‘BE A LITTLE BORED THIS YEAR’

• "In order to be farming profitably, you need to be a little bored!".
• An unusual statement from me but let me elaborate.
• In my experience, dairy farmers get their farming ‘kicks’ when they are really driving on – expanding, making capital investments on the farm, etc.
• Imagine, for a minute, that you are in a social setting and someone asks ‘how is the farming going?’ Will your answer focus on costs and reducing them, and the efficiencies you are implementing? Or will you highlight the more ‘exciting’ things like the new tractor or the shed being built?
• It is easy see which of these replies will generate more conversation, interest, and excitement. But we have to change the narrative to make reducing costs and being more efficient dairy farmers the focus of such conversation.
• Therefore, I am suggesting that these farming ‘kicks’, listed above, should be low down the priority investment list this year for farmers.
• The investment time should be in planning, pricing, preventing, monitoring – all the practices that generate efficiency and, hence, profit.
• A lot of this is office work, which is a lot more ‘boring’ than yard work, but at least 10 times more financially rewarding. Therefore, ensure that you have an office with: a good desk and chair; a computer, printer, paper, and very good WiFi; and a filing cabinet with separate files for important business transactions.
• Set aside a certain time of day when you are ‘fresh’ for office work.
• It is chilling to hear Teagasc’s prediction that ‘dairy farmers’ incomes will reduce by 40 per cent in 2026’. So, let us try, from now, to risk-manage that prediction downwards for our own farms.

RISK MANAGE 2026

• All the vibes suggest that 2026 will see:
  • Milk price under pressure for most of the year.
  • Cost of inputs will remain approximately the same.
  • Living expenses will increase.
  • Loan repayments will be the same or increased.
  • Tax increases because of 2025 being so good.
• Now is not the time to sit on your hands.
• Plan! Plan! Plan! I want you to do a cashflow plan NOW for 2026 and plan for a base milk price of 33-37c/L.
  • If you cannot do it, get your adviser to do it, or to help you. But you must learn because it is the future and is not rocket science.
• Farmers do a lot of planning in their heads as they go about their daily chores, so I want to remind you now, and monthly, of some important things to do.
• Farm profit has several drivers:
  • Gross output
    • The actions/outcomes that contribute to this are:
    • Milk price, which is driven by getting all bonuses with no penalties, achieving the level of percentage fat and protein that are within the herd’s capabilities (there is 3-7c/L difference between farmers.
    • Calf price.
    • Cull cow price.
    • Numbers of calf and cow deaths has a big effect. Target less than 3% calf death to 28 days, and 2% cow deaths.
  • Fixed costs:
    • Costs, both fixed and variable, are predicted to be greater than 42c/L for 2025:
    • Fixed cost should not be considered ‘fixed’ because many of them are capable of being reduced. Therefore, examine each to see where you can ‘trim’ them back, even if only a little.
    • Land rental/lease is 2-4c/L with some spending 6-7c/L – you should ask yourself if you need to spend so much because of overstocking?
    • Labour is the big one and generally it can’t be reduced but be sure to concentrate on tasks that deliver over €100/hour for your time for yourself.
    • An electricity broker may help to reduce costs by switching provider mid-contract.
  • Variable cost management:
    • Meal represents 20-30% of all costs, so you must address this. At normal stocking rates, meal feeding per cow should be no more than 700-800kg. Having to buy in forage indicates you are overstocked for the farm’s ability to grow grass.
    • Fertiliser is another big one that can be managed downwards by a good fertiliser plan based on soil results.
    • Veterinary, medicines, and breeding costs are now very high on many farms, so they must be examined.
    • Contractor costs are 15-20% of variable costs and can be reduced by cutting a high percentage of farm for first cut and minimising the expense for round bales.
    • Bulk buying and getting quotations could save money but you need to establish the quantities you require for six months.
• The next step now is to establish your costs and profit for 2025 so that you can plan the year ahead

DON’T CUT BACK ON PREVENTATIVE CARE

• With farm incomes likely to be under a lot of pressure we have to ensure animals are cared for so as to perform to their best and minimise deaths and various health issues.
• Preventative care is essential to prevent/reduce some of the following causes of financial losses (approximate costs):

Cow death €2,282 per death

Milk fever €130 per case

Left displaced abomasum €515 per case

Grass tetany (clinical) €632 per case

Ketosis €190 per case

Acidosis €277 per case

Lameness €312 per case

Mastitis €450 per case

Vulva discharge €188 per case

Cost of a twin calving €122 per calving

Cost of calf death €470 per case

Cost of retained placenta €392 per case

• From the above figures each farmer should estimate the losses under these headings based on 2025 data.
• In an era of increasing costs and lower sales prices, we cannot allow disease or health mismanagement to reduce our profit due to inadequate preventative care.
• The above costs are direct and indirect costs.
• Direct costs covered:
  • Vet’s time, farmer’s time, drugs, discarded milk, reduced yields and others, such as dead calves.
• Indirect costs covered:
  • Increased risk of disease extending calving interval, higher culling rates, extra services per conception, and risk of fatality.

