Dairy Farmer articles from March 2009

Dairy Farmer archives from March 2009

COMMENT: Through glass darkly.
March 19, 2009... It's intriguing that the two leading industry bodies both predict a bright, long-term future for British dairying, partly through growing world demand and partly through a local-sourcing upsurge. And it's true it's all too easy to foster a...

Industry leaders come out with confidence booster for producers.
March 19, 2009... There may have been a significant difference in the tone of language chosen by the two major industry representative bodies at the NFU AGM this month to describe the state of the dairy sector, but the general consensus was the same - the...

United having a tough time.
March 19, 2009... With the downturn in the global commodities market, United Dairy Farmers is battling at the very sharp end of things. Forced to cut its base milk price for Jan'09 by a further 1.2ppl to 16ppl, the price now represents a cut of 9.5ppl on the...

Dairy Council fund slashed in half as DairyCo pulls out.
March 19, 2009... No sooner had National Dairy Week come to a close in early February that news broke that DairyCo had pulled out of its funding commitment to the Council, with the resultant effect that its budget will now be halved to #350,000. However,...

Taw Valley bags second award.
March 19, 2009... Soon after The Cheese Company's Taw Valley plant launched another new product - The Red One, a "Really Remarkable Red Leicester", it bagged another major award. The product won The Grocer magazine's Branded Excellence Awards in the cheese...

Speculation rife over future of DFB but action imminent.(Dairy Farmers of Britain)(Brief article)
March 19, 2009... Dairy Farmers of Britain's negotiations with a possible buyer for one or both of its businesses may come to a head this month with the firm confirming that it "has received an unsolicited serious approach from a third party business". Insiders...

Dairy Crest grows sales but some sectors slower.
March 19, 2009... Dairy Crest's Group sales for the nine months to 31 December 2008 were 4% up against the same period last year, with sales of branded dairy products and retail liquid milk growing strongly. However, ingredient volumes and realisations,...

Campaign for balanced approach wins through.
March 19, 2009... It could have been a devastating blow for dairying but in the end the Food Standards Agency's campaign to reduce consumers' intake of saturated fats was far less damaging than feared. Press advertisements will encourage consumers to switch...

We seem to be growing in numbers - can only think something in the air!
March 19, 2009... Lately our Yorkshire correspondent Tim Gibson has had his mind turned to expanding numbers and by the looks of it he's not the only one! Today's been a special day at Hunter's Hill. My cowman's wife has had a baby boy. Congratulations to...

Our calves may not look pretty but they are starting to motor.
March 19, 2009... After a lively and spirited `strictly come dancing' performance on the ice rink, our south-west correspondent Sally Leaney is anxiously awaiting an early spring. We have had it all this winter - the magic of snow and sledging, the problems...

What will milk price be this year let alone in a couple of years time?
March 19, 2009... Among all his other jobs, Paul Higgins is optimistically planning to expand cow numbers but how big a step to take depends on projecting the milk price a few years down the road. Who knows? The other day I was brought up short thinking I...

POTTER'S VIEW: How I played my part in the great Stourton campaign.
March 19, 2009... Tight as a coiled spring, agent Potter crouched low in the bushes with one eye on the watch tower and the other on his final objective. This was it - he seized the moment as the guard turned to relieve himself and slithered silently across the...

Suffolk frontliner urges us to vaccinate against bluetongue.
March 19, 2009... A Suffolk-based dairy producer is urging all the UK's dairy, beef and sheep farmers to be quick off the mark this spring when it comes to vaccinating their stock against bluetongue. And he should know! John Collen's 120-cow pedigree herd at...

BREEDING: Interbull awaits formula while comparisons put on hold.
March 19, 2009... Until a satisfactory method of comparing genomic evaluations between countries is devised, both DairyCo and Holstein UK will be using conventionally gathered information when evaluating their genetic indices. Ann Hardy reports. Cattle...

