Dairy Farmer articles from May 2005

Dairy Farmer archives from May 2005

COMMENT: Going green.(tourism, greenhouse gases)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... Today we hear that the new #80m Doncaster-Sheffield airport will be mainly for budget holiday makers with a target of two million per year in five years time. And with seemingly little connection the Farming Today programme this week has been...

Traders take slice of funds.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... Farmers are often made to feel guilty for their single farm payments, but figures released by the Rural Payments Agency confirm that the real CAP winners are not farmers but trading companies. And in the top 20 of CAP beneficiaries in the...

FFA upbeat as cheese giants look set to move.(Farmers for Action)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... FFA leader David Handley remains optimistic that further increases in farmgate milk price are on the way following the three big cheese manufacturers' push to recover more from their customers. Dairy Crest, Lactalis and Milk Link are...

Milk Link members dig deep in servicing loans.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... Reflecting the increased trading returns from liquid milk sales, Milk Link members are to receive a 0.3ppl increase but the need to cover higher debt servicing obligations in 2005/06 means 0.25ppl of the increase is to go into members' capital...

Quota heads off over the borders.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... Provisional RPA figures indicate that over 400m litres of English quota has been snapped up by Celtic fringe producers keen to increase their quota-based Single Farm Payments. Around 225m litres has been transferred to Scotland with 105m litres...

Tesco steers round traffic light system.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... Supermarket giant Tesco has turned its back on the government backed traffic light food labelling scheme in favour of its own signposting system. The food industry has been resisting the traffic light labelling system because they feel it...

IN BRIEF: Lincoln Co-op bought.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... FOLLOWING months of negotiations, Dairy Farmers of Britain has finally bought Lincoln Co-op in a #5.5m deal. The Co-op employs 280 people with a turnover of some #23m, processes around 1m litres of milk a week mainly for doorstep delivery and...

IN BRIEF: In consultation with unions.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... MILK LINK has announced that it is currently in consultation with unions regarding making 60 employees redundant at the Cheese Company's Oswestry plant following the loss of its ASDA contract. It has also announced that it will be launching a...

IN BRIEF: First of a series of training courses.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... THE RABDF Plunkett Foundation Farmer-Director Development Programme is being launched this month with the first of a series of training courses designed to improve individual boardroom skills to help strengthen milk groups. Details 01694...

Cogent pulling plug on nucleus program.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... AI company Cogent Breeding has pulled the plug on its nucleus programme and refused to quash speculation that this may be part of a merger plan. For the last 10 years Cogent has imported embryos from North America and Europe to provide...

Cowman comment: Tesco's big numbers make you wonder.
May 13, 2005... With Tesco's profits raging ahead our Yorkshire correspondent Tim Gibson is feeling left out and with only 0.3ppl clinking in his pocket he is wondering where the rest of his increase has got to. Last time I jumped the gun a little saying...

Cowmen comment: How Limousins put us under starter's orders.
May 13, 2005... With a new crop of suckler calves hitting the ground, Sally Leaney tells us why it is imperative to get that tag in early while the odds are still in your favour, and dreams of a new agriculture minister who showed a little passion for the job....

Cowmen comment: A midnight collection is not without its problems.
May 13, 2005... Whether your milk tanker picks up at one minute to midnight or one minute past can have its own repercussions, as Paul Higgins found out. I have started drying off cows now and by the first week in May should be down to once a day milking....

Interview: It's a long term game for patient Milk Link players.(Interview)
May 13, 2005... While most producers will, at least, be breathing a small sigh of relief at the long awaited 0.3ppl price rise, some co-op members are having to be even more patient. David Matthews talks to Milk Link's chief executive Barry Nicholls about the...

EU News: Radical talk of single regime to include all.(European Union)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... If EU farm commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel has her way there may eventually be no such thing as a dairy regime under the CAP. In a surprise announcement she advocated slashing red tape and costs by moving to a single regime for all...

