Dairy Farmer June 2024

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a word from the editor

It was disappointing, but not perhaps altogether surprising, to see the results of the NFU’s latest farmer con dence survey.

e headline message is that short- and mid-term con dence is at its lowest levels since the survey was rst conducted in 2020.

e wet weather has, of course, played a big part in this, with 82% of respondents saying their farm businesses have su ered fairly negative or very negative impacts.

But despite all of this, it is important we look for the positives. And while editing this month’s Dairy Farmer, I was struck by the stories of farming businesses which are commi ed to the future of the industry and also by the range of

technologies now out there to help take our farms and herds forward.

It is this uptake of technology which will surely garner the interest of the future generations coming through, and indeed with farm labour a constant challenge for many, technology will be key to the future viability of some businesses.

Investment cost

I understand that this technology o en comes with a substantial investment cost, which is why it is vital that in this election year, the political parties recognise the hugely important role agriculture plays in feeding the nation.

What’s inside?

APHA ‘stand ‘increasing’

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has confirmed there is a ‘very high probability’ of a new introduction of bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) this summer, with infected midges blown over from northern Europe, adding its field teams ‘stand ready’.

Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Christine Middlemiss warned with a ‘risk of high incursion’ all livestock farmers ‘should be on guard’, but the first cases would likely be found in the southern and eastern counties.

She said: “If it is a warm summer, do not expect that if you are in the West, there is no risk for you.”

Dr Middlemiss said the period when biting midges ‘are more active’ had now begun, and the likelihood

of bluetongue virus entering Great Britain was ‘increasing’.

She said the peak time for infection was ‘September and October’,

Farmer confidence at an alltime low, NFU survey shows

JA rising number of farms could go out of business if nothing is done to restore confidence in the industry, according to a new study.

The NFU’s annual Farm Confidence Survey showed ‘shortand mid-term confidence’ among farmers in England and Wales was at its lowest point since records began in 2010, with farmers citing bad weather and a reduction in the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) as some of the causes.

Conducted at the end of 2023, the union said if farmers had been asked the same questions after the spring floods, the already ‘stark picture’ would have looked ‘even worse’.

Of those questioned, 82% said

their farm businesses had suffered fairly negative or very negative impacts because of the weather, while 65% admitted their profits had dropped, fearing for the survival of their businesses.

Running businesses

The survey found 86% of farmers felt the phasing out of BPS would have a negative effect on the running of their farm business, prompting NFU president Tom Bradshaw to call on the Government to reconsider its stance on the withdrawal of support payments.

He said: “We have already lost more than 7,000 agricultural businesses since 2019 – no-one wants to see that increase.”

s ready’ to face bluetongue threat

adding farmers needed to look out now for suspected signs.

The period where biting midges ‘are more active’ has now begun, and the likelihood of bluetongue virus entering Great Britain is ‘increasing’.

If it is a warm summer, do not expect that if you are in the West, there is no risk for you

DR

CHRISTINE MIDDLEMISS

Dale Farm invests £70m in Cheddar production

JA dairy co-operative has announced ‘one of the largest ever investments’ in Northern Ireland’s agrifood industry.

Northern Ireland dairy co-operative Dale Farm has invested £70 million in its Cheddar processing facility at Dunmanbridge, Co Tyrone.

Owned by 1,300 dairy farmers across Northern Ireland, England and Scotland, Dale Farm said the plans would see the integration of state-of-the-art technologies to boost production and make significant sustainability gains.

Last November, APHA identi ed the rst case of bluetongue and, since then, there have been 126 cases con rmed in England across 73 premises in four counties.

APHA said the Government was ‘actively monitoring the situation’ and has been working closely with a wide range of stakeholders to review the control strategy.

Dr Middlemiss said the APHA was working with industry to re-

duce the level and spread of disease as far as possible, while not making control measures ‘too onerous’.

Control zones

is comes a er farmers who had been placed in temporary control zones at the end of last year shared their frustration over the movement restrictions imposed on them and the di culties to trade.

Free bluetongue tests will be o ered to keepers in high-risk counties once the risk of transmission

increases. But with the ‘emergency authorisation’ of a vaccine in the Netherlands, many farmers were wondering how long they will have to wait for a UK-authorised vaccine.

Dr Middlemiss said talks were ongoing, adding there was an ‘inevitable tension’ with the emergency authorisation, adding ‘our preference would be to have at least preliminary marketing authorisation’.

She said: “When you have full authorisation, you have the safety and e cacy data to hand, so you can be much more robust in having con dence that there is no implications of the vaccination.”

According to Dale Farm, the site’s cheese capacity will increase by 20,000 tonnes per year and new production processes will reduce the site’s carbon footprint by an estimated 4,500t/year, when compared against milk powder production.

The investment will include a new high-speed automated cheese-slicing line, an increased warehouse footprint and investment in new patented products and processes.

Dale Farm confirmed work should be completed by February 2025.

Delivering value to levy payers is ‘front and centre’, with AHDB also needing to communicate its work be er, particularly when it comes to environmental research. at was the message from AHDB chief executive Graham Wilkinson.

Two months into his role, Mr Wilkinson’s vision for the organisation ‘ rst and foremost is to be levy payer-obsessed’, adding the organisation’s voice and the way it communicates its work had not been loud enough in the past, which ‘absolutely must change’.

Mr Wilkinson said: “We need to be an organisation which continues to hold a mirror up to itself to look at opportunities to improve and get be er.

“But we need to step up and demonstrate leadership. In too many cases, our voice is not as loud as it should be.”

Mr Wilkinson acknowledged he was joining AHDB a er a period of ‘signi cant change’, but emphasised it was now ‘out of that period’.

Support

And with the industry support for an increase in the levy, the board was now in a position to expand its o ering to levy payers. Drawing on his time working

AHDB is working intensely on a number of areas linked to the industry’s net zero ambitions, says Graham Wilkinson.

AHDB ‘cannot be a passenger’, says chief executive

for Arla, Mr Wilkinson said instilling a culture which was about working with farmers and for farmers was something he would continue at AHDB.

When probed about AHDB’s research work into the industry’s net zero ambitions, he said it was ‘working intensely’ on a number of areas within the environmental brief, adding it was a ‘key’ priority for AHDB and that he hoped to share an update with levy payers ‘soon’.

He said: “ is is an area at AHDB that we cannot be a passenger in. We need strong and e ective leadership.

Insight-rich

“We are insight-rich; it is then how we turn that data into some practical actions that really motivate change across the whole of the industry.

“It comes down to the ‘what’ and the ‘how’. We know why we need to do this, but what does that mean and how we will deliver that?

“We will lose [levy payers] if we do not get the messaging right.”

When probed about where he saw the future of farm assurance, Mr Wilkinson said it was a ‘key part of the future’, adding the industry should never be afraid when consumers want to know more, because there was a ‘fantastic story’ to tell.

“But we need to make sure it works across the supply chain and make sure farmers see the value in it as well.”

HSE to drop regular farm inspections

J e Farm Safety Partnership (FSP) has raised ‘serious concerns’ a er the NFU was told the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) planned to ‘halt’ regular farm safety inspections.

e group said the move, which comes a er the NFU shared gures which found there were 32 on-farm fatalities between April 2023 and March 2024, would pose ‘signi cant risks’ to the safety of agricultural workers.

FSP chair and NFU deputy president David Exwood said it was ‘deeply troubling’ and

urged the Government and HSE ‘to reconsider’ and work with farmers to ensure compliance.

He said: “We cannot a ord to compromise on the safety of our farmers. While the HSE assures us investigative inspections will continue in response to serious incidents, the lack of all regular inspections, training and events leaves a notable gap in proactive safety measures which could prevent accidents and save lives.”

Agriculture has one of the highest rates of fatalities and serious injuries in any workplace, with Mr

Exwood saying it was ‘21 times higher than the average rate across all industries’.

Gavin Lane, CLA deputy president and former chair of the FSP, said a ‘whole industry’ approach was needed, from manufacturers to the Government to farmers themselves.

Withdrawal

He said: “While we understand the nancial constraints the HSE is under, it beggars belief that this is the right time to withdraw from its inspection regime and its proactive farm visits and training days.”

An HSE spokesperson said:

“ e FSP and its member organisations play a key role in changing behaviours and helping the sector take ownership of its poor health and safety record. Our commitment to the partnership is unchanged.

“While we will continue to inspect and investigate where appropriate, our range of interventions is much broader.

“Our recent campaign was a successful example of using HSE and industry voices on farms to reinforce safety messages and reach a wide range of farmers and farm workers.”

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DAIRYTalk

Dan Burdett

Dan and his family own and run the 300-hectare (741-acre) Cockhaise Farm, near Haywards Heath, West Sussex. The farm is home to an organic autumn-calving herd of 240 Holstein and Friesian crosses. He also contract farms another organic autumn-calving herd of 220 cows at Bore Place, near Edenbridge, Kent.

“ My heart goes out to those of you on a much longer cycle of failed bovine TB tests

After a year of failed tests, the cows on our Kent farm have finally had a clear test. There was huge relief all round, with thoughts that the end of a tough year might be in sight.

This will be followed shortly by testing youngstock and I would hope that restrictions will be lifted and we will once again be able to sell cows and calves.

My heart goes out to those of you on a much longer cycle of failed tests. The frustration must, at times, be overwhelming.

It is all change on both farms, as we say goodbye to various team members who are moving on to pastures new for a variety of reasons.

The biggest change sees Luke, our Kent farm manager, leave to start his own farming business on a county council farm in Wiltshire. Luke and I have worked together for the last 11 years, and he came to me just as I started my own business, as a quietly spoken herdsman.

One of the biggest joys since then has been his rapid development, both professionally and personally, showing just what is possible with the right passion and energy for the job.

I am hopeful that out there is another ‘Luke’, just waiting for the right opportunity to push on with their career in the dairy industry.

After a long and frustrating winter, it has been a huge relief to turn all stock out to graze once again.

Weather patterns

The weather patterns we are now seeing seem to be the norm going forward and we must prepare our business to be able to weather them.

During our last Environment Agency inspection, it became clear that complacency will no longer be acceptable, and we must continue to invest in our slurry infrastructure. Our new lagoon will therefore be covered later this summer once it is empty, allowing

our storage capacity to increase by three to four weeks.

We will also invest in updating our roof infrastructure, adding on a couple more water harvesting systems. I hope that this will be a good starting point to allow us some breathing space at the end of winter.

One of the bigger decisions will be to fully cost up roofs for our silage clamps.

One of the downsides of our self-feed system is the large area of concrete created by the end of winter and a roof would certainly help to take a large amount of water away from the slurry lagoon.

I personally believe it is important for cows to be able to have access to ‘outside’ space in winter, and the cost is likely to be the biggest challenge going forward.

rFor more about the farm at Bore Place, see pages 20-21.

DAIRY TALK

Becky Fenton

Becky Fenton and husband Paul milk 200 pedigree Holsteins under the Springlebee prefix at Centenary Farm, a Cheshire county council farm. In 2021, they bought a farm in Staffordshire and they plan to farm there once the new dairy set-up has been built.

“ Rather than risk damaging the fields we’ve adapted and embraced a zero-grazing system

As a farmer, discussing the weather is an unwritten rule. So, let’s start there. Our farming practices have been tested by the relentless weather patterns endured. Typically, we would have our milkers out in the field by springtime. But this year, due to the unyielding rain and saturated ground, our cows are still inside as of mid-May. Five years ago, we turned out on February 26.

Rather than risk damaging the fields, gateways and wasting the lush grass, we’ve adapted and embraced a zero-grazing system. Having our own forage wagon gave us the opportunity to utilise the grass while preserving the integrity of the fields.

Not only are the cows thrilled with this arrangement, but we’ve also seen a notable increase in milk volume, averaging about three litres per cow and maintaining the solids, with butterfat at 4.4% and protein at 3.4%.

This approach not only benefits the cows but also enhances our agricultural practices, particularly in terms of slurry application and fertiliser management.

Hopefully this will improve our crop yield and reduce the amount of fertiliser used.

However, it is not without its difficulties. Despite the efficiency gains, the workload remains considerable. Personally, I find myself spending an excessive amount of time scraping muck. Yet, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and for now we are committed to this system.

Challenges

Of course, farming presents a multitude of challenges beyond just the weather. From escalated interest rates to unknown milk prices and the continuous struggle to find reliable staff, the hurdles seem endless.

The interest rates on the farm we purchased three years ago, alongside paying rent on two farms, is adding to the financial pressure to our business.

The volatility in the milk industry is always going to be present, but recent prices prompted us to explore alternative dairies and invoked our decision to move company. Unfortunately, this means we lose our premium for the remaining months.

I believe we need an organisation in place for more stability and to regulate the agricultural industry ensuring fair pricing across the board.

The struggle for staff is never ending. Losing our

dependable student milker has added to the pressure. Despite our best efforts, suitable replacements have proven futile. We will have to get a bucket for the boys to stand on at this rate.

This week we sold seven fresh heifers at Halls Livestock Market, Shrewsbury. I was on my own in the tractor and livestock trailer. I was a little anxious about reversing this trailer in front of an audience, but I manoeuvred it like a boss. Inch perfect.

Trade was good and there was plenty of quality. We were pleased, averaging £2,168.

Looking ahead, I am eager to participate in the upcoming ‘Walk the supply chain’ event through the Future Farmer Programme.

Visiting ABP, Sansaw Estate and Halfpenny Green Vinyard promises to be enlightening, offering valuable insights into other enterprises within the agricultural industry. I also look forward to re-engaging with the other candidates.

And finally, no column would be complete without a dose of comedy, so let’s talk about my recent run in with a girder while scraping up. Let’s just say I gave the tractor a little makeover. But hey, at least the shed is still standing.

Being that we have minimal staff, the husband couldn’t say a thing. A reminder that even when farming is tough, humour can still be found.

Herd numbers have more than doubled over the past decade at Kaemuir Farm, near Falkirk, increasing the emphasis on forage production for the Orr family and prompting an investment in an umbilical slurry handling system. Wendy Short reports.

Strong optimism for family farm’s future

In 2013, the Orr family was milking 120 pedigree Holstein Friesians. Fast forward to 2024 and numbers stand at 280 head, with yields averaging 10,200kg at 4% bu erfat and 3.2% protein. e herd size increase has helped to spread xed costs on the unit, which currently has a grazing platform of 202 hectares (500 acres), including 20ha (50 acres) of rented land.

Land purchase

e fairly recent land purchase of 73ha (180 acres) has gone some way towards reducing the pressure on grass productivity, says Stuart Orr, who farms with his brother Sco , their parents George and Marion, and his wife Alison.

Alongside the 16ha (40 acres) of wholecrop wheat, three or four cuts of perennial ryegrass are taken annually for silage on the holding,

which has a high annual rainfall and a heavy soil type.

Docks are a major weed problem and for this reason white clover has not been sown for many years, as it is killed o by herbicide sprays, says Stuart.

However, its potential for increasing silage protein levels is recognised and it may be added to the seed mixture in the future.

Herbal leys are another possible option, but the present system suits the farm and there are no plans for their introduction.

Stuart says: “ e silage ground is fertilised pre- rst cut with an application of slurry plus some chemical fertiliser, and that continues throughout the cu ing season.

“ is will be the second year of using the umbilical system combined with a dribble bar. It has been a big step forward for timeliness of application; having our own

As well as helping with cleanliness in the cubicles, the robotic scraper also helps keep lameness under control.

equipment means we no longer have to wait for a contractor and all the land can be covered within a few days of silaging.

“ e new system can be used right across the farm, with the exception of 50 acres where the tanker still has to be used.”

It is hoped the improved timeliness of slurry application will allow for a reduction in chemical fertiliser usage, and rates were cut slightly last year.

Slurry analysis

e slurry has not been tested in the past, but there are plans for it to be analysed in the future. It is stored below the slats in the cubicle housing and a robotic scraper has proved to be a good investment for general hygiene, helping to keep lameness under control.

Stuart says: “Lameness prevention is an important element of

Herd expansion was accelerated through the initial use of sexed semen on the heifers.

the routine. Cows are put through a formalin footbath three times a week and a professional foottrimmer visits every other month, also a ending to the dry group, as well as cows within 60-120 days from the point of calving.

“We respond quickly to any lameness problems in the meantime and carry out locomotion scoring for every cow at three-month intervals, with most having a score of zero and only about 2-3% scoring one.

“In addition, the herd is independently assessed for lameness every couple of years.”

e total mixed ration includes grass silage, rolled barley purchased from a neighbouring farm, brewers grains and minerals. A protein blend formulated speci cally for the farm is added with reference to the silage quality analyses.

Historically, the diet contained a wider range of ingredients, but the

family has found that a simple, consistent ration is the best policy, and concentrates are fed to yield in the parlour.

Dry cows

e dry cow ration is made up of grass silage and chopped straw. Some 90% of the dry cows receive a teat sealant, with antibiotic treatment used only when necessary. ey are moved to a

straw yard two to three weeks before calving and given 3kg/ head/day of concentrate feed.

e herd expansion was accelerated through the initial use of sexed semen on the heifers and it is now used across the herd via DIY arti cial insemination (AI).