BREEDING: Leading cell count improver.(Brief article)
March 19, 2009... Producers battling against rising cell counts could consider breeding to improve this trait. A new bull, Wa-Del Rice Holman, is one of a wave of new O-Bee Manfred Justice sons which appear to have inherited the health and fitness traits of...

BREEDING: Dutch daughters make their debut.(Brief article)
March 19, 2009... CRV unveiled two new progeny groups at Cow Expo, which was held on March 3-4 at Zwolle in the Netherlands. Daughters by Delta Roppa (the Leroy Abrian son which emerged from the August '08 proof run as an udder specialist) and Apina Curtis...

BREEDING: High type sires attract attention in latest line-up.(Brief article)
March 19, 2009... Two new high type and component sires are leading the latest line-up from Dairy Daughters, the first of which is already being used in the UK and internationally as a sire of sons. The bull is Golden-Oaks St Alexander, a US-bred son of...

BREEDING: Popular Cogent bull now sexed.
March 19, 2009... One of the top selling bulls from Cogent's Holstein stud - and number one British-bred bull in the UK for foot and leg conformation - has been added to the firm's sexed line-up. Cogent Loader's impressive combination of outstanding legs and...

BREEDING: Virtual judging and classifying using computer.
March 19, 2009... Aspiring cattle judges and classifiers have a new tool with which to develop and hone their skills, which brings the assessment of the dairy cow right into the 21st century. The computer-generated Virtual Cow - launched by Holstein UK as...

BREEDING: Genomics is not a replacement for progeny testing, says Genus.
March 19, 2009... Genus ABS has added its voice to the call for caution in the use of genomic evaluations, urging breeders not to consider them as a replacement for sire proving schemes. Although committed to the development of genomics, the company says it is...

BREEDING: Cogent deal.(Brief article)
March 19, 2009... Dairy farmers prepared to make a commitment are being offered a deal giving them access to semen at a fraction of its list price. Called HerdPLAN, the scheme has been launched by Cogent and is based on two key principles. The first is a...

BREEDING: Ayrshire sales up.(Brief article)
March 19, 2009... Increased sales of Ayrshire semen have been reported by Cattle Services (Ayr), the marketing arm of the Ayrshire Cattle Society. Sales for 2008 were up by 18 per cent over 2007, itself a record year. The growing market for cross-breeding is...

Survey respondents give their own prescription for lameness.
March 19, 2009... A big thank you to all those who replied to our lameness survey. As promised, here is the analysis of the results. The lameness survey in the January issue of Dairy Farmer has identified this list of measures that participating farmers...

High flying Pembrokeshire herd puts extra 4000 litres on milk yield.
March 19, 2009... The average yield on one Pembrokeshire dairy farm has increased by nearly 4000 litres over the past eight years after a shift in focus towards improving cow diet, reports Debbie James. The Hean Castle herd of pedigree Holstein Friesians had...

FORAGE: Yarg adds value to herd's output.
March 19, 2009... Milk producers who fancy processing their own milk to cut out the middle man need to realise that higher rewards come with greater risks, as delegates at LIC's Pasture to Profit conference were told. With the vast majority of new products...

FORAGE: MARKETING BASICS.(Brief article)
March 19, 2009... * PRODUCT The real and continued success of your product depends on loyal customers and repeat purchases. A memorable brand image and name combined with top quality product and service - consistently - is the only option. * PRICE ...

FORAGE: Overseeding can help even young leys stay productive.
March 19, 2009... Overseeding is no longer about reviving worn-out pastures but has more to do with preventing the establishment of weed species in young leys. Trial results from seed company DLF Trifolium are showing significant benefits with the new approach,...

FORAGE: Overseeding guidelines.
March 19, 2009... Timing * Minimise competition from existing sward. * After the last silage cut of the season. * Any time after a hard graze. Livestock * After cutting wait until aftermaths have recovered. In a grazing situation,...