EU News: Fighting for global sales.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... The head of the Dutch dairy giant Campina has claimed the future is bright for the European dairy industry - provided it can exploit the growing global demand for value-added products. Speaking at an Agra Europe dairy conference in London,...

EU News: Campina shock as merger plans collapse.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... The European dairy industry has been left shocked by the surprise confirmation that the proposed merger of the two food giants Arla Food and Campina has failed. This would have created the world's second biggest dairy business with sales of...

EU News: EC restricts maize.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... The European Commission has imposed restrictions on the import of maize based livestock feeds from the United States. Maize gluten and brewers grains are the main target, with around 3.5m tonnes imported by the feed industry each year. These...

EU News: Less rigid discipline.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... Financial discipline is the term used in CAP reform for cuts in single farm payments after 2007, if the CAP budget does not balance. Now some member states are pressing the Commission for less rigid discipline - and there is every chance they...

Charlotte was strutting her stuff at the show.(Charlotte the Cow, school milk programs)
May 13, 2005... After last time's debacle, Ian Potter returns to a Midlands educational show to find his worst fears are unfounded as milk promotion is now high on the agenda. Three years ago I attended an education show aimed, principally, at teachers...

BREEDING: Ranking reshuffle as latest indices kick in.(Individual Animal Model )
May 13, 2005... After six years in development the Test Day Model genetic evaluation system is being launched this month alongside new indices for fertility and lactation persistency. Angela Rhodes takes a look at what impact these changes will have on your...

BREEDING: Data centre fails to unite breeders.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... Despite being 14 years since the original Wilson Committee report, this week's launch of the national cattle database, the Centre for Dairy Information, still leaves the open sore with National Milk Records unhealed. While this is...

Copywood keeps it in the family.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... After winning the National Holstein Show Supreme Championship last year with Copywood Integrity Sara, Derbyshire breeder Belinda Fox scooped the title again with another maternal sister, Copywood KJ Sara 2. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

US DAIRYING: California - where big herds have their own milk tankers.
May 13, 2005... A group of 19 UK farmers, consultants and vets went out on a fact finding tour of Southern California to see what could be learnt from the US approach. Specialist consultant Tim McKendrick, from The Dairy Group, went with them and attended the...

Only the best will do for grazed grass.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... Kemira GrowHow Adviser Mike Denney explains how SingleTop is proving its worth by delivering significant increases in grass yields whilst maintaining true proteins and increasing sugars. With fertiliser at current prices, it pays, more than...

SURVEY RESULTS: Why sub-optimal fertility could be costing you dearly.
May 13, 2005... Who wants an extra penny a litre? All of us and it's there for the taking according to the results from the National Cattle Thrift Survey conducted in Dairy Farmer two months ago. A worrying three quarters of dairy farmers have seen herd...

GRASSLAND: What to be looking out for in varieties line-up.
May 13, 2005... Plant breeders at IGER have yet again set the standard for the rest to follow with the introduction of another top performing perennial ryegrass. Angela Rhodes finds out more about the Institute's latest star and takes a look at the other new...

GRASSLAND 2005: John Deere.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... JOHN Deere's latest side pull mower conditioners are available with an optional system that allows hydraulic adjustment of the cutting height from the tractor cab. A feature of the 3m 530 and 3.5m 535 is the module cutterbar design. Fitted with...

GRASSLAND 2005: Pottinger.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... GROWING interest in zero grazing with fresh mown grass has led to the development of the new Classic disc mower from Pottinger. Known as the Novadisc 306F Classic it offers a working width of 3.04m. Power requirement is just 60hp, and the mower...

GRASSLAND 2005: Claas.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... THE largest mower in the UK, the Claas Cougar will make its public debut at the Grassland Event. Powered by a massive 480hp engine, the five mowing units offer a cutting width of 14m and Claas claims that given the opportunity it would be...

GRASSLAND 2005: Lely.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... LELY'S Splendimo 280 MCN mower conditioner features a twin pivot frame and over-transport system. This allows the cutting bed to pivot both end to end and centrally to ensure an even cut of grass across the full cutting width. In transport, the...

