Tim Kelly
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Tim is farming in Clorane, Athenry Co. Galway. He is married to Noreen and has two children, Ashling and Aoife. The milking block consists of 64ha of which 47ha owned and 17ha leased. 135 cows will be milking this year. The out block consists of 10 ha for silage and replacements. The farm sold 485kg milk solids per cow last year, feeding 650kg of concentrate per cow. Tim works full time on the farm and has help from a student and a regular relief milker throughout the year.
Farmyard
The parlour which was built in 2018 has 20 units and cluster removers and auto washer. The collecting yard can hold 150 cows. There are 155 cubicles in total and sufficient slurry storage for all cows and replacements. There is accommodation to calve 20 cows at any one time and we have calf space for 100 calves at peak. Milk is transported to calves by a small tractor and tanker. Calves are fed with a 10 teat feeder.
Grazing
There is 35 paddocks on the milking block of which 10 are 24hrs and 25are 36hrs. We have about 3.5 km of roadways which is pretty much what we need. Water troughs are located in the centre of each field, with ¾ inch pipes and the farm is serviced quiet well for water. There are two groups of stock on the milking block. Heifers graze the furthest paddocks on the milking block.
Machinery work
The contractor does 80 % of slurry, all pit, bales, reseeding and 20% fertiliser. The main tractor work that Tim does is the fertiliser, feeding silage and drawing in bales.
What does labour efficiency mean to Tim?
“You have to have a plan and structure. No matter what I am at I milk at the same time each morning and evening. I have invested a lot of money on the yard to make life easier and its working. Everything is easy managed and it’s worth making that investment. Sometimes you have to go through a bit of hardship first but the investments made are worth it from a labour and lifestyle point of view”.
Weekly Updates 2020
July
| Week Ending Sunday | Milking AM (cups on) | Milking PM (cups on) | No. of milkings by farmer | Farmers hours per week | Employee/family hours/week | Contractor used this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Aug | 7:00 | 16:00 | 10 | 49 | 10 | None |
| Comment | My workload for the last week included 10 milking, dosing the calves and fencing. I also arranged for the stock bull to be collected and brought to the factory. He was breaking out and this is hassle I don’t need. I avoid hassle as much as I can. I have taken Sundays off all through the summer and usually a half day on a Saturday. My milker wants to milk Saturday and Sundays, which is fine by me. I take off with the family and make the most of those days. I’m not going to be standing around watching over any help that comes into the farm. | |||||
| Jul 26th | 7:00 | 16:00 | 10 | 51.5 | 10 | Slurry & Grass measuring |
| Comment | The contractor was in last week to empty all the tanks and this was spread on ground for 3rd cut. Last week I started at 6.30am in the morning and finsihed at 6pm Monday to Friday. I take at least 2.5 hrs in breaks per day. Saturday I just worked 3 hrs and I took Sunday off. I text the lad milking for me to let him know how many grazing is in each field. He goes by this and if he feels the cows mightn't have enough I tell him to error on the side of caution and move them on. I can make the call the next day, its no big deal and this flexibilty means I can stay away from the farm when he is milking. | |||||
| Jul 12th | 6:30 | 16:00 | 11 | 54 | 17 | Silage & Grass measuring |
| Comment | We got 52 acres of second cut made last week. It was cut on Thursday, tedded Friday and picked up on Saturday. I arranged for family to help cover the pit. We have one pit so on Friday we opened the existing pit and this was ready for Saturday. I use the front loader to throw the tyres into, this reduced the work involved. I train a camogie team that is now back up and running. This definitely puts structure and discipline on my day. I think this is a positive and its surprising how all the work still gets done. | |||||
| Jul 5th | 6:30 | 16:00 | 12 | 54 | 12 | Grass measuring |
| Comment | Outside the milking and herding I spent a few hours each day repairing boundary fences last week. I have the 20th July down in the diary for the day that the bull will be taken out. The farm grew 127 kg/dm/ha last week. Grass quality is good again, but grass isn’t that thick after the drought, so cows are getting through covers quicker than normal. Cows are milking well at 26 litres, 4.49% F, 3.75p% (2.2kg/ms), feeding 2kg concentrates. | |||||
June
| Week Ending Sunday | Milking AM (cups on) | Milking PM (cups on) | No. of milkings by farmer | Farmers hours per week | Employee/family hours/week | Contractor used this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 28th | 6:30 | 16:00 | 12 | 53 | 12 | Grass measuring |
| Comment | Grass is coming on well and there is a lot of 1100kg/dm/ha covers ahead. This could mean that there will be surplus paddocks to take out in a few weeks. This will need to be monitored. I am walking the farm every Monday and then Adrian measures the farm every Thursday. We got dairy washing’s out on paddocks recovering from drought last week. Outside milking I spent most of last week fencing and installing new water troughs in ground that has been reclaimed. Summer is a great time to get these small projects complete. | |||||
| Jun 21st | 6:30 | 16:00 | 12 | 51 | 5 | Grass measuring |
| Comment | Adrian who measures grass for farmers, measures the grass every Thursday for me. It is still growing over 40. We had to graze 8 acres of the second cut. Hopefully with this bit of rain we won’t have to graze anymore silage ground. I am still taking Sundays off. I text the milker the paddock number that the cows are in and the next paddock the cows will be going to. This works very well. At this stage he doesn’t have to look at the map, he knows the paddocks. | |||||
