Dairy Farmer articles from September 2006

Dairy Farmer archives from September 2006

COMMENT: It's a crazy world.
September 30, 2006... The MDC finding that cutting back on production won't make a ha'porth of difference to the milk price highlights one of the fundamental problems of the dairy market. That is that the division between the premium markets and commodity...

No more price falls if supply chain behaves.
September 30, 2006... The industry has reached the end of the road as far as further milk price cuts are concerned, according to Kite Consulting. If it is right then it would herald a welcome injection of stability into the industry and the NFU is poised to...

Launch of MPs for cheese.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... The dairy industry can bank on yet more political support to help it overcome its woes with the launch at the recent Nantwich International Cheese Show of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Cheese. The group will be chaired by Dan...

Don't let soil spoil your SFP.(Single Farm Payment)(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Don't forget all farms in England claiming the Single Farm Payment must have carried out a Soil Protection Review by now, which is implementable as from January 1. Farms lucky enough to be in Scotland and Wales don't need to do one. ...

Reduced fat cheese market set for taste lift off.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... New developments in reduced fat cheese making techniques are hastening the dairy industry's Holy Grail search for full tasting, lower fat hard cheese alternatives. According to The Cheese Company, which says it has developed a unique technique...

OMSCO urging recognition of benefits of organic milk.
September 30, 2006... New research into the health benefits of organic milk is being used to try and encourage the Food Standards Agency to rethink its position on the nutritional differences between organic and conventional milk. Currently the FSA does not...

Lower output is not answer warns report.
September 30, 2006... Dropping production as a way to lifting prices is not the answer, according to a new MDC report which states that this tactic would be unlikely to succeed. Compiled by the MDC's head of economics, Ken Boyns, the report says the only way to...

Dairy good for your blood pressure.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Some of the rubbish written about the adverse health effects of eating dairy is enough to send a farmer's blood pressure sky high. The reality could be quite different, however. A new US study supports the growing body of scientific...

DFB releases latest figures.
September 30, 2006... DFB chairman Rob Knight says he is pleased with the latest results of the group and remains confident that it is "well positioned to take advantage of changes in the industry". DFB's turnover increased from #594.1m to #608.7m this year,...

Cowman comment: We've been driven to open up the silage clamp already.(Viewpoint essay)
September 30, 2006... It's been a testing time for North Yorkshire's Tim Gibson, as like many others up and down the country he has been faced with brown fields and a shortage of grazing. I sit here with August's Dairy Farmer, half reading it, half using it as...

FERTILITY: Tackling the fertility problems in our practice.
September 30, 2006... In this, the ninth in our Intervet cut-out-and-keep fertility series, vet Mike Kerby tells us about the causes of infertilty and the procedure he adopts in his practice to counter the ever increasing problem. Mike Kerby is a senior partner...

Cowman comment: After all the talk can our new minister walk the walk?(supermarkets collaborating with dairy farmers)
September 30, 2006... Latest figures show we have now slumped to producing only one tenth of this country's food and Sally Leaney wonders what, if anything, can be done to reverse this disastrous state of affairs. One particular statement concentrated my mind...

Official complaint: Lack of biscuits during bale carting.
September 30, 2006... It's an ill wind and the dairy assurance visit gave Paul Higgins the opportunity to exercise a bit of leverage in the middle of bale carting. First week of the school summer holidays is when we try to get away for a week, and this year we...

Potter's View: Now this really does take some believing.(Ian Potter)(Viewpoint essay)
September 30, 2006... Some of you will remember the days of `black milk' when several `enterprising' producers were brought to book for selling milk without quota behind it. Now, as Ian Potter tells us, there's been a more than surprising footnote to add to that...

Dairy event: Milk - Perhaps now is the time to be thinking of expansion.
September 30, 2006... Although the milk price is lousy and prospects gloomy, there are one or two things working in your favour. Promar International's dairy consultant Derek Gardner assesses the prospects for the UK's dairy farmers. To date, 2006 can hardly be...

