Dairy Farmer articles from November 2003

Dairy Farmer archives from November 2003

US food labelling threatens dairy industry.
November 7, 2003... Concern about the possible adverse health effects of trans fatty acids (TFA) has prompted the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to announce that, from January 2006, US food manufacturers will have to include TFA contents on food...

COMMENT: Heads on the block.(dairy industry prices)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Westbury aside, there's no doubt the co-ops are facing probably the greatest challenge of their chequered history. Expectations are high; deliverance is due. The onus is on them to make the 2ppl for cheese milk stick and there's no denying...

BST benefits under scrutiny.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Two separate reports in the United States have undermined claims that the milk yield boosting drug BST is good news for the industry. Trial researchers studied the performance of 259 herds using BST. The drug increased production, but the...

Anger grows as processors sit tight.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Angry producers threaten to step up the pressure on processors unless they agree to lift prices in line with market realisations. According to First Milk's chief executive John Duncan, the major processors are holding firm against the...

Green light on merger.(Arla Foods AB, Express Milk Partnership form Arla Foods UK)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... The Arla and Express merger has now been given the go ahead by the Competition Commission. The announcement has been broadly welcomed and has the backing of the Express Milk Partnership that currently supplies milk to Express. EMP chairman...

Higher input costs swallow up price rises.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Any increase in milk price this autumn could be wiped out by a substantial rise in feed and fertiliser costs, it seems. Strong cereal and protein feed prices mean at least a 10% rise in feed costs/litre is on the cards. According to KW...

Top awards for producers.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Congratulations to Essex dairy farmer Peter Padfield who has picked up the International Person of the Year award at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. Peter is only the second Brit. to receive the award, given for his contribution to...

Cowmen comment: Pressure mounts to deliver autumn rise.
November 7, 2003... Scottish correspondent Donald McColm is fearful that unless the co-ops can secure a satisfactory price rise this autumn, producers will be tempted to peel off into the arms of the direct buyers. Read on. The months of August and September...

Cowmen comment: Seems like we're just going round in circles!(domestic milk industry)
November 7, 2003... Unless there is some improvement in the domestic milk industry, John Trunch fears that we could end up with imported milk on our shelves, just as he is now finding half-priced Brazilian meat in his local cash- and-carry. Read on. There's...

Cowmen comment: On red alert if John has got a new motor.(dairy industry mismanagement)
November 7, 2003... Far more questions should be asked of those running our co-operative ventures and producers should be on the look out for tell-tale signs that their potential cash cows are being milked by others. Pat Bird gives us a few clues for spotting...

EU News: Italy forks out for super levy.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Italy has given a commitment to clean up its act in return for the government being allowed to lend farmers E650m to pay super levy bills. But a new report has underlined that doing so will be a major task. Despite tougher national...

EU News: Waiting game as to timing of decoupling.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... It is full steam ahead now on the decision as to when the UK dairy regime will be decoupled. With the implementing regulations approved in Brussels it is now up to member states to make final decisions - and if they want to play the long game...

EU News: India gears up for top dairy spot.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Europe will soon no longer be the world's number one producer of dairy products. According to a report from the Dutch Rabobank, which specialises in agricultural research, India will overtake the EU as the world's number one within two years...

EU News: Atomic Kitten to lift image.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... An executive with Tesco in Ireland told the World Dairy Summit in Belgium that milk needed to win a more sexy image in the market place. In a paper intriguing titled "a social and psychosexual perspective on the milk market", Paul Slevin...

EU News: Get WTO talks back on road.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... The collapse of the WTO discussions has created a potentially dangerous future for dairy farmers who, without global trading rules, could find markets targeted with dairy products from low cost producers. This is why the major trading blocs are...

Potter's View.
November 7, 2003... Family farms who transfer quota to relatives may be caught out by the NPQH rule if they are not careful, as Ian Potter explains. Hello! I mean H-E-L-L-O! Are you awake out there? Happily the majority of you are, but I fear potentially up to...

Genus fights back in growing CVM debacle.
November 7, 2003... While the ongoing CVM debate takes a new turn, changes to the #PLI index mean increased emphasis on functional type traits and cell counts. Angela Rhodes reports. The average 100-cow herd stands to lose 10 times more money through using...

