Dairy Farmer articles from May 2008

Dairy Farmer archives from May 2008

COMMENT: Vote of no confidence.
May 9, 2008... With milk production claimed to be at its lowest level for 30 years, it's perhaps not surprising that industry leaders are starting to concede prices will have to rise if we are to arrest the on-going decline in production. According to...

Milk price will need to rise further to stem exodus from industry.
May 9, 2008... Milk prices will have to rise further if producers are to be convinced to stay in milk and not convert to arable, warned the heads of some of the UK's major dairy companies this week. United Dairy Farmer's chief executive David Dobbin, from...

Wales comes off the TB fence.(Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)(Brief article)
May 9, 2008... While Defra continues to procrastinate on TB, the Welsh Assembly has bitten the bullet and announced what it says is a "comprehensive plan of action to eradicate the disease". The #27m plan includes measures to test all cattle herds across...

Cold cow debate on air.
May 9, 2008... YOU'RE all cruel, and you subject your cows to thoroughly unreasonable conditions by grazing them (and sheep) outside in April, of all months. Especially a cold April. All these animals should be inside cosy buildings where it's warm. That...

Tesco moves on price but Sainsbury's is still talking.
May 9, 2008... All eyes are still on Sainsbury's and Asda to see if they respond to Tesco's 0.5ppl increase this month, which takes its price to 28ppl. In his letter to producers, Tesco's dairy category manager, Alain Guilpain, said the price was...

OFT apologises to Morrisons.
May 9, 2008... In a humiliating climb-down, the Office of Fair Trading has issued a grovelling apology to Morrisons for implicating it in last year's price- fixing accusations which were levelled against most UK main dairy processors and retailers. It...

Robert Wiseman Dairies looks to change notice periods.
May 9, 2008... Robert Wiseman has outlined what it describes as minor amendments, agreed with the WMP Board, regarding term and termination clauses on producer supply contracts. With reducing milk supply, the company says it needs to make the amendments...

Cowmen comment: Abortion storm slackens as cause of outbreak is sought.
May 9, 2008... As well as trying to pick up the pieces after his devastating abortion outbreak, Tim Gibson is now hell bent on making up for lost time particularly on the buildings front. As I write in early April the grass has just started to grow,...

Cowmen comment: I even know what's in their sandwiches at Defra offices.
May 9, 2008... Apart from the shock of finding four cows staggering around the yard, Sally Leaney has been relentlessly maintaining her close contact with the Reading SPS office. Down here it's been a late spring but silage stocks have just about lasted...

That uddermint gets literally everywhere including in the hair.
May 9, 2008... Sundays are supposed to be a day of rest but not for Paul Higgins as he ends up chasing three wayward Hereford stores around the fields. What is it about Sundays - you have a job that is only supposed to take ten minutes and it suddenly...

What will milk price need to be to inject level of confidence?(Conference notes)
May 9, 2008... Fresh back from the annual Dairy Industry Newsletter Conference, Ian Potter has been catching up on the latest vibes, both globally and in our domestic market, as indicators as to which way the industry is heading. The speakers and...

Letter: We must change from being price takers to price setters.(Letter to the editor)
May 9, 2008... From: Robert Fisher, International Federation of Dairy Producers, Ardgillan House, 24 Melton Green, Wath, Rotherham S63 6AB. In his editorial comments (March 08) Peter Hollinshead reported that Andy Bond expected Asda suppliers to reduce...

Letter: Employer beware - double check applicant references.(Letter to the editor)
May 9, 2008... From: Angela Rhodes, Wormleighton Grange Farm, Southam, Warwickshire. Recruiting farm staff is a minefield at the best of times but a recent experience has rocked my faith in the honesty and integrity of prospective agricultural employees....

Dairy Daughters calendar raises #1500 for charity.(Brief article)
May 9, 2008... Staff at Somerset-based breeding company Dairy Daughters decided on their own 2008 calendar and have raised #1500 which was presented this week to Farm Crisis Network, the charity specialising in supporting farming families facing problems. ...

CEDAR set to go to 600 cows in state-of-the-art installation.
May 9, 2008... Costing over #5 million, the all-new Centre for Dairy Research unveiled by the University of Reading this week represents a huge vote of confidence in the future of UK milk production. But what is the thinking behind such a huge capital...

Are we seeing new star set to challenge Shottle supremacy?
May 9, 2008... Stability with no nasty surprises would be the best way to describe the latest Holstein sire proof run, but for one British AI company there is the bonus of a new home-proven star challenging for a place at the top of the rankings. Angela...

