Cow management UK march 2016

V O LU M E 14 N O 2 MAR CH 2016

IN THIS ISSUE

NE W E N T R AN T S

G RA SSLA N D

KPI DATA

Making a move back into dairying

Maximising sward production – and utilisation

Latest report contains good news for producers

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03-03-16 16:57

Seeds

ForFarmers Forage & Arable Improving feed and forage efficiency Fertiliser

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CO NTENT FEATURES

Cow Talk Overalls off: obstacle course racing Roger Evans CRV Avoncroft Breeding Information NMR Dairy Management News ForFarmers Nutritional News/ Thompsons Nutritional News 46 Events and contacts 5 8 16 35 41 45

REPORT

10 Northern Ireland-based herd has expanded rapidly H E A LT H

12 Data use is key to successful selective use of dry-cow therapy BREEDING

18 Selecting for robust cows with capacity for forage GRASSLAND

38 Focus on grass production provides foundations for high yields/Soil sampling helps to optimise grassland management

Robin Clements “Having taken the plunge, I wish we’d done it sooner” 10

Editor Rachael Porter Spring sunshine

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here’s plenty of grass around – so finally there’s something to smile about. And perhaps your herd – or part of it – is already out enjoying some early spring sunshine and, just as importantly, helping to conserve forage stocks and shaving a little off feed costs to boot.

We’ve several articles on grass – for grazing and silage – in this issue. Our special includes an article that looks at the trend towards, and benefits of, reseeding with short-term leys. Now is the time to tackle any weeds on your unit and ensure that your swards stay ‘clean’ throughout the season, says the agonomist on page 24. And the benefits of treating grass as a crop are outlined on page 28. It’s not a new idea, but it’s well worth considering if you think your grass suffers from ‘stress’ and swards are not performing to their potential.

There’s also a lot of data in this issue.

Most notable are the latest KPI figures and there’s some good news for UK producers about herd health and fertility. NMR data – particularly with

regard to udder health – is also proving extremely useful in herds looking to use dry-cow therapy selectively while, at the same time, improving udder health and reducing medicine costs. We find out more on page 12.

For some light relief, and we know you’re certainly in need of that, Roger Evans’ column is sure to raise a smile as he tells us about his regular visits to his local hairdresser, and shares a text messaging secret. I shall be looking at my texts from him more closely in future...

And our Overalls Off column features an obstacle course racer who had his 15 minutes of fame earlier this year, when he took part in the ITV2 series called Ninja Warrior UK. Find out more about his interesting and somewhat strenuous antics on page 8 and see if it inspires you to take up a new hobby, or rekindle a passion for a previous pastime.

We’re always looking for producers to feature in this column, so please get in touch!

Main article KPI data

Special Grassland

Management Back into milk

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UK herd’s health and fertility have improved during the past five years

We focus on short-term leys, weed control, and reducing stress to maximise yields

One producer tells us why he moved back into dairying after a 10-year break

COW MAN AG E ME N T

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C O W

TA L K

Research offers nitrogen use insight Producers can be confident that grasses selected from the Recommended Grass and Clover Lists (RGCL) will perform well at both low and high rates of nitrogen application, according to new findings, but research has also confirmed the merits of feeding grassland for performance.

Since 2000, average UK grassland artificial nitrogen application rates have consistently fallen to an average of 60kg/ha in 2014.

This brings total rates (including returns from grazing stock) to roughly 120kg N/

ha – far lower than the 400kg N/ha used to test grass for inclusion on the RGCL. AHDB commissioned NIAB to test a selection of grass and clover varieties from the RGCL using different levels of nitrogen (see Table 1).

Results from the three-year trial show that varying nitrogen application rates has no significant impact on their rankings on the list.

As expected, increased nitrogen use resulted in a significant boost in dry matter yields across all varieties, with average yields more than doubling

Table 1: Second-year DM yields (simulated grazing) – Intermediate Perennial Ryegrasses

variety

100 ranking

mean t/ha yields as % of mean within N level AberGreen Aubisque (T) Montova (T) Premium Rodrigo Seagoe (T)

3.8 106 98 98 102 96 101

N levels (kg N/ha) 200 ranking 5.8

1 4 5 2 6 3

110 96 99 95 100 100

400

ranking

10.1 1 5 4 6 3 2

105 97 100 98 99 102

1 6 3 5 4 2

(T) = tetraploid

between the low and high N treatment rates.

AHDB’s Liz Genever says this clearly highlights the potential producers have to make more of these types of high performing varieties.

“If you want grass to perform, you need to feed it. It’s not necessarily about using 400kg N/ha, but you need to feed it more than 100kg N/ha – whether that’s from FYM, artificial fertiliser or clover.”

She adds that producers can benefit from strategic use of higher nitrogen rates on fields that would be more responsive, such as newer leys with good levels of perennial ryegrass.

Watch out for silage eye infection Producers should be vigilant for signs of silage eye in cattle, particularly following the recent run of wet weather.

“I have seen it in several animals in recent weeks,” says vet Esme Moffett, from Synergy Farm Health.

Silage eye is caused by Listeria and it can

cause an eye infection when cattle have been fed mouldy feed, or there is mould in the bedding.

“New Forest eye causes a problem on the surface of the eye, but silage eye infects the front chamber.

“Both diseases are painful so cattle will

close their eye or squint. The eye also becomes watery and the edge of the eye becomes red. More specifically the front of the eye itself goes a yellow or white colour.

“If it is a bad infection then they will be temporarily blinded in the affected eye.”

Balance grazing nutrient supply or risk losing yield Failing to balance the nutrient supply from grazing and prevent sub-acute ruminal acidosis at turnout can cut feed

intakes by 5% or more, potentially reducing daily milk yields by up to 2.5 litres/cow. “Inadequate or poorly formulated buffer rations will disrupt rumen fermentation, undermine feed conversion efficiency and reduce milk from forage,” says KW nutritionist Matt Witt. “The net result is a reduction in income over feed costs rather than an increase – even if feed costs are cut.”

Butterfats can also be hit when fibre digestion in the rumen is compromised, impacting milk value. “Fresh grass is the cheapest feed available on-farm, so make the most of it by using high value buffer

feeds that contain the structural and digestible fibre needed for good rumen function,” he adds. “Good silages, sugar beet feed, soya hulls and moist feeds, like Traffordgold, will reduce the risk of SARA and support butterfats. As will switching to slower- release starch feeds, like soda wheat and maize meal.

“If milk fat synthesis still needs a boost then add a high-C16 rumen-protected fat, like Butterfat Extra, and balance the predominantly rumen degradable protein in spring grass with feeds high in rumen-bypass protein such as soya bean meal, SoyPass or ProtoTec.”

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M A I N

A RT I C L E

Report highlights trends that offer UK prod

KPI figures reveal impro ve The latest key performance indicator (KPI) figures show that herd health and fertility have improved significantly across the UK herd during the past five years. We spoke to the author of the latest report to find out more. text Karen Wright

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ncreasing the proportion of cows served by 80 days post calving and getting more cows in calf by 100 days has contributed to a reduction in calving interval across NMR recorded herds. Just some of good news highlighted by the latest University of Reading’s annual Key Performance Indicator (KPI) report for the year ending August 2015.

“The figures also show positive trends in somatic cell counts, with 60% of herds now boasting an annual average cell count of less than 200,000 cells/ml,” says the report author and vet James Hanks.

The report compares 32 health, fertility and production parameters from a cross section of 500 black-and-white herds that have at least two years of full NMR records. Many herds remain in the sample year on year, with 92% of herds included in both the 2014 and 2015 analyses.

calving interval of 396 days or less.”

Somatic cell count (SCC) parameters show similar positive trends. Dr Hanks draws particular attention to the reduction in the numbers of chronic high cell count cows – those with consecutive cell counts above 200,000cell/ml – maintained in the 500 NMR-recorded herd sample. “The percentage of chronic cows kept in herds has decreased every

year since the report was first published in 2010. This is very encouraging because the chronic cows are the reservoir of infection and their number is strongly correlated to the herd cell count.

Increased milk yield “The number of herds where chronic cows make up more than 15% of the cows milked has nearly halved from 41% of herds in 2010 to 21% of herds in 2015.

This has to be the consequence of better herd health management.”

Improved health and fertility parameters have contributed to an increased median 305-day milk yield for the year ending August 2015 of 7,905kg – an increase of 505kg since 2010. “The average yield achieved by 25% of herds is 8,813kg,” adds Dr Hanks.

Particularly important, in view of its

Conception rate “The median level, or level achieved by half the herds, for cows served by 80 days after calving has increased from 46% in 2010 to 57% in 2015,” says Dr Hanks. “While conception rate has remained almost unchanged, producers are serving cows earlier. Heat detection, measured by the percentage of interservice intervals that equate to one oestrus cycle, has also improved. This means that cows that do not hold to first service are getting more chances to conceive. As a result, the percentage of cows pregnant by 100 days has increased from 26% to 32% since 2010.”

He adds that this also explains much of the 14-day reduction in median calving interval, from 424 days to 410 days. “One in four herds now achieves a

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UK producers a positive dairy message

ro ved health and fertility impact on herd efficiency, is the improvement in lifetime daily yield with an increase in the median from 10.5kg per day in 2010 to 11.9kg per day in 2015. The current target, set by the top 25% of herds, is 13.9kg per day.

“Improvements in lifetime daily yields are the result of better health, fertility and production across the herd.

And producers should be encourage by these trends. The target, achieved by the

top 25% for each parameter, provides realistic and achievable goals for the industry.”

Data from the KPI report is used by producers, advisers and vets to benchmark individual herd performance for 32 parameters against that of the 500 study herds, as part of NMR’s InterHerd+ dairy management program.

