Dairy

dairy New rotary parlour for Dourie Farm

Rory Christie farms in partnership with his brother Gregor near Port William on the south west coast of Scotland. The farm has been in the family since 1954 when the brother’s grandfather set up a limited company to create The Dourie Farming Company Ltd. The farm focuses on a grassland system similar, in part, to a New Zealand model. However, Rory was keen to demonstrate how he has taken the pastoral grazing system and developed it further. In the late 1990s the company made the decision to close the four dairies that made up the company and build a new dairy unit. This decision was made to increase the herd size from 600 to 1500 and improve farm effciency. “We had already moved to Kiwi genetics and were focused on a pastoral grazing system similar to that of New Zealand,” says Rory. “Gregor and I knew we had to rationalise and reinvest. We wanted to focus that investment on livestock and believed that pastoral dairy farming was the best way to make use of our land rather than invest in an intensive indoor system,” he adds.

The milk produced at The Dourie is bought by the Caledonian Cheese Company. “They pay for high protein milk which pastoral dairy farming lends itself to,” says Rory. The uplift in herd size was based on economics and survival. Rory was aware that milk prices were not increasing fast enough for the herd to stay at 600. He grew the herd and in 2015 purchased 300 jerseys from Denmark to reach the targeted 1500. “We made a lean assessment of the business to cope with the drop in milk prices at this time. We cut costs wherever we could and moved to once a day milking. This helped us reduce walking distance, waiting time and stress for both the cows and our staff,” he says. This model continued for four years. However, it was clear that economic pressures required the herd to provide more milk.

In 2019 Rory invested in a second parlour to move to two milkings a day. “Having a good reputation with the Bank of Scotland for debt repayment we were given the money to build a 60-point E100 DeLaval parlour. We invested in a piped slurry system, more slurry storage and housing for staff. This will hopefully help us hit our production targets of 5500 litres per 500 kilo cow, feeding 500 kilos of concentrate per year,” he explains. The parlour is one of two DeLaval units, the frst being a 44-point rotary that was installed in 2005. “Before we added the second parlour it was taking us ten hours to milk the

herd, which was not sustainable. By adding the second we have been able to reduce this to two and half hours in each parlour. It has increased yield from 3500 litres to 5500 litres, which makes the farm more sustainable,” he says.

This rotary is one of eight E100 series rotaries installed in the UK. “It was the frst E100 to be installed in Scotland and we worked closely with local DeLaval dealer Mathers Dairy Utensils who also installed our original DeLaval herringbone parlours. Their engineers are always attentive, and they know how to cut a deal with farmers like us,” says Rory. The E100 was installed to a design that Rory developed himself. “The angle is offset to speed up entry and exit which makes cow fow faster. We also have two gates meaning we can draft from four directions,” he adds. The parlour is coupled to the DelPro system that enables Rory to draw data about each cow, which he sees as key to improving yield in the future. “We see data as the best way to make improvements in the 21st century. We do in race weighing so we can monitor live weight compared to production. It is a quest to understand cow effciency, and data will give us the information we need,” he says.

Cow health is a core concern for Rory who believes in a natural life focussed on longevity rather than just annual yield. From late November to midFebruary the cows are housed in outdoor cubicles and fed silage. “We beneft from a moderate climate that sees warm air reach our shores thanks to the Gulf Stream. The cows are outside all year round and we only feed them the grass we grow here with a relatively small amount of concentrate,” he says.