Breeding: Braveheart leading field on type rankings.
May 9, 2008... The type rankings are again headed by Markwell Mrsh Braveheart with an overall Type Merit of +3.85. Braveheart is also the leading foot and leg bull on the market by some distance with a composite score of +4.12. Just behind him on the type...

To what extent can clover help to plug costly nitrogen gap?
May 9, 2008... With nitrogen prices in the stratosphere, now could be a good time to give clover a second look and see what it can do to help slash your fertiliser bill. White clover-based systems are capable of fixing the equivalent of 1kg of nitrogen...

Are there benefits to be had from going for shorter chop lengths?
May 9, 2008... British dairy diets contain too much long fibre and farmers could see significant benefits from reducing chop length, according to Rachel Fowers, ruminant specialist with Frank Wright Trouw Nutrition. The normal approach in the UK is to cut...

How to get most from your grass with only sniff of cake.
May 9, 2008... Grass budgeting may sound a strange concept but Irish producer Tom Nunon has got it down to such a fine art that it allows him to cut concentrate feeding down to 330kg per cow. Irish farmer Tom Nunan will be demonstrating his grass...

Grassland & Muck 2008: Cutting down on your fertiliser bill.
May 9, 2008... An application of slurry can make a contribution of #89 per ha towards spiralling fertiliser bills.This is the message from Yara UK, official partner of the Grassland & Muck Event, whose agronomy manager Mark Tucker says: "With fertiliser...

Grassland & Muck 2008: Overseeding boost to young grass.(Brief article)
May 9, 2008... Benefits from using a new overseeding mixture from UK grass seed specialist DLF Trifolium are worth in the region of #125/acre a year. That's the claim being made for the overseeding mixture GrassMax which has been the subject of a...

Survey shows dry period diet cuts down on calving problems.
May 9, 2008... A survey of 270 dairy farms with both housed and pasture-fed cows where the new Keenan Low Energy/Hi Fibre strategy had been in place for at least six months, showed calving issues reduced from 45 to 16 cases per 100 cows calved. "Calving...

Grassland & Muck 2008: CLAAS.(Brief article)
May 9, 2008... The new 830hp twin engined CLAAS JAGUAR 980 self-propelled forage harvester will make its UK debut at the event. Connected by a drive belt instead of a gearbox, the driver has full control over both engines. Whilst they are both run in...

Grassland & Muck 2008: KUHN.
May 9, 2008... A mower conditioner designed for reverse drive tractors and capable of grouping 14m of grass into a single swath will be a feature in Kuhn Farm Machinery's demonstration area. Called the FC 703 RA, it features two mowing units that provide...

Grassland & Muck 2008: VALTRA.(Brief article)
May 9, 2008... Although front linkage and PTO has become a popular option on many of today's tractors, until now adjustability has been limited and as a result use restricted. Plus hitching up to implements can also be difficult. That is the message from...

Grassland & Muck 2008: HARRY WEST.(Brief article)
May 9, 2008... Able to spread all types of manure from solid to slurries, Harry West (Prees) Dual Spreader features low power and low maintenance requirements. The range covers 1300, 1600 and 2000 gallon versions all using the same principle of feed...

Grassland & Muck 2008: POTTINGER.(Landmec Pottinger Ltd.)(Brief article)
May 9, 2008... Landmec Pottinger makes no secret of the fact that the 10m cutting width offered by the new Novacat V10 linkage-mounted mower makes it the largest mounted drum mower combination in the business. Designed for use behind 180hp tractors, a...

Grassland & Muck 2008: STRAUTMANN.(Strautmann Inc. offer muck spreader )(Brief article)
May 9, 2008... Although a model from Strautmann's new VS universal muck spreader range will put in an appearance at Grassland, at this stage it is still unclear whether this will be the 16 tonne one or the brand new 24 tonnes version. The top end VS 2403...

Grassland & Muck 2008: MCHALE.(McHale Fusion updated bale wrapper)(Brief article)
May 9, 2008... The updated version of McHale's Fusion integrated bale wrapper will be in action for the very first time. Called Fusion II, the main changes include the angle of the 2m-wide pick-up for better crop flow and a simplified bale transfer...

Grassland & Muck 2008: VICON.(Brief article)
May 9, 2008... Vicon highlights include the first public outing for the new RV2160/RV2190 variable chamber round baler. The Andex 1103 twin rotor rake is also likely to attract a good deal of attention. Offering a working width of 11m, the latter is...

Grassland & Muck 2008: OPICO.
May 9, 2008... New machines from Opico include the Bush Hog 320 series heavy-duty rotary scrub cutters. Evolving from the 300 series, the mounted PTO driven 320 series incorporates a number of new features designed to increase cutting capacity and...