GRASSLAND 2005: Pottinger.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... THE general shift in the UK from drum to disc mowers has prompted Pottinger to add a new 3.88m model to its Novadisc linkage mounted disc mower series. Called the Novadisc 400, the new nine-disc version features a swath formation option....

GRASSLAND 2005: Krone.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... THE combination of a front mounted 3.2m mower with two rear mounted 3.14m butterfly versions allow Krone's latest EasyCut 9000CV triple mowing combination to cut 8.7m of grass in a single pass. All three mowers feature a patented quick...

GRASSLAND 2005: JF.(WestMac)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... ALTHOUGH designed to operate as a one-man machine, a feature of JF's ES ProTec forage wagon is the way the chute rotates through 90 degrees. This means that it could even be used to work with conventional silage trailers, and UK importer...

GRASSLAND 2005: Lely.(Product introduction)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... LELY'S Hibiscus 800 Master is a twin rotor, cam track rake creating a central swath which is adjustable in width between 1 and 2m. Offering an adjustable working width of 6.80 to 8m, the machine is said to be ideal for 3 x 3.20m mower...

Mower Briefs: Fella mower.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... LOOK out for a new centre-pivot mower from Fella (RECO). It features a new design that ensures the correct pressure to the cutting unit to give optimum mowing and float in all conditions. The new mower is available with or without conditioner...

GRASSLAND 2005: Krone.(Product introduction)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... THE completely maintenance free aspect is not the only feature of the fully enclosed cam track housing included on Krone's 700, 800 and 900 Swadro rakes, as the new system ensures a more precise lift of the tines resulting in improved swath...

GRASSLAND 2005: Lely.(Lotus 1020 Profi tedder)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... WITH a working width of 10.20m and a forward speed of 15kph, Lely's Lotus 1020 Profi tedder is clearly aimed at the top end of the market. Features include an adjustable transport wheel assembly, which reduces the size of this big machine...

GRASSLAND 2005: Kuhn Farm Machinery.(GA 8521 Gyrorake, trailed twin rotor )(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... A SELF-contained hydraulic drive unit and pivoting headstock is a feature of Kuhn Farm Machinery's new trailed twin rotor GA 8521 Gyrorake. Offering a working width from 7.5 to 8.5m, hydraulic drive provides the advantages of reduced...

GRASSLAND 2005: Claas.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... A NEW model has been added to the Claas range of fixed chamber balers. Called the Rollant 254 Roto Cut, it is designed to fill the gap for farmers and smaller contractors who want a less expensive, lower power- requirement baler but with a...

GRASSLAND 2005: RECO.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... THE addition of three new models means that the Fella range of tedders available from RECO now includes rear-mounted machines from 4.5m to 8.6m wide and trailed machines from 7.7m to 12.7m wide. All models have a special locking mechanism...

GRASSLAND 2005: RECO.(Gallignani GA V6, balers)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... PRODUCING 1.2m wide round bales from 0.6 to 1.65m in diameter, the Gallignani GA V6 variable chamber baler can be seen in action on the RECO plot. A feature of this latest model is that the density of the core centre and outer part of the...

GRASSLAND 2005: Lely.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... THE Welger RP 235 is a new fixed chamber baler from Lely. Aimed at larger farms and contractors looking for a high specification machine, the 235 is fitted with a 2.25m pick-up. To help achieve tighter bales, it is fitted with 18 rollers within...

GRASSLAND 2005: McHale.(stand-alone baler, McHale Engineering Ltd.)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... A FEATURE of McHale's F550 stand-alone baler is that the U bands on the pick-up are galvanised which prevents them from rusting when the baler is not used. On display for the first time at Grassland, a feature of the high- pressure...

GRASSLAND 2005: Vicon.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... VICON will show its updated BW1800 round bale wrapper which now features an all-new joystick control system and revised film cutters. The joystick controlled wrapper comes in addition to the standard computer controlled machine but gives...

Grassland Briefs: Mapping system controls additive.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... JOHN Deere's new 7000 series of self-propelled forager harvesters are available with the option of the Harvest Doc yield monitoring and mapping system for this season. Using this device it is possible to offer on-the-move control of variable...