FORAGE: Benefits of iSeed nutrient coating.
March 19, 2009... * Feeds only the seed and not the weed or surrounding grass * Improves nutrient uptake efficiency * Better root and shoot extension * Up to 30 per cent more viable plants per acre (for re-seeds) * Improved stress tolerance ...

FORAGE: Seed coating gives overseeds head start.
March 19, 2009... USING grass and clover seed which has been coated in fertiliser gives both re-seeds and overseeds a head start, according to Tim Kerridge of DLF Trifolium. "Establishment and early vigour are both likely to be better, and the more stressed...

FORAGE: Brassicas offer way to keep heifer rearing costs in check.
March 19, 2009... Given the right sort of free draining land, brassica fodder crops could have a role to play in cheaply outwintering dry cows or replacement heifers. The recent resurgence in brassica fodder crops is grabbing the attention of hard-pressed...

Scottish College moves towards more maize at expense of grass silage.
March 19, 2009... Maize silage now makes up half the dairy forage diet at SAC's Acrehead unit at Dumfries and is helping boost milk production thanks to the careful selection of varieties. Jennifer Mackenzie reports. Feed costs ...

FEEDING: Out-of-parlour feeders may still have their place after all.
March 19, 2009... Out-of-parlour feeders may seem like yesterday's fad yet, according to Mark Holliday and Duncan Rose of Carrs Billington, they may yet prove a cost-effective way of maximising profits on many family-run farms. The last decade has seen a...

LETTER: Trading group needed to enter into proper buyer negotiations.(Letter to the editor)
March 19, 2009... From: Robert Fisher, Ardgillan House, 24 Melton Green, Wath, Rotherham S63 6AB. A few years ago the big quotation was "There's no such thing as a fair price: there's only a price." A fair price does exist: a fair price is a price...

LETTER: Beware dangers of footbath construction.(Letter to the editor)
March 19, 2009... From: Mark Williams, Agriculture Manager UK & Ireland, Ecolab Ltd, Swindon, Wiltshire SN1 1NH. I am a big supporter of innovation and getting things done in the most economical way, but when the recommended solution is, at best,...

National Holstein Show champions.
March 19, 2009... Supreme champion at February's National Holstein Show was fifth-calver Bassingthorpe Leader Dilys 10, an eight-year-old cow with over 65,000 litres behind her, from the Cornwall-based herd of Wills Brothers. Copyright: UBM Information Ltd....

MILK PRICES: Pressure on cheese pushes prices down.
March 19, 2009... Producer milk price cuts early into 2009 continue at pace both within the liquid and the cheese manufacturing sectors. The latter looks particularly vulnerable to further price cuts this spring as wholesale cheese prices, particularly mild...

MILK PRICES: Co-op prices on the slide.
March 19, 2009... MIILK LINK has had to reduce its milk price across all member contracts (excluding organic) by 1.75ppl from Feb 1. The cut takes our prices down to 24.97ppl on London and West Country liquid contracts, 24.75ppl on Manufacturing and 25.07ppl...

MILK PRICES: Balancer likely to be 6p.
March 19, 2009... WHILE Arla's balancing charge for Feb'09 has yet to be confirmed but looking likely to be close to the estimated 4.5ppl, the company has indicated that the maximum charge for Mar'09 will be 6ppl for milk supplied above an individual's BADP. ...

WORKSHOP TIPS: All aboard with this simple six-bale spike.
March 19, 2009... Bale carting can be a never-ending, tedious business, but this simple Scottish design should speed things up considerably. Everyone who gets to LAMMA enjoys the event. There's a real buzz about it and many visitors now go both days as...

GOOD EVANS: The dog can be tad over keen bringing cows into the parlour.
March 19, 2009... When it comes to cow logistics, Roger Evans' dog has a little too much urgency about him as he seems programmed to fill the pit as well as the standings. Plus, find out why the scraping champ flatly denies being superstitious - provided he has...