“Producers can use this information to see where the strengths and weaknesses

are and where they can make improvements that will help to improve their efficiency in a cost-effective way.” l Key Performance Indicators for the UK national dairy herd: a study of herd performance in 500 Holstein Friesian herds for the year ending August 31, 2015, (by James Hanks & Mohamad Kossaibati) can be downloaded at www.nmr.co.uk/reportinganalytics/interherd-kpi-study-2015

Trends in key parameters between 2010 and 2015 Analysis of 32 key performance parameters in a cross section of 500 NMR-recorded Holstein/Friesian herds for the year ending August 2015: • Improvements in fertility parameters, particularly calving to first service and percent in calf by 100 days with no change in conception rates • Improved 305-day yields, by 505kg

• Lower median somatic cell count and fewer herds maintaining large numbers of chronic cows • Improvement in lifetime daily yield as a result of improved health, fertility and age at first calving • Culling rates have remained largely unchanged at 24% of cows per year New targets for each parameter are

available based on the performance of the top 25% of herds in the 500-herd sample.

These continue to be used by technical advisers to highlight strengths and weaknesses in performance of individual herds and to provide producers with realistic and achievable target values.

Table 1: Comparison of median and target values derived from the study of 500 NMR-recorded herds in 2015 with the original study in 2010

parameter year of the study culling rate (%) culling/death rate in first 100 days of lactation (%) age at exit (years) age at exit by lactations (years) served by day 80 (%) conceived 100 days after calving (%) calving-to-first-service interval (days) calving interval (days) age at first calving (years) conception rate (%) service intervals at 18-24 days (%) service intervals >50 days (%) eligible for service that were served (%) eligible for service that conceived (%) lifetime milk/cow/day (kg) milk/cow/year (kg) average protein (%) average fat (%) 305-day yield (kg) average SCC (‘000 cells/ml) SCC >=200,000 cells/ml (%) SCC >500,000 cells/ml (%) 1st recording SCC >=200,000 cells/ml (%) chronic SCC >=200,000 cells/ml (%)

median

median

target best 25%

target best 25%

2010 24 7 6.6 3.9 46 26 105 424 2.4 32 30 32 27 9 10.5 7,665 3.27 3.96 7,400 210 24 9 20 14

2015 24 5 6.3 3.7 57 32 80 410 2.3 32 34 24 33 11 11.9 8,222 3.30 3.96 7,905 184 20 7 17 11

2010 18 4 7.4 4.5 59 33 87 409 2.3 40 38 22 37 13 12.6 8,760 3.33 4.12 8,300 169 19 7 15 10

2015 20 3 7.0 4.2 67 39 71 396 2.2 39 40 16 41 15 13.9 9,313 3.36 4.11 8,813 151 16 6 13 8

COW MAN AG E ME N T

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O V E R A L L S

Name: Location: Herd size: Hobby:

O F F

Steven Fell Bootle, Cumbria 110 cows Obstacle course racing

Steven Fell: “Pushing myself is a great way to forget about work”

Ninja warrior! text Rachael Porter

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here are few pastimes that take you to a TV studio where, in front of an excited audience, you’ll demonstrate your strength and agility while, at the same time, running the risk of falling into a pool of water. But that’s exactly what Steven Fell did this year, when he was one of just 200 contestants to take part in the second series of Ninja Warrior UK. He says that watching the first series of the TV programme inspired him to apply to be on the second series, which finished airing in February. “More than 18,000 applied to appear on series two. So I did extremely well just to get the chance to take part,” says the obstacle course racer and dairy producer, from Bootle in Cumbria. He says that managing his family’s 110-cow herd keeps him pretty trim – as it does most producers. “It’s a physical job, but pushing myself to the extreme in the races that I take part in all over the UK is something very different.”

Football used to be Steve’s sport and he’s always been fit. But after recovering from a series of shoulder operations, when he was 26, he decided to enter a ‘Tough Mudder’ race in Scotland.

“That’s where I caught the bug for obstacle racing. The atmosphere was fantastic. I had a really good time and I didn’t do too badly in the race either.” He’s entered many more races during the past three years, some with as many as 23,000 participants. “There’s a race on every weekend. I like to take part in obstacle races, including Urban Attack and Spartan Races. You can’t take a proper break if you stay at home, so it’s a great way to ‘escape’.”

Steve travels across the UK to race at least once, if not twice, a month. “I’m not so keen on racing in the winter – I spend enough time out in the cold and wet when I’m working. But come the spring I’m raring to go and will continue to race into the autumn.”

He does his training in a ‘home-made’ gym. He has ropes in the barn and a couple of bars to swing on. “It’s all about strength training and I slot it in and around work during the week and during the weekends when I’m not competing.”

As for his TV appearance: “When I saw the programme I thought it would be an amazing experience to take part.”

So Steve applied on line and was then invited for an interview in Glasgow before being selected for the show. He spent a day filming at the studio: “It was great fun – I really enjoyed it.

It was scary but it was also exhilarating. And I met some interesting people and it opened my eyes to other activities that are out there.

“I’ve since tried trampolining and parkour, which is free running across any terrain, and I’ve visited other ninja warrior training courses. It’s really inspired me and I hope that other people will watch the show and be tempted to give it a go too.”

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H E R D

R E P O RT

Dairy business set up to support a growing family

Taking the dairy plunge

Robin Clements A move away from beef and into dairying was a decision taken to help his unit support a growing family business. And further expansion is planned.

Herd size: Unit size: Average yield: Calving interval:

In just four short years, Northern Ireland-based producer

Omagh

Robin Clements – a relative new comer to dairying – has almost trebled the size of his herd. We spoke to him to find out what

160 50 hectares 7,300 litres 372 days

his current, and future, plans are for his family-run unit. text Rachael Porter

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ith two grown-up sons wanting to join the family business, Robin Clements’ suckler beef enterprise just wasn’t going to generate enough income to support them all, so he decided to switch to dairying “And having a regular cash flow, from a monthly milk cheque, was another attraction – it’s something that can’t be underestimated, even if the cheque’s not as big as we’d like,” he says, explaining the rationale behind his family’s decision to set up a dairy herd.

He introduced cows to the farm in 2011 and began milking in September that year at his Trillick-based unit, close to

Omagh in County Tyrone, with just 60 cows – a figure that now stands at 160 head. It is, indeed, very much a familyrun business with his wife, Heather, and two sons, Stephen and Matthew, all involved in managing the 50-hectare unit. And already there are plans to expand further. They have purchased another 60-hectare farm, about a mile from their unit.

“The plan is to eventually run two herds – one here and one there – a few years down the line. But we’ve got to learn to walk first. So, at the moment, the second farm is where we house dry cows and young stock and we’re also zero-grazing

some of the grass from that unit too,” explains Robin.

The first 60 cows were bought from herds based in the south of Ireland. “We bought some maiden heifers too, which we’ve since calved and we’re also milking some home-bred heifers. The plan is to push cow numbers up to 200 with our own replacements. But we need to take it steady and build slowly. Milk price is such that we can’t afford to rush, but once that improves we’ll invest more in herd expansion.”

The herd is a mixture of Holstein Friesian crosses, as well as a few Friesian Jersey crosses. “We’re looking for good milk

All change: a dairy herd now fills the shed, complete with cubicles beds, at the Clements’ Trillick-based unit

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Future milkers: there are plans to expand the herd further, using home-bred replacements

solids and fertility. So far that mixture of genetics is working for us and we’ll continue down the cross-breeding path for the foreseeable future.”

New challenge Robin worked as a relief milker when he was younger and says it fired his interest in dairying. “I’ve always wanted to start a dairy herd and thought it would be much more interesting – and lucrative – than running a suckler beef herd or a sheep enterprise. Now I’ve taken the plunge, I wish I’d done it sooner. Both Heather and I are relishing the challenge of managing a new and different enterprise and we’ve no regrets about our decision.”

Robin takes charge of milking and feeding, predominantly. Heather takes charge of the paperwork and book keeping and sons Matthew and Stephen also milk, but Stephen is also particularly keen on the breeding side. “In fact we all find that interesting and like to get involved in sire selection and matching bulls to cows and heifers,” says Robin, adding that they all need to play a role in managing herd fertility and AI because New parlour: a 16:16 herringbone design

the herd is block calved in the autumn.

“Stephen AIs for two months and then we use a sweeper bull. We calve 90% of the herd between September and December, with just a few ‘stragglers’.

This ensures that we make the most of our buyer’s – Lakeland Dairies – seasonal bonus.”

In January, Robin saw 19.6ppl for his milk: “The base price for the dairy is a little lower than that, so it could be worse.”

Zero-grazing flexibility He says that their land is too heavy for a spring-calving pattern: “It’s not easy to get the cows out in early spring, when the weather can be changeable. Our land is better suited to grazing later in the season.

“We turn the cows out when weather and ground conditions permit, which can be any time from February onwards. If weather conditions turn bad we rehouse cows for short periods, as required.”

Zero grazing is used as a management tool throughout the season and paddocks that are too heavy for grazing are either Bulk tank: part of the new dairy set up

zero grazed or cut for round bales. He did some zero grazing the first year of dairying because the weather was so wet and it wasn’t possible to graze the cows.

“I don’t like to do it all the time, because it is more labour intensive, but it’s good to have the option and, if it’s just too wet in the spring, we can still utilise the grass.

It gives us some flexibility.”

When the cows do go out, they’re paddock grazed with electric fencing.

“Again, we like the flexibility of this system – the fences never seem to go in the same place, but that’s fine. They go where they need to go and where the cows need to go,” he says, adding that they measure grass on weekly basis throughout the season: “So we can graze and cut grass at the optimal time.”

“We do see a boost in milk yields at turnout – and the milkers perform well on the grass until we start drying them off in late July.”

Cows then stay out at grass until October: “But again, this very much depends on the weather – ground conditions rule on this unit.”

