Dairy Farmer articles from March 2004

Dairy Farmer archives from March 2004

Anger as Milk Link deal puts pressure on prices.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... FFA leader David Handley has reacted angrily to the pricing policy of Milk Link's latest joint venture with Irish processor Glanbia, and warns that farmers risk losing last year's hard fought cheese milk price increase. "By going all out...

Quota on knife edge.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... Heading in to the last month of the quota year industry observers say the final quota situation is just too close to call. Production figures for the third week of February stood at 254.4m litres, an increase of 2m litres over the previous...

COMMENT: Tough deal for England.
March 11, 2004... Getting to grips with the progressive hybrid is like struggling with a new version of cluedo, without the rulebook. There's no denying regarding it as a management fee for the countryside will clearly make it more publicly acceptable, but...

Code not working as suppliers mind backs.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... Two years after its introduction, the OFT has conceded that its Supermarkets Code of Practice has failed to improve supplier relations or do anything to diminish the power of the major food retailers. In a year long review of the Code over...

UDF plans to ship cream to Kendal plant.(United Dairy Farmers)
March 11, 2004... Northern Ireland's dairy farm co-operative, United Dairy Farmers (UDF), has bought the Parmalat business at Kendal. The company, which trades under the Lakeland and Losley brands, was secured by UDF within days of its going into...

Out to grass.
March 11, 2004... Cows went out to grass on February 5 at Denhay's Meerhay Farm Fitzpaine, Charmouth, Dorset, onto a crop of Italian ryegrass sown between maize crops. Three blocks of maize ground covering 12 hectares (30 acres) were sown with Italian ryegrass...

France calls for cut in quota to boost prices.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... In a surprise move France has called for a temporary reduction in milk quotas to help boost milk prices across Europe. However while a number of Herve Gaymard's fellow farm ministers backed his concerns about prices, there was little...

Longer acting antibiotic.(Draxxin)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... Animal health company Pfizer has launched a new antibiotic which should be a major boost in the battle against respiratory diseases. The product, Draxxin, has been launched in Europe, but the company plans to make it a global release....

Cowmen comment: Where have all the good cowmen gone?
March 11, 2004... Things are starting to stir up in Yorkshire as our cowman Tim Gibson prepares himself for the zero grazing season and wonders whether he'll be left doing all the work single handed this year. With grass starting to think about growing we...

Cowmen comment: Curled up badger is not welcome visitor.
March 11, 2004... What with an encounter with a seemingly lethargic badger and having her extensification claim rejected, Sally Leaney has got her hands full. Find out how she copes... This week we found what looked like a `not very well' badger curled up...

Cowmen comment: Why right wrapping is vital for good marketing!
March 11, 2004... How on earth does our Stratford-upon-Avon cowman manage to turn an innocent enough discussion on the merits of milk marketing around to `Get me out of here' Jordan. Find out... I'll start this month with the cheese saga. I'm afraid to say...

INTERVIEW: Getting to grips with the hybrid.(Tom Hind, National Farmers Union)(Interview)
March 11, 2004... As producers get to grips with the unfolding detail behind the English hybrid, Peter Hollinshead asks NFU's chief dairy advisor Tom Hind how he sees things panning out. Now up until Lord Whitty's broadly dropped hint in January, producers...

EU NEWS: What MTR means in the different regions.(Marginal Tax Rate)
March 11, 2004... Richard Wright comments on European dairy matters. Decoupling decisions for the UK have now been made and for the first time since the creation of the MMB era the different regions will have different systems. The common agreements are that...

POTTER'S VIEW: Is MDC in danger of talking milk price down?(Milk Development Council)
March 11, 2004... As producers in the regions start to get their heads round their particular MTR version, Ian Potter looks at the future milk price and asks whether there is a danger, not least from some farmer organisations, of talking the milk price down. ...

BREEDING: High component sires reign supreme in latest proof run.(Vanzetti Valentein Raul)
March 11, 2004... While the latest Interbull proof run is dominated by high component European sires, domestic stud Cogent has had to withdraw its newest high production sire from the market. Angela Rhodes has the details. High milk Italian sire Vanzetti...

Genus adds US high-flier to stud.(Genus Breeding)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... Genus will be releasing new type and production US sire End Road PVF Boliver this spring (daughter pictured). His sire Out-Jock Choice Amel was never available in the UK and his dam is a Paradise Cleitus Mathie daughter out of a full sister to...

Cogent holds tough line despite its own CVM sire.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... Having taken such a firm stand over the issue of the genetic defect CVM, Cogent has taken the commercially tough decision not to market its top new sire Cogent Maestro because he is a CVM carrier. "With every case costing farmers around...

BREEDING: Gibson hangs on as popular style setter.
March 11, 2004... Canadian sire Silky Gibson retains his vice-like grip at the top of the latest Holstein UK type ratings with an overall Type Merit of +3.72 now based on some 275 classified daughters. Gibson stock are certainly in demand, with prominent...

