Dairy Farmer articles from July 2007

Dairy Farmer archives from July 2007

COMMENT: Where's the money....(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... Reports filtering in suggest that Tesco may struggle to sign up enough producers not because they are necessarily being put off by the tight contract, but, of all things, some now see the 22ppl as already outdated. Which is a turn up for...

Tesco comes under attack for screwing down cheese prices.
July 9, 2007... Despite Tesco's promised 22ppl, critics are saying that it is "giving to dairy farmers with one hand and taking away with the other". That's because in its recent cheese tendering deal it is believed to have increased prices by #50 to #70...

Milk madness as ASDA embarks on pricing war.
July 9, 2007... As commodity milk prices continue their meteoric rise, ASDA put the cat among the pigeons again with a discount liquid milk deal in early June that cut the price of a four-pint bottle by 15p when bought as part of an "Any 2 for #2" pledge. ...

First Milk offers incentive for autumn supplies.
July 9, 2007... For years the co-ops have been the butt of industry jokes for owning the industry's commodity processing, but now such processing plants are possibly returning the highest price for milk, bar organic. As a result First Milk and Milk Link...

Processors taking action over milk shortages.
July 9, 2007... Dairy processors are already taking action in the wake of raw material shortages. Arla has announced that it is to cease production of Emmental cheese at its sites in Denmark and concentrate on higher growth products like mozzarella. Production...

NFU steps up fight on TB front.
July 9, 2007... Although it may be widely accepted that badgers contribute significantly to the cattle disease in some parts of the country, the latest ISG report did nothing to placate angry producers. Far from it, according to the Independent Scientific...

EU revokes dairy export subsidies.
July 9, 2007... The European Union's dairy management committee has revoked subsidies on all dairy product exports as world prices continue to rise at an almost unprecedented rate. It is the first time in 40 years that there has been no subsidies. And in...

On-farm Cumbrian sale of Swedish Reds.
July 9, 2007... An on-farm dairy herd dispersal in Cumbria in August offers what is believed to be the first opportunity to buy pedigree Scandinavian red milking cattle at auction outside their native countries. The sale, to be conducted by Harrison &...

Cowmen comment: What a difference a year's made to Westbury's fortunes.
July 9, 2007... A year ago milk co-ops were nervous about investing in the white elephant that Westbury then appeared to be. Now, says Tim Gibson, it might just be the best destination for milk and everyone is benefiting. I went to America this spring and...

Giving the silage bales extra layer may work but at what cost?
July 9, 2007... IGER says wrapping more plastic round bales can produce better silage, but it pays to look at the economics says Sally Leaney. I was surprised to read that the NFU leadership has suggested that "Tony Blair, as prime minister, has shown a...

I'm only milking four now but it still gets me out of bed in a morning.(Column)
July 9, 2007... Lying in bed has its attractions but Paul Higgins steels himself for an early start in return for a civilised breakfast. Last week the main silage clamp was filled and finished in really good time. After a worryingly dry April, the early...

Will Tesco offer be overtaken by rapid changes elsewhere?
July 9, 2007... World milk prices are rising so quickly that some major buyers fear for security of supply says Ian Potter. So think very hard before committing to new contracts. As you all know, I did not trumpet the Tesco "deal" when it was announced. I...

Letter: Discount on land register fee.(Letter to the editor)
July 9, 2007... From: Maggie Telfer, Land Registry, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PH (Tel: 020 7166 4543). Sixty per cent of land in England and Wales is now registered - a rise of 15 per cent in just three years according to our latest figures. ...

Letter: Why it's well worth checking your SFP statement carefully.(Letter to the editor)
July 9, 2007... From: Jonathan Lacey, consultant Laurence Gould Partnership Ltd, Yeovil. (Tel: 01458 223224). With the deadline for this year's Single Payment Scheme application having now passed, and payments for 2006 still being finalised, farmers are...

Barony bucks the trend with #1.3m investment for the future.
July 9, 2007... While some other college dairy units may have been mothballed, Barony College in Dumfriesshire has taken the bold decision to invest in a new dairy unit to give students first hand experience of the latest milking and management technology....

Milking: Linking teat health to performance of the milking machine.
July 9, 2007... Cell counts have started to creep up and there seems to be more teat end damage than before with an increasing number of cows appearing uncomfortable during milking. What do you do? Call the vet? Call the engineer? Hope it will go away? Dairy...

Milking: CASE STUDIES.
July 9, 2007... Study 1. An increasingly common observation is the genetic migration of teats to become positioned more closely together on the udder. This is particularly noticeable in newly-calved heifers where the rear teats in particular are often...

Milking: Low cost parlour is at hub of Cumbrian expansion planning.
July 9, 2007... When Gordon and Margaret Tweedie decided to rebuild their dairy farming business post foot-and-mouth they embarked on a big building project but opted to keep the system simple. Jennifer MacKenzie reports. Simplicity is the key to the...

Milk prices: Barbers leading way with cheese.
July 9, 2007... Somerset-based cheesemaker AJ & RG Barber appears to have taken the lead on milk price increases this summer for milk into cheese with confirmation it is to increase its milk price to its 90 supplying farmers by a `whopping' 2ppl from Jul'07....

Milk prices: DFB increases 0.5p from Jun'07.
July 9, 2007... Dairy Farmers of Britain has increased its conventional milk price by 0.5ppl from Jun'07. The increase paid as a flat rate adjustment to all conventional milk producers takes our price up to 18.26ppl and 17.91ppl on London and Midland Liquid...

Milk prices: Milk Link launches new supply contracts.
July 9, 2007... Milk Link is not only the first to lift quota restrictions this year (with any withheld money to be returned) but is also turning the heat up on milk prices in the south-west by offering members the opportunity to switch to new, more...

Milk prices: United's milk auction hits 26ppl.
July 9, 2007... United Dairy Farmers' June milk auction continued its strong run on prices on the back of the continuing strength of international dairy markets, with 43mltrs averaging 26ppl, just over 3ppl up on last month's auction and 8.4ppl (47.6%) up on...

Heat stress can be a problem for modern cows - even in winter.
July 9, 2007... Heat stress in housed cattle is not uncommon in summer but increasingly it is becoming a year-round problem. Shirley MacMillan reports. Soaring temperatures may return, with highs of 38 degrees C predicted for this summer, but for modern...

I might owe him - but I've wiped the grin off his face.(Column)
July 9, 2007... Roger Evans' replacement Discovery bought for #1,300 has wiped the grin off his son-in-law's face because he'd already got one of the same age, same colour, same mileage and he thought his was worth #4,000. Last year our second crop of...