Dairy Farmer articles from May 2007

Dairy Farmer archives from May 2007

COMMENT: One step forward...(Tesco PLC profits)(Brief article)
May 15, 2007... Tesco's announcement certainly grabbed the headlines but before we get too excited by the munificence of the 4p we need to see the small print. What price surplus milk, who will do the balancing and how does the pricing formula stack up...

Will Tesco deal force others to fall in line?
May 15, 2007... In one fell swoop Tesco, which is not known for its generosity towards farmers, stunned the industry by announcing that it would offer direct contracts to 850 named farmers and would pay them around 22ppl. This is higher than Waitrose, ASDA...

Clawback on cheese?
May 15, 2007... The Tesco move is undoubtedly good for recipients - those 1000 farmers who will supply it. It will also be good for other liquid milk suppliers to the other dairies. But what of the vast majority of farmers who supply milk destined for the...

Upward pressure from buoyant powder prices.
May 15, 2007... Soaring international prices for milk powder - normally the lowest priced dairy commodity market - means that it is currently more profitable for milk processors to divert milk to this market than to send it to retailers for liquid milk, a...

Spotlight on cheese milk.
May 15, 2007... At last, price rises are beginning to filter through to producers, but only to liquid suppliers in the main. Wiseman increased its farm gate milk price from the beginning of March by 0.43p to all of its producers and co-op suppliers, increasing...

Milk forecast to fall nearly 1 billion litres.
May 15, 2007... Milk production could fall by 7% - or 900m litres - over the next two years if producers implement the plans they've laid out in the MDC's fourth annual Farmer Intentions Survey. The number intending to leave the industry has risen to the...

FFB gets ready to turn up heat.
May 15, 2007... Farmers For Action is threatening to step up the anti against Wiseman for failing to pay back all of the 1.3ppl given to it by Sainsbury's to pass back to suppliers. FFA boss David Handley called on Justin King at the opening WI Great Milk...

Production drops down to record low.
May 15, 2007... March's production was 1152.2m litres at 4.10% butterfat, which is 25m litres down on last year's 1178m litres. Cumulatively we ended the year at 13,463.2m litres, which is 666.8m litres below the UK's starting quota of 14,130m litres...

Selenium update.
May 15, 2007... Following our interview last month on the benefits of selenium in the cow's diet, we would like to point out that there is in fact another brand of selenium yeast, Alkosel marketed by Biotal, which has just gained approval for sale in the EU....

Good news from Tesco, although I do have some niggling worries.
May 15, 2007... Most producers are far too busy trying to eke a living from turning out their goods to get too involved in marketing, and that, according to Tim Gibson, is one of the fundamental obstacles to advancement. I've just read an article about...

Spring turnout proves bit of test for our electric fencing.
May 15, 2007... With local grass keep making over #60/acre, our south-west correspondent Sally Leaney wonders whether she will ever see her money back from the cows grazing it. We turned the dry cows, suckler cows and calves out during the first week of...

Spare parts for my fertiliser spreader but what about me?(farm management)(Viewpoint essay)
May 15, 2007... Tired of reaching through the tractor window and twisting and turning to operate the fertiliser spinner, Paul Higgins has decided it's time to put an end to these gymnastics. Allow me some poignancy for a moment, if you will. This week has...

Interview: What are the implications of the Tesco deal?(Interview)
May 15, 2007... No-one seems to be able to put much flesh on the Tesco bones, and although we would like to speak to them directly they seem unable to provide a spokesperson. David Matthews talks to Kite consultant John Allen about what the announcement is...

Will the Tesco deal signify the turning point for industry?
May 15, 2007... With the much-talked about Tesco deal grabbing the headlines, Ian Potter wonders whether things will change that dramatically bearing in mind that the all-important seat of power still resides where it did previously. There is no doubt...

EU News: World milk price boom as supplies get tighter.
May 15, 2007... Although it may not feel like it in the UK market, world milk prices are continuing to boom, justifying the European Commission's decision to end export subsidies. Dairy traders now find themselves in a sellers' market, thanks to a...

