Dairy Enterprise

Cows grazing

2021 Monthly updates of College Dairy Enterprise

To view 2021 dairy monthly updates click links - February Here, March here, April here, May here, Sept here, October/November here

James Daunt gives us an update from the Clonakilty Dairy Farm.

All cows are dry now and the remaining 83 were dried off on the 10 December. In total, 75 out of a total of 177 cows were dried off using selective dry cow therapy. This is where antibiotics are not used and only a teat sealer is used.

All cows this week will be dosed against worms and liver fluke. The cows will be weighed and body condition scored. Then they will be separated into different groups based on their BCS and fed accordingly.

The cows will be foot bathed this week and a number of occasions during the dry cow period. New roadways are being developed on the college along with fencing and water troughs which will further improve the grazing infrastructure and grassland management of the farm.

Updates 2020

February 17th

70% calved. 1^st calving on Jan 7^th. ICBF Expected calving start was Jan 24^th. 73 live heifers and 56 live bulls to date. Calves adjusting well to new 4 calf auto feeder. Cows out as weather permits, offered 10 kg DM + 4 kg meal. Av GR 15 kg DM/Ha/day and AFC 1110 kg DM/Ha (Whole dairy). Av yield through parlour 23.08 kg. Co-op Bf, Pr, SCC 4.78, 3.40, 114. 70% of farm got half a bag of urea. 30 % got 2,500 gallons slurry per acre in last week of Jan.