00pm

at east Donegal mart, Raphoe, Co. Donegal. 50 calved heifers and young cows.

Normal mart fee’s apply.Free transport for all animals purchased.

Enquiries; 074 9381147 or 086 8330305.

EEnndd ooff MMiillkk QQuuoottaassFor the first time in 31 years, you can now produce as much milk as you want, unhindered byquota limits and without the future threat of superlevy. This is an excellent opportunity for anydairy farmers to profitably grow and maximise milk production .

For some, it is simply a matter of continuing to milk onwards and upwards beyond traditionalquota limits, with a gradual expansion of dairying operations. For others, there are specificinvestments being made in growing herds and expanding facilities. There are also many newentrants and conversions to dairying. All current and new milk will be welcome at LakelandDairies.

From our current milk intake of over 750m litres per annum, we estimate that our milk intakewill grow to over 1 Bn litres by 2020. We have the processing capacity and economies of scalerequired to maximise the value of every litre that you will send us for processing. This includesa further new €36m Milk Drying Plant at Bailieboro which will be completed in 2016.

Overall, while current world milk supply exceeds current demand, there is good reason formedium term optimism. World dairy demand, across the world, continues to grow 2% annuallyand our milk producers now have the freedom and opportunity to compete for a growing shareof that market. As we all enter the new Post Quota Era, Lakeland Dairies wishes you everysuccess in your dairying enterprises and we look forward to supporting you strongly on acompetitive and sustainable basis long into the future.

Superlevy Position

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Lakeland finished the last quota year 2014-2015 over quota by 5.1% or 24.4million litres. This equates toa super levy bill of approx. €7 million for those suppliers over their quota, after flexi milk has beenallocated.Flexi milk of 19 million litres was distributed.Category 1 suppliers who have quota less than 350,000 litres got a maximum of 55,249 litres of flexi milkprovided they did not cross 350,000 litres.Category 2 suppliers who have quota greater than 350,000 litres got 8765 litres of flexi milk.This flexi milk must be deducted from your net quota position on your March 2015 Milk Statement toshow your final super levy position.For suppliers who are over quota, this will necessitate deductions form milk payments in line with superlevy regulations.The only good news is that there are Plans by the EU and Department of Agriculture to offset Super levypenalties over a three year period. Details have yet to be finalised, and hopefully we will have confirmationand details of the scheme within the next few weeks.Hence, there are some super levy deductions from March milk. Deductions will recommence from April milk and any refunds will also beincluded.

Approximately 4 million litres of milk was collected on the 1st April, most carried over from the last days of March. This carry overwill have saved over quota suppliers in excess of €1,000,000. Our milk carters and on site staff deserve a well earned thank you for theirefforts in arranging, collecting, processing and ensuring this milk was of the highest quality when it was pumped into the silo’s. Oursuppliers who stored and cooled this milk must also be thanked. Let us hope that it will not be necessary to have to repeat this effortever again.

The Annual General Meetingof Members of Lakeland Dairies

Co-operative Society Ltd.

will be held on

TUESDAY, 12 May 2015

at 1.00 p.m.

in the

HOTEL KILMORE,

Dublin Road, Cavan

* Car Parking at Rear of Hotel

* Only registered shareholders will be

admitted

Lakeland Dairies/Teagasc Ballyhaise

OPEN DAY Monday April 27 – 11.00 am

MAXIMISING MILKPRODUCTION

FROM GRAZED GRASSGrass growth 15 tonnes DM /Ha Milk

Solids 1250 kgs/Ha Come and see some of the key

features supporting this impressivelevel of grass production

RELIEF MILKING AND EXPERIENCED GENERALFARM OPERATIVE AVAILABLE

Contact: MEL FARRELL 087 2700435 / 043 3323636

Preparing for growth. Planning for success.

Errigal Hotel, Cootehill8pm Thursday April 16th

Light refreshments will be served.