NMR records The NMR-recorded herd averages 7,300 litres with good solids – 4.07% butterfat and 3.32% protein. “And we’re expecting these to rise with breeding – particularly the milk solids. We’re not paid for higher constituents at the moment, but I suspect there will be more emphasis on quality in the future. So we’ll be ready for that.”

Robin places a lot of emphasis on milk from forage and has invested heavily in reseeding swards during the past five years, with around 85% of the grassland now replaced with long-term leys. “The old leys were tired, particularly after grazing suckler beef. In fact much of the land needed ploughing, because compaction was a problem.”

Robin uses his NMR data to monitor and measure herd performance and fine-tune management – vital when milk price is averaging just 18ppl. He says somatic cell count data is essential to help stay on top of good udder health and milk quality.

And he also uses Silent Herdsman and this has reduced his CI to 372 days.

“That figure has to be tight if we’re block calving – there’s very little room for manoeuvre here. I can’t afford to let that slip.

“And, because we’re a relatively new herd, there are no excuses for an excessively long calving interval. We started as we mean to go on and we have to consolidate what we have and continue to strive to get even better.” l

COW MAN AG E ME N T

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H E A LT H

Antibiotic use must be records driven – not based on guesswork

Data aids ‘safe’ selection Selective use of antibiotics at drying off is an attractive proposition. It cuts costs and it satisfies industry and government pressures. But it is a risky route to take without accurate records for each cow. A Somerset-based producer and vet team describe the decision-making process as each cow is dried off. text Karen Wright

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here’s no doubt that producer Anthony Gothard is pleased with the progress he and Synergy’s vet Alastair Hayton have made in reducing the use of antibiotics at drying off. “We now only treat half of our 800 cows with antibiotics at drying off. Five years ago, we automatically treated all the cows.

The cost saving is huge, with no adverse effects. Our herd average cell count is an ideal 130,000 cells/ml with minimal cases of mastitis.”

Adverse effect Anthony is happy to maintain current cell count levels in his Holstein Friesian herd, which averages 11,600kg of milk on three-times-a-day milking. But, as his

drying off. The thinking was that the antibiotics were killing off the ‘good’ bugs and therefore reducing the cow’s natural defences.

“NMR records showed that some of these cows had exceptionally low cell counts at drying off – between 10,000 cells/ml and 12,000 cells/ml. It was possible that these, and other low cell count cows, were too susceptible to infection challenges.”

Antibiotics cut vet explains, the background to arriving at this point is interesting.

“Four years ago we were concerned with the level of E coli mastitis in this herd,” says Alastair. “Average cell counts had been falling and were between 80,000 cells/ml and 100,000 cells/ml in the then 600-cow herd. Mastitis infection was minimal. All cows were treated with teat sealant and antibiotic at drying off.

But, despite this, we were seeing too many cows suffering from toxic E coli mastitis in early lactation.”

This herd had accurate records and all cases of mastitis were carefully recorded.

“But I was aware of evidence that showed an increase in E coli infections in mastitisfree cows treated with antibiotics at

Keen to reverse the E coli levels in the herd, which is based at Stoke St Gregory near Taunton, they considered how best to boost the immune system in the herd.

“One suggestion was to stop post milking teat dipping,” says Anthony. “But this terrified me – I felt the risks were too great.”

This led them to look at selective dry cow treatment and to only treat cows with antibiotic at drying off if they had any mastitis infection. “We started off being very conservative,” adds Alastair. “We only stopped using antibiotics on cows with no cases of mastitis in the lactation and SCCs lower than 200,000 cells/ml for the previous five or six months.”

During the past 12 months they have amended the ‘rules’ and to qualify for

Antibiotic use at Slough Court has halved and somatic cell counts are stable

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antibiotic treatment at drying off the cow needs to have had a cell count of more than 200,000 cells/ml during the past three months prior to drying off or a case of mastitis other than in the first 80 days of lactation.

Common sense “You have to use some common sense.

This is a clean and tidy farm and management protocols are very good.”

Vet Alastair tackles each of his herds differently. “No one rule fits all. You have to consider the current clinical and subclinical mastitis levels, the risks for infection in the dry period and the sort of bacteria involved. This is why I encourage producers to use bacteriology tests. We then know what we’re dealing with. And if the farm has dirty dry cow yards and high SCC averages then the chances are that selective dry cow therapy wouldn’t be considered.”

Progress has been good at Slough Court.

Antibiotic use at drying off has halved and somatic cell counts have stabilised at 130,000 cells/ml. “This would suggest that cows have some immunity so are not quite so vulnerable to infection as they were,” says Alastair.

And, up until January this year, the herd hasn’t had any more mortality due to cases of toxic E coli mastitis for the past two years. “We had a one-off case in January 2016, which broke this record,” says Anthony. “We’re monitoring all the cows carefully and following strict hygiene protocols, but we think this cow may have had poor immunity around calving.”

Although the parameters used for treating cows at drying off have changed during the past four years the decisionmaking process is just as thorough.

Monthly meetings see Anthony and Alastair reviewing cows approaching the dry period and identifying those to treat. They refer to the monthly herd health report produced by the practice that incorporates NMR data, as well as information from Anthony’s farm management software program.

“We’re totally dependent on our NMR individual cow cell count records and our parlour mastitis recordings,” adds Anthony. “We’ve expanded cow numbers and put up a new shed for 240 cows in 2014. There are more staff involved, but our protocols have remained the same. I work closely with Alastair to select cows to treat at drying off. We don’t leave anything to chance and there’s no room for guessing.” l

Anthony Gothard (left) and Synergy vet Alastair Hayton

Head start in cow selection Herds with consistently low somatic cell counts and minimal mastitis incidence could be contenders for selective dry cow therapy (SDCT) at drying off. Producers with good records and who work closely with their vet will be able to identify if their herds are suitable for SDCT and then select cows for antibiotic therapy with confidence.

“Those with good milk records have a significant head start,” says NML vet Eamon Watson. “And producers can take advantage of NML’s Selective Dry Cow tool, which is available free of charge to all producers via Herd Companion. NMR milk recording customers will see that their reports

are automatically populated with an analysis of their individual cow SCCs and clinical mastitis records.”

Producers can also subscribe to a quarterly bulk milk mastitis pathogen screening test within the scheme, which can help producers and vets understand the pattern and distribution of mastitis pathogens.

“The tool is a starting point for active mastitis management and for continuous monitoring of the herd for SDCT,” adds Eamon.

“At a cow level, those with access to InterHerd+ can create bespoke reports.

They can set their own parameters and let the program do the sifting and sorting.”

Each cow’s records are reviewed prior to drying off

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Beef on Dairy

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Award-winning columnist and Shropshire-based producer Roger Evans waxes lyrical about the pleasures of visiting his hairdresser and reveals he’s getting text kisses from women he’s never met.

Kiss ‘n’ tell T

he editor of Cow Management doesn’t like me to do gloomy writing, she said as much in her most recent editorial. But it’s not that easy to be cheerful. As I write, storm Imogen is trying to take the roof off our house.

Our windows don’t keep all of the wind out so I’m freezing, I’ve got no money, and I don’t expect to have money any time soon. I’ve got plenty of grass but, like everyone else, the ground has never been so wet at this time of year either. The only thing that will quickly dry the ground is a cold east wind and we all know what a cold east wind does to spring grass. And the thing with a cold east wind is that it never knows when to stop.

The place where we are on milk price is slowly having a domino effect on the companies who supply us. As I pause I get a text message from the people we used to buy sand from. This year we are using straw in our cubicles because we have plenty of it. There’s a kiss, from the lady who sent the text message, at the end. I’ve never seen her but she is taking a bit of a chance as she’s never seen me either. What do other industries do when faced with a surplus? One answer comes from an unexpected direction.

I quite enjoy going to have my haircut. There’s less and less to cut, as time goes on, but that’s the least of my worries. Because the hair cut is quite cheap I go quite often and have a bit of a trim. I really enjoy the company of the lady who does the cutting. If she’s not busy she takes three or four minutes to cut my hair and then she makes me a cup of coffee and we have a good gossip. I always think that out of the £4.90 she charges (I always give her £5.00), it’s a pound for the haircut and £4.00 for the experience. If there’s no one else in the salon then the extent of the gossip knows no bounds and the whole experience is worth a tenner anyway.

There’s a new salon that’s just opened and I remarked about just how many ladies’ hairdressers there are in the area and asked how they all manage to make a living. She tells me that when a young trainee becomes a stylist the first thing they want to do is start their own business. If they can’t get a shop they start doing hair in people’s homes. Whatever they do, it’s more competition.

What my hairdresser does is this. She rents out the chairs in her salon to these young stylists and they bring their own clients in to use them.

It’s a winner for everyone because it keeps her salon busy and women prefer ‘the salon experience’ compared to having their hair cut at home. It all seems eminently sensible to me, but is there anything to learn from this?

I’m always on the lookout for things I can learn and I look around the salon. There’s an empty hairdressing chair, but I don’t see myself as a stylist. In the corner is the door that leads to where they do waxing. I’ve never been in there but there can’t be much to it. I ask her if I can rent the waxing room. I now have her full attention, the attention of her assistants and a lady sitting under a drier. She says she’ll get back to me.

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NO ONE WAS EXPECTING THIS Treating mastitis with Metacam® also improves fertility 1

We’ve come to expect therapeutic efficacy and productivity benefits from Metacam. What we didn’t expect, until recently, were fertility benefits too. A new large-scale (over 500 cows) landmark study found that adding Metacam to standard antibiotic therapy for mastitis is associated with a greater first-service conception rate, fewer inseminations required to conceive and a higher probability of pregnancy by 120 days post-calving compared with cows receiving antibiotic therapy alone1. Expectations of Metacam treatment are changing. Are yours?

Ask your vet if treating mastitis with Metacam could work for you.

Reference 1. McDougall et al (2016) Addition of meloxicam to the treatment of clinical mastitis improves subsequent reproductive performance. J Dairy Sci 99(3): 2026-2042.

