Dairy Farmer articles from April 2006

Dairy Farmer archives from April 2006

COMMENT: Where will it all end?(retail marketing)(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... ASDA's self-imposed move to slice its milk retail margin from both ends forced an already suspicious industry into questioning what was behind such a decision. To some it was welcomed as confirmation of long held beliefs that retail...

ASDA's move sends producers into spin.
April 25, 2006... ASDA's dramatic move to slash its own milk retail prices while at the same time lifting its supply price left producers in shock wondering what on earth was going on. The two-pronged attack amounted to it slashing its margins by an...

Arla looks to rebuild markets.(Arla Foods Ingredients A.m.b.a. to market itself)(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... Arla Foods is insisting it can rebuild markets in the Middle East - but it has admitted the boycott it has suffered after cartoons of the prophet Mohammed were published in Denmark will cost it more that #35m this year. This is based on Arla...

UK flagship launch for grass herbicide.(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... For the first time in 10 years a new active ingredient has been developed specifically for grassland and the UK is the flagship country for the launch into Europe. Dow AgroSciences believes Forefront will become the leading product in its...

Working together in the South-West.
April 25, 2006... English Farming and Food Partnerships (EFFP) together with the MDC, NFU and Milk Link are holding three events in April in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall to highlight the success stories of farmers who are working together to reduce input costs...

Alternative to selling entitlements.(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... Ian Potter has launched a new alternative for farmers wanting to generate a capital lump sum from their entitlements to do so without having to sell them - currently at "massively discounted prices". The new Entitlement Release Scheme is being...

High time escalating farm cost recognised.
April 25, 2006... The average production cost for milk is currently 20.34ppl, which compares with an average milk price of around 18.5p, according to the latest NFU/RABDF report `British Milk, What Price?' The reports highlights the twin issues of rising...

Online ordering.(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... Dairy UK is putting some technological oomph behind the normally sedate doorstep milk delivery business by launching a website which will enable new customers to find a doorstep milk delivery service at the click of a mouse. The `does exactly...

AN italian job.
April 25, 2006... Italian producers study the details before signing the necessary transfer forms to facilitate the movement of UK milk quota to Italy - something which has yet to receive approval from all the relevant authorities and which the RPA has so far...

New research develops test for badger setts.(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... University of Warwick researchers have come up with a test for distinguishing between badger setts that harbour TB diseased and infectious badgers and those that don't. The work published in the Royal Society's scientific journal Biology...

Milk Link announces restructure strategy.
April 25, 2006... Exactly a year after Milk Link was defending accusations in Dairy Farmer (May 2005) that it had financially overstretched itself, the co- op has defied critics and rumour-mongers to successfully refinance its business. As a result it has...

Organic producers could suffer consumer backlash.(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... The feeding of conventional ingredients to organic livestock could cause a consumer backlash according to an industry feed compounder. The warning follows Defra's ruling last year that limited non-organic feed can be used in so-called...

Co-ops come in for criticism over investment.
April 25, 2006... No sooner had the news of Milk Link's refinancing filtered through the press than a new dairy industry report from Oriel Securities, a City firm of analysts, was published that questioned the wisdom of the investments made by both Milk Link and...

Cowman comment: Anthony go to it - your first two jobs await you.
April 25, 2006... This month John Trunch is annoyed and expectant at the same time - annoyed that the south-west NFU communications man has been taken off his patch but hopeful great things will come of the secondment. Many years ago I was introduced to a...

Cowman comment: Say it often enough and people will believe you.
April 25, 2006... This month our eagle eyed south-west correspondent Pat Bird shows that just a little knowledge of farming practices coupled with some primary school sums is all that is needed to work out the correct number of cattle movements before building a...

Cowman comment: Are we set to drown in a sea of red tape?(farming)
April 25, 2006... With new rules forbidding Donald McColm from burying his potato plastic and licensing potentially needed for home water supplies, he is beginning to feel that the army of bureaucrats are beginning to get him cornered. We have about half...

Interview: How do we get over the barriers to innovation?(David Matthews talks to David Lattimore )(Interview)
April 25, 2006... Is it simply lack of finance and confidence that is putting a stranglehold on entrepreneurship and the development of new products? David Matthews talks to David Lattimore about how we can overcome the barriers to progress within the industry....

Potter's View: Italians still keen to get hold of UK quota.
April 25, 2006... Not deterred by the odd international assignment, our man Ian Potter dispatched the distaff side to Italy for full blown quota negotiations. But the ink had scarcely had time to dry before+. Signed, sealed, delivered, and, er, rejected (as...

FERTILITY: Endometritis - the hidden impact.(its causes and risk factors)
April 25, 2006... In this the fourth of our Intervet cut-out-and-keep fertility series, Professor Martin Sheldon looks at the causes of endometritis and what can be done about it. Martin Sheldon is professor of veterinary reproduction at the Royal...