Dairy event: Milk - Real life automatic milking goes to the Dairy Event.
September 30, 2006... Robotic milking company Lely is about to embark on perhaps its boldest experiment yet in taking 50 cows to the Dairy Event as a practical demonstration of automatic milking. Peter Hollinshead tracked down the cows' owner to see why he went for...

Dairy event: Milk - Stockmen getting their own body to represent them.
September 30, 2006... Getting a competent and skilled herdsperson can be a nightmare these days as those who have tried will know. Part of the reason is believed to be because there is no proper career structure in place to represent the needs of the...

Dairy event: Latest on-line semen seller muscles in with big savings.
September 30, 2006... After years of contraction in the AI industry, a new on-line semen company has been launched which is offering significant savings on high profile bulls. Angela Rhodes reports. Ready to make its official launch at the Dairy Event, the...

Dairy event: Breeding - New line up for Genus.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Genus Breeding has returned a number of new bulls to its proven line up for this autumn. The highest index of these is the home grown MOET Worlebury Roadie who is a Jocko Besne son out of an Etazon Meadow daughter. Worlebury Meadow Connie A was...

Dairy event: Breeding - Road to market is via sons.
September 30, 2006... French proven sire Jesther was probably one of the more unfortunate victims of the industry driven revolt against carriers of the CVM gene, as he has turned out to be one of the best sires to come from France alongside Jocko Besne. But he may...

Dairy event: Breeding - Holstein judge from Scotland.(Johnny Cousar)(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Johnny Cousar (46) farms on the west coast of Scotland in Ayrshire with his parents and son. They keep around 100 milking Holsteins with the Howcommon prefix and they show at both the Royal Highland and Ayr Shows. They've also won the...

Dairy event: Breeding - Avoncroft Dutch bull debut.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Avoncroft will also be featuring two new Dutch proven bulls at the Dairy Event in the shape of Delta Paramount and Newhouse Ricky. Of the two, Paramount will have more widespread appeal as he is high milk with very good functional type. Yet...

Dairy event: Forage & Grassland - Alternatives to imported protein.
September 30, 2006... Scientists at IGER are claiming a realistic home-grown alternative to imported protein sources has taken a step closer, thanks to their on- going five-year project LISA (Lupins in Sustainable Agriculture). Part of the Defra scheme, LISA is...

Dairy event: Forage & Grassland - Nitrogen predictor for maize growers.
September 30, 2006... Visitors to the Maize Growers Association stand will see the main thrust of their stand geared towards the MGA Nitrogen Predictor (N Predictor) devised by technical specialist Simon Draper."This is a benefit that members can access when...

Dairy event: Forage & Grassland - Licence wait.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... In order for producers to have any chance of responding to future drought conditions, there needs to be radical changes in the time taken for granting abstraction licences. "Sorry to say that maybe one year in 20-30 do we get summer...

Dairy event: Forage & Grassland - Forage bred for change in climate.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Work by IGER scientists for clients overseas in drought prone areas could have a bearing on future developments in forage production in the UK. "It certainly appears to be the case that during the last 20 years we are seeing the climate...

Dairy event: Catch crop opportunity to counter grazing shortages.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... On the British Seed Houses stand a new rape/kale hybrid forage brassica, which combines an ability to grow rapidly from sowing with exceptional winter hardiness, is offering dairy farmers an excellent catch crop opportunity to counter late...

Dairy event: Forage & Grassland - New `Forage for Livestock' arena.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... The `Forage for Livestock' arena is a new exhibition to be launched at the 2006 Dairy Event. It is sponsored by SAC and is being introduced following strong interest from visitors at previous events in the growing and conservation of forage...