Advice on the use of Metacam 20mg/ml solution for injection of cattle, pigs and horses or other therapies should be sought from your veterinary surgeon. Metacam contains meloxicam. UK: POM-V IE: POM. Further information available in the SPC or from Boehringer Ingelheim Limited, Vetmedica, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8YS, UK. Email: vetmedica.uk@boehringer-ingelheim.com. Date of preparation: Dec 2015. AHD8671. Use Medicines Responsibly (www.noah.co.uk/responsible)

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B R E E D I N G T H E

P L A N

Derek Haworth Breeding cows to suit his ‘typical British’ system with a robotic milking set up is paying off for this Lancashire-based producer Herd size: Average yield: Calving interval: Milk from forage:

O F. . .

Poulton Le Fylde

70 cows 9,200 litres 420 days 4,500 litres

Derek and Robert Haworth

Good grazers with capacity to produce plenty of milk from forage

Breeding for ‘British’ system Breeding robust cows with capacity for forage and good teat placement are key to success for one Lancashire-based producer.

What shaped his breeding policy and what are his future plans? text Rachael Porter

D

erek Haworth runs his herd, which is based at Poulton Le Fylde in Lancashire, on what he describes as a ‘typical British’ system. “In other words, I’m making as much of grazing and grassland as possible and, in this tough economic climate, I’m not sure what other way there is to try and stay viable,” he says.

He began moving away from pure-bred Ayrshire in the early 1990s and, in 2002, following the foot-and-mouth disease crisis, a large proportion of the pedigree

18

Ayrshire herd was sold to a breeder who had lost his herd in the cull. “I did keep about 33 head of young stock. My father decided to retire and I started again with these and some bought-in black-andwhite heifers. It was a case of restocking and I was looking for a little more milk yield and a slightly bigger version of the Ayrshire cow – more body capacity rather than stature. So some Holstein bloodlines were the answer.”

These cattle laid the foundations of today’s herd, which remains a mixture

of the two bloodlines. This is, in part, due to Derek’s interest in Dutch red-andwhite Holstein genetics. “These really caught my eye because they offered what I was looking for – more milk and capacity, but not extreme unlike the North American Holsteins that were all the rage in the 1990s.

Insight: genetic foundations “They are great cattle, but too fragile for my forage based system. I knew that I needed something a little more robust and genetics that could maximise milk from forage. That’s very much what my system was – and still is – about. I needed to breed cows and heifers to suit my ‘British’ system.”

So that means health, longevity and fertility – as opposed to yield. “I do want a decent milk yield, but I’m not aiming too high,” he says, adding that ‘decent’

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at the moment is 9,018 litres, at 4.50% butterfat and 3.46% protein, for the Ayrshire crosses and 9,200 litres, at 4.26% butterfat and 3.43% protein, for the Holstein crosses.

Decent is perhaps a little modest – these yields are impressive. And even more impressive is that just shy of 4,500 litres of those average yields comes from forage.

“My mantra is that profit is sanity and yield is vanity. So I’m really not chasing yield. I’m chasing yield from forage – which is the cheapest feed available.

“For that I need genetics – in other words cows with capacity to eat plenty of forage and the ability to go out and graze. Good yield, with high components, is a happy side effect of that.”

Plan: teat placement His herd calves all year round, to provide a level milk supply for his buyer, and a recent development is that it is now milked through a robot – a single DeLaval unit was installed in 2009 – and this has meant tweaking his herd’s breeding policy and sire selection parameters slightly.

“I’m still looking for plenty of capacity

and functional type. But better teat placement and good udder attachment are more important now too.

“As is ‘agility’ – I want cows and heifers with good mobility now that the onus is on them to get up and go to the robot to be milked.”

Since his system is still very much grass based – a mixture of grazing and ‘cut and carry’ – his cows also needs good feet and legs. The cow house, which also contains the robotic milking system, has a pasture gate so the cows can go out to graze – just as they would after milking through a more conventional set up.

avoid inbreeding: “I don’t profess to be a whiz when it comes to selecting bulls.

I’m not as switched on as my father was when it comes to pedigree lines. So this program points me in the right direction and makes sure I avoid any costly mistakes.”

He’s has Windstar, Fidelity and Fantasy in his AI flask at the moment and also has daughters on the ground by these sires. “And already I’m pleased with what ’ve seen. They’re great looking calves,” says Derek.

He manages the herd with help from his wife Kirsty and his 16-year-old son Robert, who is also keen on the genetics side of the dairy business. “We look at the sire catalogues together. It’s important that he’s involved because, if he wants to come home to help run the herd after he’s been to college, he’ll be milking the descendants of the heifers we breed today.

“We also consult with Alan Mason, from CRVAvoncroft. Three heads are even better than two. And between us I know we’re going to select the best sires for use on our cows and heifers and that our herd will continue to go from strength to strength.” l

Improve: future plans He plans to continue to build on the ‘power and strength’ in his herd, much of which comes from the CRVAvoncroft sires he’s used during the past two decades.

The younger proportion of the herd comprise a number of Topspeed Kodak and Delta Fidelity daughters and they’re milking well through the robot and proving to be the kind of ‘trouble free’ cows that he likes to breed and manage.

Derek uses CRV’s Sirematch program to

P L A N

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What traits are key to suit the management of the Haworth family’s herd?

5 Health Robust, trouble-free cattle ensure that they can easily move between the robot and grazing during the summer and time is not wasted treating sick cows.

• Sires with good feet and legs, and udders • Good health scores

4 Longevity Power and strength are the key drivers for herd health, efficiency and longevity. Good feet and legs and udders ensure that cows last for several lactations.

• Sires with functional type • Sires with good udder health and conformation

3 Fertility This is vital to ensure that cows and heifers get back in calf easily, maintaining the herd’s calving pattern and making the most of summer grazing • Easy calving sires • Sires offering good fertility and not too much milk

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Job vacancy: UK Sales Representative(s) De Boer Housing Systems is looking for a sales representative for the region(s) of Wales, Middle and Northern England.

De Boer Housing Systems Ltd specialises in cow shed design and supply of dairy cow housing equipment. We aim to achieve the best possible results of quality housing in terms of cow welfare and wellbeing. We have a number of unique products which have much added value over others.

The sales person needs to be able to work independently from his/her home and will be in contact direct with farmers and to maintain and expand our dealer net. Knowledge and experience of dairy farming and shed construction materials is important.

Experience in sales to dairy farmers will be an advantage.

Enquiries: Rypke de Boer 07785 288257 E-mail: Rypke.deboer@btinternet.com Website: www.deboerhousing.com

Grass & Forage Crops Grass Leys and Forage Crops for Cost Efficient Milk Production

Call 01472 370117 for your handbook or email enquiries@limagrain.co.uk

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TOPGRASS Only the best varieties from leading plant breeding programs are used in TOPGRASS seed mixtures

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Moergestel, The Netherlands +31(0)13 - 513 36 17

2016

03-03-16 10:47

G R A S S L A N D

S P E C I A L

Weed control: Take action to tackle ‘yield zapping’ docks early this season. Page 24 Short-term leys: the benefits of using new mixtures and modern varieties. Page 26 Reducing stress: treating grass as a crop will ensure swards maximise their potential. Page 28

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G R A S S L A N D

S P E C I A L

Be prepared to spray grassland docks earlier than usual this year

Weed out the yield zappers The relatively mild winter, coupled with wet conditions, has encouraged early weed growth in many grass fields. But the good news is that this presents an ideal opportunity to spray to control them and maximise both your grazing and silage ley potential. text Sara Gregson

S

oils on many dairy units across the UK have warmer than usual this winter and this means that grass has continued to grow, albeit slowly, but so, too, have pernicious perennial broad-leaved weeds including docks.

These weeds in particular prefer loamy or clay soils that are rich in nitrogen and phosphorus.

They flower from June onwards, producing 60,000 viable seeds per plant, and these spread via wind, water, farmyard manure, in hay, on implements or the coats of animals and through the digestive tracts of the cattle that eat them.

The seed persists in the soil for up to 80 years, so a flush of new docks will always be seen on recently disturbed or poached ground. A cow hoof-print created in damp weather, for example, provides the perfect pocket of soil for dock seeds to germinate. And where

there has been flooding, weed seed may have travelled in from elsewhere to infest previously clean swards.

Unwanted competition Leafy docks compete with productive grasses for space, light and nutrients.

They are less digestible and less palatable than grass and will pull down silage feed values if ensiled. Their stiff stalks can also puncture the plastic wrap on any silage that is baled, letting in air and creating waste. So if docks make up more than 5% of the surface area of a field, treating them with herbicide will be cost-effective.

“As the days begin to lengthen soil temperatures are unlikely to go down – even if we have a very late spring,” says Dow AgroSciences’ grassland agronomy manager Brent Gibbon. “So I expect there will be opportunities, certainly in the southern half of the UK, to spray from the end of March.”

There are several advantages to treating patches of docks, with a grass-safe product, early in the season. Having a clean sward gives grass the best chance of colonising the bare patches left by the dying weeds and the field can produce to its yield potential. Achieving good control early on also means that the field can be weed-free for the whole season ahead – the job is done and out of the way.

If spraying with a translocated herbicide specifically for use against docks, such as DoxstarPro, it is best to leave at least three weeks after application before cutting the grass crop for silage. This allows the herbicide time to move from the dock leaves and down into the roots, to kill the entire plant – not just the leafy top. Leaving the spray date until the middle of April or later creates pressure on the silage-cutting deadline.

Follow fertiliser “The key to success is to spray weeds that are actively growing and forming a rosette of between 15cm and 20cm across or high,” advises Mr Gibbon. “This will ensure the maximum amount of active ingredients enter the plant and travel around it and down to the roots.”