Updated index will force shake-up in rankings.
November 7, 2003... A new improved version of the #PLI index incorporating both somatic cell and locomotion scores will be unveiled at the next proof run in November. The current #PLI formula has come in for considerable criticism especially from breeders who...

Semen World adds Storm son to stud.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... From the cow family that produced the elite Italian sire, Carol Prelude Mtoto, comes a new proven bull for the Semen World line-up. Carol Storm Cocherill is a Maughlin Storm son out of Mtoto's maternal sister, Carol Luke Tisana VG89. ...

German sire joins line-up.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Supersires has added a new German sire to its proven line-up for this autumn. Lasalle is sired by Lukas, a very good son of Leadman who died before he could be used extensively as a proven bull. Lukas is also the sire of Lancelot, the current...

Growing global interest in UK genetics.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... British dairy genetics are making a growing impact in the international breeding market, reports Holstein UK marketing manager Chris Shepherd, fresh from `flying the flag' at British Livestock Genetics' first-ever stand at the World Dairy Expo...

Breeding: It's an udder priority.
November 7, 2003... In the sixth in our series of articles, Holstein UK Animal Breeding & Research Analyst, Lucy Andrews, works with MDC Evaluations and SAC to examine the udder traits that will be playing an increasing role in the new Profitable Lifetime Index...

DAIRY CENTRE: Dream comes true with state-of-art dairy centre.
November 7, 2003... The University of Nottingham has developed a new #2.5m dairy centre on a greenfield site near its Sutton Bonington campus. Features to ensure good cow welfare have been a top priority throughout the new unit, which was designed for up to 250...

Quality Milk Award: Finding a winning streak.
November 7, 2003... Attention to detail is the underlying element that has earned Derrick Davies this year's Quality Milk Award. Peter Hollinshead went to see exactly what it is that makes him a champ. Like all livestock producers Derrick Davies is in a...

Mastitis: SCC figures may not be giving the true picture.
November 7, 2003... Viewed in isolation individual somatic cell counts are not worth the paper they are printed on, according to a new Institute for Animal Health study. Angela Rhodes reports from this year's British Mastitis conference at Garstang, Lancashire....

Mastitis: Milk fever as precursor to toxic mastitis.
November 7, 2003... Toxic mastitis, which is mainly caused by E coli, is one of the biggest killers of dairy cows with over a third of those affected either dying or being culled early. Of those that survive another 20% will lose the affected quarter, according to...

Mastitis: False economy to try extending life of liner.
November 7, 2003... Extending milking liner life may save money in the short term but there are hidden costs to skimping on this vital piece of parlour maintenance. Reporting on the findings of the first extensive farm trial looking at the effects of liner...

Mastitis: Teat preparation can slash time of milking.
November 7, 2003... Pressure to increase cow throughput means teat preparation is non existent in many parlours. Yet the 20 seconds spent on teat preparation could significantly reduce the time it takes to milk each cow, according to ADAS consultant Ian Ohnstad....

Grassland: Get your grass into shape to survive winter onslaught.
November 7, 2003... Winter damage in the majority of grass swards is more likely to be caused by poor autumn management than severe weather, and paradoxically the predictions are this could be a particularly bad year for winter kill. Even though our winters...

Efficiency - in danger of hitting the buffers?
November 7, 2003... Promar's latest Farm Business Account results show the extremes producers have gone to in an attempt to protect profits and net worth but, as finance consultant John Warrington explains, we may be getting close to the point where the elastic...

Fertility: Going on-line boosts fertility management.
November 7, 2003... As cow numbers per man increase the amount of time devoted to reproductive management inevitably declines. Angela Rhodes finds out how one Lincolnshire unit makes the most of the time available with the help of an on-line breeding service. ...

Fertility: The crippling cost of higher culling rates.
November 7, 2003... A 10% reduction in replacement costs could have a significantly greater impact on profitability than changing milk contracts. According to BOCM Pauls R&D manager Alison Boydell, the hidden costs of high replacement rates are eating away at...

Fertility: Post-partum energy deficit not inevitable.
November 7, 2003... Negative energy balance in early lactation doesn't have to be inevitable even in high yielding herds, according to David Whitaker from the Dairy Herd Health and Productivity Service at Edinburgh University. The majority of nutritionists and...