EU News: No butter left in intervention.
May 15, 2007... For the first time in 40 years Europe now has no butter in intervention, following a decision by the dairy management committee to sell the last remaining stocks. This represents the final destruction of the European butter mountain, which...

EU News: Irish get #70m boost from their government.
May 15, 2007... Sales at the Irish Dairy Board rose 5 per cent last year to #1.4bn and the operating surplus increased by a similar percentage to #29m. Exports of butter and milk powder were strong. Kerrygold sales increased 5.7 per cent and there was strong...

EU News: Bluetongue threat continues to grow.(catarrhal fever spreads)(Brief article)
May 15, 2007... The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has claimed preparations taken last year against bluetongue disease in northern Europe have not reduced the risk. Last year's outbreak in Belgium, the Netherlands, northern Germany and France was...

EU News: French not happy with quota demise.(Brief article)
May 15, 2007... As the European Commission continues its plans to end milk quotas and dairy market support measures, French politicians have leapt to the defence of the status quo. In an open letter to farm commissioner, Marian Fischer Boel, they accuse...

EU News: Another deadline has been set.(Brief article)
May 15, 2007... Another deadline has been set for a World Trade Organisation deal - the end of 2007. This was agreed after key players, including the EU, United States, India and Brazil held talks this month. Afterwards EU trade commissioner, Peter Mandelson,...

NZ export ban puts pressure on sourcing of `grazing' bulls.(Report)
May 15, 2007... Rising energy and feed costs are prompting more producers to increase output from grazed grass and forage. Angela Rhodes investigates whether we can breed the cows to match the system. Putting more emphasis on forage calls for a change in...

Son of Jordan is stature improver.(World Wide Sires adds two new high quality bulls)(Brief article)
May 15, 2007... World Wide Sires has recently added two new high type bulls to its proven stud. Mr Regancrest Roy Racer is a son of top type sire Roylane Jordan and joins his father in the UK Top 20 for type with a Type Merit score of +3.00. At present...

High type bull makes his mark.(Brief article)
May 15, 2007... Dairy Daughters has added a new high type star to its proven stud in the shape of Den-K-Marshall Laurin, who goes straight in to the UK Top 10 for Type at No 5 in the rankings. US proven Laurin is yet another high type son of Mara-Thon BW...

US style: Managing a large herd in sub-tropical Florida.(Company overview)
May 15, 2007... Florida-based McArthur Farms Inc is a family owned business comprising four 2000-cow dairies, 1500 acres of citrus and over 500 head of beef cows on 9000 acres. In addition there are 8000 head of replacement heifers with half out on placement...

Letter: Saving the planet is a claim too far.(Letter to the editor)
May 15, 2007... From: Rory O'Connor, Lower Kerswill Farm, Diptford, Totnes, Devon. I am an organic dairy farmer and the idea of using a Keenan (they are not all bad, especially if you grow all your own cereals) to save the planet is just stretching...

Letter: Staying on right side of waste regulations.(Letter to the editor)
May 15, 2007... From: Liz Parkes, Head of Waste at the Environment Agency, Rio House, Waterside Drive, Aztec West, Almondsbury, Bristol BS32 4UD. Most types of waste need to be handled and disposed of properly otherwise they can pose a risk to the...

Letter: RPA now need your banking details for future payments.(Letter to the editor)
May 15, 2007... From: Claire Kingston, Consultant for Laurence Gould Partnership Ltd, Ash Barn, Station Road, Charlton Mackrell, Somerton, Somerset TA11 6AG The RPA has notified farmers this year that payments from January 2008 onwards are only payable by...

Feed conversion efficiency depends on knowing fibre from your roughage.(Report)
May 15, 2007... Much is talked about raising feed conversion efficiency, but according to independent nutritionist Peter Allen getting the rumen balance right first is the crucial thing. Fibre or roughage? Many of you may think that they are one and the...

Bigger foragers: Moving up the power scale.
May 15, 2007... If recent developments are anything to go by then self-propelled foragers are about to get even bigger. The `super-sized' treatment is confirmed by the recent launch of 800hp+ machines from New Holland and Krone, the hint of a more powerful...

