Dairy Farmer articles from March 2003

Dairy Farmer archives from March 2003

They're just putty in our man's hands.
March 19, 2003... Any perceptions that our Bedale contributor is a gruff Yorkshireman are totally shattered this week... in short he is nothing more than a charmer who, once he decides to go on the PR offensive, has them eating out of his hand in next to no...

Could an accountant feed the nation?
March 19, 2003... Using home-grown feeds has had a dramatic effect on the cash flow on the Leaney farm - as indeed has the sale of two Charolais-cross steers which topped the local store market. But to bring them back to earth is the question of who is an...

Suddenly it's back on the TB merry-go-round.
March 19, 2003... Just when Paul Higgins thought he had turned his back on TB, the vet breaks the bad news of another reactor. Suddenly all his plans for future store sales are turned on their head, and the growing depression is only topped by an ill-fated...

HUK ups the anti in its bid for central database.(Holstein UK)
March 19, 2003... Holstein UK's attempts to set up a central database are facing nothing but frustration, so much so that it has upped the anti in an ouvert attempt to put pressure on what is seen as the wayward non-conforming NMR. Peter Hollinshead asks chief...

European sires steal the show.
March 19, 2003... New German sires stole the show in the latest proof run bringing with them an injection of milk quality. Angela Rhodes reports. The stalemate at the head of the Holstein #PLI rankings has been broken by two new German bulls who have knocked...

Alta launches Cheesemaker team.(Brief Article)
March 19, 2003... A new Cheesemaker range of bulls has just been launched by Alta specifically targeted at producers looking to boost milk quality. The bulls are the product of Alta's Dutch breeding programme where milk quality and functional type are the key...

New signings from Holland.(Avoncroft Sires)
March 19, 2003... Dutch genetics distributor Avoncroft Sires has added a number of new signings to its proven team. The highest rated of these is Horst Harry sired by the Dutch Aerostar son, Newhouse Ronald out of an EX Jabot daughter, Horst Maistein 6. His dam...

Supersires to market Genus bulls.(Brief Article)
March 19, 2003... Rumours have been rife in the industry of the possible takeover of AI company Supersires by Genus Breeding. Speculation has been fuelled by the announcement that Supersires is to market proven bulls from Genus' ABS breeding programme in the US....

Morty regains crown.(Stouder Morty, a holstein sire)
March 19, 2003... US sire Stouder Morty has regained his hold on top spot of the Holstein UK Type Merit rankings with a score of +3.72 and a #PLI of 62. Canadian sire Comestar Outside continues to add UK daughters to his proof and has improved his position...

Factored herds now included in evaluations.(Brief Article)
March 19, 2003... Incomplete records from heifers in NMR factored herds have been included in the latest sire evaluations for the first time. Until now heifer records from around 12,000 NMR member herds which record once a month, alternating between morning...

NPQHs: deadline for demise set to stand.(non-producing quota holder era to end)
March 19, 2003... The UK government and Commission say there will be no change to the March 31 2004 deadline set for the end of the non producing quota holder era. The Thomsen case ruling from the European court is clear and the policy must now be implemented in...

EU News: Italian job.(Brief Article)
March 19, 2003... THE EUROPEAN Commission appears to be taking a tough line over Italian plans to pay hundreds of millions of euro in unpaid superlevy bills on behalf of farmers. The Rome government has urged the Commission to allow this, on grounds that it will...

EU News: More quota.(Brief Article)
March 19, 2003... THE MID-TERM review proposals will boost the milk quotas of the 10 member states due to join the EU next year - and, if the proposals goes through, they will receive the additional quota from day one of membership. Quotas will rise for...

Potter's View: Question: when is a NPQH not a NPQH?(dairy industry quotas viewed)(Column)
March 19, 2003... There's no denying that MTR proposals have put the cat among the pigeons as understandably anxious producers seeks to steer their best path through this bureaucratic minefield. I commented in my January article that the notion being...

Forage - Milk from grass: still right?
March 19, 2003... For years yield from forage and in particular yield from grazed grass has been heralded as the Holy Grail for dairy farmers. Maximising production from forage was seen as the way to secure better margins and higher profits. In fact, consultants...

Forage - Higher sugar grass in pipeline.
March 19, 2003... The very same scientists who brought us the high sugar grasses over a year ago now claim that it was just the tip of the iceberg and there are even higher quality varieties in the pipeline. The breeder of the first high sugar grasses...

Forage - Foxtrot takes floor in yields challenge.(Brief Article)
March 19, 2003... UK seed merchants DLF Perryfields has launched a new high sugar cutting and grazing grass seed mix for the spring. The SugarMax mixture has been put together following trial results in Northern Ireland which highlighted the superior water...

Forage - Forage brome helps raise yields.
March 19, 2003... Forage brome is already grown widely in France and is attracting UK interest with its yield potential and high protein content. Angela Rhodes finds out more about this alternative forage crop. Increased interest in home grown sources of...

Forage - Higher feed value than ryegrass.
March 19, 2003... UK plant breeder Advanta Seeds is responsible for the winter hardy brome variety Meribel. Grass product manager Ian Misselbrook provides a few pointers on establishing and managing the crop. "Forage brome can be grown successfully in any...

Forage - Full listing helps you choose right additive.
March 19, 2003... The benefits of using effective forage additives are well accepted - but how do you choose from the myriad of products on the market? The chances are you'll find the answer here. Dairy Farmer publishes the UKASTA Forage Additives Register - a...

Forage - UKASTA Forage Additives Register.(Directory)
March 19, 2003... UKASTA Forage Additives Register Mr A Donkin Agri Bio Technologies Europe Ltd Croy House Croy Bay Maybole Ayrshire Strathclyde KA19 8JS Tel: 01292 500235 Fax: 01292 500377 Mr H MacKinnon Agricultural Central Trading...

