Dairy Farmer articles from February 2004

Dairy Farmer archives from February 2004

COMMENT: Simple case of schizophrenia?(Brief Article)
February 18, 2004... What is intriguing about Tesco's latest proposal to acquire a further 45 convenience stores is the fact that it should have generated such diametrically opposed views. On the one hand we have the Transport and General Workers Union...

Is the heat going out of the quota market?(Brief Article)
February 18, 2004... Has the quota bubble burst for those in the fortunate position of having surplus quota to sell? The answer for the moment appears to be yes, but we may not have seen the end of high prices. At the time of going to press, clean quota was...

Angry outburst as suppliers react to latest DC contracts.(West Country Milk Producers Group)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2004... Dairy Crest has been on the receiving end of bad headlines lately as suppliers vent their anger over the imposition of new contracts and the adverse effect it will have on some of them. Now a jointly funded study between Dairy Crest and the...

DFB gets close to first acquisition.
February 18, 2004... Dairy Farmers of Britain is thought to be getting close to announcing its first acquisition following chief executive Malcolm Smith's earlier promise to members that they would have to wait "weeks not months". So confident was Mr Smith and...

Milk output starts to steady.
February 18, 2004... The prospect of a swingeing superlevy is finally beginning to impact on production with weekly figures from the RPA showing a drop in output in the second half of January. Although there was a temporary blip at the beginning of the month,...

Death of former DF `cowman'.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
February 18, 2004... It is with regret we announce the sudden death of former DF cowman David Else, 61, who collapsed while morning milking the 220-cow herd at his 450-acre Grange Farm, Staintondale, Scarborough, North Yorkshire. Many will remember David for...

UK's first bulk tank monitor.(United Dairy Farmers)
February 18, 2004... United Dairy Farmers, the co-operative that handles 65% of the milk produced in Northern Ireland, has launched a UK first in bulk tank care. What it calls a "remote access tank" uses the GPRS global satellite system to allow United's...

Milk Link set to take over at Peninsula.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2004... A month after Milk Link purchased Newlands Farm, owner of the Cornish Dairy brand, the co-op has now taken over control of struggling Devon- based liquid milk processor Peninsula Milk. The sum is as yet undisclosed and the deal subject to...

RABDF conference.(Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2004... Mid-Term Review and its implications for the dairy sector is the theme of this year's Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers' annual conference at Cheltenham on March 2-3. Further information from RABDF on 01926 887477. Copyright:...

Cowmen comment: Caught out by post over late passports.(British cattle movement scheme)
February 18, 2004... With the BCMS's new hardline approach our Dumfriesshire dairyman has had two passports refused, but owing to the patchy way they return he would never have known if he hadn't phoned up to check them. We have kept rainfall records here for...

Cowmen comment: Cows move out and make way for horses.(dairy farm management)
February 18, 2004... What with all the local village herds being sold up and the hard- hitting TB and hunting sagas still raging, John Trunch is beginning to wonder just what it is the government actually wants from the industry. Find out more... I have made...

EU NEWS: Who will gain from any hybrid scheme?(European Union)
February 18, 2004... Late in the day Defra questioned whether decoupling based on historic CAP receipts is the correct model. This is part of a process of trying to take account of what many believe will be an inevitable long-term move towards flat rate per...

EU NEWS: Parmalat's suppliers not paid for milk.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2004... The fall-out from the multi-billion Parmalat dairy crisis in Italy has continued. Some of the top names in accountancy and banking are now being investigated for their alleged role in fraud by the company's senior executives. The Italian...

EU NEWS: Export prospects boosted.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2004... Prospects for commodity exports from Europe have been given a boost, with the New Zealand government forecasting rising markets from now until 2007. It says prices for cheese, butter and whole milk powder should all continue to rise, but...

EU NEWS: Organic sales slowing down.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2004... Further proof has emerged from Sweden of the problems being faced in the organic dairy market. Despite having led the way in demand for organic dairy products, their latest figures show that since 1998 40% of the 600,000 tonnes of organic milk...

INTERVIEW: Facing up to cold winds of enlargement.(Interview)
February 18, 2004... This May will see EU membership rocket to 25 with the accession of the 10 new member states. David Matthews talks to Stuart Ward of the European Food and Agriculture Solutions organisation, which is an agriculture lobbying group based in...

POTTER'S VIEW: Butterfats are proving a bit of a cliff-hanger!
February 18, 2004... With the possibility of the butterfat uncertainty going right to the wire, it begs the question to whether there will be much of a threshold allowance or not. Which doesn't help those trying to juggle production against quota. So another...

BREEDING: US conception rate index.
February 18, 2004... Although most fertility experts agree that management has the over- riding influence on fertility, there remain measurable differences in fertility levels between AI bulls. In the last year NMR has been offering a service to monitor...

Sire directory for easy care systems.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2004... Genus Breeding has launched a sire directory specifically for pasture based systems. The sires have been specifically selected for calving ease, good somatic cell counts, temperament and milking speed as well as sound functional type,...