Spraying grassland with herbicide either a week before or a week after a nitrogen fertiliser application can boost its effectiveness. This is common practice

Tackle weeds: dock-infested silage will have a lower feed value

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03-03-16 15:55

Brent Gibbon: “There will be an opportunity to spray from late March”

New legislation: both spraying equipment and operators must ensure that they meet the latest test standards

in Germany when applied to cereal crops and Mr Gibbon suggests that UK grassland producers could also benefit.

“Modern translocated products travel to the growing points of the weeds. If the weeds are growing more quickly, following a dose of fertiliser for example, the effect of the herbicide will be enhanced,” he says.

Chickweed has also thrived during the milder winter and is romping away in open leys. Buttercups, another early perennial weed that’s often found in grazing paddocks, are slightly toxic when growing but rarely eaten unless there are large populations or grazing is tight. But they can dominate large patches of grass.

Chickweed can be controlled with DoxstarPro and buttercups need spraying before they flower. Walking the fields is important to identify areas where they are growing in their vegetative state. If

they are growing on grazing land then treatment with a herbicide, such as Forefront T, is the way to go.

New rules Producers using professional pesticides must now adhere to new EU legal requirements under the Sustainable Use Directive. Spray operators must hold recognised spray certificates such as PA1, PA2 and PA6, or a new certificate aimed at holders of ‘Grandfather Rights’ – people who were born before December 31 1964, and previously needed no certification.

PA1 is the base module for all spray operators. PA2 covers tractor-mounted and self-propelled boom sprayers. PA6 is required for pesticides applied by handheld equipment, such as knapsacks.

Producers not wishing to take these tests need to employ a neighbour or contractor

who has the qualification. Producers without certification can still buy herbicides, but they must make sure the intended spray operator is suitably qualified, or will be working under the direct supervision of someone who is.

And from November 26 this year pesticide spray application equipment must hold a valid National Sprayer Testing Scheme (NSTS) certificate. Exact test requirements depend on the age and type of machinery. “For grassland producers, who only apply sprays occasionally, it may be a chance to review whether to get the sprayer tested or to use a contractor,” says Mr Gibbon.

“Pesticides are an investment so it makes sense to apply them through a wellmaintained sprayer. This will achieve the best economical response from the products, while minimising any risk to the environment or spray operator.” l

Buttercup invasion: this weed can dominate large areas of grassland

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G R A S S L A N D

S P E C I A L

Increase milk from home-grown forage with high yielding, short-term leys

‘Seriously fast’ grass

Growing grass mixtures purely for cutting can provide tonnes of top-class silage in no time at all and help to keep winter feed costs in check. We spoke to an agronomist and a producer, who is growing short-term leys with considerable success, to find out more. text Sara Gregson

G

rass has continued to grow, albeit slowly, in many places across the UK during the mild winter. Indeed, some herds have already been out grazing for several weeks and there are signs that first-cut silage could be early this year.

Perhaps 2016 will be the year to reverse the declining trend of milk from forage figures, which have hovered around the 2,500 litres per cow per year for the past decade but fell to 2,266 litres per cow in 2015.

Regardless of their herd management system, producers should be aiming to produce around 4,000 litres per cow from forage every year to help maximise efficiency.

For silage, yield is the overriding

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consideration. Maximum output will come from young leys filled with new varieties that have been bred specifically to produce large crops of highly nutritious herbage.

Short-term leys “Grass silage is more expensive than grazed grass to feed, but it is still more than half the price of an 18% concentrate feed,” explains Oliver Seeds’ Rod Bonshor.

“Short-term silage leys can deliver 37t DM/ha per year across two years, compared to perhaps 30t DM/ha across two years for longer term, dual-purpose swards. That is a lot of extra expensive cake to buy to make up the shortfall in energy and protein.”

Producers have, indeed, taken note of

this and there is a growing trend towards reseeding with short-term but higher yielding – in terms of quality and quality – grass mixtures and varieties.

Westerwold is providing popular. It is an annual ryegrass, which is quick to establish and produces forage within eight to 10 weeks of seeding. It is the only grass to produce a stem and seed-head from a spring sowing and should be cut before it heads, to encourage regrowth for second or subsequent cuts.

Mr Bonshor says that Westerwold ryegrass makes excellent silage and has higher sugar levels than perennial ryegrass, which aids fermentation. It is also leafy and palatable and can provide useful early-bite grazing.

“Mixtures of Westerwold and Italian ryegrasses, such as Tornado, have to be managed carefully,” he adds. “Their relatively open nature calls for regular cutting or rotational grazing to gain full yield potential. Trials show that an extra £148 worth of silage can be produced in just six months, based on gaining an additional 3.7 tonnes of 25% dry matter silage priced at £40 per tonne.

“While cash flow is tight, putting in a short-term Westerwold-based ley costing £2.35 per kilogramme, compared to a

2016

03-03-16 15:51

Rod Bonshor: “Westerwold ryegrass makes excellent grass silage”

Terry Miller: “Tornado shows very aggressive growth”

longer term perennial ryegrass at £4.10 per kilogramme, may be a more costeffective solution for boosting grass yields for this year and 2017.”

at our trials ground in Gloucestershire – so we know the ones in our mixtures will do well in UK conditions.”

Westerwold varieties

One producer who knows, first hand, about the benefits of ‘seriously fast’ grass is Somerset-based producer Terry Miller.

He aims to maximise his 220-cow herd’s milk yield from forage and is currently achieving 2,876 litres out of a total annual yield of 9,159 litres per cow. The farm covers 364 hectares overlooking the Bristol Channel.

The pedigree Holstein Friesian herd is housed for the first 200 days of lactation and fed a 50:50 mix of maize and high quality grass silage in a TMR, which also comprises soya, oilseed rape, homegrown wheat and sugar beet nuts.

Individual cows eat 40kg fresh weight.

“We take five cuts of Tornado, a Westerwolds and Italian ryegrass shortterm cutting ley. This is grown in rotation with winter wheat or winter barley,” explains Mr Miller. “This mix really suits our ground, which is in the rain shadow of the Quantock Hills, so it can dry up in

Seed rates are typically 35kg per hectare.

Drilling in the autumn can result in a sward that’s taller than ideal to go through the winter, so young stock or sheep can be used to graze it down to between 10cm and 15cm. Spring-sown swards, drilled in the first week of March, may be ready for cutting by mid-May. To achieve the highest yields, Westerwold mixtures need feeding – up to 300kg per hectare of nitrogen per year, with added phosphate and potash where soil indices are inadequate.

“There was limited interest in Westerwolds 20 years ago and the available varieties were of poor persistence and quality. But this is now changing,” says Mr Bonshor. “There is currently no recommended list for Westerwold varieties in the UK. We cross-reference independent data from France and Germany with plots we grow

Silage benefits

summer. Tornado seems to keep going.

Everyone can get big cuts for their first cut, but we get three or four additional big cuts of high quality forage throughout the season.”

Table 1 shows the impressive 2015 silage analysis for the short-term ley.

Terry and his two sons, Paul and Simon, replaced their silage making equipment seven years ago, and now pick up the wilted mown grass with a Strautmann forage wagon rather than a forage harvester. The system is slower, but suits the three-man family-labour unit, and, according to Terry, the longer chop of the grass is better for rumen health.

Multiple cuts “We aim to take first cut during the third week of April – well before the grass has headed – and then come back and cut again at six-week intervals. It is amazing how quickly it grows back.”

The farm is in an NVZ and fertiliser applications are kept to a maximum, with a 75kg/ha dressing of N applied after each cut, apart from 50kg/ha after fifth cut.

The short-term leys are sown after cereal stubble is min-tilled after harvest. A flush of weeds allowed to come through, before being sprayed off with herbicide.

The Tornado is then drilled at a rate of 35kg per hectare with a Tive six-metre air drill, after the desiccated stubble has been min-cultivated with a Väderstad TopDown cultivator.

“The grass comes up incredibly quickly – within 10 days,” says Mr Miller. “It shows very aggressive growth at all stages of its life and it provides a valuable two-year break in the rotation, as well as producing top quality forage for the cows.” l

Table 1: Silage analysis results for second year Tornado Westerwold/Italian ryegrass crop in 2015

dry matter (%) crude protein (%) D value (%) metabolisable energy (ME) (MJ/kg)

first-cut silage

second-cut silage

fourth-cut silage

33.9 16.6 75.5 12.1

32.6 11.1 72.9 11.7

24.8 13.5 72.2 11.6

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G R A S S L A N D

S P E C I A L

Measure, manage and monitor is key to grazing success

Reduce grass ‘stress’ and boost crop performance Stressed grass means poor grazing performance – something that producers can ill afford as they look to maximise its performance, particularly under the current economic pressures. So what can producers do to minimise pressure on their grass crop and ensure that it flourishes. text Rachael Porter

Father-and-son team: David and James Lee work together to maximise forage efficiency

T

reat grass as a crop is not a new mantra, yet it’s one that many producers could still benefit from adopting. Guessing when it comes to, among other things, fertiliser applications and assessing rather than measuring how grazing is performing, can prove costly.

Potential production may not be realised, and grass and silage quality may be at risk. And money can be wasted through excessive fertiliser and bought-in feed costs. So says Limagrain UK’s Ian Misselbrook, who is urging producers to go back to basics.

“Start with the soil,” he says. “Many

producers still fail to test their soil for nutrient balance and pH – either at all or regularly enough,” he says adding that, in a bid to cut costs, some producers have reduced fertiliser and lime use with a detrimental effect. “Others are applying more than they need to, or it’s simply unavailable to the plant because pH is too low. If you don’t know what your starting point is then it’s impossible to ensure that you’re applying fertiliser and lime in the quantities that will facilitate efficient and healthy grass growth.”

Too much or, more typically seen on UK dairy units, not enough fertiliser and low soil pH will ‘stress’ the grass crop and

this is highlighted by NRM soil analyses (see Figure 1).