| June 14th | 6:30 | 16:00 | 12 | 51 | 5 | Grass measuring |
| Comment | The farm grow 48kg/dm/ha last week. Second cut is now being grazed. I’m trying to avoid feeding silage from a profit and hassle point of view. I’m still spreading fertiliser. I spread every 3 weeks on the milking block. I find when surplus bales are cut they preserve better when fertiliser is spread every 3 weeks and also it’s great to get all the fertiliser spread on one day. | |||||
| June 7th | 6:30 | 16:00 | 12 | 51 | 5 | Grass measuring & power washing |
| Comment | Grass is starting to get tight, growth rates are back to 40kg per day. The two issues with low growth rates is increased cost and also increased workload. I have started feeding bales of silage to the in calf heifers. Last week I got some of the sheds power washed. I have been getting a person in to do this job for the last 4 years. His power washer is a lot stronger than mine and he can get through the job much quicker. | |||||
May
| Week Ending Sunday | Milking AM (cups on) | Milking PM (cups on) | No. of milkings by farmer | Farmers hours per week | Employee/family hours/week | Contractor used this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31st | 6:30 | 16:00 | 12 | 47 | 4.5 | Bales |
| Comment | We made 40 bales last week for the kale paddock. I got a local student to draw them in for me. There is plenty of help available now on dairy farms so I decided to take advantage of this. I took Sunday off as well and got a relief milker in to do the two milking’s. | |||||
| May 24th | 6:30 | 16:00 | 12 | 46 | 4.5 | Silage & Kale |
| Comment | I had the contractor in last week spreading slurry on the ground that had been cut for silage. This contractor also sowed 6 acres of kale for out wintering the heifers. I took Sunday off and have increased my break times per week. Bulls are out with the cows and heifers. Now is the time to reap the rewards off compact calving in the spring. | |||||
| May 17th | 6:30 | 16:00 | 11 | 56.5 | 22 | Grass measuring, silage & reseeding |
| Comment | I had the contractor in a good bit last week. He mowed out 57 acres Thursday on the milking block and brought it in on Saturday. This ground was all grazed once in the spring. The contractor looked after all the silage except covering the pit. I arranged some family help for this job. We reseeded 2 paddocks as well. Its worth alot to have contractors that can come in and get the job done by themselves. | |||||
| May 10th | 6:15 | 16:00 | 9 | 41 | 18 | Grass measuring |
| Comment | I took two days off last week. I normally do this every now and then throughout the summer. I have a past student in with me every Friday and Saturday and had another person in to look after the farm on Sunday. They both know the farm well. I use the whiteboard, farm map and text message to tell them what cows are not going into the tank and what paddocks cows are going to. This works very well. | |||||
| May 3rd | 6:15 | 16:00 | 11 | 51.5 | 13.5 | Land reclaimation & resurface roadways |
| Comment | The contractor is still here reclaiming some land. He is also resurfacing some parts of a roadway that’s holding water. This has been on my to do list for a while now. Breeding has slowed down. There is 118 cows served once now and the repeats have just started. 90% have been served in the first 3 weeks. It’s an important target because compact calving lends itself to a simple profitable system. | |||||
April
| Week Ending Sunday | Milking AM (cups on) | Milking PM (cups on) | No. of milkings by farmer | Farmers hours per week | Employee/family hours/week | Contractor used this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26th | 6:15 | 16:00 | 12 | 57 | 9 | Grass measuring & land reclaimation |
| Comment | Started breeding on the 15th April. I hope to breed 125 cows. So far 102 are AI'd. I decided a long time ago not to AI cows myself. The technician that is with us is excellent. He is serving cows here for the last 25 years. He comes at 6pm each evening. OAD AI works very well for us. Between the technician and OAD AI it means that I just have to draft out the cows once per day. Certainly makes my life easier. | |||||
| Apr 19th | 6:15 | 16:00 | 12 | 50 | 9 | Grass measuring, manure spreading & reseeding |
| Comment | We had the contractor in to spread all the farmyard manure. I used to spread the manure myself. My manure spreader broke a few years ago and it was not replaced. All the manure was spread in 3.5 hrs. The contractor came with his tractor and spreader and another man came with the loading shovel. It used to take me at least 3 days to get it done because my machine was much smaller and I would have to be taking off the spreader each time to load the dung. | |||||
| April 12th | 6:15 | 16:00 | 14 | 50 | 10 | Grass measuring |
| Comment | It’s amazing the difference a few days can make. We went form a near deficit to a surplus in grass. Calving is coming to an end with 8 left to calve. With this in mind we cleaned out the calving area and calf pens. We will only have to use 10% of this area for the last few to calve so it’s another job done. It also means these sheds can be used for storing straw that I will purchase in a few weeks. | |||||
| April 5th | 6:15 | 16:00 | 11 | 50 | 17 | Grass measuring & spraying |
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Comment |
Cows started the 2nd rotation yesterday the 5th April. The farm is measured every Thursday by a contractor and the first paddock grazed was at 1400kg/dm and next paddock is at 1200kg/dm. The heifers were out wintered on kale. The contractor came in and sprayed this last week. I used to do the spraying myself but now to save time my contractor does this work along with reseeding for me. | |||||