Stuart says: “Sexed semen produced good results from the outset, and this gave us the con dence to use it exclusively,

apart from the lower end of the herd, which goes to an AI beef bull.

“Calving di culties have always been a rare occurrence, and interventions have been reduced even further since the use of sexed semen and the resulting increase in the number of small heifer calves being born.”

Genomic testing was introduced in 2022 and both genomic

Farm facts

rCalving is all year round

rMilk is sold on a liquid contract to Muller to supply Tesco, with the herd fully housed in cubicles

rEmploys just one full-time worker, Daniel Nisbet

rThe aim is to breed a medium-sized cow weighing about 600kg, with priority given to high scores for feet, legs and udder

rCurrent lactation average is four, but it is expected that genomic selection will improve longevity over time

rSilage pit roof is fitted with 100kW solar panels which will also generate 50kW of battery storage; they are expected to supply about 50% of the power required across the farm, with a projected return on investment of four or five years

Brand new to the market, CoolCalver™ has been developed as part of Cargill’s CoolCow® concept to mitigate the effects of heat stress on cows during the dry period and subsequent negative consequences on the unborn calf.

the

www.provimi.eu/uk-coolcalver

The Orr family (left to right): Scott, Marion, George, Alison and Stuart.

PICTURES : Ron Stephen

ON FARM

and proven bulls are selected by an individual mating programme.

Stuart says: “Four or ve sires are used at any one time and they are changed every six months to reduce the risk of a single bull having a negative e ect on large numbers of females.

“One of our best investments has been the purchase of heat detection collars in 2014. ey help to maintain the 370-day calving interval, which is acceptable as we are pushing for high yields.”

e lower end receives British Blue, Simmental or AberdeenAngus semen and their calves are taken to 18-20 months. At this point, they are separated into store and nished groups, with stores sold at the local auction mart and nished ca le marketed deadweight.

In order to achieve the 24-month calving age for heifers, individuals must reach the average growth rate target of 1kg/head/day from birth to the point of serving.

Calves are given 3kg of colostrum as soon as possible a er their birth and remain on cow’s milk for up to a week.

ey are paired in hutches for rst stage housing, a er which they are moved into pens of 10

and fed up to 8kg of milk replacer through a trolley system. Weaning takes place over a fortnight from eight weeks of age.

e Orrs put together their own mixed ration for weaned calves, nding it cheaper than buying-in a standard calf rearing pellet. Similar to the adult cow ration, it comprises chopped straw, brewers grains, barley and a protein blend.

At the six- to eight-month stage, calves go on to a diet of grass silage, barley, minerals and 1.5kg/head of the milking cow protein blend.

Heifers are grazed in summer, but the region has a short season and rst cut silage is prioritised,

with turnout usually limited to mid-May until mid-October. e family is facing the dilemma encountered on many UK dairy farms – conventional versus robotic milking. e 12:14 herringbone swing-over parlour was built when the herd was much smaller in size and it is due for replacement, so robotic milking machines are being considered.

Stuart says: “We have had many discussions on this subject and have still not arrived at any rm decision. According to our calculations, robots would be slightly more expensive, compared with pu ing in a new parlour.

The umbilical system and dribble bar have been a big step forward for timeliness of slurry application.

“ e key question is whether the robots would produce a yield increase because cows are already averaging 37kg a day. We would need a yield rise of 2,000kg per robot to cover the total investment, which would include a cubicle house extension.

New shed

“However, a larger parlour would mean a new shed, plus a sizeable collecting yard, and these would not be needed if we opted for robots.

“In terms of labour input, the only bene t from robots would be to make our working hours more exible. Our farm worker is a valuable team member, so there would be no saving on sta ng costs.”

Stuart and his family feel optimistic about the future of the farm, which made the nals of last year’s NMR BDF Gold Cup competition.

He says: “We are happy with our milk contract, which is linked to cost of production. e farm has good infrastructure in general and there is no urgency to make a decision on whether to invest in robotic milkers or install a new parlour.

“ e next generation is very young and our parents are still involved on a day-to-day basis, with my mother helping out with the paperwork and my father running the calf unit to a very high standard.

“It is up to us to keep the business going, until the children are old enough to decide whether they want to become part of the team.”

DAIRYMatters

‘Understanding how to optimise business performance is more critical than ever’

Susie Stannard is the lead dairy analyst at AHDB. Here she looks at the latest updates to AHDB’s characteristics of top-performing dairy farms analysis.

In collaboration with The Andersons Centre, AHDB released an updated version of the ‘Characteristics of top-performing farms in the UK’, a popular resource among farmers. The latest report looks into three specific sectors: beef and lamb; dairy; and cereals and oilseeds.

The removal of subsidies in the farming sector and the introduction of ‘public money for public goods’ was the context for our review.

New agricultural policy will focus on correcting market failure rather than on providing subsidies and will reward farmers for delivering public goods, something the market cannot do.

We expect spending under this approach to be less generous than under the Common Agricultural Policy, and our analysis of the effect of the Sustainable Farming Incentive on net margins so far supports this view.

The report’s analysis covers England only, where policy changes are more advanced than

in the devolved nations. However, the findings are likely to be applicable across the UK.

As before, we worked with The Andersons Centre to develop the reports.

We examined data from the Farm Business Survey, matching pairs of similar farms from the top quarter and bottom half of performers (measured as farm income divided by associated costs, i.e. the return on turnover).

One might expect similar businesses to have similar financial results, but this is not necessarily the case. The spread of performance between farms of similar size, sector and location is extremely broad. There are numerous reasons for this.

Impact

What we aim to do in this report is highlight the factors which have the most significant impact on performance. Results are intended to help farmers raise their own performance, regardless of their current quartile.

Our analysis of top-performing dairy farms highlights the ever-growing importance of improving dairy farm performance.

Financially, top-quartile dairy farmers typically make more than £120,000 per year more than the bottom 50% of dairy farms.

With falling milk prices and consolidation in farm numbers, understanding how to optimise business performance is more critical than ever. The report identifies common actions a dairy farmer might take to become among the best performers.

Key findings from the analysis offer practical guidance for dairy farmers seeking to improve their performance.

Top-performing dairy farmers keep costs to a minimum without impacting output or milk quality. This is a top priority for commodity farming and, in many respects, the other

Susie Stannard

One might expect similar businesses to have similar financial results, but this is not necessarily the case, says Susie

“ The spread of performance between farms of similar size, sector and location is extremely broad

actions feed into this crucial driver of financial performance.

As margins are tight, maximise output. This is not necessarily per cow, as their numbers can be increased, but per hectare. While there will be an upper limit, higher performers in general get more farming output from each productive hectare, usually with higher stocking rates.

Focus

Keep a focus on dairy farming, know your system well and spend less time with other livestock enterprises, for example.

The best dairy farmers are paid an extra 1.7ppl over the lower performing producer.

Keep milk clean and drive your farm system

to produce the constituent parts your milk processor requires.

Having a clear vision is important, so you know when you have achieved your goals and when to celebrate. Have a short-term focus (budget) and a long-term business plan.

Build in your aspirations, and other key people’s, and share the plans with those who can help you achieve your dreams.

The small things matter. Keep a close eye on key performance indicators which might flag up an early warning if something is not quite right.

While it is impossible to know every minute detail of your farm business, it is important to be able to identify problems when they arise.

Stannard.

Vet Laura Chesters, of LLM Farm Vets, shares her advice on managing, preventing and treating a salmonella outbreak on-farm. Katie Fallon reports.

Advice on salmonella in the dairy herd

Salmonellosis in the dairy herd is not uncommon, and while the bacteria are likely to be present on many of the UK’s dairy farms, only some herds will experience a disease outbreak.

Laura Chesters, vet at LLM Farm Vets, says salmonella outbreaks are most likely to be a result of immunosuppressed cattle, heat stress, change in diet or poor nutrition. However, outbreaks can also be seen in naive herds where infected or carrier cattle have been bought in.

Ms Chesters says there are two main strains of salmonella which affect the UK’s dairy herds – salmonella dublin and salmonella typhimurium, both of which affect cattle in different ways. She says salmonella dublin tends to

cause abortions in adult cattle and problems in young calves, while salmonella typhimurium usually causes scour and illness in cows. However, both strains can cause a range of clinical signs.

Cattle initially become infected through faecal oral contamination, says Ms Chesters, but can also pick up the bacteria from contaminated water or feed sources, as well as wildlife carriers and vermin. The disease is then spread between animals through faecal shedding into the environment.

Ms Chesters says that some cattle infected with salmonella dublin will be asymptomatic, but will shed the disease intermittently throughout their lifetime. Whereas cattle infected with salmonella typhimurium usually only shed the disease for a short time after infection.

Salmonella also reduces production, so if there is a herd-wide outbreak we would see production drop

LAURA CHESTERS

She says: “It is very difficult to identify which cows are carriers as most of the time they are fine, but they will shed the bacteria into the environment intermittently.”

Ms Chesters says the disease is commonly contracted in calving pens, as carrier cows can often shed more bacteria in the run up to calving due to being immunosuppressed.

Outbreaks

Outbreaks of salmonella can be seen in both calves and older cattle, says Ms Chesters, with outbreaks commonly seen on calf rearing units in dairy-bred calves. She says the disease can cause chronic pneumonia, joint ill and scour in calves, and carries a reasonably high mortality rate.

Different types of scour can be present in calves depending on calf age, says Ms Chesters, but usually scour will either be grey and pasty, or contain blood with a strong odour.

She says: “In some cases, farmers will say they have seen all those symptoms in calves a couple of weeks previous and now the calves are not growing. In this case, the disease has been and gone, but I would advise carrying out a postmortem if possible to get a confirmed diagnosis.”

When calves become infected with salmonella, the bacteria multiply in the bloodstream causing septicemia and enteritis which

result in scour and pneumonia, says Ms Chesters. Once calves have been infected, they will usually start to display symptoms within a few days.

Ms Chesters says: “It is a horrible disease and sometimes after severe infection surviving calves can lose their ear tips or tails. If you see that on-farm, it is nearly always a sign of salmonella infection.”

Ms Chesters says treatment is often unsuccessful within calf populations, however she advises providing calves with supportive care, pain relief and fluids.

“It is more a case of nursing them through it, but the mortality rates are quite high, and I have seen up to a 10% mortality rate before,” she says.

Infected calves can end up as chronic carriers of the disease and experience reduced growth rates.

Scour caused by salmonella can also be seen in adult cows, sometimes with blood or mucus present, as well as a high temperature and often extreme dehydration, which can result in death.

Abortion is another symptom of the disease in adult cows, usually seen in the last five to eight months of gestation, says Ms Chesters. She adds: “If a farmer has a lot of cows scouring or aborting, there

PICTURE : FARLAP

Salmonella outbreaks are most likely to be a result of immunosuppressed cattle, heat stress, change in diet or poor nutrition.

are a lot of things which could cause it, so I would rarely hang my hat on salmonella straight away based on diagnostics, but I will o en test for it.”

Ms Chesters says she would always test for salmonella in the case of an aborted foetus, but if a cow is scouring or has had a reduction in milk production, she advises carrying out a faecal test.

“Salmonella also reduces production, so if there is a herd-wide outbreak we would see a production drop across the whole herd,” she says.

Supportive care

For sick cows which are presenting symptoms such as scour, Ms Chesters advises supportive care, pain relief and possible antibiotic treatment. Vaccination across the herd may also be advised depending on the strain found, says Ms Chesters, who advises farmers speak with their vet to decide on an appropriate treatment and vaccination plan.

While the disease is di cult to eradicate, Ms Chesters advises vaccination will help boost the herd’s immunity, along with improving biosecurity and disinfection.

She says: “If calving yards have been infected, make sure to muck those out regularly, and also make

sure calves and cows are well bedded and everywhere is kept clean.”

Ms Chesters says the disease can also be very infectious to humans and can hospitalise or even kill people if they are immunosuppressed. Good hygiene is especially important for farm personnel in herds where salmonella has been diagnosed, and Ms Chesters advises against the consumption of raw milk from the farm.

In terms of prevention, she says to keep a closed herd if possible, or to source animals from high health herds.

She also recommends keeping good control of rodents and keeping feed stu locked away from mice, rats and birds to prevent the spread and contamination of the disease. Managing the calf environment is also key, providing calves with good amounts of forage and food in clean troughs and regularly changing the teats in milk feeders to reduce bacteria spread.

“Salmonella is quite easily killed with good disinfectants, unlike crypto which is di cult to kill. It is a bacterium so most disinfectants will kill it, but you need to make sure you have cleaned o all of the organic ma er rst and are disinfecting a nice clean surface,” says Ms Chesters.

BESPOKE TRAINING TO IMPROVE HERD HEALTH AND FERTILITY MANAGEMENT SPONSORED CONTENT

Data collected by herd monitoring systems, such as SenseHub® from MSD Animal Health, can provide powerful insights into how the dairy herd is performing in terms of health and reproduction.

Unless used correctly, data can be of limited value. And, more often than not, the information gathered by herd monitoring system is not shared with anyone beyond the farm gate, meaning key allies, such as the farm vet, are not able to use the data to make informed decisions which will help to improve the herd’s performance.

To address this and to ensure farmers get the most from their investment in herd monitoring, MSD Animal Health has launched a bespoke service which aims to give everyone involved in the management of the herd – from milking staff and herd managers to the herd’s nutritionist and farm vet – a better understanding of how to interpret the data collated by SenseHub.

AIM

The overarching aim of the new service is to enrich the relationship between the farmer, their herd and the vet by ensuring everyone involved is equipped with the necessary information needed to fine-tune existing herd health plans, improving disease prevention protocols and reduce the need for curative treatments.

The MSD Animal Health Insights service is made up of three main phases, all of which are delivered by an MSD Animal Health veterinary adviser and designed to improve herd health and reproduction planning on a herd-by-herd basis.

The first stage – to identify the farm’s key fertility and health planning goals – is held seven to 14 days after a new SenseHub system has been installed – and is combined with an initial on-boarding session which outlines the basics of the monitoring system to the herd manager and any relevant farm staff.

The second session – held within three months – brings the farm vet into the loop to enable them to be familiarised with the SenseHub system and to identify the key parameters and insights which will help them to address any specific challenges the herd may have.

Finally, a third session sets out a series of joint action goals which will empower the herd manager and vet to optimise the herd’s performance and to make ongoing, preventative improvements to the way the herd is managed.

The MSD Animal Health Insight training service is available to new users of the SenseHub GO subscription package and SenseHub Premium plan. To find out more, call the SenseHub team on 01207 529 000, or email us at allflexuk@msd.com

health-hub.co.uk/farmers/livestock-monitoring

At a recent Dugdale Nutrition event in Carlisle, independent dairy consultant Dr Gordie Jones shared his advice on how to find lost litres in dairy management and cow comfort. Katie Fallon reports.

With the top 10 cows in the world currently producing 93 litres per day and more than 34,000 litres of milk in a year, Dr Jones said in years to come entire herds will be producing this gure, rather than just a few individual animals.

He said: “ e best cow in the world at the moment is a cow called Selz-Pralle A ershock 3918, which is giving 97.3 litres per day and gave 35,532 in her last lactation.”

However, while Dr Jones said he believed the Holstein genetics were now capable of achieving this level of production, he said herd management and cow comfort would play an extremely in uential role in realising this.

Dr Jones said there were only three things a dairy cow should do on-farm: stand to milk; stand to eat or drink; and lie down.

He added: “If your cows are not doing those three things, they are not making you money.”

To ensure cows are doing those three things e ectively, Dr Jones told a endees to think of ‘A, B and C’, which is air quality, bunk management and cow comfort.

‘Milk is the absence of stress’

He said: “Every time I increase the amount of fresh air into a dairy barn the cows go up in milk, because they eat more.”

Dr Jones said that in a study conducted by Dr Alex Bach, where 47 herds with similar genetics were fed the same ration, milk yields varied by 14 litres, with non-diet factors accounting for 56% of the variation in production.

Non-diet factors

Dr Jones said the non-diet factors included cubicle design, number of cubicles per cow and feed push-up.

He said: “All of the things you do in a dairy is a symphony, and when it is done right you are the conductor of a wonderful symphony.

“Get it right and you are in the sweet spot, but get it wrong and cows will not give any milk.”

He said there were three things required to create this ‘symphony’ in a dairy herd.

Firstly, the physical facility. Dr Jones advised farmers to think about the dairy building as the tool to implement their plans for the business. e second element was chemical, which Dr Jones said was the feed ration.

He said: “ e ration formulated by the nutritionist, mixed by you and consumed by the cow must be the same.”

And the third element was social and how cows behave.

Dr Jones said that cows can

only remember 100 faces, therefore in a herd of up to 100 cows, there is one social order, but in a herd of 100-200 cows, the cows subdivide into two social groups.

He said: “Most cows will drop two to three litres when entering a new group, because when they are establishing a social order they will not be eating, drinking or lying down.”

erefore, Dr Jones advised ge ing fresh cows se led into their main group as quickly as possible to minimise time spent establishing social order.

