Dairy Farmer articles from February 2005

Dairy Farmer archives from February 2005

Quango axe poised over farming.(Agricultural Wages Committee)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... As part of its economy drive to fund tax cuts, the Conservative Party has earmarked a host of quangos and advisory agencies which would be axed, privatised or have their functions transferred. Caught up in this #35bn Whitehall economy drive...

COMMENT: Who's got the answer then?(Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Producers at this year's Semex conference hanging on in the desperate expectation of a quick fix to the dairy crisis would have been sorely disappointed (p24). Efficiency? Yes, but no longer so crucial. Having invested heavily to lead the...

No reason for OFT to become involved.(Office of Fair Trading)(Dairy Farmers of Britain)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... FFA leader David Handley has reassured producers that a 1.5ppl cost price increase is still on the cards in spite of a well aimed warning shot from the Office of Fair Trading. In a letter to the farming press Mark Kram from the OFT...

Cheese record?(Ashley Chase Estate )(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Farmhouse cheesemaker Ashley Chase Estate in Dorset has produced what is believed to be the largest handmade Cheddar cheese. Weighing over 500kg, it took 5000 litres of milk - around 8800 pints - to make. Measuring a metre tall and a metre...

Fragile future for milk supply.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... A rapid decline in milk price following the introduction of the Single Farm Payment scheme could see the UK failing to meet quota for the rest of this decade. This is the key conclusion of the newly published Dairy Supply Chain Forum...

Challenge to SFP scheme?(Department for Environmental Food and Rural affairs)(Small Farm Program )
February 10, 2005... Campaigners have moved a step closer to mounting a legal challenge to Defra's dairy reform package in England, following comments by a leading Euro barrister stating that the measures have been brought in unfairly and illegally. Last...

Count real cost of family labour.(Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Family labour is subsidising the real cost of milk production on the average dairy unit by almost 4ppl, according to a new study conducted by the RABDF. Information from five hundred family run dairy farms with an average herd size of 156...

Co-ops remove quota thresholds.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... With the country still cumulatively around 233m litres under quota at the end of December, all three major dairy co-ops Milk Link, First Milk and DFB have removed their threshold restrictions and will not withhold payments for over production....

COWMEN COMMENT: Get ready for coming of the puddle police.(Small Farm Program)(New Zealand Dairy Farmers)
February 10, 2005... SFP inspectors looking for wet fields and cattle fed outside using ring feeders have been dubbed the puddle police by one national newspaper. West countryman John Trunch has his own strong views about them. It is impossible at this time to...

COWMEN COMMENT: Irish badgers seem to be politically different.(policy of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
February 10, 2005... Puddle police and bespectacled greysuits sniffing around looking for old drover roads are fully at the forefront of Pat Bird's mind this month. Oh and the long awaited report on Irish badgers which we are being persuaded to think are somehow...

COWMEN COMMENT: Drinking at the last chance saloon.(forecast)
February 10, 2005... Our Scottish correspondent Donald McColm is adamant the hard fought 3ppl initiative must not be allowed to fail and implores all producers and industry players to get behind it to ensure it succeeds as they may never get another chance like it....

INTERVIEW: Dairy Crest: urgently looking to plug lost supermarket gap.(Interview)
February 10, 2005... Dairy Crest is undeniably one of the leading milk processors and rightly or wrongly has not been seen by producers in the best light as it has often been the first to respond to price pressures. David Matthews talks to Arthur Reeves, milk...

POTTER'S VIEW: How can you control.
February 10, 2005... Fresh back from the annual Semex conference, Ian Potter has run out of tissues as he chokes back his emotions over tightening grocery margins. Read on... Another year, another Semex conference! This year's gathering was the 15th...

EU NEWS: Why the WTO is important to us.
February 10, 2005... Richard Wright comments on European dairy matters. It is not as exciting as CAP reform - but the eventual World Trade Organisation deal will have just as big an impact on dairy farmers. With agreement due by December, Richard Wright looks...

BREEDING: Special grazing index used in bull selection.
February 10, 2005... In response to a growing demand for cattle that perform well on grass- based systems, Genus is embarking on a selection programme with the emphasis on low input systems. Producers looking to take milk from grass are finding it increasingly...

Dairy Daughters adds Wa Del Convincer son to stud.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Dairy Daughters has added yet another candidate for our Value for Money rankings to its line-up in the shape of Latuch Convincer Farley. Sired by Wa Del Convincer out of a Bellwood dam, Farley is a calving ease sire with good milk...

Breeders can now tap into high type Durham bloodline.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... High type American sire Regancrest Elton Durham has been a very popular choice for breeders importing embryos and his progeny has sold well in the sale rings. Semen from the bull, however, has not been available in the UK but breeders can now...