MINERALS ARE ESSENTIAL

• Mineral deficiency is responsible for retained placenta, calf deaths at birth, calving difficulty and many more related problems.
• To be sure of the concentration of the various minerals in the mix, get your silage analysed for minerals and act accordingly.
  • Some of the samples I have seen this year are very low in manganese, cobalt and copper with very high levels of antagonists, such as aluminium and molybdenum.
• A reputable pre-calving mineral must be fed to cows from 40 days before calving.
• Feed 2-3oz /cow/day.
  • Shake half of this quantity evenly on the silage morning and evening.
• In-calf heifers must also receive pre-calver mineral.
• If your farm has a special mineral problem, then include extra quantities of that mineral.
• Ketosis, acidosis and, to a lesser extent, lameness are a feed problem associated with poor silage (under feeding energy levels) or switching from good silage to poor silage (bought-in feed may not be as good as your own).

HIGH RISK MASTITIS PERIOD

• Because cows’ immune systems come under severe pressure in the last few weeks before calving, mastitis is a very likely outcome either before calving or in the first two weeks after calving.
• It causes severe losses and frustration and most of the early lactation problems are caused by poor hygiene in the cubicles and the calving boxes before and after calving.
• It is prevented by having:
  • Clean environment.
  • Good milking machine.
  • Good milking routine.
  • Good cow immunity.
  • Maintaining a stress-free environment for cows and particularly heifers.
• This is the month where the cow’s immunity decreases and she becomes stressed:
  • The last months of pregnancy and the influence of the dry cow wears off.
  • Scrape yards and cubicles at least twice per day.
  • Avoid overcrowding (one cubicle/cow is required)
  • Move shy feeders and cows that lie in passages onto a straw bedded area with plenty of feeding face.
  • Heifers calving down or getting mastitis in first four to seven days, indicates that they have been exposed to dirty bedding in the last few weeks of pregnancy. This is a terrible loss.
• Where there is a history of heifers getting mastitis before or after calving, a case can be made to teat seal them four to six weeks before calving.
• It is well known that very poor milking machines are the cause of 40 per cent of all mastitis problems.
  • Get it serviced now by a qualified technician.
  • Make sure to get a print-out of the technician’s report and act on the recommendations. If your technician isn’t up to scratch get a new technician.
  • Liners, worn rubber, diaphragms must be replaced.
  • Vacuum pump should be washed out with diesel.
  • Regulator should be cleaned with methylated spirits.
  • Pulsators and relays must be checked.
  • Draw hot water through the pulse tube, through the pulsators/relays and into the vacuum line to clean them out.
  • As an alternative to a dump line use an old churn or milk bucket in the pit.
  • It is suggested you leave the churn in the dairy and use a long milk tube to attach onto the relevant unit.
  • Consider the addition of a dump line, an automatic bulk tank and milking machine washer, if these chores are slowing you down in the parlour.
  • If you are milking more than eight cows per unit, consider adding a few more units to your machine if possible.
  • These suggestions should be seriously considered if you are paying a lot of tax or if you are expanding.
  • Some well-informed farmers could and do service their milking machines themselves.
• Poor milking routine is the cause of mastitis on 30% of farms.
  • Something that must be re-learned and practiced.
  • Make sure to teach all those skills to new farm staff in January.
• Well trained staff can milk as good as yourself, trust them, so that you are freed up for more important skill/experience demanding tasks.

HEALTH CHECKS AND ACTIONS

• This is a key month to check out the progress of your winter management,
• Have your thin cows put on condition?
  • They should now be near body condition score (BCS) of 3.
  • If they aren’t and they are still six to eight weeks from calving, increase the meal feed and keep them on very good silage.
  • If some cows are too fat (BCS = 3.5+) then you must separate them out from the cows and restrict their silage to 25-30kg silage (fresh) plus 2-3kg straw. Otherwise, they will have health problems after calving, will milk 300 litres less in early lactation and be slower to go in calf.
  • They will be more prone to calving problems and milk fever.
• Have you lame cows or heifers?
  • This is an issue on many farms.
  • It is often not picked up in time.
  • To prevent lameness, keep yards and passages clean; but you must also have good ventilation.
  • Put milkers through a foothbath of copper or zinc for three consecutive days during each month.
• Has your herd got lice?
  • Scratching or licking can be signs that they do.
• Are your strong yearlings, replacements, or males going to grass over at over 280kg?
  • They need no more meal with fairly good silage.
  • Light weanlings almost certainly need 2-3kg of meal (12-14% protein), particularly if silage quality is moderate, otherwise they will not achieve service weights in May.
• Look out for the signs of liver fluke in stock.
  • It costs €160 per cow affected.
  • Consult your vet.
  • Symptoms include scouring, poor thrive.
  • Best confirmed by dung samples, dose before calving, being aware of milk withdrawal periods.
• Worms (type 11) can by a serious problem for all cattle and young cows.
  • Confirm their presence or absence with a dung sample.
  • Use a worm dose that kills type 11 stomach worms.