The last bite

Cows just need great beds, great air, easy access to beds and easy access to feed

DR GORDIE JONES

When looking at the chemical aspect of achieving symphony in a dairy, Dr Jones told a endees they were in ‘the last bite business’.

He said: “ e last bite is the most important bite a cow can take every day. e single biggest emergency on my dairy is to not have feed in front of my cows.”

Within all herds, Dr Jones said there should be a cow producing twice the average production at any given time.

He said: “If you have a cow giving 25 litres, you should also have a cow giving 50 litres, if not you are missing out on that last bite.”

Dr Jones said in the last bite a cow will take from a ration, they

will consume 1kg of dry ma er, which will yield 2.5 litres of milk.

He said: “ e average intake of feed in a total mixed ration is 26kg a day and, in the case where a farm is feeding 13kg twice a day, with the average cow producing 40 litres of milk, that cow is missing out on an extra 16kg of dry ma er intake. “ erefore, a cow producing 80 litres needs to be eating 42kg of dry ma er per day.

“Cows will eat 35% of their daily intake in the rst meal, so you need to deliver 60% of the dry ma er at rst feeding.”

He said that 35% of 42kg equalled 14.7kg, therefore a farm feeding 13kg at rst feeding is already under-feeding the cow by 1.7kg and losing out on 4.25 litres of milk.

Dr Jones said that cows are crepuscular, which means they will get up and want their rst meal at dawn. Consequently, he advised feed enough in the evening so 60% of the feed is available to them in the morning.

He also advised farmers to carry out the semi-circle test and look for semi-circles in feed troughs.

He said: “Every semi-circle in the feed is a last bite not taken a nd you are missing out on milk production. If you deliver feed to cows at midday and they get up, then they are hungry. I hate to have cows stimulated by the truck.”

When looking at the e ects

of cow comfort on production, Dr Jones said cows must be lying down, drinking or sleeping for 20 hours per day and the feed trough should never be empty.

He said there was a key relationship between resting and milk yield and for every extra hour spent in their beds, cows will produce 1.7 litres more milk and up to 2.7 litres more milk in the fresh group.

Walkways

Dr Jones also encouraged farmers to think about the size and layout of walkways.

He said: “If the way to the food is small and narrow, the cow cannot get to the feed and so will not feed, and if she cannot get to bed then she will not lie down.”

Dr Jones said cow sheds should have a four-metre feed lane and 10cm of water space per cow, equalling two water troughs per 100 cows and four water troughs for more than 100 cows.

AQUASTAR MATTRESS

Beattie/Reggie Lilburn – 250 cows, 10,500 litres “From installing the Aquastar we have noticed a significant difference in the cows. Lying times have increased and Mastitis has reduced. The cows know when they’re in the shed with the Aquastar, we noticed them heading straight for the cubicles when they enter. Cow comfort is number one priority for us, the Aquastar helps us to achieve this”

For every extra hour spent in their beds, cows will produce 1.7 litres more milk, said Dr Gordie Jones.

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES

Maintaining forage stocks in winter and managing summer grazing are the challenges at Commonwork, an organic dairy farm in Kent. Wendy Short reports.

Changes planned for organic farm

The mixed breed dairy herd farmed at Commonwork in Chiddingstone, Kent, is managed on a contract farming arrangement and has been operated since 2019 by Burde Farming.

e farm, which has been organic for more than two decades, is part of the Bore Place Estate, a registered charity, and the 240-cow herd there is managed by Luke Williamson.

Mr Williamson explains, originally the herd comprised pedigree Holsteins, but new breeds have been introduced over the years.

“ ere have been a couple of management changes, with each person having an in uence on the breeding policy,” he says.

“ e overall result has bene ted the herd, in terms of hybrid vigour. Montbeliarde and Norwegian Red bloodlines were part of the initial cross-breeding programme, but the last seven years have seen a focus on British and Irish Friesians.

“ e most recent addition is the Jersey and the rst Jersey cross calves are due to be born this autumn. ey have been introduced in the hope that their genetics will improve milk constituents, as some of the milk is sold to a cheesemaker on the estate. e remainder is sold to Arla on a constituents contract.”

Cows are yielding an average of 6,000kg at 4.2% bu erfat and 3.37% protein, and herd achieves a gure of 2,120kg milk from forage.

Neighbouring land

e estate itself has 141 hectares (350 acres) available for forage production and grazing. A further 109ha (270 acres) of neighbouring land is rented and this includes a 48ha (120-acre) block which has been added to the holding this year.

“ e extra acreage will provide the opportunity to step up the reseeding programme and improve productivity in the long-term,” says Mr Williamson.

“In the meantime, it is being converted to organic standards so there will be a waiting period.”

Several improvements have been made since the contract organic farming arrangement was signed. ese include a new parlour, mains water troughs, fencing for the grazing platform and some cow track upgrades, with the silage clamps having been renovated during 2021/2022. e herd has been switched from spring and autumn calving to autumn block calving for ease of management, and the total mixed ration has been replaced with self-feed silage and a homegrown, wholecrop mix of barley, vetch and peas.

Concentrate feed is o ered at a at rate in the 24:48 swing over parlour, maintained at 18% protein in the winter and reduced to 14% over the grazing period. It is an expensive input, with organic prices at £600/tonne last year and currently standing at £520/t, says

Mr Williamson. Over the winter, the cows are kept in cubicles on ma resses topped with sawdust. e eight-week calving period starts in the last week of August. Heifers are calved at two years and receive conventional semen in the rst instance, while sexed semen is used via DIY AI to produce replacements.

“Heat detection eartags have made life easier for the team,” says Mr Williamson.

“ ey con rm the behaviour that we are seeing through visual observation and the latest results show an overall 64% holding to rst service and 24% to second service, with a 10% empty rate at 10 weeks.

“Irish Friesian and Jersey bulls are selected for their grazing suitability, as well as for high solids gures and good fertility scores. Our own Sussex sweeper bull follows up with any heifers which do not take to the initial insemination.”

With no option for improving grass productivity through the use of chemical fertilisers, forage stocks are under pressure despite the recent expansion of the rented land, and there are plans to cut herd numbers to 200 head. e possible uses of shmeal, composted tea and molasses and milk are being explored as an alternative fertiliser and with the aim of enhancing soil biology.

Grass growth is monitored via a

Milk from the herd is supplied to a local cheesemaker, with the rest sold to Arla on a constituents contract.

plate meter combined with management so ware. e soil type in general is fairly heavy.

Mr Williamson says: “ e past few years have seen prolonged periods of low summer rainfall.

“Chicory, plaintain, red and white clover and cocksfoot have been introduced, to improve drought resilience and the aim is to switch to 100% herbal leys over the next few years.

“ e main challenge lies in maintaining forage stocks through the winter. ey will o en have run out by February and that means increasing the concentrate allowance and buying in organic silage from a neighbour, which is not an ideal situation.

“ e herd number reduction should alleviate this issue and we may try growing lucerne, which is not an option while the stocking rates are so tight.”

e paddock grazing regime is highly exible, says Mr Williamson.

“ is year, the cows went out during the day for a week in January and they continued to graze on and o throughout the late winter and early spring. As a general rule, they will be on full turnout from midApril until mid-November.

“ e herd is moved on to fresh pasture a er every milking, so each paddock will be grazed for 12 hours. In e ect, one paddock

cross-breeding policy

will be utilised between eight and 10 times over the season, depending on the weather, with a rotation length of between 24 and 35 days.”

e dry cows and youngstock are mob-grazed, with the dry cows turned out on to standing hay in the herbal leys.

He says: “ e standing hay helps to improve soil fertility and is bene cial to the insect population.

“Roughly one-third of the grassland is shut up for the hay and it is rotated around the farm.

“ e idea is for the ca le to eat one-third, trample one-third and leave one-third. is concentrates the cow manure and the le over residuals contribute to the soil biology.

Herbal leys

“At some points in the season, the herbal leys can grow up to 2m high and it can be quite di cult to spot the ca le. ese elds need a long resting period of about 40-50 days, before they can be grazed again.”

Cows are treated with a homemade insect deterrent for y control.

“ e solution contains cider vinegar, cloves, eucalyptus and citronella. It is cheaper and, in my opinion, just as e ective as a standard product, although it has to be applied to the cows and youngstock daily.

“It is easy to administer to a line of cows as they move forward when the electric fences are being rolled

up. It has no harmful e ect on dung beetles, whose numbers we are trying to encourage.”

Dry cow therapy is permi ed in organic production, although it was not used in 2022 and only 6% of the cows were treated in 2023. ey are all given a teat sealant and this year has seen a recorded mastitis incidence of 4.9%.

Calves receive lungworm protection, while the cows are monitored for leptospirosis, BVD and IBR through six-monthly bulk milk sample testing.

A key element of the dairy farm management plan is the commitment to working in partnership with education and nature, says Mr Williamson, who fully embraces the principles.

“In my opinion, organic production is the way forward and I support the idea of farming

Farm facts

rThe dairy unit employs two staff (including Mr Williamson), plus a part-time student, who will be full-time in August ready for calving

rThe Bore Place Estate also houses two cheesemaking businesses, hosts weddings and conferences and offers glamping

in harmony with the environment. We need to produce high quality food while minimising our environmental impact, and this can be done by building soil health and reducing our reliance on chemical inputs.

“ ere has been a fairly recent rise in the premium we receive for our organic milk, but I would not say that the market is buoyant and a further price rise would be very welcome.

“ e farm has been under TB restrictions, which has limited the opportunity to downsize the herd, but the cows have recently been declared TB-clear a er a year of the herd being shut down.

“Once numbers have been reduced to the 200-head target, it will be easier to manage the grazing and forage land and restore the feed demand balance,” he says.

rThe site has an education centre, with about 100 schoolchildren visiting each week and the dairy unit forming part of the tour; there is a viewing platform for watching the cows being milked and it is open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week

The

over the years has led to a high degree of hybrid vigour, says farm manager Luke Williamson.

Luke Williamson manages the organic dairy herd at Bore Place Estate.

A family’s small herd of 22 Red Holsteins is producing milk to the demanding standards needed to be turned into the world-famous Gruyere cheese. Chris McCullough reports.

Strictly producing milk for Gruyere cheese

Dating back to medieval times, Gruyere is one of the most famous cheeses in the world and can only be produced in certain areas of Switzerland.

And for the Swiss farmers who produce the milk for the Gruyere cheese, the stipulations surrounding production techniques are strict.

One of these farmers is Rene Durand, who milks just 22 cows with his wife Zoe and son Dominic in Bern.

The family farm 37 hectares (91 acres) in total across two locations in Muhleberg and Niederhunigen.

The original farm, a 16ha (40 acre) unit in the middle of Niederhunigen village, was bought in 2013 by Rene’s parents, Jakob and Ursula, who milked 24 cows there between 2013 and 2018.

That farm is no longer suitable for the milking of cows, so in 2019, Rene decided to rear youngstock at the original farm and take on a tenanted farm in Muhleberg. This is where the cows are now milked.

Land at the tenanted farm is mostly down to grass, with some

wheat, rapeseed, barley and corn grown for animal feed.

Rene says: “Our Red Holsteins have been averaging 10,555kg on a 305-day lactation for the past five years. The milk is 4% butterfat,

3.4% protein and has a cell count of 60,000.”

Milk is sold for between 68 and 90 Swiss cents/kg (60-80ppl), which is among the highest prices paid for milk in Switzerland.

Farm facts

rAbout 80-90% of the heifers reared are sold as first lactation heifers

rHelping Rene Durand on the farm is his wife Zoe, son Dominic, his parents Jakob and Ursula, one employee and one part-time employee

rCows are milked in an old Surge pipeline milking machine

However, Rene says there are a number of hoops to jump through in order to adhere to the strict regulations for producing milk for Gruyere cheese production.

He says: “As part of these regulations, we are not allowed to feed the cows silage, only fresh grass and hay and we can only milk them twice per day in a conventional milking parlour. No milking with robots is allowed.

“If milking is carried out more often, the lipase, or fat cells in the milk, is too weak and the cheese becomes rancid.”

In winter, cows are kept indoors in the tie-stall barn, where they are fed hay, sugar beet, concentrated feed and molasses.

During this time they have access to a year for one hour a day.

The cows produce an average of 10,555kg per lactation.

Left to right: Rene, Roman, Dominic and Zoe Durand.

Gruyere cheese

rSwiss Gruyere cheese is protected by a Appellation d’origine protegee

rIt takes its name from the Gruyere region, in Fribourg, Switzerland

rThe cheese has been

Rene says: “Our summer period lasts for up to eight months, during which the cows eat at pasture for four hours per day. ey are also fed in the barn, with a ration of fresh grass, corn and concentrated feed.”

Rene uses arti cial insemination on all his cows using Red Holstein genetics and breeds strictly for milk quality, which is essential for good cheese production.

In typical Swiss style, Rene sends some ca le more than 100 days old up into the Alps for summer grazing.

Rene says he is keen to invest

produced according to the same traditional recipe since 1115

rToday, Gruyere is made in Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchatel, Jura and in some municipalities in Bern

in new technology suitable for his business.

He says: “Over the past ve years we have invested in the barn facilities to increase cow comfort.

I have also bought a dehumidi er to dry the hay quicker, an electric Kuratli feed mixer wagon and a new loader wagon.”

Expansion

Any further expansion for Rene is di cult as he is a tenant on the farm, but he says his ultimate aim is to buy a farm to secure the future of milking cows for his family.

Cows are kept in a tie-stall barn in winter.

Hay is made on the farm as rules state cows can not be fed silage.

Challenged to increase e ciency of production to help o set the current squeeze on margins while looking to improve sustainability of production, milk producers should look to make full use of available science rather than waiting for new developments, according to speakers at the British Society of Animal Science conference.

Conference delegates were told that more than 80% of ingredients in typical ruminant diets were not human edible, a combination of forages, co-products and so on.

If animal products were taken out of human diets, there would not be enough key nutrients to meet human dietary requirements.

Dr Phil Holder, of ED&F Man, said: “Animals play a vital role in the circular economy of efficient food production, utilising products which would otherwise go to waste and converting non-human into human food.

“However, production must be as e cient as possible while also meeting requirements for greater sustainability.

“We must focus on utilising forages more e ciently and become more precise in the way we feed animals. is will become more important as regulations make products such as soya less acceptable.

“Rather than just replacing soya, can we be more precise in how protein is fed to reduce dietary protein levels, increase nitrogen use e ciency [NUE] and reduce nitrogen excretion? is would reduce costs and also cut nitrogen emissions, increase NUE and sustainability of production.”

Amino acid

Dr Sion Richards, of Adisseo, said ensuring amino acid requirements were more precisely met was an e ective way to reduce the crude protein content in diets.

He said: “ e supply of amino acids allows cows to synthesise milk protein or body protein. All proteins are made up of a combination of amino acids.

“ ere are 20 amino acids and

Efficient use of forages and the ability to precisely feed animals was a key focus for speakers at the British Society of Animal Science conference.

The overriding message at the recent British Society of Animal Science conference in Belfast was that better adoption of available science can play a role in improving efficiencies. Dairy Farmer reports.

Science key to improving efficiency

10 are classed as essential, meaning they need to be supplied through the diet of the cow.”

As soon as an amino acid becomes limiting, in other words, there is not enough to meet requirements, Dr Richard said performance was a ected.

He said: “Cows will divert the available amino acid from functions like the immune system, fertility and milk protein to maintain production. e usual approach when formulating diets is to overfeed metabolisable protein to try and ensure the cow is supplied with all the amino acids required.

“ is imprecise ‘shotgun’ approach pushes up protein use and costs, while also depressing NUE.

“ ere is no guarantee that feeding more protein in total will meet cow amino acid requirements.”

He reported on trials with milking sheep showing that supplementing ewes with methionine in the transition and early

lactation periods increased both milk yield and milk protein.

He said: “By being more precise, we can ensure animals get exactly what they need as e ciently as possible. Milking ewes are no dierent to cows and we have seen the same response in dairy cows.”

In addition to meeting nutrient requirements more precisely, research shows the need to ensure cows can utilise those nutrients for production.

Keeping cows healthy and minimising the frequency of immune responses will have a direct impact on energy availability.

Dr Sophie Parker-Norman, of Volac, said: “An immune response to an infection diverts energy from production. Maintaining an immune response over a 12-hour period will use 1kg of glucose, which is equivalent to 20MJ, the energy required for about threeand-a-half litres of milk.”

Any infection or health challenge

will trigger an immune response, so it is vital to keep cows as healthy as possible to optimise e ciency of nutrient use and production. is includes visible conditions, including mastitis, metritis and lameness, but also conditions such as acidosis.

Dr Parker-Norman said: “We know that feed additives can play a signi cant role in supporting the immune system and o er a proven way to help nutritionists improve e ciency of diet utilisation.”

Summarising the session, Dr Holder argued that while there was no silver bullet to increasing e ciency and no one product can address all the issues, there is a great deal of science already available.

