Dairy Farmer May 2024

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Last month, I started my column by talking about waterlogged fields and delayed turnout. It turns out that for the UK as a whole, the 18 months to March 2024 ranks as the fourth wettest on record, with 2,085.6mm of rain falling.

At times the rainfall was nothing short of biblical. It has undoubtedly been an extremely tough few months in terms of the weather, but with the usual resilience and optimism, we can hopefully look forward to some drier and more settled conditions.

The mild weather has meant grass has grown relatively well over the past few months; the problem has just been getting to it.

But as we wait for fields and gateways to dry out, I am sure many of you are making plans for grass crops this year, and the general advice is that it will be more important than ever to identity fields which are under-performing and then look at the options for rejuvenating these pastures.

Maize planting

And as soon as the land dries out and soil temperatures warm up sufficiently, there will be many dairy farmers itching to get on with maize planting. You never know, we might see some dust following the tractor and seed drill in the coming weeks.

What’s inside?

Farm vets must be part of bluetongue response

Private farm vets will need to play a significant role in tackling bluetongue should it arrive on a large scale this summer, especially if the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) continues to be over-

stretched with limited resources to tackle the disease.

That was the message from new NFU livestock board chair and Gloucestershire beef suckler farmer David Barton, who added the ‘unpredictability’ of BTV-3 was worrying.

Bird flu confirmed in unpasteurised US milk

JUS officials have confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in dairy cattle. Diagnostic samples of unpasteurised milk from affected cattle collected from two dairy farms in Kansas and one in Texas were confirmed to be positive for HPAI.

Another Texas dairy also confirmed the presence of HPAI through an oropharyngeal swab test.

Symptoms

Cattle impacted by HPAI exhibited flu-like symptoms, such as fever and thick and discoloured milk, accompanied by a sharp reduction in milk production.

Texas agriculture commissioner Sid Miller said: “Understanding the details surrounding the transfer of

avian virus to livestock is the top priority. While troubling, this outbreak is not currently expected to threaten our nation’s commercial dairy supply.”

Nicky Bowden, Kite senior dairy consultant and British Cattle Veterinary Association board member, said this was not something UK dairy farmers should panic about, but she added it was a timely reminder of the importance of biosecurity and also the need to speak to your farm vet about any unusual symptoms.

She said: “Viruses such as influenza are clever. They can change quickly and they can jump species. Farmers should always report anything unusual so further investigations can take place.”

With APHA overstretched, farm vets will have to play a bigger role in tackling bluetongue this year.

Mr Barton warned bluetongue had the potential to have a ‘massive strain’ on resources and urged the Government to properly support APHA and ensure it had the vet sta needed.

He said: “We have still got to do the day to-day stu . We cannot forget what we are doing with TB. ose things still need to happen.

“What does happen sometimes, those things get put on hold for a minute while other things are prioritised, and that is not good enough.”

Taking questions at a recent Efra Commi ee, Defra Secretary of State Steve Barclay said the threat of bluetongue was

something his department was ‘very alive to’, and upgrading APHA’s centre in Weybridge in Surrey was a ‘priority’.

Tamara Finkelstein, permanent secretary at Defra, confirmed a business case would be laid out before summer, and while she admitted there was still some debate surrounding the £2.8 billion required, she said it was ‘clear we have to do this work, as it is critical for biosecurity’.

Lessons

Mr Barton said there were lessons to be learned from last autumn in the handling of bluetongue, criticising the ‘disproportionate’ impact of the surveillance zones.

He said it was a tricky ‘chal-

lenge’ to balance out between ‘slowing down the disease’ and ensuring farmers have the ability to still trade and move stock.

Mr Barton said the only way to control this strain of bluetongue was through a vaccine, adding that at best it could arrive ‘late summer or early autumn’.

He said: “We want to be at the front of the queue when a vaccine becomes available.

“ e biggest problem is we do not know what the severity of the disease will be, how fast it will spread and when it will arrive.

“ ere are a whole host of variables which makes it di cult to know what to do and when. We must plan.”

Welsh farming family fined for swapping eartags

JA Welsh farming family has been fined for ‘deliberately’ swapping cattle eartags to keep bovine TB infected animals on-farm.

Swansea Crown Court heard how Edward, Charles and Henry Hartt, of Messers E.W. Hartt and Sons at Longford Farm, had pleaded guilty to eight counts of using eartags on animals which had already been used on another animal and four offences of furnishing misleading information in execution of the eartag regulations.

