April 2021 Dairy Newsletter

Milk Price

The base milk price for the month of March has increased by 1.0 cents per litre to 35.23 cents per litre (160.15 cents per gallon) at 3.60% butterfat and 3.30% protein, including the Summer Somatic Cell Count (SCC) bonus of 0.5 cpl and VAT at 5.6%.

The average price paid for the month is 38.50 cents per litre. This is based on the average butterfat of 4.30% and protein of 3.31%, including Summer SCC bonus and VAT at 5.6%.

Milk Supply

Milk supply for the first 3 months of 2021 is up 8.31% on the same period last year. Strong milk supplies in March account for all of the increase in the first 3 months.

Carbery Bonus

The 2020 Carbery bonus previously announced is paid on the March milk statement. The bonus is paid per kg of milk solids supplied in 2020 and is paid on variable milk supplies only. The bonus is paid at €0.05411 per kg of fat and €0.08117 per kg of protein.

Milk Quality

Occasionally milk suppliers can forget to turn on their milk tank for the first milking after milk collection. This is usually discovered the morning after the milk collection.

What are your options?

1. Discard the uncooled milk, wash the tank and turn on the tank for the next milking
   
   Or
2. Turn on the tank and cool the milk before you commence milking. Only when the milk is fully cooled, should you start milking.
   
   Take a sample of the cooled milk to Carbery and test for TBC.

This option is usually only successful when the first milking has been efficiently plate cooled. Often the result is very high and both milkings must be discarded.

2020 Drinagh Trading Bonus

At a recent board meeting, the bonuses for 2020 were approved.

The Drinagh board agreed to pay 0.8 cents per litre on milk supplied in 2020 where purchases from the Society were greater than 7.0 cents per litre and 0.4 cents per litre where purchases were less than 7.0 cents per litre and greater than 5.0 cents per litre. No bonus is paid where purchases are less than 5.0 cents per litre.

A bonus of €15.00 per tonne of fertilizer and €15.00 per tonne of compounded ruminant feed purchased in 2020. In addition, further bonuses of €10.00 on mixes, €5.00 on pig feeds and €2.50 on straights were approved.

Spring Breeding Webinar

The recent Spring Breeding Webinar with Doreen Corridan of Muster Bovine and Donagh Berry of Teagasc is now available to watch in full via the link below or on the Drinagh Cooperative Ltd YouTube channel.

Testing Individual Samples in Carbery

Suppliers are reminded that there is a label system in place when submitting individual SCC samples to Carbery.

The matching pre coded pair of labels are required to facilitate and streamline testing in the lab.

Procedure:

1. The cow number is recorded on the left- hand side label. Retain this label until the SCC report has been returned which will reference this number.
2. The right-hand label (with bar code) must be placed on the side of the sample bottle and centred under the lid hinge.

It is vital that labels are placed in the correctly position so that the machine in Carbery can read the code as the sample is being tested.

Labels should be centered under the hinge (as pictured).

Drinagh Trading Bonus Breakdown

This month the Society announced the trading bonuses for 2020. These bonuses are to reward our loyal customers for supporting the Society with their business.

To fully appreciate the value of the bonuses, we will estimate what it is worth to a Drinagh supplier milking 80 cows and purchasing all their feed and fertilizer from the Society.

Milk Bonus:

80 cows suppling 400,000 (5,000 litres per cow) @ 0.8 cpl = €3,200 plus VAT = €3,379

Feed Bonus:

80 tonne of compound feed (1 tonne per cow) @ €15 per tonne bonus = €1,200

Fertilizer Bonus:

30 tonne of fertiliser @ €15 per tonne bonus = €450

This equates to approx. €63 per cow.

Total combined bonus for a supplier purchasing all their feed and fertiliser from the Society and qualifying for the full Milk bonus is €5,029

We thank all our customers for their support. loyalty and business.

TCMs & Thermodurics

Every supplier is tested monthly for Trichloromethanes (TCMs) and Thermodurics.

Target limits for both are highlighted below.

Target limits for TCM levels are 0.0012mg/kg and under.

Please note: TCM text results will only be sent out as whole numbers.

For example:

0.0012mg/kg = 12 ; 0.0008mg/kg = 8

A thermoduric level of 500 cfu/ml or less is necessary in milk to ensure that it is fully suitable for processing.

REMINDERS

• Drinagh Trading Bonuses 2020 announced
• Carbery Bonus paid on the March milk statement