Requirements

Dr Holder said: “We know a great deal about how to make be er quality, more productive forages. We have a be er understanding of cows’ requirements and how these can be met. Improved production e ciency leads to reduced emissions per unit of output.

“We also know that the application of existing science can play a crucial role in helping reduce emissions and moving towards more sustainable production.

“ e good news is that this information is already available and producers can start to ne-tune their systems to reap the bene ts.”

OPEN DAY

As winners of the 2023 Holstein UK National Premier Herd Award, the Wills family are opening the doors to Pawton Dairy, Wadebridge, Cornwall, on July 2, as they welcome visitors to the Premier Herd open day. Dairy Farmer takes a look at the herd.

The 1,700-cow Willsbro herd was crowned winner of the 2023

Holstein UK National Premier Herd Award at last year’s UK Dairy Day and now the team behind the herd, the Wills family, is preparing to welcome visitors to the Premier Herd open day and sale in July.

e herd’s history goes back to 1969 when the Willsbro herd was established with just 40 cows milking in a Hosier abreast parlour.

e size increased to 120 cows in 1976 with milking taking place in a 12/12 Alfa Laval herringbone parlour.

In 2004, numbers jumped again to 800 cows with the addition of a new dairy set-up, built on a greeneld site at Pawton Dairy in 2003.

Pawton Dairy was previously run as an arable unit and the decision to build a new state-of-the-art facility depended on extensive research and planning.

California

Having witnessed the scale of the dairy operations in California and admiring the set-ups and ease of management that the facilities allowed, much of the system at Willsbro is based on these.

is was followed in 2005 by the herd being graded up to full pedigree and this was when the journey towards high genetic female families really began.

Prominent cow families in the herd include Amber, Adina, Aderyn, Ashlyn, Lila Z, Pammy, Rachel, Rozy, Rozelle and Sharon.

e herd, which is now run by Robert, Mathew and Melanie Wills, is fully housed with cows in groups of 200, split according to stage of lactation. Average yields stand at 14,037kg at 4.03% bu erfat and 3.2% protein.

Each group has 200 sand-bedded cubicles and 200 locking yokes, ensuring that every animal can rest

Willsbro to host herd open day

or feed at the same time. e locking yokes allow all vet work and AI to be carried out while the cows are feeding, eliminating the need for races or crushes.

Each passage is ood washed up to eight times a day, the dirty water is then ltered to retrieve sand and then pumped out to fertilise the grazing and silage land.

Cows are milked three-timesa-day through a 60-point rotadec parlour, which can accommodate 350 cows/hour.

e Willsbro family says that ve key elements contribute to pro table production; management, environment, genetics, health and nutrition.

Each plays a vital role in the general well-being of the herd and none is more important than the other.

ey say their focus is, and continues to be, to breed a pro table herd of long-lasting beautiful and

functional cows, that repeatedly put milk in the tank and go back in calf year a er year.

Leading sires are used and each cow is individually mated according to her strengths and weaknesses.

e health of the Willsbro herd is of paramount importance. Regular routine work, such as scanning, sexing and foot trimming is undertaken by Robert and Mathew and there are a number of protocols in place to ensure optimum herd health when it comes to milking routine, dry cows and fresh calved cows.

National Premier Herd Judge,

Premier Herd open day

rWhen: Tuesday, July 2

rWhere: Pawton Dairy, Wadebridge, Cornwall, PL27 7LR

rThe day will also include

and 2022 winner, Brian Moorhouse, of the Aireburn herd, visited each of the Premier Herd award nalists and said the Willsbro herd should be commended for its exceptional management and presentation on a large scale.

Brian said: “Willsbro had exactly what I look for in a herd. ere is tremendous consistency throughout, exceptional udders legs and feet, the right balance of strength and dairy quality in every age group.

“ ey are outstanding with exceptional management and presentation on a large scale.”

the Willsbro Premier Herd sale of 40 milkers, 150 heifers and 80 embryos

rTo register: Visit holstein-uk.org

Robert (left) and Matthew Wills from the team behind the awardwinning Willsbro herd.

A focus on nutrition, cow environment and the use of technology can all have an impact on the success of dry and transition cow management. 30 COW TOUCHES

While dairy producers must invest in their cows during the transition period if they are to positively influence the success of the lactation, heifers must also be transitioned if they are to meet longevity targets and reach future milk production potential.

Trident MicroNutri ruminant technical manager Anna Millar says failing to invest in the milking cows of the future can result in a false economy for the producer, even if transition cows are not directly making money when not producing milk.

She says this is the key period when the vast majority of calf growth occurs, some 70% of that in the last weeks before calving.

It is therefore important to formulate rations to meet the energy requirements of cows transitioning from the close-up dry period, through calving and colostrum production, all the way through to the onset of early lactation.

While transition cows must be supported as much as possible, particularly from an energy point of view, Ms Millar advises producers to consider that heifers are also working every bit as hard and actually have even more to do.

Diet

She says: “Young heifers can be forgotten about, but they should also be transitioned, with the correct transition diet. It is important to remember that they are not yet fully grown, so after calving they need to be able to eat as much as possible.

“They almost have an extra job to do. We know the adult cow needs to keep herself healthy, produce milk,

Do not forget the heifers during transition period

come into heat and hold a pregnancy, but the heifer has to do all of this, plus grow herself, so the energy balance is critical.

“A recent study from National Milk Records showed 17% of heifers leave the herd before the end of their first lactation. You want your heifers to stay in the herd for longevity and sustainability, and also for your bottom line.

“It could be her second or even third lactation before she even starts breaking even, so keeping her healthy, from a metabolic point of view, is essential.

“They are under huge stress, they have never calved before and they have never been in the main milking herd before, so it is a complete group change. They are also

going into a parlour for the first time.”

Ms Millar says it is therefore essential throughout transition to monitor heifers closely and maintain an excellent nutrition programme.

Every dairy cow needs to mobilise body fat reserves to meet the extra maintenance and production demands that her feed intake does not cover, and even more so for the heifer.

NEFAs

She says: “This fat mobilisation causes a surge in non-esterified fatty acids [NEFAs] in the bloodstream, associated with ketosis.

“Alongside this risk, the increased blood flow to the liver can see fat accumulating as it cannot be metabolised and exported from the liver

quickly enough, potentially causing fatty liver disease.”

The incidence of either can predispose the cow to other metabolic transition problems, along with failure to reach true peak milk yield potential.

Ms Millar says: “As extra fat mobilisation is inevitable for a cow on the steep incline to peak lactation, using a rumen protected choline source will help the liver to metabolise and export the extra fatty acids for use in milk production or tissue repair.”

Cows with proper choline nutrition are more likely to have fewer metabolic disorders, better reproductive performance and higher milk production.

It supports formation of cell membranes, particularly important for mammary gland development and production, as well as playing a key role in maintaining immune function and helping reproductive health.

Ms Millar says: “By supporting overall health and productivity, this will ultimately lead to improved profitability. You can keep your heifers in the herd and see them through to breaking even and beyond, setting them up for higher lifetime milk production potential.”

Failure to invest in the milking cows of the future can result in a false economy.

Take the next step with Mastitis Vaccination

Ask your vet about your mastitis prevention plan

Andrew Biggs BVSc, FRCVS and Vale Veterinary Laboratory Data Primary pathogen identified in all high SCC and clinical mastitis milk samples from 2019-2021. STARTVAC® Inactivated vaccine, Bovine mastitis, in injectable emulsion. COMPOSITION PER DOSE (2 ML): Inactivated Escherichia coli (J5) 50 RED60*; Inactivated Staphylococcus aureus (CP8) SP 140strain expressing SAAC** 50 RED80***. Adjuvant. * RED60: Rabbit effective dose in 60% of the animals (serology). **SAAC: Slime Associated Antigenic Complex. ***RED80: Rabbit effective dose in 80% of the animals (serology). INDICATIONS: Cows and Heifers: To prevent Mastitis For herd immunisation of healthy cows and heifers, in dairy cattle herds with recurring mastitis problems, to reduce the incidence of sub-clinical mastitis and the incidence and the severity of the clinical signs of clinical mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus, coliforms and coagulasenegative staphylococci.The full immunisation scheme induces immunity from aproximately day 13 after the first injection until approximately day 78 after the third injection (equivalent to 130 days postparturition). Further information available from the SPC or on www.hipra.com. For more information about side-effects, precautions, warnings and contraindications please refer to the SPC, the packaging or product leaflet. LEGAL CATEGORY: POM-V- Veterinary medicinal product under veterinary prescription. MARKETING AUTHORISATION HOLDER: Laboratorios Hipra, S.A. la Selva, 135, 17170-AMER (Girona) SPAIN. MARKETING AUTHORISATION NUMBERS: UK(GB): Vm17533/5010, UK(NI): EU/2/08/092/003-6. Use Medicines Responsibly.

UBAC®, emulsion for injection for cattle. COMPOSITION PER DOSE: Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) from Biofilm Adhesion Component (BAC) of Streptococcus uberis, strain 5616 ≥ 1 RPU. Montanide ISA 907.1 mg. Monophosphoryl Lipid A (MPLA). INDICATIONS: For active immunisation of healthy cows and heifers to reduce the incidence of clinical intramammary infections caused by Streptococcus uberis, to reduce the somatic cell count in Streptococcus uberis positive quarter milk samples and to reduce milk production losses caused by Streptococcus uberis intramammary infections. Further information available from the SPC or on www.hipra.com. For more information about side-effects, precautions, warnings and contra-indications please refer to the SPC, the packaging or product leaflet. LEGAL CATEGORY: POMV- Veterinary medicinal product under veterinary prescription. MARKETING AUTHORISATION HOLDER: LABORATORIOS HIPRA S.A Avda. la Selva 135. 17170 Amer (Girona) Spain. MARKETING AUTHORISATION NUMBERS: UK(GB): Vm17533/5011, UK(NI): EU/2/18/227/001-004. Use Medicines Responsibly.

These products are not licensed for concurrent use. A decision to use either of these vaccines before or after any other veterinary medicinal product therefore needs to be made on a case-by-case basis.

DRY & TRANSITION COW MANAGEMENT

A new approach to transition management aims to reduce cow interventions in order to have a positive impact on profitability. Dairy Farmer reports.

Traditionally, transition management in dairy farming has revolved around the cow, looking at a broadly nutritional approach, optimising the diet to enhance health, fertility, milk production and overall lifetime performance.

However, Will Tulley, head of technical at Advanced Ruminant Nutrition, suggests a shi in focus, in addition to a nutritional approach, which looks solely at the cow, towards a more holistic approach which prioritises the bo om line of a dairy business, while also optimising animal health. e approach includes a focus on reducing cow interventions or ‘cow touches’ during the transition period, thereby minimising the number of human and medical interactions on a day-to-day basis.

Cow touches: A new focus for transition management

Mr Tulley says: “One of the biggest bo lenecks we are seeing in UK dairies in recent years is a reduction in the availability of labour, as herd sizes are also increasing.

“It is particularly evident that on many units, the availability of skilled and experienced labour is becoming the single biggest constraint on improving technical and nancial performance from the dairy herd.

A method which reduces cow touches is good for transition

WILL TULLEY

The impact on robotic herds

JWill Tulley says the impact of poor transition is particularly evident in robotically milked herds, where the objective is for cows to autonomously seek out the milking robot from the start of lactation. He says: “Any disease which diminishes voluntary milking visits early in lactation can affect that animal’s production throughout the entire lactation period.

“Additionally, the need to segregate animals for treatments, or collecting them for the milking robots, can disrupt the routine of the entire milking herd and affect the behaviour and production of other animals within the group.”

By minimising interventions and reducing labour-intensive tasks, Mr Tulley says dairy farmers can optimise resource allocation and bolster operational efficiency.

He says: “We really see this

“If we do not get the transition period right, quite o en we see cows su ering from the e ects of subclinical milk fever and related diseases. Sick cows must be taken out of the milking herd, and this has a massive e ect on labour.

“Not only does this impact by taking away from time to do other things on-farm, but it also puts a burden on employees and owners, not to mention extra stress on the cow at what is already a hugely stressful time.”

It is estimated that treating a sick cow takes the same amount of time as caring for 20-30 healthy animals – and this is for a cow which is less productive and less likely to remain in the herd.

Mr Tulley says: “A sick cow during the transition period does not just mean the cost of a bolus or other medication, it is the labour to

take the cow out to the nursing pen, the time and a ention to administer medication and to alter the diet.

“O en, additional time is incorporated into the milking routine for cows which are slow to move to the milking parlour. And extra time is taken up by segregating milk from animals treated with products that have a milk withhold period.”

Reintegration

Mr Tulley adds that while the objective is to reintegrate the animal into the milking herd, inevitably there are cows which fail to recover, resulting in a complete nancial loss. He says: “Alongside typical cow-related costs, incorporating labour allows us to gain insight into how poor transition management can truly impact the bo om line.

as a benefit, especially to our clients on robotic milking systems where they are already reducing interactions with the cow as they voluntarily engage with the milking robots. However, if transition is poor and cows are not going straight onto the robots, the additional time required can have a substantial impact.”

He adds it also poses challenges for freshly calved heifers, unfamiliar with the robot,

as increased interventions limit opportunities for animals to exhibit their natural behaviour and swiftly adapt to the milking system.

“With fewer interventions, we create a better environment for training heifers if they are fit and strong and well transitioned.”

Minimising cow touches allows skilled staff to remain focused on planned herd management tasks.

“It is imperative to adopt transition management practices which forecast and estimate the costs of both planned and unplanned treatments to enhance our understanding of the herd’s response to fewer interventions.” To reduce interventions with

the herds he works with, Mr Tulley recommends using a mineral binder.

He adds that Vilofoss recently undertook a study looking at the number of human interventions a cow requires over the transition period – so called ‘cow touches’. e study compared herds which

It is estimated that treating a sick cow takes the same amount of time as caring for 20-30 healthy animals.

used a mineral binder, X-Zelit, with herds using a DCAB diet, and then recorded the number of times cows required interventions, both planned and unplanned, across the transition period.

Mr Tulley says: “ e study shows that while both diets aim to facilitate

a smooth transition for cows, the mineral binder stands out for its ability to reduce the number of cow touches during this critical phase.

“Unlike conventional methods which may require frequent interventions, the mineral binder minimises the need for hands-on management, thereby streamlining the transition process and cu ing associated costs.”

Stress reduction

Mr Tulley says by having cows which transition without any intervention, it is possible to reduce the stress on the cow at an already critical period and reduce input costs through labour and medical costs.

He says: “We also know that through this method and a smooth transition, cows will then be healthier, more likely to see improved fertility and we know they go on to produce more milk in subsequent lactations.

“So a method which reduces cow touches is good for transition.”

It is nearing 10 years since the UK livestock industry began a concerted effort to monitor and measure antibiotic use on-farm as part of the battle against antimicrobial resistance.

Challenge the norm when it comes to mastitis therapy

With the World Health Organisation declaring that antimicrobial resistance is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity, working collaboratively to ensure antibiotic use is ‘as little as possible, but as much as necessary’ is now part of everyday vet and farmer decision-making.

Vet Andrew Biggs, of the Vale Vet Group in Devon, says: “We are all familiar with selective dry cow therapy which has rationalised the use of antibiotic tubes at drying off. I feel it is better to say antibiotic use at drying off is now targeted at cows where it will bring benefit.

“As a consequence of this targeted approach, antibiotic use at drying off is significantly lower1

“But, to future-proof antibiotic use in dairy cows, we now need to turn our attention to mastitis in the lactation phase. Ensuring intramammary antibiotics are used responsibly, we also need to adopt an evidence-based approach to clinical mastitis therapy.

Direct approach

“Mastitis is an inflammatory response by the cow, which is most often triggered by an infection, but like many infections, the inflammation can often extend beyond the duration of the infection, so tubing until the clots have gone is not justified.

“We are all familiar with the common symptoms of mastitis – a swollen and uncomfortable udder, clots in the milk, possibly a cow off her feed in severe cases.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

NSAIDs have multiple actions on the body:

NAnti-inflammatory

NAnti-pyretic (reduce fever)

NCounter endotoxin-induced cellular damage

NProvide analgesia (pain relief)

Many farmers are now using

NSAIDs, such as Metacam®, in all cases of clinical mastitis - mild, moderate and severe – so improving cow comfort and recovery rates. Metacam® has been shown to improve cure rates and improve fertility in cows with mastitis, when used alongside standard antibiotic therapy2

“Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs] regulate the cow’s immune response to relieve pain, reduce inflammation and reduce clinical signs.”

Mastitis during lactation is caused by a range of bacteria, categorised as environmental or contagious, depending on their origin and behaviour.

Contagious pathogens – such as Staph. aureus or Strep. agalcatiae – tend to be persistent and can spread from cow-to-cow.

Decades ago, they were the main cause of mastitis, but since the Five-Point Plan was widely adopted, these pathogens are now well controlled in most herds and national cell counts are much lower as a result.