Manx breeders make their mark by topping NMR table.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2004... There must be something in the water on the Isle of Man that favours high yielding cows, as the top two places in NMR's production league table are occupied by Manx Holstein herds. The top of the league are Gold Cup winners Andrew and Sue...

How test day model is set to increase bull proof accuracy.
February 18, 2004... As selection emphasis switches from production to management traits, UK breeders can look forward to new and improved genetic indices in the next year, as Angela Rhodes reports from the British Cattle Conference. Earlier, more accurate...

New daughter index claimed as only way to arrest declining fertility.
February 18, 2004... Producers will have access to bull proofs for daughter fertility for the first time later this year - and not a moment too soon, according to Nottingham University's Professor Tony Flint. The launch of the long-awaited fertility index has...

Beware of genetic jackrabbits.
February 18, 2004... Artificial insemination studs are in danger of producing genetic jackrabbits as a result of their fast-track approach to selecting sires of sons. Breeders should be looking more closely at the stability of these elite bull proofs and their...

Letter: Spoilt for rest of us.(Letter to the Editor)
February 18, 2004... From: Rex Goodfellow, Chez Bonnet, 87300 Saint Ouen sur Gartempe, France. I read with disappointment your article on Trevor Lloyd, reigning Dairy Farmer of the Future. This man should not be held up as an example for us to follow, but as...

Letter: Confusing future with the past?(Letter to the Editor)
February 18, 2004... From: Nicholas Crocker, Sunnymead Farm, Halstock, Yeovil, Somerset BA22 9RR. In December's edition of Dairy Farmer you published a spoof interview with the fictional reigning `Dairy Farmer of the Future'. In these difficult, stressful...

Letter: RSPB hits out on access to public support.(Letter to the Editor)
February 18, 2004... From: Steven Bailey, Agricultural Policy Officer, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL. It is a pity that you continue to hang on to the concept of production- related support as the only way for the dairy industry to survive. We...

Letter: Matrimonial farm: faith in justice destroyed.(Letter to the Editor)
February 18, 2004... From: Pamela Greenslade (formerly White), Fernicaps Park Farm, Wiveliscombe, Taunton, Somerset TA4 2AF. I was so interested in an article written by Mr Martin Mears, former president of the Law Society, dated January 9, 2001, entitled "A...

MAIZE: Blends: allowing you to spread those risks.
February 18, 2004... Getting a consistent quality crop of maize is often a challenge when more than one variety is grown on farm. Angela Rhodes finds out if sowing blends or a mixed stand of maize is the answer. Drilling more than one variety undoubtedly...

MAIZE: On-board scanner means faster variety selection.
February 18, 2004... One maize breeding company has been able to speed up the laborious seed selection process by assessing the crop on combine allowing seed to be processed for sowing much quicker for its Chilean nursery plots. The development of on-board NIRS...

Maize growers warned: Watch out for this unwelcome visitor.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2004... Growers in the south-east have been warned to be on the lookout for an unwelcome continental visitor with the potential to decimate young maize crops. Larvae from the Diabrotica beetle (western corn rootworm) turned up in fields around Gatwick...

MAIZE: Your choice - forage or crimp.
February 18, 2004... Advances in breeding grain maize varieties are allowing growers in more favourable areas to keep their options open on going for a forage or crimped grain crop. Angela Rhodes reports. Forage maize is a staple component of most high yielding...

School milk team grows.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2004... Six new facilitators will join the team promoting school milk across the country. Increasing demand has meant more help is needed to cover Scotland, Hampshire, Yorkshire, Devon and Cheshire. Appointed by the School Milk Project, the...

Morning TV star wakes up to milk.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2004... TV presenter Tess Daly is the latest star to sport a milk moustache for the Scottish Dairy Marketing Company and Milk Development Council's #500,000 `White Stuff Milk Moustache' campaign which was launched last autumn. Liquid milk...

UK exports on the rise.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2004... Figures issued by Food From Britain show an 8% increase in the export of UK dairy products in the 6 months from January to June last year compared with 2002. Milk increased by 27%, with big increases in export to Ireland, France and...

Up and away in search of ways to boost organics.
February 18, 2004... Anita Masters sets off on her travels this month to find more opportunities for growth within the organic market, particularly the dairy sector. A Seale-Hayne food technology graduate, Anita has won a Trehane Trust Nuffield Scholarship....

Milk Link's Moo.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2004... A new long life milk, Moo, has been launched by Milk Link this month. Moo milk, the co-op's first branded product, will be available in skimmed, semi-skimmed and whole milk in a re-sealable screw-top square carton - a first for the UK dairy...

GOOD EVANS: The mystery of the five foxes.
February 18, 2004... Despite the local gamekeepers keeping fox numbers in check in the Welsh borderlands, more and more keep turning up. Could it possibly be they've just heard of our intrepid hero's new-found culinary prowess and just wanted to nibble his...