Fertility: Tips for reducing first lactation heifer losses.
November 7, 2003... An estimated 30-40% of first calved heifers fail to make it through to the next lactation and almost three quarters are lost because they fail to get back in calf. Angela Rhodes looks at what measures can be taken to reduce this untimely...

Fertility: Battle is on to arrest drop in fertility level.
November 7, 2003... National statistics show that fertility performance in UK herds is declining and, with each additional day on the calving interval costing #2.07, this is a loss few farmers can afford. Phil Clarke of Promar offers some timely pointers for...

Fertility: Improved conception rates.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Improvements in fertility and overall performance worth an extra #60/cow/year are being claimed for Agri Lloyd's new Cow Care TMR trace element and vitamin supplement. "Our original Cow Care drench has been on the market for some time but...

Rugby players back to school.
November 7, 2003... Sports personalities helped to make a success of this year's School Milk Week from 29 September to 3 October. Out of 2500 nominations, 200 primary schools were successful and received free milk for a day. To go with their morning milk, a few...

Battle to lift price of milk for cheese.
November 7, 2003... An agreement by Scottish cheddar manufacturers McLelland to provision- ally increase the milk price paid to First Milk by 2ppl has hopefully set the ball rolling in the battle to push cheese prices up from the bottom. "IMPE is stronger,...

Science of sarnie sizes.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... We could shortly be seeing renewed interest in the cheese sandwich. Results from scientific work can now identify how much of a particular type of cheese is needed for optimum cheesiness in the sandwich. Dr Len Fisher - the scientist who taught...

Noddy called in to promote organic milk.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Noddy organic milk will be joining yoghurts on supermarket shelves this autumn. Introduced by the suppliers of Breakfast and Gold Top milk, Highgrove Foods, Noddy Milk will show off the colourful character in his Toy Town home. Priced at 49p,...

Cheshire set to grab more of market.(Brief Article)
November 7, 2003... Back in the 1920s Cheshire Cheese was the most widely eaten of all cheese in the UK. Boatloads were taken from Liverpool to meet demand in London. But soon after, its popularity was replaced with imported cheddar from Commonwealth...

Good Evans: When does big bass drum turn health hazard?
November 7, 2003... With a certain red-headed gardener agreeing to open the village fete, Roger Evans' fertile imagination has gone into overdrive as it hovers delicately over the prospect of how she would cope with his big bass drum. Read on if you dare... ...

Turning of screw on private drawings.(Brief Article)
November 26, 2003... Over 40% of costed farms in the latest HSBC Spotlight Series failed to fully fund their private drawings in the last year. According to figures published in the Series 6 report the top 25% of producers retained over 3ppl profit after...

COMMENT: Which way our margin?(analyzing farmcare closure)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
November 26, 2003... Just as Andersons were telling us in one ear that a third of producers would exit the industry in the next three years, principally those with less than 150 cows, the giant Co-operative's farmcare announces in the other that they are pulling...

Scientists score own goal on TB cull policy.(Brief Article)
November 26, 2003... Farmers in TB hotspots have been left in limbo following the government's decision to suspend reactive culling of badgers in advance of the completion of the Krebs trials. Reactive culling has been suspended after interim results showed a 27%...

Dairy Crest's ultimatum meets angry response.
November 26, 2003... Dairy Crest's ultimatum was firmly rebutted this week as battle lines were drawn up in producers' on-going fight to lift the price of milk for cheese. Farmers for Action leader David Handley dismissed Dairy Crest's 1.4ppl offer as an...

In at the deep end.(Brief Article)
November 26, 2003... Late night revelling? No, but this Simmental-cross steer was found treading water in Ian Bond's swimming pool at Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, one morning and couldn't move from the deep end because of the rigid plastic cover through which it had...

Are you the Dairy Farmer of the Future 2004?(Brief Article)
November 26, 2003... The search is on for the Dairy Farmer of the Future 2004. The competition is sponsored by Arla Foods UK, Bibbys/KW, Cephaguard, Dairyforce, Kemira GrowHow and NatWest, and supported by Holstein UK. Turn to page 41 for full details and a copy of...