Environmental pathogens, such as E.coli or Strep. uberis originate from the environment – most often

Tests

COW-side tests, such as MastDecide, accompanied by Targeted Lactation Therapy and NSAIDs, for all cases, can3:

NReduce use of antibiotic tubes

NIncrease milk sold, meaning less milk discarded

Knowing the bug behind the mastitis case will help inform treatment decisions ANDREW BIGGS

from faeces. Mild or moderate E.coli mastitis cases tend to be short-lived and will often self cure as a result of the cow’s immune response. These cases are effectively getting better despite the antibiotic tubes. On the other hand, some strains of Strep. uberis

NReduce the risk of bulk milk

antibiotic failure:

NLess milk with antibiotic contamination

NLess milk with antibiotic residues to dispose of

NMaintain good cure rates

Dr Andrew Biggs (below) says to future-proof antibiotic use in dairy cows, we now need to turn our attention to mastitis in the lactation phase.

can become persistent and then have the ability to behave in a contagious manner.

Dr Biggs says: “Knowing the

bug behind the mastitis case will help inform treatment decisions and is known as Targeted Lactation Therapy.

“Why use an antibiotic when it is not needed? If we can target antibiotic therapy to cows which need it, and give an NSAID in all cases, another huge stride will be made in our responsible use of antibiotics.

“The days of blanket treatment of lactating cows, or treating until the clots have gone, is no longer justified.

“There are a range of cow-side tests which will reveal the problem pathogen in a matter of hours.

“Talk to your vet about their availability and use. All cows with mastitis deserve NSAIDs, and

certain infections such as Strep. uberis or Staph. aureus also need prompt antibiotic treatment, but for mild or moderate E.coli cases [not sick cows], or cases where no bacteria are found [‘no growths’], understand that an NSAID may be all that is needed.”

References: 1, https://www.ruma.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/RUMA-TTF-Report-2023-FINAL.pdf.

2, McDougall et al (2016) J. Dairy Sci 99(3): 2026–2042. 3, Schmenger et al (2020). Vet. Rec. 187(10) 401-401.

Metacam® 20 mg/ml solution for injection for cattle, pigs and horses and Metacam® 40 mg/ml solution for injection for cattle and horses contain meloxicam. UK: POM-V. Advice should be sought from the prescriber. Further information available in the SPC or from Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health UK Ltd., RG12 8YS, UK. Tel: 01344 746 957. Email: vetenquiries@boehringer-ingelheim.com. Metacam® is a registered trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH, used under licence. ©2024 Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health UK Ltd. All rights reserved. Date of preparation: May 2024. BOV-0035-2023. Use Medicines Responsibly.

Altering transition rations and improving diet consistency throughout lactation has helped boost milk yields, fertility and herd health. Dairy Farmer reports.

Focus on cow health for Jersey herd in Devon

Improving transition management has been part of a wider effort to advance cow health at Coombe Farm, Devon. The dairy farm is owned by the Harvey family and supplies their nearby processing plant, Langage Farm.

Langage produces own-brand and supermarket-branded clotted cream, yoghurt and ice cream for several large UK retailers. Coombe Farm supplies about 40% of the factory’s requirement, with the remainder sourced through Rivermead Dairy, Tiverton.

When farm manager Gareth Wyn-Evans took over running the 260-cow pedigree Jersey herd

four years ago, his goals were to reduce disease and lift milk yields.

While milk quality is paramount for taste, the farm is paid on a liquid contract, so yield is also valuable, says Mr Wyn-Evans.

Milk fever

One key area of focus has been transition management. The farm has no accommodation, which meant staff were not on-hand 24/7 to deal with cows with milk fever. Jerseys are notorious for milk fever, due in part to the higher component-rich milk they produce requiring a higher mineral status at calving, says the farm’s nutritionist Steve Jones, of Harpers Feeds.

While cases of milk fever were relatively low annually (about eight cases), Mr Wyn-Evans’ preferred option is prevention rather than cure, as he and the team were demoralised seeing downer cows. Jerseys can be slow to respond to treatment and require several bottles. Previously, transition cows were fed a partial DCAB diet alongside a dry cow mineral and 150g per head of magnesium flakes. Working alongside Mr Jones, 18 months ago Mr Wyn-Evans switched to feeding a calcium and phosphorus binder. It reduces the quantity of calcium in the small intestine, stimulating

the cow to mobilise her own calcium reserves to prevent milk fever.

Mr Jones says: “It is much kinder to the cow compared to a DCAB diet, because you are not trying to acidify the blood of the cow.”

The binder is fed at 500g/head/ day two weeks before calving, alongside grass silage, straw, a pre-calving mineral and a balance of two blends (see close-up diet panel at the top of page 35).

Due to the requirements of supermarkets the dairy supplies, the farm has removed soya from its diets in favour of protected rape and rapeseed, which are fed throughout lactation for consistency.

rMilks 260 pedigree Jerseys in split block calving, plus followers

rCalving for 11 weeks from February and again in August

rGrazing from March until October

rCows calved indoors

rCows milked through a 20:20 rapid exit parlour

rYields 5,137 litres of milk at 6.27% butterfat and 4.08% protein in a 305-day lactation with a somatic cell count of 130,000 cells/ml

rHerd vaccinated for salmonella, leptospirosis and BVD

The amount of protein and starch provided by the two blends are adjusted to complement different cuts of grass silage, says Mr Jones.

Since switching to the binder, clinical cases of milk fever have been non-existent.

rRun over 130 hectares (320 acres), predominantly grassland, with 6ha (15 acres) of fodder beet

rMilk supplied to Langage Farm

rManaged by Gareth WynEvans and his partner Claire May, with three full-time and five part-time staff

rBeef calves sold as stores at Exeter and Sedgemoor markets and in-calf Jersey heifers sold privately

rCalving interval of 365 days

rLameness rate of 2%

r8.7 cases of mastitis per 100 cows per year

Farm facts

The farm has 260 pedigree Jerseys, pus followers.

Mr Wyn-Evans says: “Everything is up and calved much quicker and we do not get retained cleansings. We get very low rates of ketosis, perhaps one per block.”

e binder costs £1.70/cow/ day, but Mr Wyn-Evans says the lower incidence of transition disease makes it a sound investment.

Farm manager Gareth Wyn-Evans took over running the 260-cow pedigree Jersey herd four years ago.

r22kg grass-silage

r4kg wheat straw

r100g pre-calver mineral

r500g of X-Zelit

r600g Planet Nova 40 Dry Mix (rapeseed and protected rapeseed)

r2.1kg of 11% starch blend

are hi ing peak yield much quicker and are doing 30-plus litres within six weeks of calving.”

Once calved, cows transition to a milking diet (see the table at the bo om of p36).

Mr Wyn-Evans admits his approach to feeding is ‘a li le bit unconventional’.

Cows are maintaining high levels of constituents, at 6.27% bu erfat and 4.08% protein.

Mr Wyn-Evans says improved transition management has underpinned an improvement in milk yields. Since 2019, these have risen by 30% to more than 5,000 litres.

Mr Wyn-Evans says: “Cows

He says: “Most spring blocks will be pushing to get cows out to grass straight away, but we do not have any parlour feeders.” erefore, cows are fed a total

DRY & TRANSITION COW MANAGEMENT

mixed ration year-round, a er morning and a ernoon milkings.

In a typical year, cows are turned out by mid-March, although this year’s wet spring delayed turnout until April 16.

Both blocks of cows calve indoors. e spring block will be kept in at night until May to aid with heat detection, while the autumn calvers are given priority access to grass.

Similarly, the autumn calvers will be housed at night a er calving in August.

Mr Wyn-Evans says: “My logic is that to get the conception rates, you need consistency in the diet and grass varies with the weather.”

To balance the rations, Mr Jones regularly takes fresh grass samples alongside monthly silage face samples.

About six hectares (15 acres) of fodder beet are grown each year. During the winter housing period, this is li ed and fed alongside grass silage, straw, blends and a mineral.

Potassium

Mr Wyn-Evans says: “When I took over the farm, our potassium indices were very high. Digestate from our anaerobic digester and slurry had been overapplied on elds close to the yard.”

High-index elds have just received bagged nitrogen with no potassium and phosphate.

Fodder beet has helped utilise

potash and lower indices. It also acts a break crop on poorer-performing pasture which requires reseeding, says Mr Wyn-Evans.

Furthermore, it has injected some energy into winter rations.

Mr Jones says: “ is last couple of years, sugar has been low in grass silage, so the fodder beet has balanced this well.”

Alongside improvements in herd health, improved transition cow management and feeding have also aided advances in fertility.

e calving period has been cut back from 18 weeks to 11 weeks.

In the spring mob, 93 calved in February out of 130 cows, says Mr Wyn-Evans.

Breeding

Breeding is done in-house by Mr Wyn-Evans’ partner Claire May. ey now use sexed semen for the rst six weeks of service before switching to easy-calving British Blue and Aberdeen-Angus.

Johne’s disease has been a historic challenge, but the disease has been lowered from 40% to 17% by taking a strict stance when breeding replacements.

High- and medium-risk cows are served straight to beef. ey operate ‘clean and dirty’ calving yards for Johne’s-positive animals and have been testing more frequently to identify infected cows. Bulls have been selected for calving ease (beef bulls), health and fertility traits, and more weighting has been placed on milk for replacement heifers.

Mr Wyn-Evans says: “I do not want to turn them into ginger Holsteins, but there is potential to increase yield further to an average of 6,000 litres without compromising constituents because we have individual cows doing 8,000 litres.”

The herd’s ration is complemented by different cuts of grass silage.

Grazing takes place from March until October.

Research has shown that heat stress at any point during the dry period can affect the lifetime performance and productivity of the developing foetus. Katie Fallon reports.

Lasting effects of heat stress in the dry period

While the UK is not subject to the extreme temperatures experienced in other parts of the world, it is the combination of temperature and humidity which causes heat stress in the UK’s dairy herds.

Data from Cargill UK over the last three years has shown the heat stress threshold in UK dairy cows is typically triggered between May and September.

Based on 60% humidity and a temperature of 14degC – common conditions in early summer in the UK – the threshold for UK dairy cows is a temperature and humidity index (THI) of 57.

Cargill reported that in 2021 and 2022, a regional daily average THI of 57 or more was recorded on 152 of the 153 days, with a regional daily average THI of 65 or more logged on at least 28% of the 153 days from May to September 2022.

And while heat stress is known to have acute e ects in lactating ca le in the way of reduced milk production and poor fertility, research in the US has shown that heat stress in the dry period can have long-term impacts on the performance of the dam and the developing foetus.

Speaking in a webinar organised by Hoard’s Dairyman, Prof Geo rey Dahl, of the University of Florida, shared the results of a recent study where cows were dried o between

40 and 50 days before calving and split into two groups, one which experienced cooling and another group which experienced heat stress.

Cows were kept in these groups from being dried o until calving.

As well as seeing a reduction in milk production in the following lactation, cows which were heat stressed during the dry period also experienced a reduced gestation length.

Prof Dahl said: “Consistent with gestation length, we also saw that cows which were cooled the entire time made more milk than any of the other groups.”

Consequently, from a management perspective, Prof Dahl advised cows should be cooled throughout the entire dry period.

e study also identi ed the impacts of heat stress in the dry period or in utero, on calf birth weights.

Prof Dahl said calves which experienced heat stress in utero were 5.7kg lighter at birth than calves which did not experience heat stress in utero.

Stressed dams

Calves born to heat stressed dams were also found to have lower immunoglobulin (IgG) levels in the rst month of life and reduced e ciency of IgG absorption of up to 4.2%.

Studies also showed that calves which were born to heat stressed dams not only had lower birth weights and weaning weights,

Cows which were cooled the entire time made more milk than any of the other groups

PROF GEOFFREY DAHL

but also had a lower body weight in the rst year of life.

Impacts on survivability were also identi ed, with a higher number of heifer calves born to heat stressed dams leaving the herd before puberty.

Prof Dahl said: “Data also showed challenges in the reproductive performance of heifers which were born to a heat stressed dam, with those heifers taking more services to get in-calf.

“A profound di erence in reproductive organs, particularly in ovarian development, was also seen at weaning age, with dramatic reductions in ovary size in heifers born to heat stressed dams, consistent with poorer long-term reproductive outcomes.”

In utero heat stress was also shown to impact the lifetime yields

American research has shown that heat stress in the dry period can have long-term impacts on the performance of the dam and the developing foetus.

of animals, with those which experienced heat stress in utero seeing reduced milk yields of 2.2kg per day in the rst lactation, 2.3kg per day in the second lactation and a reduction of 3.9kg per day in third lactation.

Prof Dahl said: “ e relatively brief insult of heat stress in late gestation and late foetal development can have profound long-term e ects on the productivity of those animals.”

Research also showed that calves born to heat stressed dams spent one year less in the herd than calves which were born to cooled dams.

Offspring

Prof Dahl said: “ ey also appear to pass this onto their o spring. e granddaughters of dams which experienced heat stress in late gestation also had a lower survivability.”

Prof Dahl said this showed longterm transgenerational evidence of negative impacts in herd survival due to heat stress during the dry period, and he encouraged dairy farmers to consider the season in which heifer calves were born when making replacement decisions.

DRY & TRANSITION COW MANAGEMENT

The transition period is the primary ‘at risk’ period when 75% of all adult cow diseases find their origin, but Cumbrian farmer Matt Vevers is using technology to prevent these challenges arising. Dairy Farmer reports.

Technology forestalls transition challenges

Fine-tuning management during the dry period is critical to the cows’ next lactation performance for Matt Vevers, who farms with his parents, Richard and Julie, at High Plains, Longtown, Cumbria. Their 480-cow, housed Holstein herd, which is currently averaging 10,500kg at 4.4% butterfat and 3.4% protein while achieving a 34% pregnancy rate, is milked twice a day through a 24-48 herringbone parlour and fed a full total mixed ration based system.

The herd is monitored via CowManager ear sensors, which were introduced six years ago and, in 2021, the nutrition module, which specifically monitors the cows in their transition period using individual eating and rumination time compared to the herd, was introduced.

Herdsman Chris Curruthers says: “Prior to installation, we knew how to deal with cows with milk fever after showing physical signs, whereas now the system tells us if the cows are potentially going to

have problems, so we can try our best to minimise their risk.

“Based on the information the system tells us, we can make early, evidence-based management changes.

“For example, we can alter the magnesium chloride level fed and also fetch the cows into the transition group sooner.

Supplement

“If our efforts still have not sufficiently benefited individual cows, then we will supplement with yeast boluses and give a lot more TLC post-calving.

“We are provided with alerts identifying ‘at risk’ individuals up to 50 days pre-calving, notifying us that a cow is spending less time eating and ruminating compared to the rest of the group’s average behaviour, leaving her vulnerable to issues at calving and or post-calving.”

Chris says following an alert, the

individual cow is checked and, if showing symptoms, will be treated appropriately.

He says: “If, on the other hand, a cow has performed okay in the dry period, but after calving an alert flashes up that she is not eating, then

Vet’s view

JThe farm’s vet, James Brocket, of Craig Robinson Vets, says reduced dry matter intake in the dry period negatively impacts health and performance post-calving and cows with reduced intakes will be at higher risk of milk fever, retained foetal membranes, ketosis, and displaced abomasums.

He says: “Reduced intake could be a result of low feed availability, poor palatability or bullying from dominant cows,

we can intervene as soon as possible. Initially with pumping her with a fresh cow sachet and checking her temperature. Nine out of 10 times, pumping the cow alone seems to be enough to get her back on track and it has kept our post-calving health issues to a minimum.”

Matt adds cows are body condition scored (BCS) while foot-trimming is carried out three times per lactation; four weeks post-calving, at 140 days and four weeks pre-dry-off.

He says: “If the pre-dry-off cows are starting to sit too high on the BCS chart, we adjust their diet to keep them in prime condition –we always aim to calve cows at BCS 2.75-3, a range we feel they perform best in during the next lactation.

“If a cow reaches BCS 3.5 or above, she will not eat as much as the cows in the preferred BCS 2.75-3 range and in turn will have a lower rumen fill.”

not necessarily illness or disease, so careful examination and correct management of these animals is important.

“By monitoring data from the transition period, you can pinpoint cows at risk of disease post-calving.

“Matt and the team have been successful because they are acting on the information and data being collected and intervening to make a positive impact to the individual cow and to the group.”

Matt Vevers

Matt Vevers uses CowManager technology to monitor his herd and nutrition during the transition period to head-off any problems.

High quality silage is a high energy, palatable and digestible forage which can provide a significant proportion of the nutritional needs of a high yielding dairy cow.

Whatever the weather may bring

This year has been a year of extremes so far and trying to predict the weather for the summer ahead is challenging.

John Spence, of Limagrain UK, says the key issue for many dairy farmers will be a potential forage shortage in the following winter, so being prepared is key.

He says: “Growing short-term mixtures to provide plentiful, high-quality forage is one solution or, where the location is suitable, consider other forage crops, such as maize.

“Overseeding with a good quality grass mixture containing a high proportion of Italian ryegrasses and hybrids will give maximum production in a tight window.

“Red clover will work well when drilled with hybrid grasses as persistence for both plants is generally three to four years.

“Red clover yields well compared to white clover and has a prostrate growth habit, meaning the plant sits above the cutter bar.

