April and May are often the busiest, but usually the most enjoyable months to be a dairy farmer: most of the cows have been calved, days are getting longer and grass is taking off. It’s a decision-rich time of year, with a lot of management calls to be made around grazing, cow body condition score and breeding.

The world is grappling with a pandemic and Irish farmers must respond

Decisions dairy farmers up and down the country thrive on. This year will be different. The world is grappling with a pandemic and Irish farmers must respond.

There are three immediate dangers – disruption to milk processing, disruption to AI technician service and disruption to work routines due to the farmer or their employees getting sick or having to go into isolation.

Breeding

AI companies are confident a successful breeding season can be maintained provided new protocols are adhered to. The key message here is that people on farms must have no contact with AI technicians. Not only should they not be within 2m of the technician, they shouldn’t even be in the same yard.

Staying away from the technician is the only measure farmers are being asked to do

It’s a simple policy but it might be the difference between the service continuing and not.

Staying away from the technician is the only measure farmers are being asked to do. All other measures are being taken on by the technician. New gloves will be used for every farm and hands will be sanitised between visits. Technicians are being discouraged to visit shops – they will either go home for dinner or bring a packed lunch.

Courier

AI straws are delivered to the technician by courier, or they collect them from a centralised depot, so the technician’s contact with other people is minimised. All the farmer has to do is have the animals at or in the crush ready for service.

The two largest players, Progressive Genetics and Munster Bovine, say the vast majority of their technician services are carried out with fresh semen from their bull panels. Kevin Coffey from Munster Bovine says farmers would be better off choosing which panel they want to get their bulls from, rather than matching bulls to cows. The technician will then check for inbreeding on the handheld device on the day of service.

Seamus Hughes from Progressive Genetics says farmers can text the technician what bulls they want, or have them pre-loaded on to the technician’s handheld device. In all cases, the farmer doesn’t have to be present and shouldn’t be present. Technicians have been warned that if a farmer is present they are to leave the yard immediately.

Organised

Dovea and Eurogene are asking farmers to be organised, either have the bulls loaded on to the technician’s handheld device (by running sire advice), texting the technician or leaving a note out in a secure place. Their technicians only use frozen semen and there is no shortage of stocks either for technicians or DIY operators.

The labs are operating in three teams with only one of two teams operating at any one time and the third team remaining off-site and in standby mode

All AI companies report no difficulties as of yet in collecting semen. The labs are operating in three teams with only one of two teams operating at any one time and the third team remaining off-site and in standby mode. All AI companies have technicians in reserve if they need them. Most of these are recently retired technicians who are willing to help out if needs be.

Milk processing

Issues facing milk processors are greater than the issues facing AI companies. Milk processing, while automated to a high degree, is still labour intensive. In terms of systems, the manager of the plant is as important as the person driving the forklift shifting pallets. A high rate of absenteeism in a plant could cause temporary closure. If the same were to be replicated in other plants, the industry will have a major headache as every plant is required to process all the milk at peak.

Earlier in the week, the body representing milk processing management suggested measures at farm level to reduce the amount of milk going for processing at peak. Once-a-day milking for all cows was one option, but this has since been withdrawn.

It also means farmers will have to do their bit to reduce the peak supply

However, the industry will need to work together to ensure all milk will be collected. This involves milk processors working together to utilise all available capacity and ensuring staff are retrained, flexible, working in shifts, taking COVID-19 precautions etc. It also means farmers will have to do their bit to reduce the peak supply.

Early indications suggest meal prices will rise and milk prices will fall, at least in the short term. The amount of meal being fed to cows should be based on grass availability, not to maximise milk yield.

Grass is enough, if there is enough grass

In most years, there is little or no economic return from feeding meal to produce milk and that’s highly likely to be the case again this year. Grass tetany should be prevented through low levels of meal feeding or through the water.

“Grass is enough, if there is enough grass,” is a saying worth keeping in mind. You don’t need to feed meal in order to fully feed cows. Good-quality grass is an excellent feed and farmers should focus on providing that. Cows might milk less, but it’s more profitable milk and it will help to ensure all the milk in the country, including the milk produced on your own farm, is processed.

Other measures include putting thin cows on once-a-day milking. This is already best practice but will only have a small effect on milk output. So too will feeding whole milk instead of milk replacer to calves.

Employees

Some farmers are already experiencing the effects of COVID-19 as employee absenteeism increases. In most cases this is as a result of employees self-isolating as per HSE guidelines.

Teagasc Green Cert students were pulled from their placement farms last weekend as a result of the Government announcement. Some third-level students on placements were pulled also.

Farmers with employees have a duty of care and should familiarise themselves with the guidelines available on the HSE website. While farming is deemed to be a critical sector and can continue, losing a member of staff at this busy time would be a critical loss.

Steps should be taken to limit the amount of time people are within 2m of each other

Physical distancing between members of the farm household and employees and between employees should take place. In practice, this means working apart as much as possible, although for certain tasks like milking or dehorning that is difficult. However, steps should be taken to limit the amount of time people are within 2m of each other.

It’s good practice to have the same two people working together for other tasks, rather than mixing teams and potentially spreading infection.

Canteen breaks should be staggered or if possible people should eat in separate areas

People should travel in separate vehicles and the use of communal vehicles such as a tractor or farm jeep should be restricted where possible.

Canteen breaks should be staggered or if possible people should eat in separate areas. Hand hygiene, coughing and sneezing etiquette and regular cleaning and disinfecting of communal areas will all help to protect the health of employees and the farm family.

Other service providers

Physical distancing should also be practiced for milking machine technicians, vets, machinery repair guys and contractors coming on to the farm. Leave instructions over the phone or on text messages.

A photograph or a video on WhatsApp will explain a problem much faster than you could ever do so verbally.

Read more

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ICBF writes to herd owners for breeding 2020