March
| Week Ending Sunday | Milking AM (cups on) | Milking PM (cups on) | No. of milkings by farmer | Farmers hours per week | Employee/family hours/week | Contractor used this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29th | 6:15 | 16:00 | 11 | 51 | 17 | Grass Measuring |
| Comment | My nephew that was helping me has started work with a contractor. I was fortunate enough that a student I had on work placement a few years ago was looking for some work. I made sure to be flexible with his hours. He is excellent and very much a stock person. He will do two days for me for the next 3 months. With this help in place I took Friday off. No harm to get a full day away from the farm. I wrote on the farm map what paddocks needed fertiliser. All tasks were done perfectly without me. | |||||
| Mar 22nd | 6:15 | 16:00 | 14 | 56 | 3.5 | Grass Measuring |
|
Comment |
Cows are out full time since last Wednesday. I don’t want to start the second round for another few days so they have access to silage at the barrier for the morning and evening milking. 34 of the 36 replacement heifers are now on OAD feeding. There is no need to feed them twice a day, as they are eating plenty of concentrates. I’m taking advantage of this and its one less job to do in the morning. My daughter fed the calves in the evenings last week, while I did the milking. It’s great to have this help. | |||||
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Mar 15th |
6.15 | 16:00 | 14 | 62 | 8 | Grass Measuring |
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Comment |
We were out for one grazing each day last week. We have a dry farm and even with this it was hard going. As cows were out to grass early and had big demand I have got through 75% of the area. I have someone in doing the grass measuring for me. From this I can see the first paddock grazed has 1000 kg/dm. The fertiliser, slurry and early grazing have certainly worked. I thought at one stage I had done too much poaching on some paddocks but looking at them 2-3 weeks on they are recovering very well. | |||||
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Mar 8th |
6.15 | 16:00 | 13 | 56 | 15 | Grass Measuring |
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Comment |
Each Monday morning after breakfast I spend 30 minutes planning the week ahead. I learnt how to be orgnanised and use my time efficently when I worked for 15 years off the farm. This has definitely stood to me as a full time farmer. I think you can only have enough time for work and family if you value your time and plan ahead. On Monday I know what school runs I have, the kids matches and what jobs have to be done on the farm. I book extra help then if I need it. You can borrow money for facilities, you can't do the same for organisation and time management. | |||||
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Mar 1st |
6:00 | 16:00 | 13 | 50 | 5 | Grass Measuring |
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Comment |
I started selling surplus calves from 2 weeks of age. I have all surplus calves sold at this stage through the mart, local farmers and export. I don’t hold onto them for longer in order to get more money. I am more conscious about labour, calf space and calf health. All calf sheds are cleaned out twice per week and the calving shed once per week. This is non-negotiable. If I haven’t time to do this which I normally don’t then I pay for someone else to do this job. | |||||
February
| Week Ending Sunday | Milking AM (cups on) | Milking PM (cups on) | No. of milkings by farmer | Farmers hours per week | Employee/family hours/week | Contractor used this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
February 23rd |
6:30 | 16:00 | 12 | 56 | 6 | none |
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Comment |
Last week cows were on/off grazing from 9.30 to 2 o’clock for five days and two days weren’t out at all. It’s hard going. The cows go back to shed after morning milking but can’t eat silage due to the locking gates. After dropping the kids to school, cows are let out, get a grazing and then they look to come back in. I walk the farm 4-5 times per week. Each Monday I set up all paddocks for the week ahead. This routine works well. | |||||
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February 16th |
6:30 | 16:00 | 10 | 52 | 17 | None |
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Comment |
This is my first year having two groups of cows for milking. I have the antibiotic, colostrum and transition cows in one group. It's easy to make a mistake and by grouping cows for milking this definitely reduces mistakes. I find it useful also as you can easily see if there are any health problems with these cows. | |||||
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February 9th |
6:00 | 16:00 | 12 | 55 | 16 | None |
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Comment |
It's been a busy three weeks with 107 cows calved. I have a dry farm with good roadways. Cows were out Monday to Friday day and night. Not having to feed silage and lime cubicles definitely saves time. Compact calving means more profit and it streamlines the workload once the bulk of cows are calved. | |||||
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February 2nd |
6:30 | 16:00 | 11 | 49 | 15.5 | Slurry |
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Comment |
I got two milk karts made using a blue barrel and frame where the milk can be tipped into the calf milk feeders. The milk is transported with the tractor and transport box. I find it brilliant as I don’t have to be bucketing milk into the calf milk feeders. | |||||