BREEDING: French blood for Supersires.
March 11, 2004... Supersires has substantially revamped its French sire line-up with the launch of a dozen new bulls. The new additions include the current No 1 Type and Production sire in France, Okendo, who is a Winchester son from a Mountain dam. The bull is...

MID-TERM REVIEW: What will MTR mean to you?
March 11, 2004... With the announcement of different Single Farm Payment systems across the UK, dairy farmers may well be scratching their heads trying to work out what it all means to them. Richard King of Andersons Farm Business Consultants takes us through...

GRASSLAND: More to silage proteins than at first meets eye.
March 11, 2004... Amongst all the controversy surrounding the value of silage additives, evidence is mounting to show that some inoculant silages will produce better livestock performance than untreated silages, and now researchers are starting to discover the...

GRASSLAND: Silage breakthrough will conserve sugars.
March 11, 2004... Conventional ensiling wisdom has it that you must squeeze every bit of air out of the clamp as your heaviest tractor can manage, but now a new additive has been launched that effectively adds oxygen no less. What is going on? Mike Green...

GRASSLAND: How much does it cost to feed your dairy cow?
March 11, 2004... Profitable milk production depends on being in complete control of your production costs, claims Howell Richards, Kemira GrowHow technical manager for South Wales and a successful dairy farmer in his own right. Get your feeding system right and...

GRASSLAND: Aiming for the same result.
March 11, 2004... High input/high output or low input/lower output - which system is better? In reality, both approaches can produce good profits when done well, as the two dairy finalists in this year's British Grassland Society's National Grassland Management...

GRASSLAND: Simple, grass-based system.
March 11, 2004... RUNNER-UP: Andrew Giles (6420 litres on 0.7t of concentrate). In January 2001, Andrew Giles and his family moved from the family farm in West Wales to take on a 20-year Farm Business Tenancy at Maesllwch Home Farm, on the Welsh Borders near...

GRASSLAND: What can you expect to take from spring grass?
March 11, 2004... Cutting concentrate supplementation to high yielding cows at grass can have a dramatic impact on fertility and production. Angela Rhodes reports on a practical system for deciding when it is appropriate to cut back on cake at grass or, at the...

GRASSLAND: How to get more out of your slurry.
March 11, 2004... Buying new kit to apply slurry more effectively to grassland is expensive - but can the benefits make the investment worthwhile? Sara Gregson reports. The potential of muck and slurry to provide useful nutrients for grass growth is often...

GRASSLAND: Slurry analysis is easy.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... There are quick and easy ways to find out the true fertiliser value of your slurry which don't cost a fortune, claims ADAS Soil Scientist John Williams, based at Boxworth, Cambridgeshire. Standard figures, based on the analysis of thousands...

GRASSLAND: Making silage from high sugar grasses.
March 11, 2004... High sugar grass varieties have been shown to increase feed efficiency under grazing conditions but can they still deliver a benefit as conserved forage? Angela Rhodes reports on the latest IGER research on high sugar grass silage. The...

GLASSLAND: Varieties that are available.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... The plant breeders' work at IGER has so far produced three commercial high WSC ryegrass varieties, namely the tetraploid hybrid AberEcho, the intermediate diploid perennial AberDart and the late heading diploid perennial AberAvon. In...

NVZ ADVICE: Sulphur prevents leaching.
March 11, 2004... Sulphur is proving to be the secret weapon in complying with NVZ regulations on one Somerset farm. Philip Harvey milks some 130 cows at Doddington, near Bridgwater. He also raises 60 head of beef to store, looks to produce some 1500 tonnes of...

GRASSLAND: Grass has vital role in health-giving milk.
March 11, 2004... Milk with proven health benefits looks set to offer some producers a niche sales market. Mike Green reports on a project to assess the production of designer milk with anti-carcinogenic properties. Managing the dairy herd to produce milk...

GRASSLAND: What is CLA?(Conjugated Linoleic Acid)
March 11, 2004... Conjugated Linoleic Acid is a naturally-occurring fatty acid found in meat and milk from ruminants. It is produced mainly by rumen bugs and so is not found in large amounts in chicken or pig meat. CLA is an anti-carcinogen; when put in the...

AIC FORAGE ADDITIVES REGISTER: Participating companies.(Directory)(Illustration)
March 11, 2004... AIC FORAGE ADDITIVES REGISTER: Participating companies Mr D Forster ABNA Limited (inc Forage Systems, KW) ABNA House, PO Box 250 Oundle Road Woodston Peterborough PE2 9QF Tel: 01733 555552 Fax: 01733 422843 Mr A Donkin...

GRASSLAND: Tetraploids offer higher N efficiency.(tetraploid ryegrass varieties)(nitrogen efficient)
March 11, 2004... Modern tetraploid ryegrass varieties not only offer yield and quality advantages but are also more nitrogen efficient. Angela Rhodes finds out why they merit a greater presence in our grass seed mixtures. Despite the advances in plant...

