Dairy Farmer articles from June 2009

Dairy Farmer archives from June 2009

COMMENT: Under siege.(dairy products industry)(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... With 3ppl wiped off the milk price this spring, we are forced to cling on to any ray of hope, however small, like Wiseman's promise to hold its price for the coming months. But in this roller coaster of an industry there's no guarantee....

Wiseman profits are down.(Financial report)(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Wiseman has continued to grow sales volumes with a 6.9% rise to 1.62bn litres, compared to 1.52bn litres in 2008, but profits dropped marginally after "exceptional items". It reported a 17.4% increase in revenue to a record #847.7m (2008...

BIG thank you.
June 4, 2009... Next month we will be launching a new look to Dairy Farmer including a new team of Cowmen Commentators. So I want to say a big thank you to our existing team of John Trunch, Pat Bird, Tim Gibson, Donald McColm, Sally Leaney and Paul Higgins....

RABDF Princess Royal award winner announced.(Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers)(David Beever)(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Prof David Beever has been chosen as this year's recipient of the coveted RABDF Princess Royal Award for his outstanding service to the industry. Prof Beever has spent nearly 40 years in agriculture research specialising in ruminant...

Featuring the case of the hot potato and the cockerel spur.
June 4, 2009... This month John Trunch takes a glance back at producers' diminishing influence and is pressed into finding a solution to the urgent problem of the cockerel's ever lengthening spurs. Have you had the booklet yet on Swine Flu? I tried to ring...

Whatever else I hope I can't be accused of being a fence-sitter!
June 4, 2009... After 12 years of honest from-the-heart writing, Donald McColm is pulling stumps. The question is can we find anyone else who will be so forthright in keeping the milk buyers and retailers on their toes... it'll be difficult! Our plans for...

BREEDING: How collars are helping keep tight grip on calving intervals.
June 4, 2009... Despite increasing numbers and yields, Cumbrian producer Frank Philipson has managed to keep a tight hold on herd fertility without employing any extra labour. Jennifer Mackenzie reports. Over the last two years herd numbers have increased...

Is it possible to breed fertility into the present day Holstein?(Conference news)
June 4, 2009... Using top Fertility Index sires is claimed to be able to generate an extra #200 per cow per lactation compared to using the worst sires for daughter fertility. Ann Hardy reports on the first study linking actual daughter fertility with a sire's...

What is Fertility Index and what is the average for AI sires?
June 4, 2009... * Fertility Index (FI) is calculated by DairyCo breeding+ and provides a prediction of female fertility. It is not - as is sometimes mistakenly believed - a measure of the bull's own fertility. It is calculated largely from calving interval and...

Owning a plough has opened up a whole new social world.(Conference news)
June 4, 2009... For the first time Roger Evans is a plough owner (well almost), and it has opened up a new world of mouldboards, skimmers and points. But with that comes a whole new social circle as he accumulates enough spares for the county. Yesterday I...