Drugs under threat.(Brief Article)
November 26, 2003... The future of everyday drugs in the UK remains under threat, with the European Commission still refusing to back down over plans to make all drugs prescription only. This has already been rejected by the European Parliament, but the Commission...

Co-op blames poor returns for quitting dairy business.(Co-operative Group's farmcare operation)(Brief Article)
November 26, 2003... Bottom line scrutiny is said to have forced the Co-operative Group's agriculture arm, farmcare, to announce its withdrawal from dairying with the loss of 48 jobs. But the decision, which perhaps shouldn't have been unexpected following the...

Seven day hold.(Central Mastitis Review group)(Brief Article)
November 26, 2003... FARMERS treating mastitis cases with off-label antibiotics should withhold milk for a minimum 7-day period after treatment to avoid the risk of residues, says the Central Mastitis Review group. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

COWMEN COMMENT: Are direct buyers out to clobber the struggling co-ops?(Farmers for Action)
November 26, 2003... Fresh back off the FFA lines, Tim Gibson considers the implications of a national milk selling agency and possible future pressures on the co- ops. Having read the House of Commons debate on the dairy industry from October 28, I am amazed...

COWMEN COMMENT: Keeping an eye open for odd Masai warrior.
November 26, 2003... Now that Lord Haskins is advocating more thinking and less protesting time, Sally Leaney has taken him to heart with the result that she can't stop her mind dwelling on the destiny of her clapped-out MF tractor. Read on. "Good News"...

COWMEN COMMENT: Times are tough for your AI technicians!
November 26, 2003... Like everybody else associated with the industry, AI companies are finding they have to turn a pound wherever they can, as Paul Higgins finds out. Stubble turnips came in very handy this summer for two reasons. Firstly it meant the cows...

EU NEWS: Getting to grips with implication of reform.
November 26, 2003... The CAP reform deal has been done and the implementing regulations have been published, but there are many technicalities still to be sorted out over the coming months. But for now it seems certain that the UK will opt for full dairy decoupling...

EU NEWS: Phasing in for new members.(Brief Article)
November 26, 2003... The European Commission has confirmed that dairy support in the 10 new member states joining the EU next year will be phased in at the same rate as other CAP payments. This will see compensation per litre of quota beginning at 25% of the...

EU NEWS: France finds going tough.(Brief Article)
November 26, 2003... The price malaise gripping the UK dairy industry is spreading to other EU member states. The French body which sets both liquid and manufacturing milk prices has cut these for the final quarter of the year. This is the eighth cut in two...

EU NEWS: Soap men in milk market.(Brief Article)
November 26, 2003... Glanbia has formed a 50-50 partnership with the PZ Cussons company, of Imperial Leather soap fame, to build a new dairy processing facility in Nigeria. The new processing plant will cost US$20m and will produce evaporated milk and milk powder...

POTTER'S VIEW: Why we must stop shooting ourselves in the foot.(Editorial)
November 26, 2003... This month Ian Potter metaphorically steps bravely out across the quicksands of Morecambe Bay, where eggshells have no place. Does he walk alone? Low milk prices? Pathetic rises? Well, what do you expect - miracles? Hell, what a...

INTERVIEW: What will the MTR mean for you?(Andersons' analyst Richard King's views on the dairy industry and the mid-term review)(Interview)
November 26, 2003... With the industry about to embark on one of the most radical changes yet, producers are having to get to grips with the full implications of what life will be like in a fully decoupled world. Peter Hollinshead talks to Andersons' analyst,...

BREEDING: High milk quality bulls lead the rankings.
November 26, 2003... Changes to the #PLI index have meant a resurgence in the fortunes of the European proven milk quality bulls and a more torrid time for the high volume, low percentage sires. Angela Rhodes reports. In an attempt to breathe new life into its...

Gibson heads type ratings.(Bulls)(Brief Article)
November 26, 2003... Holding firm at the head of HUK's type ratings is the Jed son, Silky Gibson who now has almost 200 daughters classified in the UK giving him an overall Type Merit of +3.87. The one newcomer to the top 10 is Pursuit September Storm with a...

British Friesian finally gets its own genetic recognition.(Brief Article)
November 26, 2003... After years of campaigning for independent genetic evaluations, British Friesian breeders can look forward to their first proof run using a British Friesian genetic base in February 2005. Since the amalgamation of the societies, British...

