Dairy Farmer articles from July 2004

Dairy Farmer archives from July 2004

COMMENT: Leopards and spots?(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Whatever you may think of the profundity of EFRA Committee findings (p10), they do point up three crucial shortcomings. Firstly just how powerless producers are by way of determining prices; secondly just what an unholy mess the industry is...

Greenpeace protest against GM feedstuff gets angry response.(Genetically Modified)(Farmers for Action)(Greenpeace Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Greenpeace activists have stepped up their campaign against GM animal feeds by boarding and attempting to turn back a cargo ship carrying 50,000 tonnes of US maize gluten. Despite several arrests, they are undeterred by this set back with...

BST thieves strike in US.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... The milk yield boosting drug BST has become the new must have for thieves working in California. Police there say farms are being targeted because of the development of a black market. This is because Monsanto, the only manufacturer of BST, has...

DFB to impose minimum volume for its collections.(Dairy Farmers of Britain)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... As part of their ongoing haulage rationalisation strategy, Dairy Farmers of Britain are to introduce a minimum collection volume of 91,250ltrs/yr on EODC (182,500ltrs/yr on EDC) from April 2005. All members affected by this change have been...

Prices are holding firm.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... With May production figures at their lowest since deregulation, processors are waking up to the need to secure supply. Following last month's cut in price, Dairy Crest producers on `new' agreements will see their price held for July, although...

Dairy UK will be put to test.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Plans to create a new single body, Dairy UK, to represent the British dairy industry have been met with a guarded welcome from the industry. According to industry sources, the acid test will be whether the proposed body can lift milk...

Arla Foods increases profits.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Recently released interim results from Arla Foods UK have shown an 11% increase in pre-tax profits for the 12 months to the end of March to #31.2m. These figures include just five months of trading since the merger with Express Dairies....

Health scheme.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... After 18 months of consultation Defra has launched its Animal Health and Welfare strategy for Great Britain. Reading University has been commissioned to work with interested parties to study the costs of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea and Digital...

Cowmen comment: Extended lactations push up cell counts.(Tim Gibson)
July 15, 2004... All of a sudden Tim Gibson has gone from having no staff to two... and with the same name... but even that doesn't make the grass grow as pressure mounts to break open first cut rations. On top of that he now openly admits his decision to...

Cowmen comment: Question: where are the missing billions?(Sally Leaney)(Commons Rural Affairs Committee)
July 15, 2004... The latest Commons report underlines what we already know and that is the powerless nature of the dairy sector, but what about the idea of an OFT special dairy watchdog? Can you imagine looking at your farm accounts, with a turnover of say...

Cowmen comment: Fraud squad closes the net in secret operation.(Paul Higgins)
July 15, 2004... Such strange things are starting to happen at Court Farm... what with once-a-day milking, turquoise bale wrapping, Saturday shopping... it's little wonder the fraud squad are on the dog and bone... What a strange spring we seem to have had...

Interview: Where is the missing 18ppl?(EFRA committee chairman )(Interview)
July 15, 2004... Last week the House of Commons committee, set up to investigate milk pricing, came to the conclusion that somewhere along the line 18ppl was going missing. Peter Hollinshead talks to EFRA committee chairman David Drew about their findings. ...

EU NEWS: Irish producers look set to quit.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Dairygold, Ireland's biggest farmer owned dairy co-operative, has admitted 40 per cent of its milk suppliers will quit the industry over the next five years. Speaking on the likely impact of legislation to implement the EU nitrates...

EU NEWS: So what is holding milk prices back?(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Milk prices have continued to improve across Europe in the wake of a booming world market. This has prompted continued speculation as to why much of the UK - except Northern Ireland - has continued to face price problems, and supermarket...

EU NEWS: EC fails to find funds for organic.(European Union. European Commission)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... The European Commission has published another action plan for the organic sector which is high on rhetoric but low on commitment. The document makes the inevitable positive noises about the importance of the organic sector, but rules out...