CONFERENCE: OFT must not stand in way of progress.(Office of Fair Trading)
February 10, 2005... This year's Semex conference stirred up more than its fair share of controversy. Mike Green reports on what was on people's minds. The Office of Fair Trading's attitude to the dairy sector had to change to allow it to develop, according to...

Conference: You can no longer just fall back on efficiency.
February 10, 2005... Farmers should not concentrate solely on being efficient but must co- operate and capture more value, according to Cranfield School of Management economist Sean Rickard. He said it was vital for farmers to change their mindset and realise...

Conference: Saddled with burden of costly regulations.
February 10, 2005... Regulatory cost, advertising message, product mix and scale of production were all areas the dairy industry needed to focus on and which were firmly on the Dairy UK agenda, according to the new organisation's director general Jim Begg. He...

Conference: Best bargaining chip with supermarkets.
February 10, 2005... CAP reform marked a new era for agriculture and was a "win-win" situation for farmers, according to Drew Sloan, chairman of Semex UK. Giving the keynote address at the conference he said: "We cannot compete with third-world economies in...

Conference: Maximising DM intake for high yielding cows.(dry matter)
February 10, 2005... Dairy cow rations designed to maximise dry matter intakes were the key to optimising milk production in a cost effective manner, according to Canadian nutritionist Janet Kleinschmidt. Speaking on feeding the 12,000kg dairy cow, she said the...

Conference: From commodities to higher value products.
February 10, 2005... The UK dairy industry had a bright future providing farmers shake off the last remains of their commodity, isolationist and confrontational thinking. Joanne Denny-Finch, chief executive of the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD), said...

Conference: Arla-Campina will be major processor on producers' doorstep.
February 10, 2005... Conference chairman Steve Ellwood identified "market access" as one of the most significant challenges facing the industry today. Mr Ellwood, who is head of agriculture at HSBC, said that despite UK dairy farmers being operationally and...

Letter: Keeping us on our toes.(Letter to the Editor)
February 10, 2005... From: Lanark producer. Name and address supplied. REGARDING the discussion about NDFAS. It is unlikely that you are going to find many farmers that would admit to liking farm assurance, though most would probably reluctantly accept...

Letter: Producers driven out.(Letter to the Editor)
February 10, 2005... From: Name and address supplied. RICHARD Davis is of the opinion that keeping endless records of procedures which we have followed for years and which are looked at exclusively by assessors checking to ensure these records are kept `helps...

Letter: Common sense buried in paperwork.(Letter to the Editor)
February 10, 2005... From: Staffordshire producer. Name and address supplied. FARM assurance equals a `bully state'. Family farms are giving up dairy cows, driven out by having to comply with farm assurance rules. No correct paperwork, no milk picked up! Has...

Letter: Levels of mycotoxins found in home grown forage minimal.(Letter to the Editor)
February 10, 2005... From: Dr Phil Caunt, technical director, Biotal Ltd, Collivaud House, Ocean Way, Cardiff CF24 5PD. I AM somewhat alarmed by the coverage given to mycotoxins and would like to clarify the situation if I may. Mycotoxins are produced by...

Maize now offers bigger challenge to wholecrop.
February 10, 2005... Those with only a limited amount of maize may find that their supply is now becoming exhausted which is usually bad news as diets consequently become worse. Chris Savery, national nutrition specialist with the Dairy Group, looks at the case for...

MAIZE: There is life after atrazine.
February 10, 2005... For the past 30 years atrazine has been the herbicide of choice for the majority of maize growers, but from September 2006 this product can no longer be used. Maize Growers' Association agronomist Simon Draper looks at the alternative weed...

MAIZE: Go steady with the nitrogen.
February 10, 2005... Fertiliser costs have gone up over 30% and according to MGA agronomist, Simon Draper, there is considerable scope to reduce the amount of bag nitrogen applied. Maize growers may be applying nitrogen where not strictly necessary and with...

MAIZE: Pick the right variety to match your rations.
February 10, 2005... Maize variety selection is invariably a trade off between yield and quality. Nutritionist Tim Davies from Kite Consulting looks at the impact of variety choice and the economics of including maize in dairy diets. Maize silage is an...

MAIZE: Going for high starch and good stover.
February 10, 2005... Following the launch of the twin crop forage maize `Duo' at last year's DE, a party of UK farmers went to Mont de Marsan in south-west France on a fact finding tour organised by seeds specialist David Bright. High stover digestibility has...

MAIZE: Ques: just how important is the sowing date?
February 10, 2005... These is a lot of talk of the importance of sowing dates on yield and quality, but what are the facts? Lindsay Cousland, Advanta Seeds' maize development manager, takes us through the results of the first year of sowing date trials on the...