Grassland Briefs: New XTX tractors.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... McCORMICK will reveal its new three-model XTX tractors at Grassland. Spanning 173 to 202hp, these latest versions feature an eight-speed powershift transmission and a brand new cab. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Grassland Briefs: Zetor tractors.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... THIS will be the first Grassland event since the Zetor tractor factory, based in the Czech Republic, started selling its machines solely through Norfolk-based Zetor UK Ltd. The full range of Proxima (68-88hp) and Forterra (99-126hp) tractors...

Grassland Briefs: Bigger engine.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... IMPROVEMENTS to John Deere 7000 series self-propelled forage harvesters include a larger 510hp engine on the 7400 model and heavier duty feed rolls across the range for increased durability. All machines also now feature the ability to harvest...

Grassland Briefs: Italian tractors.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... A NUMBER of new Landini tractors can be seen in action on the RECO demonstration plot at Grassland. These include the three-model Alpine range from 67 to 82hp, and the five model Powerfarm range from 59 to 99hp. Copyright: CMP Information...

Grassland Briefs: New telehandlers.(MERLO)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... MERLO'S brand new TurboFarmer telehandlers will be at the show. Replacing the previous 7m and 9m KT machines, these latest models feature 102 or 140hp Deutz engines, a new load-sensing hydraulic system and a new cab. Copyright: CMP...

GOATS: One way of avoiding the hassle of quotas.
May 13, 2005... Want to produce milk without the cost, restrictions and bureaucracy of milk quotas? It's not a dream but a viable option for some dairy 0armers to consider if they are willing to swap their cows for goats. Mike Green reports. What was once...

Milk prices: Farm gate price down.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... The provisional DEFRA average UK farm gate milk price for Feb'05 was 18.44ppl, 0.25ppl down on the Feb'04 average of 18.69ppl, and the second largest fall in price in the last 12 months after the 0.31ppl of Aug last year on the previous year....

Milk prices: Dairy Crest warning of pain.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... Confirming increases to its liquid milk prices of 0.3ppl from Mar'05 and a further estimated 0.3ppl from April, Dairy Crest has warned its suppliers that looking forward to May and subsequent months there are still significant issues to be...

Milk prices: Waitrose to merge supplies.
May 13, 2005... Waitrose is to merge its reserve milk pool with its main supply and is to distribute the 1.5ppl increase from Mar'05 so as to equalise the milk price paid to both groups of producers. Up until now a reserve milk supplier has been receiving...

Milk prices: Tough going to get 1.5p increase for liquid supply.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... The chance for many producers supplying the liquid market to receive the full 1.5ppl milk price increase is starting to look slim, even for direct suppliers to Robert Wiseman who may be considered by others to have stood the best chance of...

Milk prices: First Milk and DFB up 0.3p.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... BOTH First Milk and DFB have confirmed price increases of a flat 0.3ppl for Mar'05. The increase takes our First Milk core price up from 18.12ppl to 18.42ppl, while for DFB the price rises from 18.23ppl to 18.53ppl on its standard compositional...

Milk prices: Westbury gets timely boost.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... WITH DFB and First Milk up 0.3ppl for Mar'05 but with Milk Link down 0.12ppl, Westbury Dairies - who currently formulates its direct supply price based on the weighted average of the three co-ops - has confirmed it is to increase its price by...

Marketing: Tapping into the teenage markets.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... Mizz, Elle Girl and Shout are just three teenage magazines carrying new advertisements to encourage 11 to 16 year-old girls to eat or drink more dairy products. As part of a two year #3m MDC marketing campaign, supported by the EU, the...

Marketing: Research into milk enriched with selenium.
May 13, 2005... In an effort to develop selenium enriched dairy products, Milk Link is carrying out a pilot study that will monitor the effects on the level of the mineral in milk when cows are fed a selenium supplement. Twelve dairy farms supplying Milk...