Russian Foragers.(RSM 1401 harvester from Rostelmash)(Brief article)
May 15, 2007... Russian manufacturer Rostelmash is perhaps better known for the 5000 combine harvesters it makes every year. However, the company used the recent SIMA show in Paris to announce that it is looking for a UK agent to sell this self-propelled...

Moisture Sensor.
May 15, 2007... Harvesting at the correct moisture content is critical to the production of quality forage, and John Deere's new AMS HarvestLab dry matter sensor provides a fast and reliable method of checking dry matter content in the field and on the move....

Baler update: JOHN DEERE 568 MULTICROP.
May 15, 2007... Designed for those customers wanting to bale silage and hay with a fixed chamber baler, but who also want good performance in straw, the 568 MultiCrop is a new round baler from John Deere. Although the front part of the bale chamber on this...

MF 2100 SQUARE BALER.
May 15, 2007... Designed and built in the AGCO factory in Hesston, Kansas, the 2100 is a new four-model range of large square balers from MF. The four models include the MF 2150, MF 2160, MF 2170 and MF 2190. Replacing the previous MF 185 SII, MF 186, MF...

CLAAS ROLLANT ROUND BALER.(balers sold by Claas France S.A. )(Brief article)
May 15, 2007... Claas claims to have sold almost 80,000 of its Rollant round balers during the past 30 years, and in a move designed to make their balers even better suited to UK conditions, the range has been given a number of upgrades. Although most of...

CLAAS QUADRANT 3400 BIG SQUARE BALER.(Brief article)
May 15, 2007... The Quadrant 3400 is a new high capacity big square baler from Claas. Billed as the most powerful baler currently on the market, it can potentially bale over 60 tonnes per hour. Producing a 1.2m wide x 1m high bale with a maximum length of 3m,...

Balers: TANCO 1814.(Brief article)
May 15, 2007... Tanco revealed a brand new trailed high-speed bale wrapper at last month's SIMA show in Paris. Called the 1814, and aimed at the large farm contractor market, it is the result of a two-year project which has seen prototype testing in...

Balers: KRONE BIG PACK 1290 HDP.(Brief article)
May 15, 2007... The combined effects of a brand new drive, larger compression system and a main gearbox that is designed for power transmissions of 1000hp allows the Krone BiG Pack 1290 HDP (Ultra-High Pressure Baler) to achieve 25% greater baler densities...

Workshop tips: Fencing tips to make the job a little easier.
May 15, 2007... Electric fencing's great benefits are its portability and speed of erection, provided, of course, you can carry all the component bits with you. When I first saw this defunct water trough made into an electric fencing trailer on a farm...

Milk prices: Tesco keeping tight lipped about details of price deal.
May 15, 2007... Tesco has certainly grabbed the headlines by announcing that it is to go down the route of segregated milk supply from Robert Wiseman, Arla Foods and DFB by offering milk prices of 22-23ppl. But details remain sketchy as to when these contracts...

Milk prices: Price of milk for cheese starts to rise.
May 15, 2007... Several cheesemakers have now confirmed price increases from Apr'07. Wyke Farms has increased its producer milk price by 0.5ppl. This rise, added to the Mar'07 increase of 0.27ppl, takes the company's total increase to 0.7ppl so far this year...

Milk prices: Wiseman introduces new supply profile.
May 15, 2007... Robert Wiseman has also confirmed it is to introduce a new Supply Profile Payment Scheme from Apr'08. Having learned the lessons of introducing a scheme with big incentives to level production two years ago, this new scheme will pay the full...

Milk prices: Arla Foods confirms 1ppl increase in base price from April.
May 15, 2007... Suppliers to Arla Foods have received confirmation the company will pay 1ppl more on its base price from Apr'07 lifting it from 16.2ppl to 17.2ppl. With the 0.45ppl balancing charge on seasonal contracts (implemented from Jul'06 but not...

Why our one-horn Jersey will have to get to know her place.(livestock management)
May 15, 2007... Considering her diminutive stature, the newly acquired Jersey heifer is making a disproportionate impact on the herd, but Roger Evans has a cunning plan to change all that! I'm off to London to a Dairy Council lunch and the quickest way...