EU News: Commission seems set on radical dairy reform.
April 25, 2006... Evidence is growing that the dairy sector will face major reform as part of the 2008/09 review of the CAP. While this was to be a mid-term review of the policy, most observers now believe it will become a full CAP reform with the dairy sector...

EU News: Move grows for greater flexibility on quota trade.(European Union. European Commission)(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... The European Commission may be reluctant to change the milk quota system, but across the EU those countries with restrictive trading arrangements are opting for greater flexibility. The French government has announced that by the autumn it...

EU News: Calves in demand.
April 25, 2006... Dutch veal units should provide a ready market for dairy calves when export restrictions are lifted, probably in mid-May. Such is the demand for calves from Ireland that the Irish Farmers Association has successfully pressed for an increase...

EU News: France floating its own CAP thoughts.(saying its ideas can be achieved within the existing budget and World Trade Organisation rules)(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... France has confirmed its support for the CAP in a new policy document on reform. This has already won the backing of eleven other member states. To head off possible criticism from the UK and other CAP critics, France says its ideas can be...

Breeding: Search around to get best value for money.(bulls available this spring)
April 25, 2006... Whether you are looking for a second string bull for repeats or working to a tight budget there are currently some very useful bulls at the lower end of the price range worth looking at. Angela Rhodes has been shopping around for the best Value...

Conference: Producer hopes dashed as OFT fails to change stance.(United Kingdom. Office of Fair Trading)
April 25, 2006... Despite the impressive speaker line up, producers attending this year's RABDF annual conference at Gloucester came away wondering whether they had progressed much further. David Matthews reports. Delegates hoping the OFT's presence at a...

Control must be based on cattle insists badger man.
April 25, 2006... Cute, cuddly and little danger to anyone or anything - that's the picture painted of badgers by Trevor Lawson of the Badger Trust. Like the delegates wishing for an OFT breakthrough, any delegate hoping that the bringing together of the two...

Arla boss is hoping things will improve.(for Arla )(Tim Smith)(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... Bravely taking his stance at the conference in the position as perhaps the industry's least liked executive at the moment was Arla boss Tim Smith. "We have to believe things will get better," he said - talking from an industry and Arla point of...

Survey results: Are you trying to pack too many hours into the week?(dairy farmers)
April 25, 2006... Last year Dairy Farmer, in conjunction with Pfizer Animal Health, conducted a major survey of its readers and visitors to the Dairy Event to determine how much stress producers experience as a result of being in the industry, and you may be...

Animal Health: Devon herd does the double.(John Pyne hits National Milk Record )
April 25, 2006... A herd in deepest Devon hit National Milk Record headlines recently when it achieved an unprecedented double by not only topping the Genetic Performance tables but the Production ones as well. Geoff King went along to see how to go about...

Animal Health: Lameness - first take note of what cows have to tell us.
April 25, 2006... With the incidence of lameness in the average dairy herd running at around 40-50 cases per 100 cows per year, there are severe cost implications for producers. Vet Chris Watson tells us how we can go about reducing this problem. With the...

Animal Health: Holding disease at bay.(detection and prevention of cattle diseases)
April 25, 2006... Many respond to disease incursion by taking appropriate fire fighting action, but vet Chris Watson argues it would be far better to be monitoring herd health status long before any fire breaks out. If we are going to make real health...

Animal Health: Keeping a lid on Johne's disease.
April 25, 2006... The Bankhouse Holstein herd, which was closed for 40 years until the foot-and-mouth epidemic in 2001, is one of the first to be tested for Johne's disease through a simple bulk milk sample carried out by Carlisle vet Graham Brooks' Coomara...

Animal Health: Post-calving performance is set by feeding in dry period.(James Drackley)(Interview)
April 25, 2006... To minimise the adverse effects of the transition from non-milking to milking, US researchers have been advocating more careful consideration of the dry cow diet. Peter Hollinshead talks to Prof James Drackley, head of Animal Sciences Dept,...

Forage Harvesters: Multi-task prototype has it all wrapped up.
April 25, 2006... At 3kph it might not be the fastest forage harvester in the business, but the prototype currently about to start tests in Dutch grass is certainly the only one that is able to chop, bale and wrap all at the same time! Steven Vale reports. ...

Forage Harvesters: Raw power works with range of electronic wizardry.(automatic operation)(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... Today's self-propelled foragers might be fitted with increasingly powerful engines but sophisticated electronic systems continue to play an important role in modern forager development. Steven Vale highlights a number of new forager...

Forage Harvesters: 1000hp forager from Krone.(Krone machine)(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... It was not that long ago that a 500hp forager was considered a big machine. However, the recent launch of a 1000hp forager from Krone confirms that self-propelled machines are getting bigger and bigger. Billed as the world's most powerful...