The three men had failed to comply with regulations by swapping the eartags with cows deemed of a ‘poor quality’ to be slaughtered and keeping ‘higher value’ cattle on-farm, even though they had tested positive for bovine TB.

Judge Christopher Vosper

KC said the defendants had ‘taken a cavalier approach to the regulations designed to restrict the spread of bTB among cattle’ and described their actions as ‘reckless’.

He imposed a confiscation order of £217,906.25 in total, payable within three months, as well as ordering the defendants to pay £94,569.64 to cover costs.

Brexit labelling laws will cost industry millions, says dairy boss NEWS

The UK Government is being urged to rethink its ‘not for EU’ labelling scheme which is set to be introduced in October.

e regulation aims to reduce time spent examining goods travelling to Northern Ireland and would require the words ‘not for EU’ to be printed on all products not being shipped to the continent.

Robert Graham, managing director of Graham’s Family Dairy, said: “ is transition will cost UK food and drink rms hundreds of thousands of pounds. For us, this is going to change the way we do things for millions of units every week, which is clearly a huge cost for a family rm.

“ e proposed requirement means we would have to have di erent packaging between UK and export lines, leading to higher costs across stock, production, branding and operations.”

He said the transition would cost Graham’s Family Diary £300,000 before even considering the cost of labour time, complexity and additional running costs. is

The financial cost per business of changing labelling alone has been quoted as up to £500,000, according to Dairy UK.

move would lead to a change in packaging for more than 300 of the dairy rm’s lines, equating to millions of units per week.

According to Dairy UK, the trade association for the UK dairy industry, the nancial cost per

business of changing labelling alone has been quoted as up to £500,000, and up to £2 million per business when factoring in all other costs.

Mr Graham said: “It feels like the UK Government is using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. With some

regulation already in place, the new requirements would add unjusti ed complexity, while there is already an overwhelming feeling across the industry that it would make no di erence to export trade to Northern Ireland.”

Defra publishes new code for tenanted sector

JDefra’s new Code of Practice, which has been designed to promote be er ‘collaboration, clarity and communication’ between the agricultural landlord and tenanted sector, has been hailed as a ‘major step forward’.

Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) chief executive George Dunn said: “While it is a shame in this day and age we need a Code of Practice which tells people how to behave, it is clear we need clarity around the rules of conduct. For too long, tenants have felt marginalised and mistreated and this Code of

Practice is a major step forward for the sector.”

e code will provide guidance on the standards of behaviour expected from both landlords and tenants, as well as those providing professional advice, and will aim to establish and maintain positive, productive and sustainable commercial relationships.

Thrive

Announcing the measure, Defra Secretary of State Steve Barclay said: “ is new Code of Practice will ensure the tenanted sector

continues to thrive by promoting positive relationships between tenants and landlords.”

But the industry’s eyes now turn to whether Defra will commit to the appointment of a Tenant Farming Commissioner, with calls from both the NFU, TFA and farmers themselves.

Mr Dunn said that a er having been somewhat ‘lukewarm’ to the proposal previously, Defra was ‘showing greater interest and understanding’ of the need for a commissioner.

He said: “To my mind, the

Government would not have selected the next Farm to Fork summit to make an announcement if it was not going to be a positive one.”

But Jeremy Moody, secretary and adviser to the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, said a commissioner was an ‘unde ned idea’ which was still looking for ‘real purpose’. He said: “Most of the suggestions would need careful thought about how they would interact with existing arrangements, including the new Farm Tenancy Forum, arbitration law and the work of professional bodies.”

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Claire Eastham

DAIRYTalk

Claire Eastham farms with her husband Martyn in Dorset, where they milk 120 spring calving cows. After gaining knowledge and experience working for other businesses, the couple started their own dairy farming journey in 2015 by taking on a share farming agreement before progressing to their current county council farm.

“ I would expect food inflation to hit the headlines again this autumn

Well it’s wet. I can only hope by the time you read this it’s dry, or we’ll all be in trouble. After the wettest 18 months since records began in 1836, the cows have yet to go out. We are feeding 7kg of cake in the hope that we might keep the lactation curve trajectory we want.

Thankfully, milk prices are rising, but I would expect food inflation to hit the headlines again this autumn – with crops not planted and those that are planted drowning, silage stocks running out and meat prices already hitting record highs – it might be another turbulent one.

Despite being well stocked last winter (so we thought) we have about two weeks of silage remaining, which goes to prove the age-old adage of ‘if you make it you need it’.

We’re grateful that although calving has been slower than the PDs suggested (silver lining – the late cows might peak on grass), we haven’t had many issues. Calf mortality is still zero and calf prices still variable – although the British Friesian bulls made the market report – with a breach birth and a large calf being the only tribulations.