Disease, particularly after such a mild and wet winter, could also be a key stressor for grass this spring, so selecting varieties and mixtures that offer better resistance to fungal growth can also help ensure a healthy crop, as can dealing with any drainage and compaction issues.

Dry weather Conversely, drought conditions and a shortfall in nitrogen can stress grass and cause it to head early. This is a problem seen on many farms, according to Limagrain UK’s seed specialist Brian Copestake.

Early bite: grazing is ready for cows to be turned out, once they’ve calved, from February onwards

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percentage of grassland analysed

60 50 40 30 20 10 0

<pH 3.99

<pH 4-4.99

<pH 5-5.99

<pH 6-6.99

>pH 7

pH level

Figure 1: Grassland pH levels in UK (source: NRM)

Indeed, some producers believe that ‘modern’ grasses ‘head’ too early and offer too much yield. He cites a producer who reduced his fertiliser applications due to this belief: “The result was that the grass was stressed and so it headed too early – the opposite of what he was trying to achieve.

“In this situation, producers should ensure that they sow a late heading mixture – deep rooting tetraploids can help here and are preferably to more old fashioned diploids.”

And he reminds producers that their agronomist can play a key role in getting this balance right. “There’s no short cut to good grassland management and it’s important to invest in the crop – and soil management – to realise its potential.”

‘Crop’ approach One producer who recognises just how vital it is to treat his grassland as a crop is David Lee, who runs a 400-cow herd in partnership with his wife Rachel and son James on the Welsh Borders.

He has a total of 183 hectares of grassland – for grazing and silage – both owned on his unit and rented on a neighbouring farm. The grassland surrounding his unit is mainly permanent pasture for grazing, which supports his block-calved herd from spring through to early autumn.

“We’re very reliant on grass for our seasonal production pattern,” he says, adding that cows are turned out, once they’ve calved, from February through to April and until the end of October.

“And because of that our grass and our grazing and grassland management have to be tip top. We certainly treat it as a crop and we soil test for nutrients and pH every three years – so we test one third of our grassland each year. I like to see a soil at pH 6 – that’s where I think it’s at its most productive and there are no issues with nutrients being locked up or unavailable.”

Measure and monitor: a plate meter is used to check on grass growth at least once a week

Since grass is the cheapest feed available to David, his goal is to get as much into his cows as possible. He does this by rotationally grazing, using paddocks with a system of cow tracks. “And there’s very little waste – we’re on top of grass growth from the very start of the season and keep the rotation tight. James goes out at least once a week with a plate meter to measure the grass cover. How else can we be sure of how well the grass leys are performing and how much fertiliser we need to apply, and in what ratios?”

Grass test Grass is also tested throughout the season – typically every two weeks – to ensure that quality is maintained. David and James are looking for an ME of at least 12MJ/kg DM and around 20% protein. “And we note down grass cover and put all the data into Agrinet. Using this on-line software also helps us to monitor what’s going on,” says David.

“Managing grass as a crop, and ensuring that it’s not stressed and that it’s performing to its potential, is also about checking output – just as you’d weigh grain yield and dry matter when harvesting a cereal crop. It completes the picture for us,” he adds. “We need to know what’s going on – what’s the ‘real’ grass yield. This is a crucial stepping stone in maximising milk from forage and, as I say, turning green to gold.”

Grass varieties are important too, even though much of his grazing platform is permanent pasture. He has carried out some reseeding during the past few years, but only where grass yields dipped below 15t DM/ha.

Monitoring performance “I have some 30 year-old leys that are still producing 14t DM/ha – I know this because we’re measuring, monitoring and managing.

And I think it’s the attention to detail – looking at what goes into the grass and what comes off the leys – and managing grass as a crop that not only extends the lifespan of our leys but also ensures that they’re extremely productive.”

He recently carried out some reseeding – some 10.5ha – using a Sinclair McGill seed mixture containing Matrix and he was pleased with the results. “We saw a consistent and impressive grass yield – 16t DM/ha in the first year – made all the more impressive because weather conditions were poor when it was sown and it did look a little ‘gappy’. I can’t wait to see what it’ll yield this year, now it’s established.”

He chose this mixture because it suits his system – offering extended grazing on both ‘shoulders’ of the grazing season.

“It gets off to an early start in the spring and lasts well into the autumn and I’d certainly use it again if I need to carry out more reseeding in the future.” l

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M A N A G E M E N T

Switch to dairy was driven by bid to stave off market volatility

Back to the future Moving back into dairying is a long-term strategy to build a business that’s better able to cope with market volatility, according to one Country Antrim-based producer. We spoke to him and his son to find out more about their plans. text Rachael Porter

“Y

es – that’s me. And no, I’m not insane,” is the humorous reply from Northern Ireland-based producer Robert Duncan, when asked if he’s recently set up a dairy business.

He has indeed moved back into dairying, after selling his previous dairy herd in 2006 and moving into suckler beef production for eight years. A decade ago he ran a 120-cow Holstein Friesian herd, in partnership with his father Fred, but decided to switch to beef production.

“We had a mix of pedigree and commercial beef Shorthorns and we reared and finished the latter for a specialist scheme,” he says.

So, why the switch back to dairy again?

“It’s really to build a sustainable business for our youngest son – he wanted to come home and farm and beef market stability is constantly declining. I couldn’t see it getting any better, particularly because the UK imports quite a lot of beef.

“Dairying, despite the current downturn,

does offer a little more stability. And we still had most of the infrastructure here needed to manage a dairy enterprise – the slurry handling facilities and cow housing with cubicles. And a regular cash flow – the monthly milk cheque – is another bonus, of course.”

New parlour All the family members were positive about his decision, predominantly because the unit is ideally suited to dairying. “It’s a decent size, so we can run a larger than average herd. And the farm is located in the centre of the 114-hectare unit, which means that all the grazing land is easily accessible,” he adds.

So, in 2014, the family took the decision to move back into milk and started the ball rolling. Apart from selling the beef herd and buying in dairy stock, the family also needed to invest in a new milking parlour at their Crumlin-based

Good decision: Robert and Chris Duncan are optimistic about the future

unit. They opted for a Dairymaster 20:40 swing-over herringbone.

“Back in 2006, we sold our dairy herd to a producer in Scotland and in November 2014 we bought a batch of maiden heifers from the same producer, which were descended from our original stock, plus some others that were Fleckvieh crosses. And we also bought some heifers from a herd, here in County Antrim, which had previously used a number of bulls from our pedigree herd.”

Starting up again was a chance to do things differently and try something new, so after a period of integration and vaccination – to reduce stress and prevent disease – the heifers were mostly served using Fleckvieh sires.

“We wanted to manage and milk cows that are better suited to our climate

All change: a dairy enterprise has replaced the unit’s suckler beef herd

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New parlour: this was the only major infrastructure investment required to set up the dairy herd at the Duncan’s unit

and system,” explains Robert. “My father and I have each been to Europe – Austria, Germany and The Netherlands – and seen Fleckviehs and Fleckvieh crosses and we were impressed.

“Fertility is particularly good – vital when we’re running a block-calving system. And milk quality is also impressive, with high fat and protein.

The breed also has a quiet temperament, which makes handling them a little easier, and cross-bred bull calves also sell well at market too.”

Early days Robert stresses that, as far as the Fleckvieh is concerned, it’s very much early days. “I don’t want people to think that I’m advocating using the breed – we’ve got a few years to go to see how it works out for us. But on paper the breed has everything we’re looking for and I’m confident that we won’t be disappointed.

I’m no Fleckvieh expert, but I’m giving them a go.”

The heifers calved and were milked for the first time in October 2015. And today he’s milking a total of 110 head and is aiming to push numbers up to between

150 and 160 during the next couple of years, using home-bred replacements.

“We want to remain a closed herd and grow ‘naturally’ – to help keep disease out and to make sure we’ve got our management system running smoothly before we expand.”

All three generations – Fred, Robert and Chris – are pleased with how things are going. “We’re particularly pleased with the parlour. We did consider a robotic system, but we felt that it wasn’t ideal when we plan to graze the herd for at least six months of the year.”

The herd is calved in two blocks – autumn and spring – and milk is sold to LacPatrick, which was formed in July 2015 as a result of the merger of Ballyrashane and Town of Monaghan Coops. The company owns three processing plants that produce liquid milk, cheese and butter. “And our milk price isn’t too bad compared to some. We’re seeing 19.8ppl at the moment – that’s 1.8ppl above the base price of 18ppl. But I have to admit that back in 2014 I based our business plan on between 23ppl and 24ppl. I didn’t think it would drop as low as it has.”

That said, Robert is still pleased that he took the decision to go back into dairying. “Chris is thriving on it. Our eldest son Michael also helps out with morning milkings and my wife Janet takes care of all the paperwork. It’s very much about the longer term and building a sustainable business that can support us all in the future.”

Dairy passion Chris agrees and says that he really is enjoying running the herd. “Dairying is what I’ve always been interested in,” says the 17 year old, who relishes the chance to get involved in sire selection and AI, as well as the day-to-day tasks of milking and feeding the herd. And he’s also applied to study for an HND in agriculture at a local college. “So I can study and come home and help manage the herd,” he says.

Father and son have a positive outlook for the future. “What’s going to happen with milk price and UK dairying it the million dollar question,” says Robert.

“It’s a huge unknown, but I do have a feeling that things will improve and, hopefully, sooner rather than later.” l

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BREEDING INFORMATION

German Brown Swiss Take your chance to profit from the largest and most efficient Brown Swiss breeding programme in the world!

The breed offers long-lasting cows with superior protein production, persistency with a flat lactation curve, strong feet and legs, and a calm temperament.

The Spermex German Brown Swiss 2016 catalogue is now available from CRV Avoncroft. Call 0800 7831880 for your copy.

