Attention Farmers! Help Needed!

ormondeboy3 · March 18, 2009, 09:39:34 PM

I am doing a project based around activities done on an average Irish farm from September to March each year.

The farm scenario is: 70 acre holding, 30 x suckler cow herd, slatted shed, barn, outhouses in-situ, farmed part-time.

What would be typical activities/jobs undertaken on an enterprise like this from September to March?

Example of what I have already are:

March: rolling of pasture land, agtiaition and spreading of slurry, hedgecutting etc.

General activities: maintenance of boundary fencing, laying of ditches, maintenance of farmbuildings and yard, setting up of strip grazing paddocks, daily foddering

Specifics are greatly appreciated particularly in terms of the maintenance of a suckler herd and any general activities.

I need to get a fairly exhaustive list reflective of the weekend farming activities of a part-time farmer, so everything is appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Tony Baloney · March 19, 2009, 07:45:10 AM

Queueing for grants.
Driving at 25mph during rush hour traffic.
Complaining.

Lecale2 · March 19, 2009, 11:16:29 AM

Quote from: Tony Baloney on March 19, 2009, 07:45:10 AM
Queueing for grants.
Driving at 25mph during rush hour traffic.
Complaining.

LOL

Bord na Mona man · March 19, 2009, 08:02:30 PM

Skulling calves
Stripping back the silage pit
Cleaning out sheds
Scraping slats
Cutting down bushes and trees and burning them
Paperwork/online work such as registering births

mouview · March 19, 2009, 09:05:32 PM

Land usually still a bit soft for rolling in March, April is the month of the roller. Ploughing if weather permits. Preparing to let cattle out of shed. Spreading fertilizer. All lambing work. Buying / selling livestock. Maintaining fences.

Dougal Maguire · March 19, 2009, 10:55:31 PM

Doing the readin up

Keeping the cattle out of the low haggard

Kerry Mike · March 19, 2009, 11:09:01 PM

QuoteWhat would be typical activities/jobs undertaken on an enterprise like this from September to March?

Kerry Farms are normally closed the last week of September and most of October depending on the result in the AI final. A Kerry September for a farmer also entails a trip to the Listowel races and an oceans amount of drink.

Other than that, its back to mundane things like Shearing sheep, cutting bulls, shovelling shit, drowning a bag of unwanted kittens and maybe a day in the bog, cutting, turning and footing the turf. Coming up to the Christmas there is the Turkey to be killed and plucked and hung up to seasoned.

Main Street · March 20, 2009, 12:39:17 AM

The Kerry Farmer.

J70 · March 20, 2009, 01:25:16 AM

Depends where you are. There is very little done on the land in places like Donegal until at least May as its too wet - cattle don't even get out till around then as there just isn't any grass.

One of the biggest jobs with 30 suckler cows would be simply delivering the calves! Most farmers I know of would be up all night keeping an eye on any cows in labour, as that is the time the majority of births would take place.

ormondeboy3 · March 20, 2009, 10:11:43 AM

Thanks for your help so far lads, much appreciated.

I need about 7/8 activities per weekend (x 4 weekends in a month) roughly from September to March.

So keep throwing them out!

Maintenance of sheds/guttering. Maintaining bait program in meal stores/barn etc.

Selling of last years weanlings? February/March?

First application of nitrates? In March?

What dosing is required for cows/weanlings over Sept to March?

scud · March 20, 2009, 11:25:16 AM

Weekend Activities:

Sat -

1 Ate a hoor of a fry
2 Head for the local agri supplies store an chat about them bastardin bankers/thon cnut fritzel
3 Buy Fanta and yellow Tayto
4 Leave the cub to fitball trainin
5 Forget to pick cub up, feck it, sure he's a bit saft anyway
6 Tell cub to fodder cattle, in no circumstances apologise for No.5
7 Kick dog
8 Tell wife to make the dnner
9 Ate the dinner
10 Go to Mass
11 Down to the Straw and Cowshite Hotel for 20 pints of smithwicks and fierce country an wobbly mewsic
12 Drive home

Sun

1 Ate a hoor of a fry
2 Head for 'the match'
3 Complain about entrance fee
4 Roar 'let it in long!' like fcuk for approx 70mins
5 Complain about entrance fee & extoll virtues of a big FFWD
6 Ate the tay
7 Watch My fair glenroe street
8 Give the cub a skelp for not fodderin the cattle
9 Tell cub to fodder cattle
10 Konk out on sofa
11 Wake up at 2am an head up to bed
12 Fire one in the wife
13 Sleep

Hereiam · March 20, 2009, 11:34:59 AM

very good scud

Stall the Bailer · March 20, 2009, 11:58:48 AM

Cleaning sheds before cattle go in (maybe some maintenance work e.g welding gates, new tin etc)
Clipping, dosing, injecting and dehorning cattle
Replacing tags, weighing cattle, registering new born
Buying straw/hay other feed stuff
Opening of pit
Checking drinkers, repairing drinkers
Bedding calving houses, cleaning out the houses
Feeding twice a day
Repairing/erecting new fences
Planting/cutting hedges
Going to marts/factories to buy/sell and doing the paperwork
Servicing machinery
Spraying for grubs
Sowing fertiliser
Mixing and spreading slurry
Fixing burst drains
Plus a lot more

Farrandeelin · March 20, 2009, 10:40:56 PM

Quote from: Tony Baloney on March 19, 2009, 07:45:10 AM
Queueing for grants.
Driving at 25mph during rush hour traffic.
Complaining.

Alp

Mac hinery · March 20, 2009, 11:14:07 PM

Quote from: Stall the Bailer on March 20, 2009, 11:58:48 AM
Cleaning sheds before cattle go in (maybe some maintenance work e.g welding gates, new tin etc)
Clipping, dosing, injecting and dehorning cattle
Replacing tags, weighing cattle, registering new born
Buying straw/hay other feed stuff
Opening of pit
Checking drinkers, repairing drinkers
Bedding calving houses, cleaning out the houses
Feeding twice a day
Repairing/erecting new fences
Planting/cutting hedges
Going to marts/factories to buy/sell and doing the paperwork
Servicing machinery
Spraying for grubs
Sowing fertiliser
Mixing and spreading slurry
Fixing burst drains
Plus a lot more