We also took two calves in to school for our youngest’s show and tell during the last week of term, explaining to the children how the heifer calves grow to produce milk that, in this instance, is made into cheese and explained how they are reared.

We have been using more and more homeopathy on the farm alongside the vets as needed and have been impressed with the results. We are incredibly grateful to the fountain of knowledge which offers us friendly advice and guidance so we can build a healthy herd in as natural a way as possible.

Agroforestry

With some of the wetter fields on the farm, we are also considering whether agroforestry could aid uptake of some of the water and also provide browsing for the cows, as well as being a carbon sink. This is an option which will be coming onto the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) in July.

Off the farm I have been incredibly busy with SFI applications and was pleased to see the Rural Payments Agency bring in the 25% cap on certain options. What people were thinking putting their whole farms down to wildflowers I will never know – so much for integrated pest management if they’re meant to be located with a crop.

Hopefully this will help lessen the number of landlords

who plan just utilise the schemes as income replacements, which in turn is reducing the opportunities for people to either get into the industry or move on up through it. The SFI application portal has been very variable of late with mapping changes causing issues. If you have had any mapping changes and are part way through an application, I recommend you start again.

Some applications only take 24 hours to be returned as an agreement and with others we are three months down the line, with farmers missing out and no coherent answer.

Recently I went to a brilliant Dorset Grassland Society talk from Nuffield scholar Kendra Hall about the public perception of agriculture and some standout points were as follows:

r‘No-one cares how much you know until they know how much you care’ – the public want to know that we as farmers, have the same values as them. We care about animal welfare, we care about the environment and we want to produce food in ethical ways.

rWhen there are exposes, we need to use them as an opportunity to improve, to stand up and agree that we need to do better as things are not right. We should stand together with those who put their head above the parapet to educate the public. Not everyone wants to do this, so we should be there if things go wrong.

rThere should be funding from processors, ADHB and the like to give media training to farmers so we feel more comfortable to tell our stories.

rWe should tell our production stories, warts and all, so when the ‘warts’ are discovered, the public doesn’t feel like it was duped and the trust we built is gone.

rDairy products are still reaching 96% of households, but we must always be protecting ourselves for the future and staying up to date with what matters most to our customers.

Ben Yates

Ben Yates manages Mells Park Estate, Somerset, where he oversees a 400-cow unit and manages the 405-hectare (1,000-acre) estate. Along with his wife and two sons, Ben has his own small herd of pedigree Holsteins under the Wowcow prefix. He joined the Holstein UK Board of Trustees in 2021.

“ Silage pits are getting low from the long winter we have endured

In Somerset, spring is trying to show its face between the rain showers. The warmer weather we enjoyed recently gave us good growth rates of 34kg of dry matter (DM) per hectare per day (13.8kg DM/acre/day).

The low yielders have been able to make good use of this grass growth on our lighter, brashier ground, which is a good job as the silage pits are getting low from the long winter we have endured.

It is interesting to see how our herbal and legumerich leys which are in the Sustainable Farming Incentive are starting to perform. We have tried several different establishment techniques, from plough and drill, to slot seed and even trying the golden hoof technique.

As it stands, there is not much between the plough and drill and slot seed, both of which followed wheat. The real truth will show when it comes to first cut and also how they manage in drought conditions on our very light land, if it ever comes to it.

With this being a quieter time of year for us, it gives the team time to ‘expand its skill set’ by catching up on fencing, building projects and general maintenance around the estate, as well as enjoying some well-deserved time off.

We have some further concreting projects on our yards ahead of us, with the help of our Countryside Stewardship scheme grants.

As part of my role as a Holstein UK board member, I also have a seat on the Cattle Information Service board. It was great to see the new laboratory at Scope House, Holstein UK’s new head offices, in full swing last month while there for our board meeting.

Huge undertaking

The move to the new laboratory at the end of last year was a huge undertaking, and to move a busy working lab to the new state-of-the-art purpose-built facility was challenging at times, but a task I believe was essential for the stability and growth of the business.

It was very pleasing to receive the results of our recent milk recording back within 36 hours of the samples being taken in the parlour.

In more Holstein UK news, I was delighted that the All Breeds All Britain Calf Show has been confirmed for September 20-22, 2024, at the popular venue of Bingley Hall at Staffordshire County Showground.

This new central location for the event, which brings together like-minded young people interested in dairy from all corners of the UK, is ideal.