Dairy event: Forage & Grassland - Managing the benefits of red clovers.
September 30, 2006... In Cattle Shed 5 Sinclair McGill (part of the Advanta Group) will be telling the story of how to maximise the benefits of their new red clover. The company have the red clover blend Red Admiral and the new grass/red clover mixture Colossal Red....

Dairy event: Forage & Grassland - Ground level nutrition with Kingshay.
September 30, 2006... Also in the new `Forage for Livestock' exhibition off 6th Street will be Ground Level Nutrition, working in conjunction with Kingshay Farming Trust, offering farmers information about their soil. Those that have taken up the pre-show ticket...

Dairy event: Everything you ever want to know about mycotoxins.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Alltech are releasing their new 16-page booklet explaining everything you wanted to know about Mycotoxins. The increased prevalence of higher dry matter forages has proved to be an excellent breeding ground for these invisible hazards in recent...

Dairy event: Forage & Grassland - Advanta Seeds cob clinic.
September 30, 2006... Farmers can see how the much-vaunted early maize harvest dates are really going to affect them if they bring four cobs (picked at random from the field on the show morning) to the Advanta Seeds Cob Clinic on the company's stand. While your cobs...

Dairy event: Designer forages attractive alternative to maize.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Experts at Biotal will be encouraging livestock farmers to look at winter and spring sown cereals to provide flexibility and use them either as cereal concentrate or a wholecrop forage. "Grass stocks this year look bleak, so it's reassuring...

Dairy event: Forage & Grassland - Campaign for overseeding.(DLF-Trifolium A/S)(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Danish company DLF Trifolium will be at their double spaced stand and will be showing off their new website packed with information for farmers. Except here, unlike Olivers Seeds (who are part of the DLF portfolio), farmers are not able to buy...

Dairy event: New lucerne variety bred to be used in grazing conditions.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Olivers Seeds are another company moving into the new Forage For Livestock exhibition area and again talk of the drought is expected to top the discussion.Reviewing your ley selection and considering more drought tolerant options where...

Dairy event: Are your cows yielding what the ration predicts?
September 30, 2006... Do you feed for 30litres and only get 27litres? Or are your rations designed for 8000 litres but your cows only produce 7500 litres? If so, then you are almost certainly losing at least #100 per cow in wasted feed cost. Independent consultant...

Dairy event: Research is showing how to feed cows for better fertility.
September 30, 2006... Feeding the same ration from calving through to mid-lactation may no longer be recommended following recent trials investigating the nutritional effects on fertility. The research - whose full results have yet to be published - was part of...

Dairy event: Health & Nutrition - Free BVD test at Dairy Event.
September 30, 2006... If you've never had a bulk milk sample tested for BVD, then you can register to do so, free of charge, at the Dairy Event. Any producer who supplies a milk buyer who uses National Milk Laboratories (NML) can have the test and they won't need to...

Dairy event: Health & Nutrition - Merial launch parasite survey.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... A new survey by Merial to be presented at the Dairy Event is expected to indicate the extent of the parasite problem in dairy cows and the lost productivity that can result.There's a widespread perception that adult cattle don't suffer...

Dairy event: Kite launches health monitoring services.
September 30, 2006... Two new aids to managing herd health are to be launched by Kite Consulting. `Health Monitor' and `Culling Monitor' will both operate independently or in conjunction with Kite's `Milk Monitor' service and will generally make use of records which...

Dairy event: Health & Nutrition - Take action on forage stocks now.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... If your grass and maize crops have been affected by the summer drought, you should be planning for a winter shortfall now and not leaving this until halfway through the winter, says Kite Consulting's Ben Watts. "Many of my clients with a...

Dairy event: Health & Nutrition - NMR health clinic.
September 30, 2006... NMR is offering a free 15-minute herd health consultation with a specialist dairy vet on its stand during the Dairy Event. Appointments need to be made either at or before the event (tel: 0870 1622547). The vet will view the farmer's own...

