Dairy Farmer articles from December 2004

Dairy Farmer archives from December 2004

COMMENT: Red tractor into gear.(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... If the first principle of marketing is to differentiate your product then the second must be to capitalise on it. Our `phone has hardly stopped since John Wildy's blistering attack on farm assurance, mainly from producers fearful that their...

FFA fights on despite legal threats.(Farmers For Action)
December 14, 2004... FFA supporters have vowed to continue their fight against Asda in spite of further threats of legal action. In the wake of Asda's solicitor's letter to FFA members and supporters threatening legal action to recover costs and compensation for...

Continuing campaign.(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Pressure group Farm is continuing its campaign against Tesco including a demonstration outside its flagship store at Earls Court as part of its Just Milk campaign. The group has so far succeeded in getting Tesco to retract a customer service...

Council steps in to counter cancer claims.(The Dairy Council)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... The Dairy Council has countered claims made in a national newspaper linking milk to ovarian cancer. Nutritionists at the council say the Daily Mail article which reported a doubling of the risk of serious ovarian cancer from drinking milk was...

Welsh chairman for MDCEL.(MDC Evaluations Ltd.)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Anglesey Holstein breeder Trevor Lloyd has been appointed chairman of MDC Evaluations. Trevor won our Dairy Farmer of the Future award in 2002 and is currently vice-chairman of Anglesey County NFU and a member of NFU Cymru Milk Board....

A year's wait for cull cow market?(comercial market for cull cows)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Dairy farmers may have to wait until the end of 2005 before they finally find a commercial market for their cull cows. Despite the euphoria surrounding the decision to end the OTMS, the path to the reality of re-opening export markets for cows...

Genus dividend going uncashed.(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Thousands of farmers could have some extra spending money for Christmas as they are currently sitting on uncashed Genus dividend cheques. According to chief executive Richard Wood, over 7000 dividend cheques have gone uncashed because farmer...

Wiseman cuts milk price.(Robert Wiseman Dairies)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Following its warning last month, Wiseman Dairies has announced a provisional 0.5ppl cut in milk price paid to direct suppliers from the start of December. The company claims it has been forced to make the cut to "narrow the price gap between...

Cowmen comment: All I want for Christmas.
December 14, 2004... As an innocent bystander in the festive shopping melee, John Trunch muses on the future plans of the big processors and makes a mental note to put new safety wellies on his Christmas list. As one gets older, time does seem to pass more...

Cowmen comment: Hands-on education still pays dividends.(Column)
December 14, 2004... A recent grassland society visit to Northern Ireland has given our Scottish correspondent a fresh perspective on the benefits of a college education and reinforced his view that there is no substitute for attention to detail if you want to meet...

Cowmen comment: Milk profile takes a battering.
December 14, 2004... Despite spending a disproportionate amount of time drying carpets, our south west correspondent Pat Bird has been worried over falling milk levels. Don't mention water. By the time you read this, I hope to be straightened out after the...

INTERVIEW: NDFAS: under attack and hitting back!(National Dairy Farm Assured Scheme)(Interview)
December 14, 2004... Dairy farmer Richard Davis is the chairman of the National Dairy Farm Assured Scheme, and is also the dairy industry director on the Board of Assured Food Standards (AFS). David Matthews puts to him the farmer criticism of the scheme and the...

EU News: Exports buoyant in spite of EC price pressure.
December 14, 2004... The European Commission may be using reduced intervention support to drive down dairy prices towards world levels, but the dairy commodity traders have had a good year. Richard Wright reports. Despite all the odds traders have enjoyed...

Greenpeace wins court battle on GM milk claim.(genetically modified)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... The pressure group Greenpeace has won an appeal in a German court over its campaign claiming that milk should be classed as a GM product, because cows are fed GM ingredients. A higher court has overturned a previous ruling against...

Arla in merger talks with Dutch Campina.(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... The European dairy industry could see its biggest merger yet, with the Scandinavian giant Arla Foods in talks with Campina in the Netherlands. If this goes ahead it will create a business capable of meeting global competition, with...