And it was great to see two Holstein Young Breeders set off on their travels to Wisconsin in March as part of their prize for winning the Louise Hartley Award to visit the World Wide Sires Global Training Centre.

I would encourage anyone under the age of 27 who has an interest in the dairy industry to reach out to their local Holstein Club and join their Young Breeders’ Club. Details can be found on Holstein UK’s webpage.

On a family level, most Sundays through winter are taken up helping coach my two lads’ rugby teams.

We were lucky enough to get tickets to the England vs. Ireland game, which was one of the best atmospheres I have experienced in my life, and I certainly did not expect the result.

The Higgins family joined the AHDB Strategic Dairy Farm programme in March, with the aim of sharing ideas and increasing their knowledge for moving the business forward. New youngstock housing and a reduction in the farm’s carbon footprint are among their aims for the future.

Based near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, three generations of the Higgins family run Bentley Ford Farm: Rob Higgins manages the 200 plus pedigree Holsteins unit with his parents, David and Cheryl, and his grandfather, also called David, assisted by one full-time employee plus relief milking sta .

Cow numbers in the all-yearround calving herd have risen from 180 to 210 head over the past 12 months, following the installation of a new ca le building last autumn. Measuring 46x17 metres, it has a small viewing platform, with sawdust bedding used in the cubicles.

Rob says: “ e new building is a replica of the existing structure, which is still in use. Prior to its construction, some of the cows were in kennels, but we now have mature cows in one shed, with heifers and younger animals in the other.”

Sexed semen, from mostly North American genetics, is used for replacement breeding. While some genomic sires feature in the breeding programme, this is not a ‘deal-breaker’ during the selection process, says Rob.

Aberdeen-Angus semen and a Hereford sweeper bull are used on the lower end of the herd, and records show an overall average

Farm facts

rThe 200-plus pedigree Holsteins have a yield average of 10,200kg at 4% butterfat and 3.3% protein

rMilk is sold via Muller to the Co-operative on an aligned contract

rThe soil type on the 130-hectare (320-acre)

With a total commitment to dairy farming, the Higgins family are looking at ways to take their business forward and are hoping the AHDB Strategic Dairy Farm programme will help facilitate this. Wendy Short reports.

Implementing changes to benefit business

calving interval of 385 days and a pregnancy rate of 32%.

e black and white bulls that have been used over the past year include Mystique Animation, Lean-

unit – of which 40ha (100 acres) is rented – is mainly a clay loam

rThe family also run a small flock of pedigree Texel sheep, and have a silage-making and slurry-spreading contracting business

rAside from the new building, the business has fairly recently

inghouse Taos and Sandy-Valley EQ. Extreme sires are avoided, with priority given to high scores for milk yield, udder soundness, and feet and legs. Lameness is controlled by a

invested in rumination collars and robotic slurry scrapers

rGenomic testing has been carried out on some of the heifers, but it is not routine practice and Rob admits that the Strategic Dairy Farm role may persuade the family otherwise

professional foot trimmer who visits every six weeks, and an automatic footbath which was put in last year.

In addition, the family remain on constant alert to make sure that lameness cases are picked up as early as possible.

e heifer calves are reared in hutches until they are six weeks old, before being moved into groups of about a dozen, for weaning at 10 weeks. Male beef cross calves are taken to six weeks and the heifers are sold as weanlings.

“ e hutches have been used for the past 15 years and they work very well,” says Rob.

“At present, the heifers are calved

PICTURES : Ruth Rees

Left to right: David, Cheryl and Robert Higgins.

at 24 months, but we would like to calve them slightly younger. ey are fed a straw-based total mixed ration [TMR] and earlier calving will reduce rearing costs.

“ e target should be achievable, but we will have to wait until they have reached the right level of maturity before service. Our

mature cows are on the larger side, weighing an average 700kg.”

e TMR comprises grass and maize silage, plus crimped maize and a protein blend.

e previous feeding regime split the cows into low and high yielders, but they are currently fed as one group for simplicity.

e cows are not fed in the 25:50 parlour, which was installed in 2015. A er researching the potential for a switch to robotic milking, the family concluded that the start-up costs were prohibitive.

About 36 hectares (90 acres) of maize is grown annually, and Rob says the crop makes a useful contri-

bution to the milk from forage gure of 3,850kg, although the family has set a 4,000kg target and will be looking at options for driving intakes.

Meanwhile, some of the maize was crimped for the rst time last year and it has become an important element of the ration, says Rob.

He says: “Grain maize is excellent

The TMR at Bentley Ford Farm comprises grass and maize silage, plus crimped maize and a protein blend.