Letters: CVM carrier bulls: why take the risk?(Letter to the Editor)
November 26, 2003... From: Bob Hardy, TyGarreg, Pant, Oswestry, Shropshire. I was interested to read Dr Denny Funk's defence of CVM positive bulls last month and just wonder where he gets his figures from. His claimed incidence level of 5% in the UK...

Letter: THE PRICE OF A PINTA.(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
November 26, 2003... From: Mr T A Evans, Blaengafren, Eglwyswrw, Pembrokeshire. You may be interested in the following which shows under the old MMB that dairy farmers were getting a far better share of the milk price. In 1969-70 the MMB published a chart...

QUOTA: Does it make sense to buy more quota?
November 26, 2003... Many producers face the agonising decision about whether it is worth buying more quota ahead of the qualifying date base. Andrew Brown of consultants Throup Slater looks at the economics of venturing into the market now. Let's just look at...

RE-STRUCTURING: Lessons from the spud boys.
November 26, 2003... As the dairy sector faces up to major restructuring post MTR, John Allen from Kite Consulting reflects on what lessons can be learned from the potato industry. Around 20% of the advice we currently give concerns milk quota yet within the...

VETERINARY: How much can you save on your herd health bill?
November 26, 2003... How much is disease costing you? Or, put another way, how much better off would you be if you reduced clinical or sub-clinical disease on your farm? David Matthews reports. You may have some idea how much disease is costing you but you...

NEW ZEALAND: After four weeks, 20 farms and six job offers.
November 26, 2003... Dairy Farmer reader Andrew Cartwright took a herdsman's rather than busman's holiday to New Zealand as winner of the OrbeSeal Trip of a Lifetime competition. Here he reports on what he found from his own unique perspective as a herdsman on a...

HOUSING: Don't allow environmental bugs to gain upper hand.
November 26, 2003... Around half the reported cases of clinical mastitis are now caused by environmental pathogens. ADAS dairy consultant Ian Ohnstad looks at how we can improve our housing to reduce the incidence of environmental mastitis. Figures recently...

HOUSING: Boost light levels for better cow health.
November 26, 2003... Adequate lighting is a must for good cow health and staff working conditions. Consultant Dr Mike Kelly discusses the options for improving light levels in existing and new dairy buildings. No-one can dispute that there are significant cow...

HOUSING: Getting air flows right will cut down on pneumonia.
November 26, 2003... Respiratory disease in calves costs the industry an estimated #80m a year in veterinary treatment and lost productivity. Angela Rhodes investigates how improving ventilation can be a cost-effective way to tackle the problem. Ask any calf...

HOUSING: Handy Andy's MDF now used for cubicle bedding.
November 26, 2003... The much maligned and ubiquitous chipboard may now have found yet another use... as winter bedding. Peter Hollinshead reports. Question: what can you buy for around #10/t, use it as winter bedding and yet still be left with something worth...

MARKETING: Milk - what potential for regional branding?
November 26, 2003... Is there such a thing as regional loyalty and would customers preferentially buy locally produced foods if they had the option? David Matthews reports on the impact of regional branding of milk. Tucked away in the back of one of the Milk...

MARKETING: UK is losing out on healthy milk market.
November 26, 2003... The UK is missing a great opportunity for promoting milk as part of a healthy diet, claimed a Nuffield scholar this week. According to Cate Barrow, fresh back from studying the dairy industry in Scandinavia, Australia and the US,...

Camembert takes world title.(Brief Article)
November 26, 2003... A French camembert made from goat's milk was named World Champion Cheese by a panel of 80 international judges at this year's World Cheese Awards held at Olympia, London. This year's champion, produced by Eurial-Poitouaine, fought off 1000...

Nutrition and welfare.(Brief Article)
November 26, 2003... The first issue of the Dairy Council's Nutrition News will be published in November. This monthly newsletter sets out to review the latest research as it is published, but most importantly, says the Council, it ranks the work in terms of its...

GOOD EVANS: Co-op efforts prove power of positive thinking.(Editorial)
November 26, 2003... This month Roger Evans castigates the gloom mongers who doubted the power of farmer co-operation and lays bare the myth about his `perma- tan'. I usually try to avoid dairy agri-politics in this column. Probably because I realise that it's...