Poland reaping benefits.(dairy industry booming)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... The claim that Poland will be the new Ireland of EU agriculture seems to be coming true - at least so far as dairy exports are concerned. As the biggest agricultural producer of the 10 new member states which joined the EU in May, Poland...

POTTER'S VIEW: Fairer milk price deal crucial for survival.(Ian Potter)(Column)
December 14, 2004... With milk price cuts looking set to be inevitable, Ian Potter urges producers to get behind those lobbying on their behalf. During my winter talks I have generally, but cautiously, welcomed the creation of Dairy UK, stressing that it needs...

FEEDING: Mixer wagon highlights of Eurotier show.
December 14, 2004... New mixer wagon technology was conspicuous at last month's Eurotier livestock exhibition in Hanover in Germany. Steven Vale gives us a round up of the event. When you consider that 2600 to 3000 of the estimated 10,000 new mixer wagons sold...

FEEDING: Refurbished machines can ease way into TMR.
December 14, 2004... Secondhand complete diet feeders ex-farm can be a relatively cheap way onto, or up, the TMR ladder but opting for a refurbished machine may be cheaper in the long run. David Matthews reports. The options for second hand feeder wagon...

FEEDING: Simple systems can give best returns.
December 14, 2004... Is there a `best way' to feed cows during the winter? Promar's Derek Gardner argues that individual farm factors, rather than technological or nutritional advances, should always determine the `best' system. Is there a "best" way to feed...

BREEDING: Homegrown Holstein superstar Shottle leaps up the rankings.
December 14, 2004... For decades British breeding has been lagging behind the rest of the Holstein world, but the latest proof run suggests we have joined the big league with a homegrown superstar. Angela Rhodes reports. Over the last few years our domestic...

Top 10 actively marketed sires ranked on #PLI.(Illustration)
December 14, 2004... Top 10 actively marketed sires ranked on #PLI (Source: MDC Evaluations and HUK November 2004) Milk (kg) CFP (kg) SCC PLI Type Supplier Merit O-Bee Manfred ...

Golden Vale adjusts price structure.(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... South Welsh liquid milk processor Golden Vale, Bridgend, has announced several changes to its milk price structure from November. The existing scaled volume bonus will reduce by 0.1ppl across all bands, resulting in no bonus for collections...

Dairy Crest to hold December cheese price.(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... As a result of a concerted effort from producer representatives of Dairy Crest Direct, Dairy Crest has confirmed it is to hold its December direct supply price for milk into cheese. After a number of senior Dairy Crest personnel pushed for a...

Asda to pay its dedicated supply farms 0.5ppl premium.(ASDA Group PLC pays premium to Arla Foods)
December 14, 2004... Following the first meeting of the Asda/Arla Foods raw milk price review body (established earlier this year to monitor the sole supply arrangement entered into by both parties) Asda has confirmed it is to pay a premium to its 600 dedicated...

Watson's make 0.25ppl cut.(Hampshire-based Medina Dairy cuts on milk price)(Watson Diaries)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Hampshire-based Medina Dairy has announced a flat-rate 0.25ppl cut in its Watson's Dairies direct supply milk price from November, taking the company's standard 4.1% B/F litre price to 18.75ppl. The company says it has had no choice following...

Organic ice cream scoops award.(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... Cornish Legend organic vanilla ice cream with cognac and coffee scooped a top prize in the Soil Association's Food Awards. First in the yoghurt and ice cream category, the company, Penheale Organics, has only been selling ice cream for 18...

DFB Cadog cheese hits Sainsburys.(Dairy Farmers of Britain)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2004... The Cadog range of cheeses, made at Dairy Farmers of Britain's Llandyrnog factory in North Wales, is now listed in all Sainsburys' stores in Wales. Launched earlier this year, the range includes medium, mature and vintage cheddar cheeses...

Good Evans: How big is the engine on that?
December 14, 2004... This month our intrepid hero looks to trade up his scraper tractor for something with a bit more va-va-voom, only to set tongues wagging when he hits the road to test drive his latest 200hp turbo-tiger. As my grandsons develop, so, quite...