Speakers

Seamus Ferry, Bank of Ireland

Chairperson

John Brady, Bank of Ireland

Funding for Change

Liam Young, IFAC

Taking the Complexity out of Farm Transfers.

Pat Ryan, Dairymaster

Managing expansion on Dairy Farms post Quotas.

Bank of Ireland is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

The seminar will cover some of the challenges and exciting opportunities facing the agri-business sector in today’s changing environment. You will gain insights from industry stakeholders and commentators, receive advice on efficient tax planning and learn how to effectively fund your farm with the support of Bank of Ireland.

bankofireland.com/agrieventsRegister at

#Let’s Connect

Invitation to Our agri-businessevent

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The seminar will cover some of the

The seminar will cover some of the

Speakers

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Pat Ryan, Dairymaster

Managing expansion on Dairy Farms post Quotas.

Managing expansion on Dairy Farms post Quotas.

Scanning Service and

_LAKE Notes April 15 06/05/2015 12:47 Page 1

FARMNOTES FARMNOTES

AAllll iiMMLL // BBVVDD QQuueerriieess toÁine at 042-967 5353

REDUCING TCM LEVELS ON FARMS

Gloves--looking after your cows and hands!LET’s BE practical-considering the broad range of jobs you do daily as a farmer,it is going to be very difficult to have very clean hands. Yet milkers’ hands are an important vehicle for the transfer of bacteriafrom cow to cow at milking time. Research done in the 1960’s in England showed that 50% of milkers’ hands were contaminatedwith bacteria (that could cause mastitis) before milking, and 100% of hands were contaminated by the end of milking. Wearinggloves during milking can reduce the risk of transferring bacteria in 2 main ways:1. Prevents bacteria from getting lodged in skin cracks, creases and around the nails2. The smooth surface of the glove makes it easier to remove any bacteria by washing and disinfecting.A recent Dutch study showed a bacterial reduction of up to 98% between gloved hands that were disinfected, and bare hands aftermilking. Another added, and often underestimated benefit, is the protection that gloves give the skin on your hands. Glovedhands will have less dirt engrained and are therefore easier to scrub clean. The gloves will also protect against direct contact withchemicals, and help prevent the chapping that can occur when hands are constantly getting wet, especially in cold temperatures.Milkers that wear gloves generally have hands that are smoother, softer and cleaner....something both you and the people in yourlife will appreciate! It’s time to dispel the myth that gloves are for “sissies”!1. Gloves come in various sizes, so find the size that fits you.2. Use 2 new disposable gloves for every milking, and replace them if they get torn during milking. 3. It’s easier to put gloves on dry hands before milking, rather than on wet hands when a problem appears. 4. Rinse and disinfect them at regular intervals during milking, especially after finding clinical cases and after forestripping

known high SCC cows i.e. subclinically infected.For more information, see the CellCheck Farm Guidelines for Mastitis Control

LAKELAND DAIRIES SUMMER RATION RANGENOW AVAILABLE

Finally, after over 31 years, dairy farmers can make decisions about their dairy business without the restriction of a quota regime.It gives the freedom to produce more milk by milking extra cows or by getting more milk from existing cows. But expansion won’tbe for everybody – improving efficiency should always come before expansion. It does not give the freedom to chase productionby adding costs to your system. Dairy markets will continue to operate in a volatile manner, so any changes to your system fromApril 1st must be based on profitability in a volatile market place. Efficiency per litre is still very important but concentrating ongrass utilisation and profit per hectare will be essential to maximise farm profit.

Cost controlWith potential milk price volatility ahead, dairy farmers cannot afford to lessen their focus on cost control for 2015. There aretwo main reasons for this. Firstly, the relentless upward trend in milk production costs, and secondly, the additional costsassociated with expansion. Unless there is a focus on cost control, there is a real risk that individuals other than the farmerproducing milk will be the one to benefit. With this in mind, this month will look at managing two of the bigger costs on dairyfarms – meal and fertiliser.

