Dairy Farmer articles from November 2005

Dairy Farmer archives from November 2005

COMMENT: Armlocked.(Brief Article)
November 16, 2005... Deloitte's headline grabbing figure that lowland farmers are paying #35/acre for the privilege of producing the country's food supplies will perhaps come as no surprise to most of you. Privilege it may be but economically sustainable it...

OFT decision meets with angry reaction.(Office of Fair Trading)(Brief Article)
November 16, 2005... The OFT's decision to refer the proposed purchase of the tiny Scottish Milk Dairies by Wiseman to the Competition Commission has been met with an angry response from industry leaders. That is because the fiercely competitive middle ground...

AFMP looking to sign more direct suppliers from south.
November 16, 2005... The Arla Foods Milk Partnership has pushed the button to recruit further direct supplies for Arla Foods' London sites. The plan is to target interested producers in the south-east region down as far west as Frome, Somerset and Blandford Forum,...

UK quota for Italy?(dairy farmers trade quota )(Brief Article)
November 16, 2005... Hopes that one day UK dairy farmers will be able to sell their quota abroad rose this week - but only marginally. The first international quota trade between a Hungarian farmer and an Italian farmer has been carried out, according to broker Ian...

Retailers notable by their absence.
November 16, 2005... Dairy industry leaders are appealing for retailers to become more involved and engaged in the development of the dairy industry after the latest DEFRA led Dairy Supply Chain Forum failed to attract a single one to the high level, cross-party...

No need to stop and fill up.(Ecosyl Products silage additive sytems)(Brief Article)
November 16, 2005... By using peristaltic precision pumps taken from the kidney dialysis field, N Yorkshire company Ecosyl Products has just launched a silage additive system which takes application rates down to an incredible 20ml/tonne. This means one tank...

MDC meetings.
November 16, 2005... The very topical future of the dairy industry is the subject of a series of MDC-organised meetings due to kick off this month. Farmers, representatives from the major milk processing companies, NFU and government will be teaming up with MDC...

Genus expansion.
November 16, 2005... GENUS plc has expanded significantly by purchasing Sygen, the world's biggest pig improving genetic firm, for #187m, while at the same time divesting itself of its non core veterinary wholesale business for #8.2m. Copyright: CMP...

Trade balance shows imports racing ahead.
November 16, 2005... The UK's main plc dairy companies were conspicuous by their absence at the recent Anuga food fair in Cologne - by far the world's most important food and beverages trade fair. Despite much welcome innovation and brand building in recent...

COWMAN COMMENT: How cow helped forge links with local school.
November 16, 2005... Despite being busy with winter feeding and cubicle building, our Yorkshire correspondent Tim Gibson still found time to talk to the local schoolchildren about where their milk comes from. We are enjoying a relatively mild autumn at the...

COWMEN COMMENT: Offered up on the altar of international politics.
November 16, 2005... This month our south-west correspondent Sally Leaney is incensed with the horse trading of world politics and the way some supermarkets seem to be preferentially promoting imported products. How does it feel to be a `pawn' especially when...

COWMAN COMMENT: You can't beat a good bit of withy fencing.
November 16, 2005... If you think you may be beginning to lose it when you catch sight of some giant humbugs in the fields of Warwickshire, then fear not as Paul Higgins has a very plausible explanation. Every now and again we, as a nation, lose someone...

INTERVIEW: Which way forward for our milk industry?
November 16, 2005... It is now nearly two months since the NFU launched its long awaited `Vision for the Dairy Industry' document. David Matthews talks to Gwyn Jones, chairman NFU Dairy Board, about the ideas in the document and how it is going down with farmers...

EU News: Why it could be time to support the French.
November 16, 2005... The answer to a simple question will determine dairy fortunes for the coming decade. Will France or EU trade commissioner, Peter Mandelson, prevail in what has become a battle over who negotiates for Europe in the World Trade Organisation? ...

EU News: U-turn on modulation fills shortfall in budget.
November 16, 2005... Farmers could face a doubling of modulation rates to fill a hole in the rural development budget. Despite months of assurances that CAP reform or the agricultural budget would not be revisited before 2013, EU Commission president Jose Barroso...

EU News: Superlevy fines.(Brief Article)
November 16, 2005... The European Commission has published figures for 2004/2005 milk quota superlevies. Germany and Italy had the biggest overshoots and in total ten member states will be paying fines to Brussels. These amount to around #250m, a slight reduction...

EU News: Austria looks to pick its way round GM obligation.(Brief Article)
November 16, 2005... The Austrian state, denied the opportunity to go GM free by a European court decision, is trying a different tactic to achieve the same end. Under new plans it wants to impose rigid restrictions on any farmer who wants to grow GM crops....

POTTER'S VIEW: Wow! Nice work if you can get it.
November 16, 2005... As you face yet another milk price cut you may be somewhat intrigued by the MDC chief executive's salary increase, although, as Ian Potter points out, there may be radical changes in that camp following the outcome of the present review. ...

BREEDING: Monsanto enters into sexed semen market.
November 16, 2005... Although sexed semen has been with us for a few years now, things look set to hot up a little with the entry of a new US player into the marketplace with the promise of sexed beef semen too. Angela Rhodes has the story. Pharmaceutical...

BREEDING: Cheese appeal.(Brief Article)
November 16, 2005... Leading US breeder Frank Regan has produced more than his share of proven bulls over the years from his famous Dellia cow family. The latest two from that stable have been added to Semen World's line up for this winter. ER-Regancrest...

BREEDING: Jocko son takes reins.(Jocko Besne )
November 16, 2005... French sire Jocko Besne remains one of the highest rated second crop sires in the world so it is no surprise that breeders and sire analysts are waiting for some top class sons to emerge. In the August proof run Jocko himself still had a #PLI...