Dairy event: Feeding guide will help you choose right protected fat.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Farmers are used to feeding protected fats to their high yielding cows, but they may need to focus on what they require this fat to achieve. To help with this process, C&H Nutrition will be launching a new dairy cow feeding guide at the...

Dairy event: Health & Nutrition - Herd Companion special offer.(NMR of America Inc.)(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... As part of its campaign to encourage producers to make full use of their records to improve herd health, NMR is offering two months' free subscription to Herd Companion for those signing up to the web-based service for a 12-month period. The...

Dairy event: Uterine disease one of most costly challenges.
September 30, 2006... Uterine disease is one of the most expensive conditions challenging the dairy industry, claims Martin Sheldon, Professor of Veterinary Reproduction at the Royal Veterinary College. "Its high incidence in cattle compared with other domestic...

Dairy event: New programme will use feed to target fertility problems.
September 30, 2006... Identifying the root cause of poor fertility and targeting that area with highly specific, fine-tuned nutrition, is the basis of a new fertility management programme to be launched by SCA NuTec at the Dairy Event. Farmers using the...

Dairy event: Prize for best sample at silage clinics.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Farmers are invited to bring a sample of either clamp or big bale grass silage for analysis at the Dairy Event, which is once again holding its popular silage clinic. The service is free, turn around time is two hours, and a panel of...

Dairy event: Health & Nutrition - On-stand cell count testing.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Somatic cell count testing in just 45 seconds is being offered by Westpoint Veterinary Group to anyone who brings a milk sample on to their stand at the Dairy Event. The practice believes it is one of the first in the country to purchase...

Dairy event: New feeders provides ultimate in remote control.(Volac International Ltd.)(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... While you're at the Dairy Event, you could be checking your calves' milk consumption and whether any of them are off their food. At least, that's if you have Volac's new Vario computerised calf feeder and are the sort of modern farmer who...

Dairy event: Clinic to combat common and costly problems.(Feeding Solutions)(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Feeding Solutions, a clinic designed to help dairy producers combat nine of the most common and costly issues affecting dairy herds, will be open to all farmers visiting the Dairy Event on the Volac International stand. The issues include...

Dairy Event: Machinery - Mixer wagons put on their own show.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Dairy farmers in the market for a new mixer wagon might like to know that the Dairy Event boasts the UK's biggest mixer wagon demonstration. Complete diet feeder demonstrations will be among the main activities featured at the event, with...

Dairy Event: Machinery - Merlin automatic milking system.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Updated designs for the Merlin automatic milking system will be the star attraction from Fullwood in addition to their rotary display. The new Merlin automatic milking system is shorter and is claimed to fit into existing buildings better. More...

Dairy event: Machinery - Cormall TMR feeder.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... The concept of the static TMR feeder has been brought back to Britain by Danish company Cormall, which will be displaying its mixer at the Dairy Event. The feeder mixes, holds and dispenses silage and straights to a moving feed table,...

Dairy Event: Machinery - Kuhn Farm Machinery.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Kuhn Farm Machinery will show a version from its new three model range of high capacity twin vertical auger Euromix 80 models. Offering capacities of 18, 22 and 25cu m, the three newcomers comprise the Euromix 1 1880, Euromix 1 2280 and Euromix...

Dairy Event: Machinery - RS Agribusiness.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Self-propelled mixer wagons allow loading and feeding to be done with just one machine saving time, labour and diesel costs. However, despite this fact, UK interest in such machines lags way behind that in Europe. RS Agribusiness is...

Dairy Event: Machinery - Shelbourne Reynolds.(introduces Powermix Pro Series )(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Shelbourne Reynolds will be launching its new Powermix Pro Series diet feeders with single and twin augers and a revolutionary new webbing delivery. Other improvements include a reduced flight angle allowing augers to run faster - they now...

Dairy Event: Machinery - JF-Stoll.(inrtoduces vertical auger range of mixer wagons )(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... New auger design and increased number of feeding doors are main features on the redesigned VM twin vertical auger range of mixer wagons from JF-Stoll. Spanning capacities from 22 to 30cu m, and on display on the WestMac stand, they now...