Drought conditions

“Red clover and hybrid ryegrasses fare well in drought conditions, as they are deep-rooting and give higher quality silage with increased sugar and protein content.”

If opting for a full reseed, Mr Spence urges farmers to consider the prevailing weather conditions.

Mr Spence says: “Soil temperatures in June are likely to be optimum for the establishment of both grasses and clovers.

“If it is very dry, consider direct drilling seed rather than broadcasting to encourage better soil to seed contact,

but be careful to drill seed no deeper than 1.5cm.”

The wet, cold spring has delayed slurry and fertiliser applications and full slurry stores have encouraged many farmers to take a first cut earlier than perhaps they would have liked to.

Trying to predict the weather for the summer ahead is challenging.

Peter Smith, Volac silage expert, says taking a cut at the right time when wetter than target is often preferable to delaying hoping the weather will improve.

Early cut

He says: “Many farmers will view an early cut as a clearing cut to remove old grass and this has allowed for slurry spreading immediately afterwards.

“Others may opt to harvest an early light crop of high nutritional value before quality starts to decline.

“When conditions are wet, it is even more critical to set up machinery correctly as it is easy to drag soil into the silage crop when the ground is soft.

“The contamination from soil bacteria will have a significant adverse impact on silage quality and palatability.

“Wilting rapidly is vital and mowing in the morning and kicking out grass within the hour where practical is the best way to achieve this.”

Mr Smith says silage made in wet conditions is at risk of a poor fermentation due to possible contamination, but also because a large amount of water needs to be ‘pickled’ to produce the required amount of acid.

He says: “The use of a fermentation specific additive with high bacteria

numbers, such as Ecosyl, is highly recommended to ensure the correct fermentation process takes place with desirable bacteria.

“In contrast, where the weather is forecast dry for the long-term, it is necessary to take the grass off as soon as possible while there is still sufficient moisture within it.

Mature grass

“This mature grass will push a seed head up and the rapid lignification will increase the amount of non-digestible fibre in the plant, reducing palatability and feed value.

“Taking the crop while it is still leafy

will ensure there is enough moisture for fermentation and will preserve quality.

“During hot, dry conditions, it may not be necessary to ted out the grass, as it may already be at optimum dry matter and only a minimal wilt will be required.

“If the grass is harvested hot, there is a risk of poor compaction in the clamp leading to heating and the formation of moulds and yeasts, resulting in higher mycotoxin levels. To prevent this, using an additive, such as Ecocool, is effective.”

This technology special focuses on cow monitoring, tips for interpreting data and the latest in breeding research.

Fertility and post-calving health have improved following investment in a herd monitoring system, say Howard and Tom Pattison. Dairy Farmer reports.

Vet and tech deliver substantial gains for Yorkshire dairy herd

Working closely with the same vet for 40 years, and using a herd monitoring system to improve heat detection and to identify signs of poor health, have enabled Howard and Tom Pa ison to make some signi cant improvements to the performance of their 280-cow dairy

46 UTILISING DATA What do the numbers actually mean?

herd, including an 8% improvement in conception rates and a 34% reduction in the use of fertility drugs.

e father and son duo farm at rinto near Northallerton where their Willow Tree herd of pedigree Holsteins is calved and housed all year round.

e herd currently sits in the top few % of UK dairy herds in terms of lifetime yield, with a current gure of

23.4kg of milk per day of life.

With one of the herd’s cows in her tenth lactation and having given 172,000kg of milk to date, the herd is performing well.

Despite this, the Pa isons are not ones to rest on their laurels and, along with their long-term vet, Mark Glover, are always looking for ways to improve production e ciencies.

Howard says: “We have worked

48 GLOBAL BENCHMARKING Learnings from other herds

closely with Mark for more than 40 years. He knows our cows almost as well as we do and he has helped us to drive the business forward by improving production e ciencies, in particular fertility which is the key driver behind everything we do.”

All cows and heifers are served with sexed semen via arti cial insemination, with Howard and Tom sharing the workload.

50 BREEDING TRIALS

Using parthenogenetic embryos to improve breeding rates

The Willow Tree cows are producing an average of 13,100 litres per lactation.

Howard says: “I have been AI-ing since I was 17, but nowadays Tom does the lion’s share.

“We have historically bred for yield, bu erfat and protein production, with our focus currently on matching sires and dams to maximise pro table lifetime index [PLI] and to improve the herd’s genomics for longevity, ease of maintenance and mastitis reduction.

“A couple of years ago we were serving heifers to calve at 24 months, but we have changed a few things recently which have reduced the average age at rst calving by 22 days.”

In addition to focusing on nutrition to achieve be er growth rates in their youngstock, the Pa isons have also invested in a herd monitoring system to improve heat detection and optimise AI timing.

Installed in March 2022, the 350 SenseHub Dairy neck tags are used to monitor activity levels, rumination pa erns and other behavioural pa erns in the milking herd and followers, with the data the system

collects displayed on Howard, Tom and Mark’s smartphones.

“It is the rst time we have used any kind of heat detection or herd monitoring system,” says Tom.

“Prior to the collars going on, our conception rate was not as good as it should have been, despite the fact we were spending a signi cant amount of money on fertility drugs including PRIDS, prostaglandins and GnRH.

Serving

“ e main problem was that we were not spo ing enough rst or second heats and, in hindsight, we were serving a li le too soon.”

Tom researched various heat detection systems and spoke to several peers who had already put a monitoring system in place.

“We wanted a system that would be compatible with our existing herd management so ware so that we only had to input data once. at narrowed the eld down to just two options,” says Tom.

DAIRY TECHNOLOGY

“By speaking to other farmers, it became very apparent that the SenseHub system o ered the best total package in terms of data handling, output and analysis, so we chose to go with that system.”

e 350 monitoring neck tags were subsequently purchased and part-funded by a grant. ese are ed when heifers are

10 or 11 months old, enabling the Pa isons to determine when their rst heat occurs and to ensure each heifer is cycling properly ahead of her targeted rst service.

Howard says: “ e collars are picking up heats so accurately we have been able to eliminate the need for fertility treatments in the maiden heifer population and rarely need

Left to right: Tom Pattison, Mark Glover, Howard Pattison and Paul Dalton (MSD Animal Health technical support team) at Willow Tree Farm.

JOHNNY

DAIRY TECHNOLOGY

The herd’s first service conception rate has improved by 8% to between 36 and 40%

MARK GLOVER

to intervene at all when it comes to managing youngstock fertility.”

By spo ing rst heats more accurately, the system has contributed to the age at which heifers are rst served being reduced by 10 days to 365 days and the maiden heifer conception rate improving by 10%.

“Historically, any heifers which had not been served by 380 days would be inspected by myself and, where applicable, given a prostaglandin injection to bring her into heat.

“But, with this system spo ing even the subtlest of heats, the need for such treatments has all but gone,” says Mark.

“We have also been able to increase the period to intervention a er calving by eight to ten days to 50 days for cows which have not been seen in heat and 40 days for rst-calf heifers.

Urgent

“Any animals which are not showing heat by that time will be examined, but I am inspecting far fewer animals for fertility reasons, which means my time can be put to be er use by targeting more urgent priorities such as ge ing sick animals back to health as quickly as possible.

“ e herd’s rst service conception rate has improved by 8% to between 36 and 40%, and the heat detection system has also contributed to an increase in the percentage of cows returning to service at 18-24 days which is up from 28% to 42%.

Howard explains they had historically tested milk progesterone to nd cows which were going to return to heat.

“But that was a time-consuming process especially as it relied on us being able to take milk from the right cows during each relevant milking. With experienced and reliable sta becoming increasingly di cult to nd, we needed a new way of doing things.”

Other improvements include a pregnancy rate which has gone up by 5% to 25% and a 34% reduction in fertility drugs.

“We have cut our fertility medicine usage by over a third in the adult cow population, simply because we are spo ing more heats,” says Howard.

Mark says that alone has reduced fertility costs by £7-8 per pregnancy in the cows.

“ at soon mounts up to a signicant annual cost saving, especially when you factor in the gains made by pu ing more milk into the tank.

“I nd it fascinating that the system can tell us with a high degree of accuracy where each animal is in her service window and when she should be served.

“ at enables Howard and Tom to ne-tune when they serve cows and heifers and has had a direct impact on conception rates.”

In addition to improving reproduction performance, the system has also helped the Willow Tree team to stay ahead of health issues more e ectively.

Investment in a herd monitoring system has helped to improve heat detection and optimise timing of artificial insemination.

Mark says: “ e tags assess eating and rumination pa erns 24 hours a day and can quickly highlight any potential problems.

“ at is particularly helpful during the periparturient period and for spo ing any problems that might develop when no-one is on site, such as at night-time or when Howard and Tom are busy doing eld work.”

Message

As soon as the SenseHub app warns either Tom or Howard that an animal has shown a rapid and sustained reduction in eating and/or rumination it sends a message to their phones to prompt them to inspect the highlighted animal as a matter of priority.

“More o en than not the phone beeps because a cow has just calved and needs some extra help in the form of an electrolyte drench or a calcium bo le,” says Howard.

“By giving us the heads up as soon as those initial warning signs start to develop, we can get the relevant treatment administered and get the animal back to full health as quickly as possible.

“In more serious situations – for example those which could result in an LDA if not treated properly – we will ask Mark for his advice and we will automatically put any cows that have raised an alarm in front of him at his next routine visit.”

At present, the system is not being

used to monitor younger animals, but that is the next logical step for the Pa isons as it will allow them to assess the e ectiveness of their current youngstock vaccination programme.

“Being able to see if, and when, calves are stressed and how they are responding to treatment will help us to assess how well our existing preventative health protocols are working,” says Howard.

“We are already on top of most issues and producing good lifetime yields, but there is always room for improvement so we will keep working to ne-tune the way we manage animals from birth through to the end of their last lactation.”

Farm facts

rSome 80% of the herd’s replacements are produced by the herd’s heifers which are genomically tested to fast-track genetic gains

rUp to three straws of sexed semen are used on the herd’s best heifers, but the majority only need a maximum of two services to conceive

rCows produce an average of 13,100 litres per lactation at 4.25% butterfat and 3.4% protein

Technology can produce a wealth of data, but records must be used correctly if they are to improve profitability. Wendy Short reports.

Clear objectives needed when investing in technology

The recent round of grant aid for new technologies will encourage producers to invest in modern systems.

However, Ben Wa s, of Kite Consulting, says these technologies must be used with a clear set of objectives, aimed at increasing output and/or improving e ciency, and be linked to realistic target gures.

For example, he says every dairy farmer has ready access to the annual number of mastitis cases, but the gures only give a general indication of infection levels. Studying the data in greater detail can generate an action plan for disease prevention.

Mr Wa s says: “Many so ware programs can translate mastitis case numbers into a graph or chart, to indicate the problem’s origin,” says Mr Wa s.

“On some units, most cases will occur during lactation, while on others it could be a dry cow management issue.

“Bacteriological analysis can then help with decisions on whether the mastitis is environmental or contagious.

“Cases can also be plo ed on a seasonal graph, which will show whether most cases occur during housing, or at turnout.

“A peak of mastitis cases at turnout can be associated with cows coming into contact with wet, muddy conditions in the elds, indicating environmental mastitis.

Starting

“ is type of evaluation will give a good starting point for making changes to reduce case numbers.

“It may provide an incentive for renewing or updating the farm’s information management system, or for making be er use of existing programs.”

One option is to invest in rumination monitoring.

It can help with early disease detection, thereby minimising production losses and saving

While dairy technology is advancing at a rapid rate, many data management systems are not keeping pace.

on veterinary and medicine expenses, as well as improving herd welfare.

Mr Wa s o ers some advice to producers considering a move to automatic heat detection systems.

He says: “One of the questions to ask is whether it can do a be er job than the current labour force. e answer is usually yes, as it will operate for 24 hours a day.

“ e next step is to benchmark fertility performance against other herds on similar systems. If the unit is failing to achieve good results, the cost to the business will be signi cant.

“A useful target for return on investment (ROI) for any capital spend is 10% over and above depreciation. A heat detection system might cost £25,000, with an annual depreciation rate of 20%, equal to a ve-year write-o .

“A producer with 200 cows should be looking for a minimum nancial bene t of £5,500/ year as a response to improved fertility, to meet the ROI target. is could be achieved through be er pregnancy results due to improved submission rates and be er AI service timing.

“ e range of heat detection systems on the market includes a version which lights up the cow’s collar when her number is programmed into the system. It is

designed to save time when looking for a particular cow at night in a dark shed.

“On some farms, this might be considered an advantage, but on others it may be of li le practical use and simply drain the collar ba eries, reducing the system’s lifespan.”

Also associated with fertility performance are service bull assessments and AI service/inseminator e ciency, adds Mr Wa s.

Data

“Some farm so ware programs will gather historical bull data into a format to allow individual sires to be compared against each other.

“Trends may not always be picked up on a day-to-day basis, but highlighting bulls with poor fertility results is extremely important.

“Programs can also group scanning results, to show a pa ern of inseminator performance. It is not uncommon to nd that one AI inseminator has a be er track record than another. It may pinpoint the need for a refresher course in some instances.”

While dairy technology is advancing management systems are not keeping

Ben Watts

DAIRY TECHNOLOGY

advancing at a rapid rate, many data keeping pace

Watts.

Automatic TMR feed monitoring systems, which record ration mixing accuracy for complete diets, have the potential to save the business thousands of pounds a year, says Mr Watts.

“They will determine whether the staff involved with TMR feeding are following the set plan and adding the correct quantity of each ingredient.

“Any inaccuracies will accumulate over time and have a negative effect on input costs, notwithstanding the yield or health impacts of a poorly mixed diet.

“The technology will also produce a picture of whether the recommended mixing times are being followed. If not, it will encourage sorting and the diet will not be balanced according to the ration programme.”

Many new technologies rely on broadband and mobile connectivity, and service provision in some regions is still lacking, he says.

It is hoped that progress will be made in remote rural areas, but there is another factor that he would like system developers to consider and one that farmers need to ensure is working well be-

fore investments are made.

“Dairy technology is advancing at a rapid rate, but many data management systems are not keeping pace. Any new systems that can save time on inputting data will be welcomed by the industry.

“One of my own ideas could save on labour input for drug administration records. At present, some systems only allow veterinary medicines to be added one at a time, but each bottle or packet always has a bar code or QR code.

“A scan reader could record the details required for legislative compliance, including batch number and use by date, in the same way as a supermarket checkout.

“In addition, the dairy industry is facing a significant labour challenge and any advancement that can help to create a pleasant working environment and encourage staff retention is likely to have a beneficial effect.

“The uptake will be higher for technological developments which can help to overcome some of the daily challenges on dairy farms,” says Mr Watts.

Drytime Rolls for Transition

NWF Drytime Rolls provide the right nutrition to effectively manage your dairy cows through a successful dry period and into the next lactation.

This high quality roll contains:

• High quality protein and starch: a range of protein and starch sources within NWF Drytime helping to build microbial activity in the rumen and boost by-pass nutrients.

• Magnesium: a 2kg feed rate of NWF Drytime supplies 42 grams of magnesium, essential in reducing milk fever.

• Reashure®: a proven source of protected Choline, a required nutrient enabling cows to utilise the fat (NEFA) mobilised from body stores in early lactation. Choline supports the liver to effectively process fat being mobilised, reducing ketosis which can have a positive impact on feed intake and help to reduce negative energy balance.

• Optimin® and IntelliBond® minerals: high quality trace element minerals maximising bio-availability and absorption to optimise animal health and production.

• DCAB (Dietary Cation-Anion Balance): containing anion salts creating slightly acidic blood conditions, helping the cow to mobilise calcium at calving.

www.nwfagriculture.co.uk

says Kite’s Ben

This year sees the launch of the new DeLaval Plus platform, which links data from thousands of farms and tens of millions of milkings.

Every farm on the DeLaval Plus network will contribute, share and bene t from aggregated data.

Arti cial intelligence has also been developed to interpret milk yield and cow health data to provide global benchmarking and advice.

DeLaval Plus is a new datasharing application, exclusively available to DeLaval farms, that farms can enrol into free of charge via an online portal.

It is hoped that this pioneering technology will provide milk producers worldwide with a fresh perspective which challenges what

Farmers might be used to benchmarking their performance against herds in the UK, but in the future they could be using global data to help make decisions based on worldwide trends. Dairy Farmer reports.

Farms connecting on a global basis

is ‘normal’ and instead demonstrates what is possible.

DeLaval’s Adam Hayward says: “It is about providing the tools which turn all the data collected from every DeLaval herd worldwide into actionable, easy to understand information. is helps make faster,

New innovation optimises vet laboratory’s operations

JA new robotic technology which will increase testing capacity and also provide customers with a faster turnaround has gained accreditation.

The automated ELISA system, installed at Biobest’s laboratory at The Edinburgh Technopole at Milton Bridge, Penicuik, will be used for a variety of serological testing, including herd screening for infections such as Johne’s disease.