EU NEWS: Support to cancel increase in EU quota.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... The organisation which represents German co-operatives, the DRV, has called for a more flexible approach to milk quota management by the European Commission. This adds weight to calls from France and other member states for a review of the...

EU NEWS: Poland lifts milk output.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Milk production has rocketed this year in key member states amongst the ten which formally joined the EU in May. This has added to concerns that these countries could threaten the market in the EU 15 and, if the market turns down, create...

Potter's View: Carpet bagging on cross border foray.(Ian Potter)
July 15, 2004... With the varying MTR regimes across the borders, Ian Potter looks at the possibility of capitalising on the higher compensation payments to be had there. Is the lifeblood draining out of this industry? Well it's too soon to say, of course,...

Cogent trio is helping to bridge gap.(Cogent Breeding Ltd. )(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Having stuck to its guns on refusing to market its two high ranking CVM positive sires, Cogent Breeding is looking to three early release bulls to bridge the gap until the next proof run. By Cogent's standards these bulls have fewer...

Genus aiming for the pasture based market.(Genus Breeding)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Genus Breeding is targeting milk from grass producers with two new release sires for the pasture-based market. Elite Gold Bullion is an Australian proven son of High Sights BS Ingot and was a top seller Down Under for ABS Global last year. With...

High volume sire from US ratings.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Two new US sires have been added to the proven line up at Semen World. High milk sire Keystone Potter is a son of the very underrated sire Ha Ho Cubby Manfred. Although not a high type bull, Manfred has proved to be a very good commercial...

Prizewinner can now bring wayward weeds in check.(Robert Pritchard)
July 15, 2004... This year livestock farmer Robert Pritchard realised that he needed to take urgent action to deal with the docks, thistles and nettles that are a nuisance on his 340 acres of grass at Brynteg on Anglesey. Fortunately, help is at hand as Mr...

Does it still pay to feed in summer at grass?
July 15, 2004... Can you afford to feed in the summer? Can you afford not to? On the one hand milk prices are low and feed prices are high and climbing, but then there's the cost of potentially poor fertility and the new seasonality payments to think about....

Letters: Home-grown cereals can offer price buffer.
July 15, 2004... From: Nick Berni, technical specialist, Biotal Ltd, Collivaud House, Ocean Way, Cardiff CF24 5PD. An increased global demand for soya beans following last year's poor American harvest coupled with currency fluctuations and continued...

Letter: Your thoughts for treating Mr Lammie's wayward heifer.(Letter to the Editor)
July 15, 2004... From: Robert Edmondson, High Barns, Levens Bridge, Nr Kendal, Cumbria LA8 8EG. In regard to Robert Lammie's letter in June Dairy Farmer, I experienced a similar problem a few years ago when I had 3 or 4 heifers giving me trouble. I...

TRACTORS: Steering aid that will help reduce driver fatigue.
July 15, 2004... Producers could soon be benefiting from a new tractor steering aid designed to simplify headland turns and tractor loader operation. Steven Vale takes a closer look at the new technology soon to be available on a number of New Holland and Case...

Best buy in the tractor market.
July 15, 2004... If you are in the market for a new livestock tractor then you are probably already aware that new engines feature strongly in the sales literature. That is because Brussels bureaucrats have concluded that tractor engine emissions must be...

TRACTORS: McCormick lower fuel and oil consumption.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Lower fuel and oil consumption, and longer service intervals, are a feature of McCormick's latest four-cylinder CX and MC tractors. Fitted with Perkins 1104C Euro 2 engines means that lower down the rev range the engine delivers more power and...

TRACTORS: RECO sells quite a few Kioti tractors.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... RECO sells quite a few Kioti tractors to British dairy farms. This is the DK50C (50hp) with a factory-fitted cab. The company also offers a smaller 45hp model. Prices start from #18,205. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

TRACTORS: Massey Ferguson now available in Low Profile versions.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Massey Ferguson's 5400 tractors are now available in Low Profile versions, making them ideally suited to shed loading work. Other features include a new mechanical joystick option which is mounted on the right-hand console with the single lever...