Dairy Event: Machinery - Free DVD on cubicle design.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Three hours lying time are equivalent to one litre of milk, claims Ivor Davey of dairy housing specialists Wilson Agriculture. "That's because 5 MJ of energy are saved when a cow is lying instead of standing." This message is one of many...

Dairy Event: Machinery - RECO's Jeantil PR2000.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Any machine that provides an opportunity to carry out two separate tasks has to be worth a serious look. Take RECO's new Jeantil PR2000 unit, for example, which is a dual purpose straw shredder and blower or a silage bale feeding machine. ...

Dairy Event: Machinery - Redrock Engineering.(introduced diet feeders )(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... As UK dairy herd size continues to increase then so to does the size of the machinery used to feed them. Today 20+cu m diet feeders are commonplace on farms and traditional sized silage cutters take a long time to fill them prompting use of a...

Dairy Event: Machinery - Vaccar Clusterflush.(milking cluster cleaning system)(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Mastitis and high cell counts cost millions of pound a year claim Vaccar, which says it is an accepted fact that the milking parlour is a significant contributor to the spread of the disease. With this in mind, the company will use this year's...

Dairy Event: Machinery - Hareland Engineering.(Sila-Push device)(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... The increasing popularity of telehandlers on British dairy farms has prompted Hareland Engineering to make a front-mounted version of its popular Sila-Push device for telehandlers and tractors. As with the rear-mounted version, the machine...

Dairy Event: Machinery - Dairymaster Swiftflo Lite cluster.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Billed as a revolution in milk cluster design, the Swiftflo Lite cluster is a feature on the Dairymaster stand. This is over 38% lighter than the current design but users of the standard Swiftflo cluster take heart as this can be easily...

Dairy Event: Machinery - Vaccar Flowtec iFeed milk meter system.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... The Flowtec iFeed milk meter system enables operators to individually distribute the correct amount of feed to each cow in a cost effective way. On display on the Vaccar stand, users simply identify which cow is at which position and input...

Dairy Event: Machinery - Bonhill Marketing.
September 30, 2006... Those dairy farms in the market for a new telehandler and mixer wagon might already be aware that Bonhill Marketing has recently been appointed as UK importer for the Faresin range. Bonhill confirm that the plan is to reveal a brand new...

Dairy Event: Machinery - WestMac Belair Brick turbine feeder bedders.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... A new design of shredding rotor and stripping device has resulted in a more consistent feed of material into the turbine of the French-made Belair range of Brick turbine feeder bedders. UK importer WestMac claims that a subtle reduction in...

Dairy Event: Machinery - Kuhn Farm Machinery.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... The Kuhn Farm Machinery range of straw blowers has been extended to include the hydraulically driven Primor 2060 H. On display for the first time at the show, this machine is available in mounted and semi-mounted formats and has hydraulic...

Dairy Event: Machinery - Massey Ferguson.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... The Dairy Event will provide visitors with an opportunity to catch up with all the latest developments from Massey Ferguson as the company is now back at the show following a five-year absence. The company has already confirmed that it will...

Dairy event: Finance and IT - Thinking hard about the cost and benefit.
September 30, 2006... Are you up to the challenge? And more to the point are the exhibitors up to the challenge at this year's Dairy Event? That's the question posed by Pat Tomlinson, agricultural director with HSBC. With producer margins under pressure,...

Dairy event: IT products - Medicine book that meets statutory needs.
September 30, 2006... Is your farm office cluttered with stray bits of paper, your bookshelf full to overflowing? Do you baulk at the prospect of another batch of forms to be filled in? Then there are some new software launches at the Dairy Event that might just be...

