Testimonials and results

We are on a pedigree Limousine herd, farm divided into three parts. At present, we are in a field with some heifers, some first calvers. They will be calving from the middle of August on. I wanted to show you this particular field because the grass quality is quite good; it has built up on body condition.

Generally speaking, we are all Limousines, the reason we have picked Limousine is because they are easy calving, easy care and I farm part time. Everything on the farm is done by a contractor mechanically, so I just keep an eye on the calving. I try and get them back on calf again, that’s my job on the farm.

I was looking around for something else really, I was using more and more chemicals and  I wanted to get off that path. I wanted to increase our profits and reduce our costs.
 

I wanted less labour on the farm, and I wanted to hold on to the cattle as well. So,  I came across a brochure about Sobac two years ago, and then I made some contact, and I said I’ll try it out.

It is my second year into the program, I am happy with the results. I think, as well as that, we are seeing better sward quality, a bit more clover coming into the sward and also I know that after three inches of rain in the last couple of days, we are not pouching the fields as much as we were in the past, we have a better sod under our cattle.

We have reduced our nitrogen

I would not say half but close to half, the grass is lasting longer. I think our silage quality last year has improved and we had less waste. It is less time and less cost. Same grass, we are happy, and clover is returning.

The biggest problems when you deal with stock are probably scouring and pneumonia, and I think Sobac helps.

We treat the bedding in the shed in the winter time, it is applied once every two weeks, so it decays and there is probably less ammonia, less fumes coming out of the manure

It also helps, from a point of view of control of «coxiliosis». 

But generally speaking, we don’t have any health problem on the farm, we are very lucky. Talking about manure, when we are spreading the slurry on the land we are doing less worm damage.

At the moment we are happy with SOBAC and we will stay with it. What is driving me to keep using the process is that it cuts my costs and reduces my labour. At the end of the day, I think, once we are driving down our costs, once we reduce our labour, and once we have improved our diversity around the place, once you have a better environment to work, you are happier, the cattle are happier.