Rory’s grass is a picture and he has invested heavily in his soil and seed varietals. “We have chosen a three-way mix of Aber varietals using the Irish PPI list to select them. Our local contractor, W McCracken, direct reseeds our grass and we aerate all of our paddocks annually. RG

The E100 is a 60-point rotary and one of two Delaval parlours at Dourie Farm

Contracting provide umbilical slurry spreading which reduces ground compaction,” he says. The net result is soil with a pH of 6.5 and organic matter of eight to ten percent. Rory admits that the farm is still experimenting with novel grass management methods and that further adjustments will be made to improve grass leys year on year. Rory is more than aware that his investment has left the company with signifcant debt. However, he is fully committed to continually developing a sustainable business and proud to be paying the debt off. “Sadly, we are in a race to the bottom, a commodity trap, where milk prices have not infated for many years and therefore the only way to make a proft is to grow and be ever more effcient. There is a real need for farmers to be valued in a better way. We invest so much in natural and social capital yet get no reward,” he explains philosophically. “There is no farmer that wants to see a loss of biodiversity and I am sure that all of us will understand and support what Sir David Attenborough explained in his recent ‘Extinction’ programme. While the food system of the UK continues to demand more for less, driving farming harder than ever before, the true value that farmers can bring to our planet will remain an untapped resource

whilst efforts are concentrated on merely helping big businesses to make a proft,” he concludes.

status and secures your payment bonuses,” says ruminant specialist Jacob Lakin from Azelis Animal Nutrition.

However, he explains that alongside the immune status of the cow, many factors can infuence SCCs, including breed, stage of lactation, body condition score, Consumer pressure is dictating how livestock farmers, particularly in the dairy sector, are managing diets, and overall feed management systems, to meet growing environmental concerns.

Demands from processors and supermarkets to reduce carbon footprints and develop sustainable practices, and alignment to the NFU’s NetZero goal by 2040, is adding further pressures on farmers to fnd innovative alternatives for dairy herds whilst maintaining productivity. A renowned researcher who has been instrumental in driving forward the genetic development of UK dairy cattle has been awarded the prestigious Princess Royal Award.

Professor Mike Coffey, team leader of the Animal Breeding and Genomics Team at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and head of EGENES, was presented with the award by Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal today (Monday 14 September).

The award is presented each year to an individual who has an outstanding lifetime contribution to the dairy sector.

Prof Coffey has spent almost 40 years working in the dairy breeding industry and has written more than 85 published papers to date. He has dedicated his working parity, seasonality, milking hygiene and even poor nutrition.

“Consequently, dairy farmers must employ an integrated strategy to reduce mastitis incidence and high SCCs – and effective breeding, husbandry, disease management, nutrition and milking routine hygiene are all important,” he says.

Ensuring adequate energy intakes and supplying the essential fatty acids that cows need remains the foundation of any effcient milk production unit. Notably, essential Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, play a huge role in supporting the immune system and fertility during the transition and early lactation period.

With concerns over the environmental impact of sourcing Omega-3 fatty acids through fsh oils, a sustainable approach should be adopted.

These concerns have been addressed through Dynalac, life to dairy cattle breeding and specifcally, identifying breeding goals that are important to the entire supply chain including most recently the implementation of genomic selection.

Starting out milking cows after fnishing his Animal Science degree at Nottingham University, Prof Coffey went on to work for the Holstein Friesian Society where he developed one of the frst sire selection programs.

During his 15 years at the Society, he became embroiled in developing new breeding indices for dairy cows as the Holstein breed increased in popularity.

He then joined the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) now SRUC, where he has continued driving forward dairy genetic development.

Mr Lakin says that maintaining an adequate selenium status is particularly important as milking herds move into the early winter feeding period.

“Dairy cows have a selenodependent enzyme known as glutathione peroxidase, which a carefully formulated blend of fatty acids from nutritional supplement manufacturer UFACUK, delivering the energy required to ensure cows milk to their potential, including EPA and DHA fatty acids from the most effective and environmentally responsible marine oil source.

“Long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA help to increase progesterone, the pregnancy maintenance hormone, as well as giving the immune system a boost,” explains UFAC-UK national sales manager, Nigel Bateson. protects the epithelial cells in the mammary gland from oxidative stress. And research has clearly shown the benefcial effect of ensuring the selenium levels supplied are adequate, within recommendations and that the source of the trace element is of

Sustainable feed source helps dairy sector adapt to consumer environmental demands

Leading Dairy Cow Breeding Expert Scoops Royal Accolade

high quality.”