Marketing: Indulging in bigger scoop.(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... Yeo Valley Organic is aiming for a larger scoop of the #285m take-home indulgent ice-cream sector this season. Taking advantage of data that shows consumers want large packs, luxury products and the fresh taste of natural, organic recipes, the...

Marketing: Cheshire cat set to grin.(cheese sales)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... Sales of Cheshire cheese have increased by 4%, increasing sales value by 6.2% during the past 12 months, thanks to a #200,000 farmer/dairy industry campaign. In 2003 the MDC and the three leading Cheshire cheese makers, Belton Cheese, The...

Marketing: All eyes are on Charlotte.(Charlotte the Cow, school milk project)(Brief Article)
May 13, 2005... Star of School Milk Project, Charlotte the Cow, made her debut this spring at the Education Show at the NEC, Birmingham. Her job - which she carried out successfully - was to draw the attention of teachers and education professionals to the...

Good Evans: ELS? All primed and ready after 20 years.(entry level scheme)
May 13, 2005... Got the urge, got the mountains and now got the bike. What more could you want? This month Roger Evans reveals his long held cycling ambitions and why the Devonians may become the bakers of the rugby field. A few days ago we were moving...

Cross compliance set to be next hoop to jump through.
May 23, 2005... Got the form off? Well the next hurdle is cross compliance and many dairy farmers have yet to take on board the full implications of this. William Phillips (of P&L AgriConsulting in association with Kingshay Farming Trust) is part of the team...

Cowmen comment: Why I am looking to set up my third unit.
May 23, 2005... Two months ago Stuart Bacon was declared Dairy Farmer of the Future. Stuart farms at Crewkerne, Somerset, where he runs 230 Holsteins in a family partnership. He has recently taken on another farm near Taunton on a five-year agreement in...

Cowmen comment: Flatter milk profile should bring benefits all round.
May 23, 2005... Duncan Blood is runner-up in the Dairy Farmer of the Future Award and is a first generation dairy farmer running 240 cows near Audlem on the Cheshire/Shropshire border. Here he shares his current thoughts with us. All the cows are still...

Milking: Taking on a no frills approach in west Wales.
May 23, 2005... In the same way that Easyjet and Ryanair have pioneered low cost air travel, Welsh dairy producer David Wynne Finch has opted for a similar no frills approach to his new unit on the Lleyn peninsula. Angela Rhodes reports. When beef and...

Milking: Cutting task down to size.
May 23, 2005... Improved milking times and a better quality of life are key considerations when choosing a new parlour especially on family run units. Angela Rhodes finds out how investing in a new parlour has given South Wales producers Jeremy and Ruth Payne...

Milking: Why we can't just view the parlour in isolation.
May 23, 2005... The need to improve parlour efficiency has become all important and the mantra is now more cows per hour. Geoff King talks to National Milking Technology specialist Ian Ohnstad about the fundamental aspects to bear in mind. When producers...

Milking: First find out what you want on paper.
May 23, 2005... Nearly a third of new parlours installed in the UK replace worn out units, another 30% hope to answer the quest to increase labour efficiency, a further 14% to improve working conditions and a rising number, over 20%, are to accommodate herd...

Advice: NVZs - are you getting it right?(Nitrate Vulnerable Zone)
May 23, 2005... It is two and a half years since NVZs were expanded but, says GrowHow Adviser Dave Towse, some aspects of NVZ compliance are still catching people out. There still seems to be confusion surrounding some aspects of NVZ compliance. The...

Milking: Big step forward towards earlier mastitis detection.
May 23, 2005... Milk conductivity monitoring as a mastitis detection tool has always sounded good in theory but has sometimes been unreliable in practice. Angela Rhodes reports on a new generation of conductivity meters for conventional parlours. Milk...

Good Evans: Slim farmer WLTM faithful cattle dog with GSOH.(Would Like To Meet)
May 23, 2005... When it comes to getting those wayward cattle up for milking any cow dog worth his name needs to instil discipline and command respect or, as Roger Evans relates, you might as well be doing the job yourself. I'll tell you what can make you...