Biobest laboratory director Paul Burr says: “This is an important step forward for us and means we can provide a better service to our customers by reducing turnaround times significantly.

“We can also handle much higher fluctuations in demand, which is particularly helpful to our farm animal work which is highly seasonal. Removing human data transcription steps also reduces the scope for errors.”

more accurate decisions which can improve milk production and cow health worldwide.”

Data collected from parlours, robots, tags and body conditioning scanners is already being interpreted, collated and used to identify trends and DeLaval farms signing up in the UK will not need any additional technology to bene t from DeLaval Plus.

Mr Hayward says: “We have some trial farms up and running in the UK already and expect to roll out DeLaval Plus later this year.”

Applications

DeLaval Plus is an ever-growing set of applications which represent the most advanced level of farm management analysis and reporting, its creators say.

Mr Hayward says: “For the rst time, farmers will be able to see how others are achieving and use this to improve their own systems.

“Comparing milk yields or

lactation cycles or input costs will be possible on a global scale helping to demonstrate how decision-making di ers and how this is positively or negatively e ecting cow health and productivity.”

Volume of data

e volume of data has outgrown the capacity for people to interpret it. erefore, DeLaval has developed unique arti cial intelligence to interpret the data and nd trends in cow health and productivity. is enables one farm to see its data in relation to data collated globally and to make decisions based on global trends, as well as daily on-farm variables.

Mr Hayward says: “Soon our team will be o ering performance plans for farms to maximise the value and relevance of data collected on-farm.

“ is will enable decisions to be made with facts to help farms operate more e ciently.”

Every farm on the DeLaval Plus network will contribute, share and benefit from aggregated data.

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Experience total 24/7 oversight of your cows with DeLaval Plus Behaviour Analysis. Detect sick cows early, pinpoint cows in heat, and effortlessly track the location of every cow in your shed. Discover what could be next for your farm today.

DAIRY TECHNOLOGY

A new breeding technique involving implanting unfertilised (parthenogenetic) embryos in freshly served cows is currently being tested on UK dairy farms. Jonathan Wheeler reports.

Boosting breeding results

Atrial is looking at the e ectiveness of using unfertilised embryos in helping cows hold to service earlier, in this case 70 days post-calving, a time frame which usually sees low conception rates.

e Innovate UK-funded trial is being conducted over three years on 600 cows divided between six farms.

It involves the University of No ingham, working with the St Boniface Veterinary Clinic in Devon and Paragon Advanced Breeding in Cumbria.

One group of 300 cows forms the control group, which have been inseminated conventionally.

e second group are inseminated conventionally, but then have two additional unfertilised embryos, also known as parthenogenetic embryos,

implanted asas is used in conventional embryo transfers.

is trial aims to test how well the presence of parthenogenetic embryos helps the cows’ body recognise the presence of the conventional embryo and whether that trigger helps improve her chances of holding to service.

“If we serve cows before 60-70 days a er calving, conception rates tend to be poorer than if we delay insemination until a er 80 days”, says Prof Kevin Sinclair, of the University of No ingham, who serves as academic lead for the project.

Improving the e ciency with which animals hold to early service could help herds maintain tighter calving pa erns and cut costs.

Prof Sinclair says: “ e embryos being used in the trial are produced by harvesting eggs from slaughtered female

animals and developing them into embryos using a lipid-soluble form of calcium.

“As they only have the maternal complement of DNA, rather than DNA from both parents, they are not viable, but can survive in the uterus for a limited length of time – typically up to four weeks, but sometimes longer.”

Naturally

Parthenogenesis can occur naturally in some species, he says.

“It happens when the egg activates in the absence of sperm. In normal fertilisation, the embryo will carry half of its DNA from the egg and half from the sperm.

“Parthenogenetic embryos only have DNA from the egg, which is why they cannot survive.

“ ey may persist for a time, but will be reabsorbed into the uterus. Usually there is no evi-

dence they ever existed,” he says. But even that short ‘life-span’ could be valuable because they can help the cow recognise the presence of the viable embryo.

Prof Sinclair says: “One of the problems with arti cial insemination in dairy cows is that some of them may return to service, even though they already have a viable embryo.

“In these cases, the problem is most probably caused because their body has not received a strong enough signal from the embryo to tell them it is there.

“ e embryo needs to shout a li le louder.

“If we can help it send out a stronger signal then we raise the chances of the cow becoming pregnant.

“In normal circumstances a cow’s reproductive system starts making the decision whether to recycle or continue with a viable

Improving

We want to make sure that the embryonic signal is sufficiently strong so that it helps the animal remain pregnant

PROF KEVIN SINCLAIR

embryo between 16 and 21 days a er insemination.

“With this technique, we want to make sure that the embryonic signal is su ciently strong so that it helps the animal remain pregnant.

“ at improves the chances of the embryo surviving.”

Cows in the test group were

DAIRY TECHNOLOGY

rst inseminated in the conventional way. A few days later the parthenogenetic embryos were implanted in the side of the uterus in which the cow was believed to be pregnant.

Results from the rst year indicate that they do have a benet, which Prof Sinclair suggests

might help herds maintain a tight and regular calving pa ern.

“If they are served quite early – fewer than 60-70 days a er calving – and the parthenodes are transferred a few days later, early results suggest a 10% or more improvement in conception rates,” he says.

Bene ts could be expected to reduce gradually a er that, as the conception rate achieved from conventional insemination improves.

While parthenogenetic embryos have been known about and created for research purposes for many years, he says this is the biggest trial conducted to examine their value.

Novel

“It has never been done on this scale before. We have been producing parthenogenetic embryos for some years for experimental purposes. But this scale of work is relatively novel.

“We are trying to ascertain whether the bene ts we have seen in trial work can be replicated on farm in commercial herds.” e project is due to conclude at the end of this year, with the last of the cows involved due to calve this autumn. Full results are due to be published early in 2025.

Created as a containerised and modular anaerobic digestion (AD) system for agricultural slurries, BioFactory’s Micro AD Farm has been designed to generate electrical and hot water output for on-farm consumption through the small-scale fermentation of dairy slurries.

e process is divided into modular sections within the infrastructure, which BioFactory says can be expanded as energy demand or slurry supply capacity increases.

The BioFactory Micro AD Farmsystem has a claimed service life of 25 years with payback on the investment said to be three to six years.

Developed to generate electricity from the small scale digestion of farm slurry, BioFactory’s modular system could provide an energy solution for dairy farming businesses. Toby Whatley takes a look at how the process works.

BioFactory gives insights into its Micro AD Farm

Input pumping station

JRaw slurry is drawn into the system using a pumping station which can modulate the flow of material into the reactor based on its availability and demand.

For optimum gas yield, BioFactory recommends slurry is drawn directly from building

floors or intermediate tanks. Farms using run off channels can install pooling weirs to enable the system to draw fresher material which is of most value.

Typically, continuous intakes of 4.5cu.m per day are required to feed each reactor unit.

Continues on page 54.

A pumping station is used to pull slurry into the system.

MACHINERY

Reactor unit

JBased on a conventional 12-metre (40ft) shipping container, the reactor unit contains and ferments the slurry, generating the combustible gas. When full, the reactor supports 60cu.m of material which is anaerobically digested over a 10- to 13-day cycle.

The patented process increases the material temperature and agitates the material to increase gas yield.

Maintenance

BioFactory says the reactor units offer a predicted service life of 25 years with good maintenance and are fitted with access ports to remove any non-digestible materials which could accumulate at the base of the system. Once the cycle time is completed, the digestate is ejected from the reactor and returned to the existing farm slurry storage infrastructure, or into separate storage for targeted application.

The use of a container provides the option to expand the system based on increases in energy demand or slurry availability.

Outputs and costs

JBioFactory says a single reactor and service unit can provide combined electrical and thermal outputs of 250,000kWh annually and notes that water heating can account for a claimed 30% of on-farm electrical consumption.

Typically, the system creates

a 1:2 output of electrical energy and hot water.

Investment costs for the system will vary depending on the on-farm installation.

However, the modular design should allow the potential to relocate or expand the production as demand changes.

A conventional 40ft container is used as the basis for the reactor, where the gas is generated.

Based on its development data, BioFactory says that an 80- to 100-cow equivalent output is sufficient to fuel a single reactor unit.

Depending on the overall size, multiple reactor units can be operated with a single pumping station and services unit.

Payback on the investment is a claimed three to six years depending on the farm’s current electrical costs and demand.

Operation and service of the site is directly handled through BioFactory – due in part to the legislative requirements associated with combustible

gas handling and cleaning. The system could offer opportunities for dairy farming businesses to improve their energy security, reduce direct methane emissions from slurry, as well as generating a potentially saleable digestate product.

The filtered and cleaned gas is burned through a conventional gas engine and generator.

Once the 10- to 13-day fermentation process is completed, the remaining digestate is ejected from the system.

Services unit

JThe crude gas is drawn from the top of the system and passed into the services unit set alongside the reactor.

Occupying a six-metre (20ft) shipping container, the services unit is divided into three process sections where the crude gas is cleaned, combusted and the output power controlled.

Initially, non-combustible contaminates are removed via a carbon filtration system.

This process removes any toxic hydrogen-sulphide gas and generates a containable gas fuel. In systems where power generation is intermittently required, the fuel gas can be transferred into a second storage container.

This storage buffer allows the reactor to continuously generate gas without the

requirement to consume it through the generation system, in addition, the generator can also be operated at a higher output for a shorter period if a peak-power demand is required.

The finished gas fuel is supplied to an internal

combustion powered generation set which produces the output power through a conventional generator.

In addition to electrical output, the system produces an average of 300 litres per hour of 80degC water which

Electrical output for the farm is managed through a control room within the services unit.

can directly be used within a dairy system, or through domestic and commercial properties. For businesses with significant hot water demands, the system can provide outputs of up to 1,000 litres per hour for short periods.

MILKprices

Supply fears help to drive up milk prices

JFor many of the producer milk price increase announcements this spring, it is not so much market prices which have been the key driver, but actual milk buyer fear regarding future milk supply.

This fear has manifested itself in a variety of forms. Firstly, the poor weather this spring, which judging by the subdued milk production, has certainly nailed the lid down on any serious threat of heightened peak production from the 2024 spring flush.

milk buyers are forced to increase milk prices to defend their milk pool, the reverberations of such actions reach out to touch other milk prices. is leads to the bigger question: when will any of this supply fear on the farm, milk procurement side, hit markets?

Despite many reporting weak demand from the market currently, if milk supply continues to falter, previous experience suggests market sentiment can change quite rapidly.

Most milk buyers are not oblivious to the fact that the extended miserable spring weather will impact rst cut silage quality, while producers will also have made them well aware this summer’s corn harvest could have costly rami cations on winter cow rations later this year.

ere is no doubt some increases have been aimed at trying to bolster producer morale to help try and build con dence this summer.

However, increases have also become blurred through another fear with regards to actual competition for the milk supply itself through recruitment by other milk buyers.

In recent months, several areas around the country have emerged as hot beds for recruitment. e fact is that when a buyer or a number of

Given the time of year, market sentiment hunts for lower prices on the back of increasing seasonal milk supply, so surely soon they will have to start to come to terms with disappointment as spring moves into early summer.

Comfortable

Stocks in general are reported to be at comfortable to lower side levels, which has not forced many dairy companies in a position to have to sell. Hopefully coming out of Q2 heading towards summer, if things remain li le changed, the market might get a whi of some of this fear which could bring it to the table with some more enthusiasm. On the other hand, if milk volumes were seen to be creeping up or certainly rising year on year, then it might be a di erent tale.

Milk price analyst Stephen Bradley on the latest milk industry developments.

Saputo Dairy UK raises Davidstow price by 1.5ppl

JAfter a pause in price movement for May, Saputo Dairy UK has increased its milk price by 1.5ppl from June. This is the third price move for 2024 totalling 4ppl and takes our manufacturing price up to 39.5ppl.

Belton Farm, which held its milk price unchanged for May, has increased by a penny from June to 38.3ppl.

Big two lift milk prices

JBoth Arla Foods and Muller have increased prices this spring. Lifting their on-account milk price by 0.5 euro cents/kg for May, the Arla Foods UK price increases by 0.43ppl, taking our manufacturing standard* to 40.45ppl, with our liquid standard increasing by 0.4ppl to 38.8ppl.

Organic

At the same time, its organic price increases by 1.3ppl to 49.98ppl and 1.25ppl to 47.9ppl, respectively.

The company reports that while global milk supplies continue to be slightly lower, retail sales continue to rise and commodity markets stable.

With the organic price driven by growing demand, the overall outlook is stable.

The company has also

increased its direct price for June by 0.45ppl to 37.46ppl on manufacturing and 35.91ppl based on our liquid standard. Muller has increased its Muller Direct price by 0.5ppl to 38ppl from June, with its organic price increasing a penny to 50.5ppl.

The company says it recognises the challenges being faced on-farm this spring and will continue to monitor supply and demand in the coming months to ensure support for its supplying farmers.

Other increases in the liquid sector include Crediton Dairy, increasing by 1ppl from June to 38.75ppl, while new start-up Pembrokeshire Dairy has increased by 0.84ppl to 39.34ppl.

BV Dairy (First Milk) has increased 0.5ppl to 38.75ppl.

* Our Liquid standard litre is 4%b/f & 3.3% protein, for our Manufacturing 4.2%b/f & 3.4% protein and in both cases Bactoscans of 30,000/ml & SCCs of 200,000/ml, with Thermodurics of 500/ml, 1mltrs/yr on EODC (max vehicle accessibility) based on level supply and therefore, before seasonality, (but includes the winter premiums paid in NI) as well as monthly profile adjustments, balancing charges, capital deductions or annual/part annual growth incentive schemes or supplements not directly linked to dairy market price movement.

• Cow kennels

• Perfect Shelter • Designed for Animal Health

• Excellent Ventilation

• Shelter from Wind & Rain

• Shade from the Sun

• Plenty of Fresh Air

• Ample Space

• Minimum Draught

• Many options available Telephone: 01772 785252 www.farmplus.co.uk RECRUITING REPS See

MILK PRICES

‘B’ Price Indicators

Notes to table

Prices for both Liquid & Manufacturing tables paid for a producer sending 1mltrs/yr on EODC (max vehicle size accessibility) with Bactoscans of 30,000/ml and SCC’s of 200,000/ml with Thermodurics of

adjustments

Markets yet to react

So far market prices have not reacted to the subdued milk volumes, with poor demand still cited by numerous traders as being a major brake on prices. Many, if not all, sellers are breathing a sigh of relief that volumes are what they are, and shudder to think what would have happened if a big flush had coincided with this lacklustre demand environment. Prices are remaining relatively stable, therefore, with butter trading at about €5,900 (£5,063) now, and between

£4,950 to almost £5,000 in the UK, although traders are split as to whether it is actually at £5,000 or just close to it at the top end.

Quiet

But the market is relatively quiet, with lower production offsetting the demand issue. Cream is also similar to what it was, with traders putting the low at £2.05 and the highs at £2.10 for exports. However, history shows that May’s cream price is nearly always higher than April’s. SMP is now below the

Milk prices well above AMPE and MCVE indicators

JOfficial milk prices continue to increase on a fat adjusted basis, with Defra quoting March’s overall average at 37.42ppl at 4.3% fat and 3.41% protein. It is up from 37.34p in February. On an adjusted basis, the price is just 0.02p down at 35.43p.

April’s price should be higher again as NMR reported average fats for the month of 4.45% and proteins at 3.38%.

AHDB’s latest AMPE figure for April is 36.14p, which is down nearly 0.5p on March.

After an allowance for supply chain costs and a processor margin, the farmgate equivalent would be about 32.2p. Steven Bradley, of milkprices.com, says AMPE figure is currently 31.42p, rising to 35.15p in six months’ time.

MCVE is at 35.57p, before costs and a margin, down 0.7p, and the farmgate equivalent is about 31.6p.

It means that Defra’s price is 15% more than the current AMPE price and 18% more than the MCVE price (after costs).

€2,300 (£1,973) threshold. The latest GDT Pulse auction for SMP settled at $2,450 (£1,950).

The cheese sector seems to be up and down, with lots of positives being undermined by a fair few negatives.

On the plus side, Ireland is well out of the market still: curd is a decent €4,000 (£3,400), which should value mild at £3,550; the lack of milk and high spot price means manufacturers are not buying much, or even any extra milk;

and most are now paying milk prices that are a good 4-5p more than the current spot price for mild, which is not too different to the curd price.

Cheddar

Against that, though, there is still talk of cheap parcels of Cheddar being available, some manufacturers have plenty of cheese on their books which needs moving and poor demand is dogging everything. Traders say the spot price for mild is between £3,400 and £3,500.

Futures prices still not at 40p level

JCurrently there are no standard litre prices which top 40p, and just two which do – from Arla and Barber’s. These prices are significantly ahead of the market indicator and futures markets, which are continuing to be volatile –especially on SMP.