TRACTORS: Fendt in the process of being replaced.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Fendt's 300C series tractors are in the process of being replaced by 300Ci versions, which feature water-cooled Deutz Euro 2 engines. In addition to improved torque characteristics, a feature of the 4.4-litre engine is that it provides...

TRACTORS: John Deere's 5015 series tractors.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Although John Deere's 5015 series comprises 13 models from 53 to 88hp, it is the four standard versions that will appeal to livestock farms. Replacing the 5010 series, maximum cab height is just 2.4m, and a tighter turning radius is the result...

TRACTORS: New Holland now has a CVT tractor.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... New Holland now has a CVT tractor. Known as the TVT series, the five model range spans 137 to 192, of which just the TVT135 (137hp) and TVT145 (147hp) are below 150hp. A roadwork feature is the way that the system automatically adjusts the gear...

TRACTORS: Case IH offering outputs from 72 to 100hp.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Offering outputs from 72 to 100hp, power to Case IH's new four-model JX1-U Maxxima tractors comes from a new generation of 4.5-litre Tier II engines. The power unit features lower engine wear and oil consumption improvements of up to 12% have...

Milk output takes dive this spring.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... This month our milk price league highlights milk prices paid for May'04 and the month's contribution to the rolling 12mth average prices that also takes into account the Seasonally Adjusted Profile Price (SAPP) for May'04. With the RPA...

Watson's corrected entry.(Watson Dairies)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Liquid processor, Watson's Dairies, Southampton, has cut its milk price by 0.5ppl to 19ppl for a 4.1%bf standard litre, taking our standard price down to 18.8ppl. **Correction. Having correctly published Watson's direct supply milk price...

Tuxford & Tebbutt suppliers agree new range of options.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Glanbia's Tuxford & Tebbutt suppliers have agreed a unique direct supply contract with the company from Apr'04. The new contract gives producers the choice of supplying milk on a minimum constituent liquid type contract while maintaining a...

DC old contracts face cut.(Dairy Crest Ltd.,)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Dairy Crest has agreed to hold its Jun'04 price for Jul'04 applicable to both liquid and manufacturing direct supply contracts. However, for the 10% of direct suppliers still supplying milk on the old contracts, the liquid price is to be...

Dansco revises 1.2ppl drop.(Dansco Dairy Products)(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Dansco Dairy Products has revised its 1.2ppl price cut from Jun'04 by 0.5ppl to 0.7ppl. The new price revision takes our standard price - 4%bf and 3.3% protein 1mltrs EODC - down to 18.18ppl and 17.88ppl for level and seasonal supply contracts...

Country Life forges ahead.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... The Country Life butter brand, set up by the MMB to provide a single brand of English butter more than 30 years ago, is now the fastest growing UK brand. It is produced by a consortium of butter makers, with Dairy Crest having the lion's share....

Milk can help reduce risk of heart disease.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Drinking milk can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, according to results from a research project carried out in South Wales. For the past 24 years Professor Peter Elwood and colleagues from the University of Wales...

Cheddar in move to new #50m plant.(Brief Article)
July 15, 2004... Production of Dairy Crest's mature and extra mature cheddar is about to move into its new state-of-the-art facility now completed at Davidstow in Cornwall. The #50m investment - including an #8m Defra/Objective 1 grant - will enable...

GOOD EVANS: Wanted: three gallons of beastings by Fijian surgeon.(Dairy farmer)
July 15, 2004... What, you may ask, is a Fijian doctor doing with three gallons of the yellow stuff? Whatever it is, our intrepid hero is always more than pleased to do his bit to foster international relations. Oh, and we almost forgot the lamb and 20...