Matthijs daughter Annie 93, Dutch MRI cow of the year 2015

MRI cow of the year Study association MRI Oost in Holland has elected Annie 93 as MRI cow of the year 2015. The eight-year-old Matthijs daughter, from a Guido dam, has calved six times now and has already produced, in 1,917 days, 55,23 kg of milk at 4.61% fat and 3.98% protein.

During her latest 336-day lactation she produced 11,003kg of milk at 4.39% fat and 3.77% protein. Like her mother and grandmother, Annie 93 is a bull dam.

CRV is rearing her MRI sons Samoa (Mandries) and Tukker (Albert). In April Tukker will be available for export to the UK as both conventional and SiryX sexed semen.

Producers looking for more medium

sized, robust and muscular cows, with strong feet and legs that are calm to work with, should consider the MRI breed as an option for crossbreeding.

Healthy, fertile and durable cows, with no problems producing high component milk, are the breed’s strongest points.

The MRI breed is also a good choice for herds managed on low cost extensive systems that are looking for high milk solids, fertility and easy calving.

Valuable bull calves from strong muscular cows are an added bonus.

For more information about CRV Avoncroft’s MRI portfolio, and this summer’s MRI trip to The Netherlands, call for free on 0800 7831880.

TB Advantage offers disease resistance The new UK-developed genetic index, TB Advantage, gives an indication of an animal’s genetic susceptibility to bovine tuberculosis (bTB). The first index of its kind in the world will highlight those bulls more prone or resistant to the disease.

Expressed on a scale ranging from

–3 to +3, a positive number indicates that a daughter will have a greater resistance to bTB and a negative number, less resistance to bTB. The index has revealed a positive correlation between high-scoring PLI and highscoring bTB Advantage bulls and CRV Avoncroft sires with strong Better Life

Apina Norman

Kodak daughter Gert 21

Health and Better Life Efficiency traits.

Breeding better bTB resistance into the herd will accumulate those benefits into future generations. Used as a small part of a broader breeding strategy, the bTB index is a long-term approach that can yield worthwhile rewards as an additional control measure in the on-going fight against bTB. Two examples of CRV Avoncroft sires that offer these benefits are: daughter-proven Topspeed Kodak, with a PLI of £509 and a bTB score of +2 (67% rel) that indicates a reduction in daughter cases of 2% during a TB outbreak; and the genomicallyselected bull Apina Norma, who has a PLI of £624 and a gTB of +2.3 (44% rel) that promises a reduction in daughter cases of 2.3% during a TB outbreak.

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G R A S S L A N D

Focus on grass production provides foundations for high yields

Planning for forage success

Producing high quality forage plays a crucial role in herd performance, but thorough planning is essential to achieve the best results. And some support always helps too. text James Marshall

W

ith the continuing backdrop of low milk prices, a committed approach to growing quality forage and producing the best silage will help producers maximise milk from forage while also maintaining good milk yields.

“With low milk prices, producers can’t afford to make the wrong decisions on forage,” explains ForFarmers’ forage development manager Jim Abbott.

“Producers need to assess everything – from reseeding strategy, to slurry analysis results – to make sure that they have the right plans in place and are achieving the best forage growth and quality possible.”

To help producers with their forage growth plans, the company now operates a nutrient management programme to offer guidance on fertiliser inputs,

38

planting rotations and seed selection, as well as carrying out soil, slurry and silage analysis.

For one Dorset-based producer this support has enabled him to consistently produce high quality forage, and help maintain strong herd performance.

Supporting producers Max Frampton runs a 600-cow herd, based at Holly Farm in Owermoigne near Dorchester, achieving average yields of 11,300 litres. A Danish SAC robotic system was recently installed on the unit and 300 of the higher yielding cows are milked automatically, with the remaining 100 milkers going through a 24:24 herringbone parlour.

Cows are fed a mix of 60:40 maize/grass silage, straw, a bespoke blend and

minerals through the feed wagon, topped up with protein concentrates via the robots and out-of-parlour feeders.

As a key element of this ration, supplies of high quality forage play a crucial role in maintaining good herd performance.

“A huge amount of effort has gone in to developing his herd and I need to make sure that forage sources are adding as much value to the operation as possible,” explains Jim. “A lot of the success that Max is now seeing with yields is thanks to the work put into improving forage quality.”

During the past five years, Jim and ForFarmers’ business manager Peter Table 1: Dry NIR testing carried out by ForFarmers on February 18, 2016

grass silage – Holly Farm DM (g/kg) ME (MJ/kg) crude protein (g/kg) MELK* (unit) rumination index (unit)

313 11.9 121 1,130 139

* More Energy for the Lactating Cow: total energy available for milk production and maintenance

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can achieve some really good returns – particularly from young leys.

“As well as plenty of FYM, one of the key inputs that I have pushed is sulphur.

It improves the quality of grass, results in better protein content and aids digestibility; all the things needed to help fuel cow performance,” he adds.

Soil variation

Max Frampton: “I work closely with advisers to maximise forage quality”

Cade, have worked closely with Max to ensure that forage and feed quality remain as high as possible.

Nutrient planning To ensure that leys are performing at their best, preparation and assessment work is carried out throughout the year.

This includes soil, slurry and silage analysis.

Jim meets with Max every autumn and uses this information to formulate forage-growing strategy for the coming year. Detailed fertiliser programmes are also produced for the unit, covering specific cropping areas.

“If you want to get quality out of your land, then you have to put quality into the soil,” says Jim. “Fertilisers are a cost effective option at the moment for improving forage and producers

Holly Farm’s leys vary dramatically in composition, from sandy heathland with low pH levels, to areas of chalk.

Each poses a set of unique challenges when trying to grow the best forage.

“There is a 16-hectare area surrounding the dairy unit that’s used for grass silage and a bit of grazing,” explains Jim. “It is incredibly sandy soil, but after some research I suggested using our graze-and-cut grass seed mix, which includes later and intermediate perennial ryegrasses.

“They perform well in such conditions and will also add a bit of structure to the soil.”

Max recently acquired a 122-hectare block of very chalky land and, after Jim analysed the soil and discussed sowing options, a multi-cut red-clover seed mix was planted in late September 2015.

“We hope to get three or four cuts for silage and the clover is a good source of protein for the cows,” explains Jim. “The crop will also lock in plenty of nitrogen, so it’s a win-win situation – by planting clover we will reduce

expenditure on nitrogen inputs, soil fertility will be improved and it will produce protein heavy silage.”

He was concerned that planting may have been left a bit late, but the crop has performed well in the mild weather and is on track for a first cut in May.

End result The proof, though, is in the end result and, based on the silage analysis carried out on the unit by Peter, silages will perform well.

“I carry out dry NIR silage analysis, which provides us with very accurate detail compared to traditional wet NIR analysis,” explains Peter. “The quality of grass silage that Max is now producing means that he is on track to meet his goal of achieving 3,500 litres of milk from forage by this time next year.

That’s a 700-litre increase compared to current values.”

Understandably, Max is pleased with the results and the impact that maintaining forage quality is having on his business.

“By working so closely with Jim and Peter, I have the support I need to implement a forage growth plan that works well for my system and consistently produces forage that supports the high nutritional demands of my cows,” he says.

“With good forage plans in place, I feel like I have laid a strong foundation on which to further improve the business in the future.” l

Red-clover seed mixture: this reseed established well, despite difficult wet winter weather

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DAIRY MANAGEMENT NEWS

Farm shows off Johne’s control Tim and Louise Downes, last year’s HerdWise competition finalists, are hosting a farm walk this spring. The invitation is open to all producers.

Visitors will see the management protocols that put this herd ahead of

the rest and in the top four nationally in the HerdWise competition for Johne’s disease control.

The event will be held on Thursday April 14 at The Farm, Longnor, Shrewsbury, SY5 7PT. More details can be found at www.nmr.co.uk.

The HerdWise Best Practice Johne’s Competition 2016 is now open to all HerdWise customers who can demonstrate a comprehensive Johne’s control strategy.

Herdwise competition 2015 finalists and farm walk hosts Louise and Tim Downes with NMR Chairman Philip Kirkham

NML Hillington UKAS accreditation renewed NML Hillington’s latest UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) audit returned extremely positive results, which is good news for producers who can be assured that the testing of their milk through this lab is carried out with a high level of competence and that equipment calibration, recording of data and record keeping is all to a very high standard.

Pleased with the outcome, NMR group quality manager Paul O’Brien says that this auditing process is on-going and there is no room for complacency in lab processes that test milk for payment purposes but that also carry out disease testing services. “It’s a good result for Hillington, but we are

always looking at areas where more can be done, so standards can keep improving.”

Winter winners The top ranking cows on lifetime yield (LDY) from those breaking the 100-tonnes-of-milk barrier in December and January include two from Nick Cobb’s herd in Dorset, in first and second place.

Chalclyffe Oman R Carly tops the list with a LDY of 32.6kg of milk a day and a yield, across eight lactations, of 113,170kg.

Herd mate Chalclyffe Oman O Lobby is in second place with an LDY of 32.51kg/day and a yield, in just five lactations, of 102,402kg.

In third place is Evalanes Jordan Norma, from the Evans’s herd in Cheshire. She has an LDY of 30.5kg/day and has produced 114,290kg of milk in seven lactations.

A full list of all NMR cows achieving 100 tonnes of milk and ranked on their LDY can be found on the NMR web site.

Final few diaries The final few NMR Herd Management diaries for 2016 are available from NMR Customer Services.

Prices for these remaining few have been discounted to £20 plus VAT, and copies can be ordered directly by calling 03330 043043, or by e-mailing customerservices@nmr.co.uk.

New iReports ‘sift and sort’ It’s all about getting quick and accurate access to the information you want.

The NMR iReports are offering just this with improved sorting and sifting facilities so producers can request specific groupings and lists to suit their own management systems.