BREEDING: Red carrier from Holland.(Brief Article)
November 16, 2005... Avoncroft has added four new commercial bulls from Holland this winter. Manders Marius is a red carrier son of Addison out of an Eastland Cash dam who is likely to appeal most to producers looking for functional type and relatively high milk....

BREEDING: Latest from the MOET line.(Brief Article)
November 16, 2005... The latest proven sire from Genus' nucleus herd is the Addison sired MOET Pavane. The bull is bred from one of the herd's most successful cows, MOET Geoffry Flop B VG87 who has so far bred four VG daughters and turned in a second lactation of...

ANIMAL HEALTH: Strep uberis and coliforms impacting on clinical cases.
November 16, 2005... The latest thinking about tackling the ever present mastitis problem was put before the vet and farmer audience at this year's British Mastitis Conference at Stoneleigh. Angela Rhodes reports. Clinical mastitis cases cost the UK dairy...

ANIMAL HEALTH: Why proper care in dry period is crucial.
November 16, 2005... Good dry cow and early lactation management are the keys to controlling coliform mastitis according to US mastitis specialist Dr Joe Hogan from Ohio State University. "Cows are most at risk from coliform infections in the two weeks after...

ANIMAL HEALTH: Routine cell counts can mask the problem.(Brief Article)
November 16, 2005... Producers using individual cow milk samples to monitor somatic cell counts should be intervening sooner to stop cows with mediocre SCCs turning into chronic cases, according to specialist cattle vet Andy Biggs. While individual cow cell...

ANIMAL HEALTH: Pain relief can speed recovery.(Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)(Brief Article)
November 16, 2005... Most clinical mastitis cases are routinely treated with intramammary and systemic antibiotics but good pain relief also has a role to play in speeding up recovery. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) are becoming a more common...

ANIMAL HEALTH: Keeping on top of the pneumonia challenge.
November 16, 2005... As cattle start to be housed, those still muggy November days tend to be ideal for spreading pneumonia. Gloucestershire vet Chris Watson tells us what to look out for and how to treat this scourge. A recent outbreak of severe pneumonia has...

HEALTH: Role of footbaths in battle to control digital dermatitis.
November 16, 2005... The SAC Veterinary Investigation Centre, Ayr, has been surveying 40 farms over the last winter as part of a #150k MDC research project to investigate the use of footbaths in controlling infectious on-farm disease. SAC's research officer Dr Jill...

ANIMAL HEALTH: Why heifer lameness is becoming a problem.
November 16, 2005... Culling is probably the ultimate cost of any disease and it is especially true if heifers have to be removed during or at the end of their first lactation. Gloucestershire vet Roger Blowey looks at some of the reasons why so many dairy heifers...

ANIMAL HEALTH: Step back to advance on the longevity front.
November 16, 2005... The productive lifespan of the UK dairy cow currently stands at an unsatisfactory 3.5 lactation average. Cattleman Tim Allen gives us his somewhat controversial view on how going helter skelter for genetic progress is overlooking the...

Milk prices: Dairy Crest makes its move on liquid pricing.
November 16, 2005... Dairy Crest is to reduce its liquid price by 0.275ppl from this month but with the promise of holding it through to Mar'06. However the price paid to suppliers of milk for cheese will remain unchanged after the September 0.1ppl rise. The...

Milk prices: First Milk removes its flat rate payment.(Brief Article)
November 16, 2005... First Milk has decided to adjust its price schedule from Oct'05 taking into account the 0.2ppl reduction by removing the existing flat rate payment of 0.3ppl and adding back 0.1ppl via increased constituent payment values. It claims the...

Milk prices: Deal called off.(Brief Article)
November 16, 2005... Robert Wiseman Dairies has decided not to proceed with the #0.9m acquisition of Scottish Milk Dairies Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary of First Milk) after the OFT said it was to refer the proposed purchase to the Competition Commission. ...

Milk prices: United's auction up a fraction.(Brief Article)
November 16, 2005... United Dairy Farmers milk auction for Oct'05 sold 37mltrs (supply starting this month) for an overall average price of 21.77ppl, 0.11ppl up on Oct'04 average but 0.21ppl down on last month. Of the total volume, the 33mltrs sold on 3mth...

Milk prices: Westbury comes into line.(Brief Article)
November 16, 2005... As a result of DFB cutting 0.3ppl and First Milk 0.2ppl from Oct'05, and with Milk Link reducing its monthly adjustment by 0.1ppl to 0.75ppl from Sept'05, Westbury suppliers are to receive a 0.2ppl cut from Oct'05. New constituent values of...

Milk prices: Wiseman set to suspend profile.(Robert Wiseman )(Brief Article)
November 16, 2005... Robert Wiseman is to suspend its current profile scheme from Apr'06. The ring fenced self-financing scheme, which was launched last April to encourage members to supply on a more level profile, had to be amended after three months as the amount...

Milk prices: DFB cuts 0.3p.
November 16, 2005... Despite having increased the doorstep price by 2p/pint from Oct 1, Dairy Farmers of Britain has confirmed that it has to reduce its member milk price (excl Channel Island & organic) by a flat 0.3ppl from Oct 1. The cut takes our prices down to...

Milk prices: Defra Aug price.(Brief Article)
November 16, 2005... The provisional Defra average UK farm gate milk price (including retrospective bonuses) for Aug'05 is 18.47ppl, a fraction (0.04ppl) down on last year. The Jul'05 average price reported last month has been amended upwards from 17.99ppl to...

Good Evans: Lost in a field of turnips.
November 16, 2005... This month Roger Evans is in the thick of it and yet with gunfire to the right of him and gunfire to the left of him, he still manages to find time to `help' a couple of flummoxed ramblers across his stubble turnips. These last few days...