MAIZE: Drilling advice for 2005.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Never get too focused on a date. It is not the date of the month that dictates when you should sow or harvest, but your experience of the optimum growing season for maize in your location. If you have grown maize for a number of years you...

MAIZE: Sticking to the cross compliance guidelines.
February 10, 2005... The new cross compliance requirements for the Single Farm Payment put particular emphasis on preventing soil compaction and pollution from run-off. Angela Rhodes finds out from the Environment Agency the specific implications of the new...

Defra guidance on soil management.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Defra has recently published its cross compliance guidance for soil management which outlines the principles of good soil husbandry for maize. These are included below with NVZ guidance: * Avoid growing maize on land where the chances of...

MAIZE: How the Dutch keep within their environmental limits.
February 10, 2005... UK producers have only recently had to deal with tighter restrictions on nitrogen use, whereas Dutch farmers have been working under strict controls for almost 10 years and are now facing even tighter regulation. Angela Rhodes finds out how...

Cob size will be a limiting factor.
February 10, 2005... The increased environmental pressure on European farmers is also focussing the minds of the plant breeders who need to produce varieties which will perform within potentially tighter growing periods and lower inputs. "At present the main...

MAIZE: Latest varieties worth putting an eye over.
February 10, 2005... Improving the yield of early maize varieties has been a key breeding goal for plant geneticists and their efforts are definitely paying off with an exciting group of new additions to this year's NIAB Descriptive List. Angela Rhodes reviews the...

MAIZE: Not all gloom in ongoing battle with nightshade.
February 10, 2005... The withdrawal of atrazine from the market next year will present growers with new challenges, particularly the control of black nightshade which is not only poisonous to stock but also germinates around the same time as the maize crop. ...

DFB scrapes ahead to lead co-ops.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... By the end of last year just 0.28ppl split the three main co-op prices with the DFB compositional price of 18.27ppl heading this group of prices. Milk Link's transfer of 0.25ppl to capital from Dec'04 and increasing constituent payments by...

Midlands in just below average.(Midlands Co-op)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... The prices paid by Midlands Co-op and Wyke Farms just dipped below the average league price. However, in the same ranking one can't help but notice the strong milk price performance last year by Northern Ireland's United Dairy Farmers. The...

First Milk's auction price down 0.8ppl.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... First Milk's Jan'05 spot milk auction for 1mltrs available for Feb'05 delivery averaged 21.74ppl, 0.8ppl down on the Jan'04 result of 22.54ppl, as well as 0.5ppl down on last month's average of 22.24ppl for supplies this month. United...

Paynes Dairies cut price by 0.28ppl.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... North Yorkshire based liquid milk processor, Paynes Dairies, has cut its producer milk price by 0.28ppl for Dec'04 milk supplies. Having done similar back in Dec'03, the company says the temporary price cut is because of the difficulty in...

DC heads up milk table with premium contracts.(Dairy Crest Ltd.)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... This month our milk price league table highlights average milk prices paid for the calendar year 2004. With Dairy Crest maintaining its firm grip on the two top price positions with the help of the 1ppl+ M&S and Waitrose premiums, four...

Hairline cracks start to show.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... While Defra's monthly average farmgate milk price for Nov'04 of 19.62ppl (including retrospective bonuses) appears to be holding firm with the revised average for Oct'04 of 19.63ppl (up 0.04ppl on last month's report), hairline cracks in the...

DFB gets into bird spotting.(Dairy Farmers of Britain)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Dairy Farmers of Britain's school milk cartons will be sporting pictures of bird species and facts on bird life as part of a campaign in association with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The campaign is designed to encourage...

DC calls halt.(Yoplait Dairy Crest )(Yeovil factory )(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Production of dairy desserts will cease at the Yoplait Dairy Crest Yeovil factory in June 2005, with the loss of approximately 260 jobs. Using only cream produced at Severnside in the own label desserts, this closure should have no impact on...

Dougal and Robbie are backing milk campaign.(Robbie Williams )(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Magic Roundabout's Dougal and superstar Robbie Williams come together in the lastest promotion in the White Stuff Milk Moustache campaign. To what extent it will be seen south of the border remains to be seen as essentially the campaign is...

Glastonbury cows rested.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Glastonbury's dairy herd is in for a peaceful summer in 2006. Organiser Michael Eavis has decided to give his cows a break from the annual open air rock concert that has been running on the farm since 1970. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

GOOD EVANS: And now for the big cats - bring `em on!(problems of dairy farming)
February 10, 2005... After an ultimatum from the distaff side, our intrepid hero is switching his well- honed skills from bull taming to big cats. Chair in one hand and whip in the other, he's about to show those fractious felines just who is the boss. Just to...