In brief, NMR customers can now have a dedicated young stock report that includes a filter to list cows to serve,

due to PD and due to calve. Bespoke details, like age to serve and days to PD, can be set within the filters.

Changes to the cows to dry list means cows can now be sifted by cell count level in the lactation, which is beneficial for those looking to use the Selective Dry Cow Tool in determining cows requiring antibiotic treatment.

And the latest iReports have improved

GeneTracker reporting, splitting the results into evaluation and testing categories to help review the data.

“These are just a few of the improvements we’ve introduced,” says NMR field business manager Nicci Chamberlin.

“It’s important that producers can access their management data easily, accurately and in the order they want.”

For more information on NMR products and services contact customer services, 03330 043 043, NMR web address: www.nmr.co.uk, NMR email address: customerservices@nmr.co.uk COW MAN AG E ME N T

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CRVAVONCROFT.COM

02-03-16 15:34

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CALF REARING NATURALLY MARC H

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02-03-16 10:53

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03-03-16 10:44

NUTRITIONAL NEWS

Forage utilisation The best way to maximise the return from grass is by applying the correct balance of essential nutrients – typically N, P, K and S – according to ForFarmers’ fertiliser products manager Paul Coupe.

“Always use the most effective nutrient sources and apply fertiliser at the right time, as delays in application are likely to reduce dry matter yield,” he explains. “Ensure that nutrients are spread accurately, select a uniform compound rather than a blend and use the most effective nutrient sources.

Ammonium nitrate, for example, is more reliable than urea.”

It doesn’t end there, as ForFarmers’ forage products manager Robert Goodhead explains: “Improving the utilisation of what is grown, with effective field and clamp management, is something all producers should do.

Whether it’s to reduce dry matter losses during fermentation and storage,

Straights market – currency plays a part

to reduce heating and waste at feedout, or to increase animal output – either milk production or liveweight gain – choosing the right silage additive is important.”

ForFarmers Forage & Arable has a wide range of products, each with different benefits, which its specialists are able to advise on and are detailed in the Forage Guide 2016.

For a copy of ForFarmers’ Forage Guide contact the customer service team on 0845 070 6280.

TOPGRASS seed mixtures offer premium grass performance

ForFarmers Forage & Arable has launched a range of grass mixtures called TOPGRASS, which includes the

varieties from the grass and clover recommended list. These are higher yielding, better quality varieties that offer improved use of fertiliser to boost grassland productivity and animal output. The range includes the latest high sugar grasses with maximum fibre digestibility and good intake potential, to support extra milk production or improved liveweight gains.

“When a sward ages, production can decline as sown species are replaced by native ‘weed’ grasses. But it’s easy to measure grass growth and estimate production using a sward stick, which we are providing to our customers,” says seeds manager Mel Digger.

Plan re-seeding if there is more than 40% non-sown species in the sward, as increases of up to 20% DM/ha can be achieved in the first year of production.

Every 1% increase in NDF digestibility provides an extra 0.25 litre per cow per day on average, increasing milk from forage and helping reduce the cost of production.

Once again ‘Brexit’ has been the main focus for Sterling during the past week. We have, therefore, seen Sterling weaken further again against both the Euro and US Dollar due to uncertainty. “Expect a choppy ride from now onwards as news breaks on a daily basis,” says ForFarmers’ Colin Shepherd.

UK soya values are marginally higher week on week, with the exchange rate making the difference.

South American weather is good, with sunshine drying up the recent rains and allowing the combines in Brazil to start rolling again.

The upcoming Argentinian harvest only requires another couple of rain events to bolster yields further, with the main risk coming from too much rain delaying their harvest in March.

Vessel waiting time is still an issue in South America but it is not too much outside of what we would expect at this time of year.

As such, the underlying feeling remains that buyers should largely continue buying on a spot basis for most products.

Rapemeal, for instance, has reduced around £15/tonne during the past month, due to pressure coming from large EU stocks.

What goes up must come down.

The wheat futures rally that we saw recently has disappeared and values have now eased to eightyear lows.

On the maize front, values have remained under pressure but we have seen summer positions firm slightly on the back of the currency moves.

Looking at energy feeds, it is still worth considering alternatives such as bread and biscuit meals.

They represent good value for money, particularly when you take the cost of processing cereals on farm into account.

COW MAN AG E ME N T

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04-03-16 11:08

C O N TA C T S

SHOWS AND EVENTS March 12: April 20: May 11-13: May 25: June 1-2: June 1-4: June 9-11: June 23-26: July 6-7: July 12-14: July 18-21: September 14: October 5:

Cosy calves: early spring arrivals keep warm in snug jackets Picture: Harrie van Leeuwen

Borderway UK Dairy Expo, Carlisle, Cumbria Cattle Lameness Conference, Sixways Stadium, Warriors Way, Worcester Balmoral Show, Balmoral Park, Lisburn NMR/RABDF Gold Cup Farm Walk, Neil Baker, Haselbury Plucknett, Somerset TotalDairy Seminar, Tortworth Court Four Pillars Hotel, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire Royal Bath & West Show, Shepton Mallet, Somerset Royal Cornwall Show, Royal Cornwall Showgrond, Wadebridge, Cornwall Royal Highland Show, Ingliston, Scotland Livestock Event, NEC, Birmingham Great Yorkshire Show, Harrogate, North Yorkshire Royal Welsh Show, Builth Wells, Powys UK Dairy Day, Telford International Centre, Shropshire The Dairy Show, Shepton Mallet, Somerset

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX C O N TA C T S CowManagement is published eight times per year by CRV Holding BV

Editorial team

Chief Editor Jaap van der Knaap Editor Rachael Porter Phone 01394 270587 E-mail rachael@reporterjournalism.co.uk Editing, design and production Veeteelt Contributing writers Emily Ball, Roger Evans, Sara Gregson, James Marshall, Allison Matthews, David Matthews and Karen Wright Publisher Rochus Kingmans

Chief editor’s address

P.O. Box 454, 6800 AL Arnhem, The Netherlands Phone 0031 26 38 98 821.

E-mail cm.office@crv4all.com internet www.cowmanagement.net

Subscriptions

CowManagement is available free of charge to customers of NMR, Avoncroft and Thompsons.

If you think you are eligible, please contact: NMR Customer Services, Ground Floor Building 26, Pannal Industrial Estate, Station Road, Harrogate HG3 1JL Phone 08447 255567 E-mail customerservices@NMR.co.uk www.isubscribe.co.uk

Advertisements

Jonathan Davies, NRM. Phone 07970 017243 E-mail jonathand@nmr.co.uk Willem Gemmink, Froukje Visser P.O. Box 454, 6800 AL Arnhem, The Netherlands, E-mail willem.gemmink@crv4all.com

Illustrations/pictures

Enegis ........................................................36 Farmplus....................................................43 ForFarmers/Thompsons .........................2, 22 Gallagher ...................................................40 Intershape .................................................36 Limagrain ..................................................21 NMR ...................................................20, 47 NWF Agriculture........................................40 Quill Productions .......................................21 Roadhead Farm Feeds Ltd. ........................43 Storth ........................................................43 Teemore Engineering Ltd. ..........................31 VDK products ............................................22 Zinpro..........................................................9 Insert: Gallagher

COMING UP

H o u s in g an d eq u ip m en t sp ecial April/May (May 5) – Our next issue will include our annual housing and equipment special.

We’ll have an article on growing lucerne as an alternative forage crop and we’ll look at how to prevent mastitis in freshly calved heifers.

Photographs by Veeteelt Photography, Leanne Bolger (8, 18-19), Alex Arkink (35), Mark Pasveer (38-39) and Chris McCullough (10-11, 32-33).

Disclaimer

Alta ...........................................................30 Animax ........................................................4 Bayer .........................................................31 Biotal .........................................................37 Boehringer-Ingelheim ................................17 Boumatic ...................................................44 Cogent ......................................................15 Concept Cowhouse Ltd. ......................14, 36 Cosycalf.....................................................40 Cowsfeet ...................................................14 CRV Avoncroft Ltd./CRV ...........................42 Dairymaster UK Ltd. ..................................36 Dairy Spares ..............................................43 De Boer Housing Systems Ltd ..............14, 21 Devenish Nutrition.....................................48 DP Agri......................................................34 Easyfix .......................................................44

CowManagement does not necessarily share the views expressed by contributors. No responsibility is accepted for the claims made by advertisers. No responsibility can be accepted by CRV Holding BV for the opinions expressed by contributors. Whilst every effort is made to obtain reliable and accurate information, liability cannot be accepted for errors. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher.

Printer Stephens and George Ltd. Phone 01685 352097 ISSN 1570-5641

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C OWMANAGEMENT

CM02_Contacts.indd 46

MAR CH

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04-03-16 13:03

One milk sample

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Our service includes an automatic, free, follow-up test for animals giving an inconclusive result, making it a convenient complement to your routine palpation and ultrasound examinations.

This service uses a test that is not looking for progesterone, but for Pregnancy Associated Glycoprotein, using ELISA technology. This eliminates having to sample at certain times of the month.

Call us now on 03330 043043

CM03_p52.indd 52

www.nmr.co.uk

23-04-15 15:11

Devenish Gold and Devenish HeiferStart Calf Milk Replacers · Only Calf Milk Replacers in the UK and Irish market to contain Progut® Rumen, a unique hydrolysed yeast which research has shown enhances the calves immune defence system · Includes high quality dairy protein produced from sweet whey and skim milk powder · Unique fat blend of 5 vegetable oils providing extra energy to optimise growth · Improved ratio of Omega 3 to 6 levels compared to cow’s milk For more information on our range of Calf Milk Replacers, contact Devenish on: T | +44 (0)1143 216961 or +44 (0)2890 755566 E | info@devenishnnutrition.com W | www.devenishnutrition.com

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03-03-16 08:47