Dairy-Tech Online preview

What’s on at Dairy-Tech Online 2021

We take a quick look at the myriad of seminar, presentations and attractions on o er at this year’s two-week event.

Dairy-Tech Online, running from February 3 to 17, will be packed with online workshops, webinars, conferences, new product briefings and debates. The two-week online event replaces the Dairy-Tech event usually held at Stoneleigh Park, due to COVID-19 restrictions, Dairy-Tech Online’s programme will feature some of the popular attractions of the live event, including the Innovation and Dairy Hub and foot trimming demonstration. International speakers will feature in many of the sessions – a positive aspect of moving online is the increased accessibility it o ers. Together with experts from the UK, they will showcase content relevant for all farming systems, covering the latest dairy innovations, timely policy updates and practical workshops. These will include sessions on mental health in agriculture, and Brexit.

Online sessions

Delegates can tune in from the comfort of their own home, with the daily online sessions starting every morning at 10.30am. These will also be available to view afterwards. For more information about the event and to sign up to the free sessions visit https://dairy-tech.uk/ Sessions on o er include the day-long Dairy-Hub, which kicks o the fortnight of activity on February 3. This will feature a wealth of advice, insight and guidance on the key issues currently a ecting UK dairy producers. Its panel debates with a range of speakers including DEFRA’s Victoria Prentis, AHDB chair Nicholas Saphir, and NFU Dairy Board chairman Michael Oakes. There will also be forums and seminars focusing on the state of the nation, farming e ciencies, emissions and the latest environmental tech. Animal Health Workshops will take place on February 5, o ering practical information and updates on some of the prominent health issues currently a ecting the dairy industry. An increased focus and drive by supermarkets and processors on reducing antibiotics means good health in all aspects of dairying is vital and this session will help equip producers and animal health experts with some of the latest technology and information in this area. In each hour-long session, leading experts and producers will cover topics including: identifying and managing TB risks, calf health, technology to detect mastitis, and benchmarking for antimicrobial resistance. The Innovation Hub, on February 10, will showcase all things new – products, ideas, technology, concept and techniques. The Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Livestock (CIEL) along with other companies and organisations will be presenting some of the latest research finding in the dairy sector. And on February 11 during the mental health webinar, Stephanie Berkeley will be discussing the issue of mental health, the signs and how to get help. She will be joined by New Zealand-based producer Wayne Langford, best known on social media as the YOLO Farmer (You Only Live Once), about his battles with mental health and how he has overcome them.

Business speakers

Warwickshire-based producer George Clarke will be one of a handful of speakers talking on February 8 about the many ways he has diversified his family business. He recently installed a milk vending machine at Chesterton House Farm to o er fresh milk to the local community. George is selling pasteurised milk, in glass bottles, from his 100-cow herd. Fourth generation producer Andrew Hoggard, who milks 560 cows on North Island in New Zealand, will be one of a handful of producers talking about his grazing policy and maximising milk from grass, during a ‘grazing’ discussion session on February 9. Producers can also take time out to discover how an increasing number of herds are embracing the latest innovation to make their lives a little easier, put more milk in the tank with less e ort and achieve optimal feed e ciency for healthy and productive cows. On February 4 delegates can discover the benefits of milking robotics first-hand from producers and find out more about how investing in automation means more flexible working hours and a better work:life balance.

Calf health monitoring bolus

Just one of many innovative products to be launched at Dairy-Tech Online is Cogent’s FarmFit – a health monitoring bolus for calves. It provides live alerts and notifications of core body temperature straight to a mobile phone. The bolus allows full traceability at birth, from registration to colostrum management, as well as weight tracking and average daily gain, and pen changes.

Automatic cut-and-carry kit

A system o ering fully autonomous harvesting and feeding of fresh grass has been launched by Lely. The Exos system is based on an electric vehicle that automatically mows, loads, carries and dispenses fresh grass to cows at the feed fence. It can be tailored to meet herds’ daily zero-grazing requirements and can be programmed to operate 24:7. The machine’s lightweight and soilfriendly technology also allows it to make the most of the grass growing season, whatever the weather, mowing from early spring to late autumn. The system also collects data in the field, to aid grassland management and cutting decisions.

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Slat designed for safer slurry handling

A safety slat has been launched, just in time for the start of the 2021 slurry spreading season, by Moore Concrete. The XL safety slats are available in two lengths and depths, and in both standard tractor bearing and heavy-duty options. A key feature of the safety slats is their enlarged mixing point, which is 1,000mm in length and 940mm wide. This size facilitates larger slurry pumps. Farm safety was a key consideration for the slat’s design. The hinged galvanised grid, which is fixed beneath the mini concrete inserts, incorporates a smaller hinged element to facilitate inserting a pipe into the tank without having to remove all the inserts or the complete grid itself.

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