Grassland & Muck 2008: KUHN.
May 9, 2008... Kuhn Farm Machinery's 9cu m capacity Pro Twin Slinger side exit manure spreader features a patented twin-auger design combined with free- swinging discharge hammers that work against an adjustable deflector. In action it moves material...

Grassland & Muck 2008: AMAZONE.(Brief article)
May 9, 2008... At the time of going to press it was still uncertain just what Krone machines Amazone would bring to the event. One thing is certain the German concern launched a whole heap of machines at Agritechnica. The list includes the new range of...

Grassland & Muck 2008: RECO.(Brief article)
May 9, 2008... The list of Mengele machines from RECO includes the SH40N trailed forager and Rotobull 7000 loader wagon. There will be a whole range of Fella mowers, one of which includes the new 4m SM 420TL disc mower. Featuring eight mower discs and two...

Grassland & Muck 2008: JF-STOLL.(Brief article)
May 9, 2008... The GXT 12005SM, a new triple 12m trailed disc mower conditioner, will be premiered in the UK on the WestMac stand. Costing the best part of #60,000, and requiring a tractor of around 300hp, the machine on display has already been sold to a...

Grassland & Muck 2008: TANCO.(Tanco introduce round bale wrapper)(Brief article)
May 9, 2008... Tanco machines include the 1814 trailed square/round bale wrapper, the 1400 high speed offset trailed round bale wrapper and 1600 compact square/round bale wrapper. Producing square bales from 0.48m to 1.4m and round bales from 1.0m to 1.5m,...

Grassland & Muck 2008: CASE IH.(Brief article)
May 9, 2008... Case IH's latest RBX344, RBX454 and RBX464 round balers will be on their first public outing following the moving of production from the US to Poland. The fixed chamber RBX344 features a 1700Nm high torque capacity driveline clutch to...

Grassland & Muck 2008: JOHN DEERE.
May 9, 2008... Visitors to the John Deere plot at Grassland 2008 will be able to see a new 7750 i Series self-propelled forage harvester, equipped with AutoTrac automatic steering and a Kemper 460 Champion maize header. This new header is a 6m...

Grassland & Muck 2008: SPREADWISE.(Brief article)
May 9, 2008... In addition to the Ecojector, Spreadwise will demonstrate a brand new umbilical dribble bar. Available in working widths of 8m and 12m, both fold hydraulically to less than 3m for transport. They come with cutter distributor heads for very...

Grassland & Muck 2008: LELY.(Brief article)
May 9, 2008... Lely highlights include the Splendimo 900 Triplo mower conditioner. Offering a working width of 8.8m, Lely reckons that the trend with larger dairy farms is for this type of mower. Other highlights include the Lotus 520 tedder, a 5.2m wide...

Grassland & Muck 2008: VOLAC.
May 9, 2008... The first pre-stretched big bale wrapping film available in the UK has been shown to enhance fermentation conditions with tighter bales from improved film strength and lower permeability. Volac Topwrap 2000 can be used on a conventional...

Choosing a strategy to use the untapped potential of grazing.
May 9, 2008... With escalating feed prices, getting more milk from grass is of greater importance than ever but the real question is can we get better returns from grazing without cutting cake? David Burns, Promar's regional consultant, considers the options...

Milk prices: Caledonian to sign suppliers.
May 9, 2008... Lactalis McLelland is holding its Caledonian Creamery price of 27ppl for our standard litre from Apr'08 and is pushing ahead with further recruitment. This time last year the company, which makes Seriously Strong Cheddar, had around a...

Milk prices: Heler announces price rise.
May 9, 2008... WITH Tesco having confirmed it is increasing its producer price by 0.5ppl from Apr'08, taking our standard price to 28ppl, Joseph Heler is one of few milk buyers to have also confirmed price increases to date. The leading Territorial...

Milk prices: United's auction slips back.
May 9, 2008... UNITED'S Mar'08 milk auction sold a total of 57mltrs for an average price of 22.61ppl, 0.38ppl down on the previous month but 5.31ppl up on last year. With all contracts starting Apr'08, 54mltrs on 3mth contracts averaged 22.60ppl, 0.13ppl down...

Workshop tips: Don't be caught out by the odd puncture.
May 9, 2008... We've been having punctures and blowouts ever since John Dunlop (1840- 1921), the Ayrshire born vet, made some inflatable tyres for his boy's tricycle. Mike Donovan gives them his attention. Punctures cause chaos, yet most farmers, and even...

Crack went the fence post as we lurched a little nearer the edge.
May 9, 2008... Eat your heart out Jeremy Clarkson as Roger Evans gets into serious training for the toughest sort of off-road challenge Top Gear may care to throw at him. Whether the MDC metamorphosis into Dairy Co is a change from caterpillar to...