In the week of going to press, EU butter futures had increased by an average of just more than €100 (£86) across the next six months to settle just short of €6,100 (£5,235), with the range being from €5,900 (£5,063) for May to €6,250 (£5,363) in October. But EU SMP futures are

down by €80 (£69) across the next six months to an average of €2,450 (£2,102). Collectively they convert into a farmgate milk price of between 32p for now and 35p for October, once costs have been applied. With the average aligned price now being around 37.7p, there is now a 5-6p premium over the futures for most UK producers. There is a similar price premium over the cheese futures, as calculated by Stone X. IFCN’s predicted milk prices are between 35.8p for May and 39p for October.

NEWProducts

This month, we include a new coolant feed product to alleviate heat stress, new single-use antibacterial wipes and a range of temporary slurry stores.

Flexible brush

JA new flexible cow brush which operates without electricity has been launched by Kerbl UK. The Happycow FlexiSwing has a vertically oscillating brush which does not require a power connection, making it more cost-effective and easier to maintain.

It is designed for indoor and outdoor use and enables livestock to choose the pressure, rather than it being exerted by a spinning mechanism.

The width increases from 300mm in diameter at the bottom to 435mm.

The Happycow FlexiSwing is available in the UK now, with a manufacturer’s recommended retail price of £584.17, plus VAT.

rMore information from leah.farmer@ kerbl.co.uk

Got a new product?

JNew products are featured in each issue of Dairy Farmer. Please send details and pictures to Katie Fallon at katie.fallon@ agriconnect.com, or call 07815 003 227.

New slurry stores

Tramspread has introduced a new range of temporary slurry stores, which are quick to install and consist of a steel tank with a durable lining suitable for slurry.

e new Butek Tank stores have capacities of 280cu.m, 500cu.m, 800cu.m, 1,100cu.m and 1,250cu.m.

e tanks have a 10-year warranty (coastal area exclusions apply) with a longer anticipated lifespan than galvanised steel tanks.

Emptying port

As standard, tanks are equipped with a single six-inch through the wall lling/emptying port, but they can be speci ed with as

Changes to Virbac scour vaccine

JVirbac’s Bovigen Scour vaccine, which is a one-shot vaccine for the immunisation of pregnant cows and heifers to raise antibodies against E.coli F5 (K99), rotavirus and coronavirus, has been granted a 10-day shelf life from the first puncture of the vial.

The change significantly increases the cost-effectiveness and convenience of use to

cattle farmers, as cattle do not have to be handled at the same time or treated on the same day.

The broached bottle must be kept refrigerated at 2-8degC until the next use. Bovigen Scour is available in five- and 30-dose bottles and has a wide vaccination window of 12 to three weeks before calving.

rMore information from enquiries@virbac.co.uk

many ports as required, including 5in up and over the wall types. Multiple ports allow an umbilical slurry application system to operate, and installation is straightforward, without any need to pour a concrete base.

rMore information from 01449 766 133, or info@tramspread.co.uk

NEW PRODUCTS

Alleviating heat stress in dry cows

JCargill UK has launched a new coolant feed product CoolCalver to alleviate heat stress in dry cows which are in the latter stage of their gestation, in the high-risk months from May to September.

The product is designed to maintain metabolic functionality of cows close to calving and mitigate the negative impact of temperature and humidity levels.

CoolCalver has multiple elements, including an osmolyte cooling element,

which is proven to reduce cow body temperature and ingredients, which support rumen function and maintain feed intake.

The feed product also contains LiFT, Cargill’s bespoke liver function enhancing feed product proven to improve liver function.

It is advised that the product is fed to dry cows in the heat stress risk period, for at least three weeks before calving.

rMore information from 01845 578 125.

Premium hygiene performance

JA new range of singleuse antibacterial udder wipes, providing safe and effective cleaning and disinfection prior to milking, has been introduced by cleaning product manufacturer EcoTech.

Each Dirty Cow udder wipe is made from a fabric comprising PET and viscose, which delivers maximum durability. Dirty Cow leaves no residue on the udder and teats and offers effective cleaning and disinfection performance against a broad range of organisms.

Dirty Cow wipes measure 20cm x 20cm and come in a convenient bucket, containing 1,000 wipes.

rMore information from luke@corellicomms.com

Home n’ Dry is the original alkaline feeding solution for ruminants and helps to support rumen function, animal health and performance. Home n’ Dry pellets enable farmers, nutritionists and feed manufacturers to maximise the potential of their crops, feeds and diets.

Dairy Farmer 9x1 Spring 22.qxp_Layout

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V Mix 20 2S, non HDF, RGB, 435/50R19.5 tyres, 18 mm augers, HD lights, 2 front doors, 600 mm elevator, chute, mudguards, work light

V Mix 15 2S, front R H S door, hydraulic down to up chute, 435/50R19.5 tyres, App based weighing, 18 mm augers, RGB

V Mix 12 1S, RHS door, chute, 400/60R15.5 tyres, app based weighing, manual parking jack

V Mix 10H 1 S, 400/60x15.5, RHS door & chute, weighing, front window, 18 mm auger

For more information, please contact either: North: Paul McUrich - 07810 040100 paulmcurich@gmail.com South: John Molton - 07947 719985 john.molton@bvl-group.de www.bvl-farmtechnology.com

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GOODEvans

‘Politicians have inflicted pain and suffering of TB on farmers for years because of their dogma’

This month, Roger Evans gives his views on Welsh Government and discusses the recent farming protests, bovine TB, trees and speed limits.

Ihave always liked watching the news and one of the advantages of modern television is that you can watch the local news wherever you have a mind. Our local news is Midland News, but once every day I watch the Welsh news. The Welsh news is better for rugby and for farming.

In an election year it seems very popular to have a go at the Labour government in Cardiff. The 20mph speed limit never bothered me, as I only go into it about two or three times a month. Now it is to be partially dismantled.

I would have left it there for a full 12 months. If in that time the number of deaths and injuries were down, who is to say it was all a waste of time?

There was a time in my life when I used to do a lot of late night driving. I used to hate driving through villages in the early hours of the morning. The villages would be deserted, there would be no people about, very little other traffic, but the place would be bristling with speed cameras so you had to go slowly.

No, if I lived in Wales I would be more concerned with the plans to increase the numbers of Assembly members who presently sit in the Senedd, which inevitably comes with a cost.

Present and past

The present and past members of the Senedd were not very bright and you would like to think the brightest were already there. I used to go to the Senedd two or three times a year. Do you know what it’s like when you meet someone for the first time and you are trying to weigh up just how clever they are?

I’ve done that lots of times at the Senedd.

I never used to say much, but they couldn’t stop talking and, as a result, I used to know exactly what they thought, but they didn’t have a clue what I thought. Perhaps they thought I was dull as well as them, but I prefer to think of it as the power of silence. I know lots of dairy farmers who are brighter than those who represent them at Cardiff, so perhaps the answer could be for more farmers to sit at the Senedd. Surely that would be better than the present impasse.

Symbolism

I have no idea what comes next. We’ve had lots of tractors on the streets and the symbolism and the eloquence of all those empty wellies.

I know some of the leaders of the protests and I know them to be sensible and thoughtful, but we are only a question away from the folk who sent milk down quiet lanes and I seem to remember boxes of Irish beef burgers afloat in Fishguard Harbour. That wouldn’t be a good look for anyone, farmers or politicians.

It all comes down to trust. The Welsh farmers no longer trust the politicians who represent them to do their best for them. If you want an example, you need look no further than the issue of bovine TB.

Politicians have inflicted pain and suffering of bTB on farmers for years because of their dogma. Have you noticed it has all gone quiet now that it looks as though the badger cull really works?

Politicians have moved on to trees; they think they are on safer ground. Farmers are not largely anti-badger, but they do have reservations about too many badgers and their effect on the creatures which live and breed

“ I know some of the leaders of the protests and I know them to be sensible and thoughtful

on the ground, but they are very anti-TB. I know this article is largely about Wales, but it is an example of what could happen to all of us after a General Election.

One thing for sure is there will be plenty of empty promises about.

Speed trap

Did you hear about the dairy farmer’s wife? As usual she was taking her children to school in the morning. She didn’t know the police were having a big campaign locally to stop speeding. There were camera vans everywhere. They had her twice on the way to school.

She drove a bit quicker on the way home as she had to stop at the village shop to get some bacon for her husband’s breakfast and he would be in at 9am after milking. At no time did she exceed 40mph, but little did she know she was done for speeding twice on the way to school and twice on the way home. So as usual, as she cooked her husband’s breakfast, she didn’t know that thus far that day she had accumulated 12 points on her driving licence and you don’t have a licence once you have gone past 10. She wasn’t to know for a couple of days when she was told in the post. Wonder if they had the postman too?

Dairy production is under pressure in countries which are key suppliers to the UK, which could present opportunities for the British dairy industry. Cedric Porter reports.

Opportunities for UK dairy exports

The UK is a major importer of dairy products. In 2023 it imported £3.603 billion worth of milk, cream, bu er or milk fats and cheese, according to HMRC gures. at was 6.1% more than the year before.

Exports slipped by 2.3% to £1.970bn, giving the UK a £1.633bn dairy trade de cit.

In volume terms, UK exports were up 1.4% to the equivalent of 1.261 million tonnes, while imports fell by 2.2% to 1.276mt.

Figures from the rst two months of this year suggest imports are on the way down. e HMRC data shows a 7.3% drop in the value of imports during the two months.

Volume

e volume of trade was actually up, but that was because of increased milk imports. Imports of bu er by volume were down 23.7%, with a 15.1% drop in cheese imports.

Most of the UK’s dairy imports are from the EU – in 2023 the union accounted for more than 99% of what was brought into the country,

so what happens in those 27 countries is important. In contrast, 28% of UK dairy exports are outside the EU.

e largest dairy exporter to the UK is Ireland. It has seen its dairy production fall by 4.5% over the last year. ere is also evidence of a slowdown in production in other exporters, including France, the Netherlands and Denmark.

Soumya Behera, senior dairy analyst at AHDB, says that demand for EU products outside Europe is increasing.

She says: “EU milk deliveries eased by 1.7% in the fourth quarter 2023 on a year-on-year basis, meaning fewer dairy products were made.

“Along with China, exports to the US have also grown during the period. Demand from the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa continues to be strong.”

An improving world economy is increasing the demand for cheese in Australia, China, South Africa, the Middle East and the US, with strong demand for milk powders in the Middle East and Africa.

Ms Behera says the decline in EU milk production is set to continue,

with the European Commission expecting a decline in output of 0.2% a year in the decade to 2035 as stricter environmental rules bite.

It is a similar picture in New Zealand, where more restrictions are being placed on herds. In the year to March, the country produced 21.3mt of milk, which was 5% lower than the all-time peak in the 12 months to July 2021.

Imports of dairy products from EU countries to the UK are set to get more expensive a er the introduction of the post-Brexit Border Target Operating Model.

Foodstuffs

It means checks on imports of sensitive foodstu s including cheese and other dairy products. UK exporters have been subject to similar checks since full Brexit took place at the beginning of 2021. e reduction in European production and a growing appetite for dairy products around the world could present opportunities for the UK, which recently signed free trade agreements with Australia, New Zealand and nine other members of the Paci c Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for TransPaci c Partnership trading bloc –Brunei, Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

Modelling by AHDB and Harper Adams University shows the trade deal could increase bu er sales to the nine countries by 147%, although that would only represent 929t of product, which is 2.2% of current total UK bu er exports.

Cheese exports could increase by

87% under the agreement, according to the modelling, which would represent an increase in trade of 3,839t. e UK is currently negotiating trade agreements with India and a number of Middle Eastern countries, which could lead to more gains if import duties are abolished or reduced. However, progress on those deals is being delayed by the Indian elections and the upcoming UK General Election.

While trade deals may help UK dairy exports, an increase in global demand may be more impactful for the British industry.

Currently, about 12.8mt of dairy products are traded around the world, according to a report by the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). at represents just 7% of world production and seven exporters dominate that trade (the US, the EU, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay). ey predict dairy trade will have increased by 11% by 2032 to 14.2mt.

Greatest growth in demand is expected in countries where populations are growing the fastest, including in the Middle East and Africa. India and Pakistan are currently self-su cient in milk, but output there will have to increase if it is to keep up with the growth in population.

Trade in cheese is expected to grow by almost 19% by 2023 to 4.15mt, according to the FAO and OECD. Skimmed milk powder trade is predicted to increase by more than a quarter to 3.3mt.

A number of UK dairies have recognised the potential of exports,

especially of cheese. Newly established Mona Dairies is planning a range of European-style cheeses, such as Gouda, some of which will be for export. Arla has commi ed £179m to convert its Taw Valley Creamery in Devon to produce mozzarella, mainly for the export market.

Peter Giortz-Carlsen, chief operating o cer of Arla Foods Europe, says: “Our mozzarella business has seen double-digit growth over the past ve years and we have strong relationships with key customers, particularly in global foodservice, and it is from that very solid starting point we are announcing the investment.

“But we also know we have to work hard to maintain that position among the global leaders in the category and deliver on our strategy.

“ is investment allows us to stay among the leaders within mozzarella, serve our customers even be er and, at the same time, improve pro tability for our farmer owners’ milk.”

Programme

In November, the Government launched its UK Dairy Export Programme. It includes education sessions on how to boost exports, an inward buyer trade mission, market intelligence and a dairy showcase event.

Employers can either help grow a career or leave an employee feeling undervalued and stunted, so what are the top tips for finding the right employer? Dairy Farmer reports.

Indicators of a safe and employee-focused farm

Prospective employees need to think carefully when choosing their employer, as this choice will be crucial for career growth and ensuring the work environment is safe and supportive. Paul Harris, chief executive at sta specialists REAL Success, says: “Farms vary signi cantly in how they treat their employees, invest in their development, and prioritise safety.”

He says there are some key aspects to consider when evaluating a prospective employer:

rCommitment to safety

Safety is paramount on a farm, says Mr Harris.

He says: “ e best employers go beyond the minimum legal safety standards, demonstrating a proactive approach to preventing accidents and health issues.

“Look for farms that o er regular safety training, have clear safety protocols for machinery and chemical handling, and provide personal protective equipment. Visible safety notices and emergency procedures indicate a farm that takes worker safety seriously.”

Mr Harris says it is important to lead by example, and it is the employer’s responsibility to protect their employees - good health and safety needs to be cemented within the workplace culture.

rCareer development

Mr Harris says he believes that a farm business that invests in its employees sees the value in continual growth and education.

He says: “Look for employers who o er on-the-job training,

support for external courses, and opportunities for career advancement. Farms that encourage cross-training in di erent roles or support specialisations in areas like regenerative farming practices or animal health show a commitment to employee development.”

rEmployment practices

Good employment practices strongly indicate an employer’s respect for their workers, and Mr Harris says this includes transparent communication about wages, regular and fair working hours, overtime pay, and time o .

He adds: “Farms that adhere to employment laws and go beyond them to ensure employee well-being are demonstrating a long-term investment in their sta . One way to evaluate if this is the case for a potential employer is to take note of how long their existing sta have worked in the business, which will demonstrate employee retention and satisfaction.”

rPositive work culture

e work environment and culture are crucial for job satisfaction, so Mr Harris advises looking for farms with a reputation for a positive and inclusive work culture. He adds that signs of a good work environment include open communication channels, team collaboration, and a respectful relationship between management and sta .

“Employers who value feedback and encourage employee involvement in decision-making processes o en create a more supportive and engaging work environment,” says Mr Harris.

rAnimal welfare

Employers commi ed to the ethical treatment of animals o en extend the same values to their treatment of employees.

rWorking conditions

Employers who provide sta facilities like clean sta rooms, washing facilities and meeting rooms are o en those who value their sta the most, says Mr Harris.

He adds: “A clean, working toilet, with the additional requirements needed for women, shows that the farm is commi ed to a clean and safe workforce. And if the furniture was destined for the tip before it was put in the sta room – it should have gone to the tip.”

rEmployee support

Mr Harris says bene ts such as health insurance and family support policies, including maternity leave, indicate an employer who values the long-term well-being of their employees.

And, he says, support in times of personal need or crisis demon-

strates an employer’s commitment to their sta as individuals, not just as workers.

rClear vision and mission

Finally, Mr Harris advises prospective employees to consider the farm’s vision and mission.

He says: “Employers with clear, inspiring goals for the future and communicating how each employee contributes to these goals are more likely to invest in their workforce. is alignment of personal and organisational goals can foster a more meaningful and satisfying work experience.

“When considering employment on a farm, it is essential to look beyond the pay o ered. e best employers o er a safe working environment, opportunities for growth and development, good employment practices, good working conditions and a positive workplace culture.

“By focusing on these critical aspects, it opens the door for prospective employees to nd employers who will support their well-being and career aspirations.”

The work environment and culture are crucial for job satisfaction, says Paul Harris.

STORAGE

XSplit - the ultimate separation solution

Separating makes slurry handling much easier and significantly reduces the amount of slurry needing to be stored. Vogelsang’s XSplit slurry separator can produce solids of up to 40% dry matter, making liquid slurry much easier to apply during spreading season. Get in touch to arrange a demo today.

Contact us at: 01270 216 600 | sales.uk@vogelsang.info vogelsang.co.uk