Forage - Cows in clover give more milk.
March 19, 2003... Improvements in yield of 15% have been achieved in the latest trials at IGER, North Wyke, where cows have been alternately grazing pure swards of grass and white clover. Given the choice it seems cows prefer to eat clover rather than grass...

Forage - FCEs may benefit from coarse fibre.
March 19, 2003... Improvements in yield and feed efficiency worth almost 3ppl have been achieved by new users of Keenan's integrated rationing and technical back-up service. Recent analysis of first year results from some 340 new Keenan System users throughout...

Forage - Potash: deficiency puts brake on yield.
March 19, 2003... Nearly half the country's grassland soils have sub-optimal levels of available potash which could be depressing output. This means that when coupled with the inherent lack of information on actual forage offtakes, many dairy units are...

Forage - Orange tinge is not just a trick of light.
March 19, 2003... Crown rust reduces the feed value and the palatability of grass. And it's on the increase. One way to fight back is to choose more resistant varieties of ryegrass the next time you reseed. If your grass takes on an orange tinge this summer...

Forage - The root of the problem.(Docks can be controlled with Bayer CropScience's Squire)(Brief Article)
March 19, 2003... Docks are one of a few weeds which Derbyshire-based contractor Robin Goodall never expected to control well using herbicides - until last year, when he decided to enlist the help of Bayer CropScience's new dock control product Squire. "Squire...

Forage - Less docks, more milk.(Brief Article)
March 19, 2003... Trials show that grass yields can be lifted by 5.6t DM/ha by removing docks from infested swards. The work, on standard high N three-cut silage swards with realistic dock densities, was over four years using the translocated herbicide Pastor....

Compromise between yield and persistency.(Brief Article)
March 19, 2003... Dual-purpose grass mixtures employed as a halfway house between intensive silage and long-term leys have received a major fillip following publication of the latest results from Cheshire Grassland Society trials. Work at Reaseheath...

Forage - Thistle fight.(Dow AgroSciences introduces thistle translocating herbicide, Thistlex)(Brief Article)
March 19, 2003... Dow AgroSciences have just launched a thistle translocating herbicide, Thistlex. The company says that just 10 thistles in a 20sq m area will slash grass yields by 10%. Trials show that Thistlex will control 80% thistles within 12 months...

Forage - Sulphur: crucial role working alongside N.
March 19, 2003... It is a curious paradox that the area of grass receiving sulphur fertilisers in Britain is falling whilst agronomists are virtually united in their views that this vital nutrient should be more widely used. Roger Chesher reports. According...

Forage - Profits needed to fund field trials.(Kemira Agro changes name)(Brief Article)
March 19, 2003... The recent name change by Kemira Agro to Kemira GrowHow reflects the first step towards forming a new fertiliser group ultimately independent of Kemira Oyj. This is one step in the battle of the fertiliser giants to remain profitable in a...

Decoupling - which is best way to jump?
March 19, 2003... While the politicians and legislators grapple with the impact of the mid-term review of CAP and the verdict in the Thomsen case regarding non-producing quota holders (NPQHs), dairy farmers have got to continue making a living and planning their...

Nutrition - Blood profiling bonus.
March 19, 2003... The early part of the year is often associated with a drop in fertility, and nutritional status needs to be regularly assessed during this difficult period. Vet Jonathan Reader from the Kingfisher Practice, Crewkerne, looks at the...

Marketing - Building bodies from the inside.
March 19, 2003... Faced with growing competition from calcium enriched soft drinks, US milk promoters are hitting back in an attempt to stop their unique selling base being undermined. The California Milk Processor Board (CMPB), creators of the popular GOT...

Marketing - UK response.(Dairy Council is focussing on bones with its new `Build up your Bones' poster)(Brief Article)
March 19, 2003... HERE in the UK the Dairy Council is focussing on bones with its new `Build up your Bones' poster. Aimed at children from five to 13, it lists the three steps to building strong bones and teeth - topping up calcium through eating three portions...

Marketing - Concern over soya intakes.(Brief Article)
March 19, 2003... Concern over soya has been sparked by a recent article in New Scientist. A study showed severe long term effects on the sexual development of male rats whose mothers ate a chemical found in soya. Attention is drawn to the possible effect on...

Marketing - MDC pushes for tanker integration.(Brief Article)
March 19, 2003... Cutting costs for producers and making savings in the supply chain are behind the MDC's initiative for more milk tanker integration. Already First Milk, Dairy Crest and Dairy Farmers of Britain are `sharing' routes, but MDC would like to...

Machinery - Take-away TMRs now come ready wrapped.(Kelvin Cave Ltd develops )
March 19, 2003... Without doubt round balers have made their indelible mark on the forage scene since their advent some years ago, but now the fertile minds of the designers have come up with yet another use... round baled concentrates. Roger Chesher reports....

Lungworm is slipping through the defences.
March 19, 2003... Modern wormers are exceptionally effective at providing blanket control of parasites in dairy youngstock but may this protection be exposing them to a greater risk of lungworm infection when they enter the milking herd? Angela Rhodes reports....

Leptospirosis - On guard against two-strain lepto.(leptospirosis )
March 19, 2003... Research work confirms that leptospirosis can depress conception rates by up to 30% and, to make matters worse, it now seems there are two strains to cope with. Leptospirosis may have temporarily slipped out of the headlines but the...

Good Evans: Flowers for the tractor but our toreador fights on.
March 19, 2003... Result nil, nil, as guile and cunning are enlisted in the on-going battle of raging hormones... and that's not just the Jersey. And if that wasn't enough, our intrepid hero Roger Evans now has to suffer the ultimate indignity as his trusty...