Hybrid will hammer intensive producers.(Country Land and Business Association)
March 11, 2004... The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmer's annual dairy conference held in Gloucestershire concentrated on how reform of the CAP will affect the dairy industry. Mike Green reports. The Government is hammering the last nails in the...

Competing for quota across region border.
March 11, 2004... The reform of the CAP will bring plenty of opportunities for milk producers committed to the dairy industry, according to tenant farmer Tim Dobson. "There will be a lot of opportunities coming up over the next few months," he said. "I will...

Warning: dangers in taking milk report price for granted.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... Milk producers should not assume that the milk price will be 15ppl by 2007 as suggested by the Colman/Harvey report because a lot could happen between now and then, warned RABDF chairman Tim Brigstocke. "This is a good report but was done...

Feed sector faces further rationalisation in bid for survival.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... The new reforms and single farm payment system raise the prospect of radical and substantive change for the agricultural supply industry, according to David Caffall of the Agricultural Industries Confederation. But the implications will take...

Letter: Contact for OP sufferers.(Letter to the Editor)
March 11, 2004... From: Mr F A Williams, Trosta Farm, Pontypool, Monmouthshire NP4 0TX. Could I refer your readers to an article printed in Farmers Guardian December 19 entitled "OP danger like smoking 100 cigarettes a day". It was very encouraging to...

Letter: It's a question of milking routine.(Letter to the Editor)
March 11, 2004... From: John Futrill, John Futrill Milking Services, 14 Clayton Avenue, Buglawton, Congleton, Cheshire. After seeing the article in the current Dairy Farmer from Waikato UK that their customers are milking "140 cows per hour with one man",...

Letter: CVM status should be fully displayed.(Letter to the Editor)
March 11, 2004... From: John Barton, J Barton and Sons, Sand Villa, Cockerham, Lancaster LA2 OAG. At a recent conference I was amazed to discover that both some national and local vets had never heard of CVM. This is short for Complex Vertebral Malformation...

Is there extra income to be had from the horse world?
March 11, 2004... Many may be tempted by the idea of getting into the equine world where prospects seem less discouraging than in the milk industry. But to get alongside those urban horse-keepers with disposable cash, you first need to check out the hoops you...

CALF REARING: Why early growth rates are key to higher yields.
March 11, 2004... While many producers aiming for high yields have invested heavily in improved genetics, they are probably missing the boat when it comes to feeding the offspring well enough to achieve the desired performance. Volac's technical manager Maggie...

Glanbia farmers must look to bigger picture.
March 11, 2004... This month we are pleased to welcome milk price analyst Stephen Bradley as a DF contributor. Many of you may know Stephen as the original compiler of the milk price table and he now runs his own milk price consultancy business as well as...

AMP members face 0.5ppl levy.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... Shares in Arla Foods UK rallied 12% to 58p last week after the company's direct milk supply group, Arla Milk Partnership (formerly Express Milk Partnership before the Express/Arla Foods merger), dipped into the stock market to begin building...

Wake-up call for the DCPA.(Dairy Crest Producers' Association )(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... The Milk Link deal with Glanbia is just another in a series of wake-up calls for the Dairy Crest Producers' Association which, by its own admission, has been lacking in structure for some time. With the Arla Milk Partnership now buying...

Dairy Crest cut retail initiative.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... Dairy Crest has cut its Oct'02 retail initiative monthly supplement on old liquid and manufacturing milk supply contracts (which still account for around 40% of the company's direct milk supply) by 0.2ppl to 0.86ppl backdated for Jan 1...

Price increase.(confirmed by Dansco)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... Dansco has confirmed a 0.2ppl increase from Feb'04 and takes our average price for them up to 18.88ppl on level supply and 18.58ppl on seasonal supply contracts respectively. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

MARKETING: Shop window funding for regional products.
March 11, 2004... Defra funds of #3 million over the next three years will be used to create a flourishing high quality regional food sector in England. Co- ordinated by Food From Britain, Jane Wakeling - a former regional manager with Sainsbury's - has recently...

Cow charge hits high note.(Cravendale Milk)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... Cravendale Milk's `Tastes So Good, the Cows Want It Back' TV advertising campaign has captured the interest of viewers nationwide. The 40-second advert, which started running in February, shows a herd of cunning cattle breaking into a...

Long Clawson marketing skills rewarded.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... Long Clawson Dairy from Leicestershire was presented with the Institute of Marketing's Food, Drink and Agriculture Group's top marketing award last month. Presenting the award, sponsored by Promar International, John Sunderland, chairman...

Ice cream ideas to dine for.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2004... Two of the winners in Food and Drink Expo's Ideas to Dine For competition are organic damson yoghurt produced by The Dairy House and Purbeck Ice Cream's Purbeck Chilli Red ice cream. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

GOOD EVANS: When the ticking off runs out of tick!
March 11, 2004... Mindful as ever of the Editor's red pen, our intrepid hero relates the somewhat colourful conversation between our performing window puller, using nothing more than a hedgecutter and electric line, and the ubiquitous grey suit. Some things...