MAKE DEROGATION WORK – LAST CHANCE?

• Great! Derogation farmers have got an extension!
• Going by the social media and some press reaction one would think it was a jail sentence that has been suspended for three years.
• We have made progress – see November Hints – but we have more to do.
• We know, thanks to Irish research, that farmers who adopt good farming practices are not only taking care of the environment but they are also profitable.
• Water is the big concern! WATER QUALITY must be to the fore at all times when making most on-farm decisions.
• You may think you are miles away from a river or stream but you ‘own’ the groundwater under the soil on your farm. Dealing with run-off is also your baby.
  • Would you be happy or would you drink your own water if contaminated with slurry, excess nutrients, etc.? No!
• What I’m trying to say is do not fight the science because most of the rules/regulations that have been set out for you are scientifically based.
• Yes, many of us have adopted low emission slurry spreading, but all farmers must implement this, while being the required distance from water sources and obeying timing dates. Being told in mid-December that farmers were spreading ‘a few loads’ is grossly irresponsible behaviour.
• Nitrogen (N) is one of the most important environmental eight-letter words in farming! Why? Because:
  • To date, it has been perceived by farmers as the most important nutrient to grow grass, which, as we all know, is the cheapest and most natural way to feed animals. The introduction of legumes, clover, etc. has help to alleviate that attitude.
  • Losses to the atmosphere and groundwater. Of all the bag N applied only 30% (approx.) is utilised, the remainder is lost,
  • Losses are greatest in light soils and on fields where urine and dung patches are greatest. Therefore, where you have many animals/acre you have more urine and dung patches.
  • Excessive presence of N in water leads to human health risks and impairs life in streams, rivers and seas.
• So, what must farmers do?
  • Farmers MUST use protected urea. In two-years’ time (a very short window), 80 per cent of the N we are using should be protected urea.
  • If the quantity being imported does not reach that level in three years’ time, then we won’t have a derogation.
    • Why protected urea?
    • Leads to lower greenhouse gas emissions (GHC) emissions by 6-8%.
    • Reduced emissions of:
      • Ammonia by 78%.
      • Nitrous oxide by 71%.
    • Research has shown that there was no difference in grass yield between urea, CAN and protected urea in several trials.
    • Actually, for every 40kg/ha of urea applied, 35kg/ha of protected urea has the same amount of effective N. Therefore, the protected urea rate could be reduced by 12.5%.
    • Using last year’s price and purchasing the same amount of effective N: 5-tonnes CAN = 3 tonnes protected urea, the saving was €380.
    • The liquid N products tested in Johnstown Castle last year reduced nitrous oxide emissions and gave better grass yields than standard urea.
    • 10:10:20 and 18:6:12 compounds tended to have lower GHC emissions than other N compounds.
  • Remember, when soil pH, phosphorous and potash are at optimum levels in the soil, you maximise N efficiency, hence more grass grows.
  • My message is clear! Believe the research and use all protected urea as your source of N.
• Phosphorous loss is the issue in heavier soils in the northern half of the country. The advice is to soil sample and stick to the recommendations.

Bits and pieces

• Replacement heifer management:
  • Ensure weanlings are going to hit weight targets for May service.
    • All heifers for mating this year must now be 255kg minimum. Under that will need special attention. If greater than 280kg they need to be restricted in feed.
  • It would be a good idea to mix in calving heifers with thin cows or second calvers now, so as to minimise post-calving stress,
  • Run the in-calf heifers through the milking parlour from now to calving, feeding them 1-2kg/hd/day meal to get them used to the parlour. They will also be less likely to be bullied during milking as they will think they own the parlour.
  • They must get pre-calving mineral for same period as cows.
  • More than the cows, they must be kept on very clean bed pre-calving because their intake can be as low as 4-6kg DM and their immune system will be very low.
• Examine your milk recording and ICBF data to identify aspects of your breeding management and mastitis management you must improve.
• Over 30% of farmers were below target closing covers on December 1 – there isn’t much you can do now but make sure you:
  • Have a spring rotation plan done and, more importantly, a grass/feed budget, both on PastureBase.
• Do a final check on all your calving facilities and requirements early in January so as to be ready for your busiest six weeks of the year.
  • If tight on ‘help’, even though late, check with neighbours if any are available for a few hours per day.
  • SOPs or videos on phone are great at helping staff better understand calving and calf rearing requirements.

Quote of the month

“A clear conversation is one where the receiver accurately understands the message and its intent – what is being said, why it matters, and what is expected as a result. This leaves minimal room for confusion, assumption, or misinterpretation.”

Finally

I sign off wishing all my readers a very happy and prosperous 2026.