Dairy event: Finance and IT - Mastitis calculator.(Intervet)(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... There's no getting away from the internet and love it or hate it, it can be surprisingly useful - and this fact is being exploited by Intervet who will be demonstrating their mastitis cost calculator at the Dairy Event. Go clutching your...

Dairy event: Finance and IT - Are your cows getting sufficient sugars?(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... New software can help dairy farmers find out whether their dairy rations are short of sugars and limiting performance. Simply visit SvG Intermol's stand at the Dairy Event to have your formulations checked for sugar content using a new software...

Dairy event: Finance and IT - Herd software package eases paperwork.(Orchid Systems Inc.)
September 30, 2006... The last thing you want to be doing at the end of a long day is having to input the whole day's events into your computer. You're tired, there's margin for error, or data may not even get entered at all. Wouldn't it be great to be able to input...

Dairy event: Finance and IT - Taking your business forward.(Datag Ltd.)(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Can a piece of software help your decision making when it comes to wanting to take your farm business forward? That's the question posed by Datag who say that knowing the cost of production and being able to quickly evaluate the impact of any...

Dairy event: Finance and IT - Access cow records while away from office.(Uniform-Agri UK)(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... At this year's Dairy Event Uniform-Agri UK is launching new reporting modules and the latest version of its Uniform-Mobile module for dairy herd management. It is said to be a new, easy to use PDA hand-held extension that allows the user to...

Milk prices - Co-ops forced to follow and cut their price.
September 30, 2006... Milk price analyst Stephen Bradley comments on the latest milk industry developments. This month our `flagship' milk price league table highlights prices paid for Jul'06 supplies and with it a host of milk price cuts, most of which have...

Milk prices - Wensleydale down 0.7ppl.(prices of direct supply milk)(Wensleydale Dairy Products)(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Wensleydale Dairy Products, North Yorks, has confirmed it is to cut its direct supply milk price by 0.7ppl from Jul'06. With all elements of the existing price structure remaining unchanged, including the flat #50 administration charge, the...

Milk prices - NI auction prices up on last month.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... United Dairy Farmers August milk auction sold a total of 33mltrs for an average price of 18.42ppl, 0.68ppl up on the previous month but maintaining its 3ppl deficit compared with last year. Of the total volume (all contracts starting...

Milk prices - Cheese direct suppliers feel the pressure.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... The UK's two largest independent cheese manufacturers, Wyke Farms and Joseph Heler, have confirmed further price reductions from Aug'06. Wyke Farms is to cut its direct supply milk price by 0.68ppl. The company says that while fully aware...

IN BRIEF: Meadow Foods.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Meadow Foods has confirmed it is to cut its direct supply price by 0.75ppl from Aug'06. In its letter the company said it was acutely aware of the unwelcome financial pressure that a cut in milk price would put on producers. New constituent...

IN BRIEF: Golden vale.(fall in prices of direct supply milk )(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Golden Vale has confirmed it has cut its direct supply milk price by 0.65ppl from this month. The company last reduced its price by 0.5ppl in Mar'06. New constituent payments of 2.059p per % b/f and 2.112p per % protein takes our prices down...

IN BRIEF: Glanbia Cheese.(Brief article)
September 30, 2006... Glanbia Cheese, Anglesey, has cut its milk price by 0.55ppl. New payments of 1.541p per % b/f and 2.845p per % protein on the company's constituent contract, along with a 0.55ppl cut to the flat rate contract, takes our price on both contracts...

Milk prices - Westbury follows track.
September 30, 2006... TRACKING the average price of its three co-operative owners, Westbury Dairies has confirmed it is cutting its own direct supply milk price by 0.48ppl taking our price down to 16.67ppl. Copyright: CMP Information Ltd.

Workshop tips: Keep a good flow of water.
September 30, 2006... Give her a decent gallon, and she'll give you a decent pint. It's pretty remarkable how the cow adapts herself to changes in climate. One minute the freezing rain is running down her sides, and the next she's under a grilling sun with a coat so...