Forage Harvesters: Extra engine power.(Claas Jaguar self-propelled foragers)(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... Extra engine power is a feature of the latest versions of Claas Jaguar self-propelled foragers. Known as Green Eye versions, the use of new Tier 3 engines makes for up to 7.48% more power than the previous Tier 2 versions, helping to increase...

Forage Harvesters: Help is at hand.(sensor technology )(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... Although sensor technology ensures that pieces of metal are not pulled in through the front of a self-propelled forager, contractors will be well aware of the damage that can be caused by stones. Not anymore, as help is at hand in the form...

Forage Harvesters: New machines are now available.(AutoScan)(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... The forage maize season is still some way off but Krone Big X forager owners might like to know that new machines are now available with an option that should help to improve the quality of chopped forage maize. Called AutoScan, it uses...

Forage Harvesters: New half blades.(chopping cylinder )(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... The benefit of longer fibre in the cow's diet has forced self-propelled forage harvester makers to develop new chopping systems, and any contractor required to cut longer chop lengths might like to know that Claas Jaguar self-propelled foragers...

Forage Harvesters: Unusual combination.(capacity of trailer)(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... This unusual combination is the result of marrying a 605hp Krone Big X V8 self-propelled forage harvester with a rear mounted 60cu m capacity trailer, and the concept allows the forager to continue working even when there is a gap between...

Milk prices: Lower cream prices put pressure on liquid supply.
April 25, 2006... Milk price analyst Stephen Bradley comments on the latest milk industry developments. With bulk cream prices approx 12-14p/kg (#120-#140/t or approx 0.6- 0.7ppl in raw milk price terms) lower this month than around this time last year, all...

Milk prices: Milk Link refinances its business.
April 25, 2006... Milk Link members are to have their Member Capital Account 'levy' reduced from 1ppl to 0.5ppl from next month following the Group's successful refinancing with Lloyds TSB. In addition, members' contingent liability 'guarantee' will also be...

Milk prices: United's auction fraction.(United Dairy Farmers Mar'05 milk auction)(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... United Dairy Farmers Mar'05 milk auction sold a total of 57mltrs (all contracts starting April 1) for an average price of 16.18ppl, just 0.05ppl down on the average of 16.23ppl last year and 0.85ppl down on the Feb'05 average of 17.03ppl. Of...

Milk prices: Paynes and Meadow cut prices.(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... Continuing on the theme of lower returns from bulk cream, North Yorks liquid milk processor, Paynes Farms Dairies (Boroughbridge) has cut its direct supply milk price by 0.35ppl, taking our price for them down to 19ppl. Meadow Foods has...

Milk prices: Milk Link moves on `London Liquid Premium'.
April 25, 2006... Milk Link is offering a new competitive `London Liquid Premium' contract from Apr'06 to selected members - including those under notice to terminate contracts - in areas of the south-east, Somerset and Dorset. The new contract commences...

Milk prices: Late payment bonus.
April 25, 2006... Direct milk suppliers to Dansco, the Mozzarella manufacturer, have been offered a voluntary scheme whereby bonuses will be paid for agreeing to delayed payments on milk cheques. Thought to be the first offer of its kind to producers, it's...

Milk prices: DC cuts at Aspatria and Haverford.(Dairy Crest Ltd reduces milk price)(Brief article)
April 25, 2006... Dairy Crest has reduced its price for direct supplies into the Aspatria and Haverfordwest creameries by 0.5ppl from Mar'06. The reduction takes the form of a base price cut from 1.5ppl to 1.0ppl, leaving the constituent payment values in...

Letter: Why girls shouldn't drop dairy.(Letter to the editor)
April 25, 2006... From: Liz Broadbent, marketing director, MDC, Stroud Road, Cirencester GL7 6JN. In response to the letter from Mr Miles Browne, the MDC's Teen Girls campaign is jointly funded by the European Commission and part of their criteria for...

Letter: White Stuff advert.(Letter to the editor)
April 25, 2006... From: Yeoman Williamson, Alum Garth, Front Street, Grosmont, Whitby, N Yorks YO22 5PF. As a dairy farmer I have been disgusted for some time now about the way our product is advertised viz The White Stuff. What is there in that advert or...

Letter: Talk about cow welfare.(Letter to the editor)
April 25, 2006... From: Peter Allen, nutrition consultant, Cockshutt, Ellesmere, Shropshire SY12 OJP. Regarding Prof John Webster (Radio 4, Farming Today) talking about cow welfare and getting cows out to grass. What the prof forgets is that grass is not a...

Good Evans: The tale of the dairy inspector's knickers.
April 25, 2006... In the first of his deep personal confessions, Roger Evans relates how he's suffered a lifetime of bullying from women and how the dairy inspector finally got her ultimate come-uppance. After one of the most benign January's weather that I...