Meal feeding • Meal feeding costs accounted for about 25% of total costs per litre in 2014 in this regioncosts • Including more grass in the cows’ diet will reduce this cost; this will require you to be more focussed

on grassland management• Use the grass wedge to make grassland management decisions for the farm. A line drawn from the

pre grazing yield to the post grazing residual provides a guideline on surpluses and deficits. • Aim for a pre grazing cover of 1,300 1,500kg DM/ha (depending on stocking rate). • Grass surpluses should be removed as baled silage; this can be fed back to lactating cows later. • Graze to 4.0cm residual. • Aim to make high quality grass silage for winter feeding.

Fertiliser • Fertiliser & lime costs accounted for about 10% of total costs per litre in 2014 in this region costs • Soil test so that P and K fertiliser isn’t wasted.

• Lime is the first thing to get right before one should consider building either soil P or K. Correct pH ensures P & K are fully utilised.

• Apply P & K according to farm fertiliser plan.• Use slurry/ soiled water to replace some purchased N, P and K. • Match fertiliser N to stocking rate. • Urea is about 25% cheaper than CAN – can be used under moist conditions • Spread Sulphur (at least 20 units/acre) on dry farms from April.

NO MORE QUOTAS!The Irish Dairy industry relies heavily on the sale of Irish buttersold in the EU. Stringent export regulations for specific dairyproducts play a major part in our Irish Dairy industry today. Oneof these export regulations is the monitoring of Trichloromethane(TCM) which occurs when milk reacts with chlorine productsused in the cleaning of bulk milk tanks and milking equipment.High levels of TCM in butter can result in a poor tasting product.Therefore it is essential to reduce TCM levels in butter to0.03mg/kg and TCM levels in milk to <0.002mg/kg.

Since 2007 Lakeland Dairies have been monitoring TCM levelsand have made significant progress in reducing the level.However, TCM levels are still a concern and work in this area isongoing.

The leading causes of high TCM levels in milk are: • Overuse of detergent/steriliser containing chlorine

• Wrong dosing rates or improper washing routine

• Insufficient rinsing pre and post washing (14ltr/unit)

• Additional chlorine being added to final rinse water

ProductsWhen purchasing a product it is recommended to always look fora • High caustic product (>15%)• Low chlorine product (<4%)

• Registered products (PCS number)

Wash routine

• Use detergent levels as specified by manufacturer

• Rinse with 14ltr/unit water pre and post washing

• If detergent steriliser (chlorine included) is used product must

be rinsed clear immediately after wash

• If detergent only product (no chlorine) is used the product

should be left on the plant and rinsed prior to next milking

• Do not reuse detergent more than once

• Descale wash should be carried out weekly to both machine

and bulk milk tank to remove mineral deposits

• Check rinse water and detergent usage settings in bulk tank

are correct

• Peracetic acid can be used instead of chlorine in the final rinse

if required

• Farmers who are cluster dipping should use peracetic acid and

NOT hypochlorite.

All milk collection routes are being tested and results will be

texted to relevant suppliers. All samples should have readings less

than .002mg/kg.

By Trevor Dunwoody, Teagasc

CELLCHECK TIP OF THE MONTH

With the higher temperatures experienced over the last week, grass growth has really taken off on the majority of our farms. For cows at grass full time, high

energy / lower protein rations should now be considered to avoid an oversupply of protein in the diet. However,when choosing a ration for use at this time of the year and throughout the breeding season, care should be takento ensure a full complement of minerals is being supplied on a daily basis at the feed levels being applied onindividual farms. To meet these requirements, Lakeland Dairies extensive Summer Ration range is nowavailable. For advice on which ration best suits your situation, please talk to your Lakeland Dairies Feedrepresentative or Lo Call 1890 47 47 20.

_LAKE Notes April 15 06/05/2015 12:47 Page 2