ON FARM

for adding starch and energy to the diet. It also has the advantage of being highly consistent product, which helps to maintain productivity. e aim is to feed it for 12 months of the year, when stocks permit.”

Starting in late April, weather permi ing, a minimum ve cuts of grass silage are taken over the season and ensiled using a biological additive. e farm has the equipment to carry out all the eld work and relies on ryegrasses for cu ing and grazing.

Rob says there may be some

[The programme] will hopefully increase our ability to solve the issues that we are facing

ROB HIGGINS

opportunities going forward to enhance silage yield and quality.

“Our aim is to increase the emphasis on treating the grass in the same way as an arable crop. e multi-cut system works well and a typical silage cut will have an ME of 12-plus and a protein content of about 16%,” he says.

“Plant nutrition is under review for the grassland and we have recently bought an umbilical/dribble bar system to improve application e ciency.

“Slurry is not tested at present, but we are considering the idea of having it analysed. Our revised approach is to increase the focus beyond nitrogen levels and look more closely into the other essential nutrients. e soil is tested on a regular basis, but there may be some issues with uptake.

“White clover has been sown in the past, but it is no longer included in the sowing mix due to persistency issues, and we have never tried red clover or herbal leys for the silage

or grazing. at may change as we progress in our role as strategic programme dairy farmers.”

Rob says the next major step for the business is to upgrade the youngstock facilities.

He says: “Some of the traditional buildings that are still in use are far from ideal in terms of environmental conditions, as well as being labour-intensive.”

He also says future purchases in the short-term may include a feed pusher, although the new building involved considerable expense, so that may have to wait.

Carbon footprint

Rob says: “Tackling the farm’s carbon footprint is also on our to-do list and our milk buyer is encouraging us to try and reduce the farm’s environmental impact.

“ e Co-operative has already completed a carbon footprint evaluation on the unit and the results

show that our performance is about average. at means there is room for improvement, and we will be studying the evaluation in more detail and drawing up a plan of action.”

e Higgins family have milked cows at Bentley Ford since the 1950s. ey believe that joining the strategic farm programme will help them to implement changes that will bene t their business.

“One of our neighbours is a former member of the scheme and we thought it would be good to follow on by joining up,” says Rob.

“It is an excellent way to share ideas with other producers and hopefully increase our knowledge and our ability to solve some of the issues that we are facing. We are totally commi ed to dairy farming, because in our opinion, there is no other way to maximise the chance of maintaining a successful business.”

A new cattle building has been recently installed, measuring 46x17 metres.

The heifer calves are reared in hutches until they are six weeks old.

The next step for the business will be an upgrade to some of the existing youngstock rearing facilities.

Ketosis is a ‘gateway’ disease, meaning it increases the chances of other diseases developing post-calving.

But what if you could identify cows who are more susceptible to ketosis and treat them accordingly before the onset of the disease? You can!

Revolutionising ketosis prevention strategies through technology

Where cows have been classed as ‘at-risk’, a preventative treatment such as a Kexxtone™ monensin bolus should be administered to reduce the incidence of ketosis. When monensin is released into the rumen, it supports propionate production which increases glucose production.

This increase in energy plugs the gap experienced during the transition period, reducing the risk of ketosis developing. Kexxtone™ can be administered up to four weeks ahead of calving as its 95-day coverage means it will cover calving, post-birth and peak lactation.

• Parity equal to or greater than three

• Long dry periods of 70 days or more

• Calving interval more than 480 days

• First calving over 27 months

• Over 14,000L in the previous lactation

• Milk fat to protein ratio greater than 1.5

• History of energy related diseases

The Ketosis Risk Alert is part of the UNIFORM-Agri software package which allows users to manage and monitor all aspects of dairy cow health from fertility through to lactation. Ketosis Risk Alert evaluates all the ketosis risk factors to generate a list of cows 28 to 18-days pre-calving who require early intervention. The risk factors considered include:

Reaping the benefits of investment

Milking 450 pedigree Holsteins, farmer Dave Richards uses the UNIFORM-Agri tool as part of his robust herd health management plan.

“We’ve put a lot of time and money into our cows, so maximising our return on investment by minimising the risk of ketosis-related losses through early intervention is a principal consideration for us, and Ketosis Risk Alert has helped us to do that” he says.

“Ketosis Risk Alert is a brilliant accompaniment to our farm business,” Mr Richards explains. “It’s simple to use and being able to tailor it to your farm makes it completely bespoke. I’d recommend it to anyone wanting to ensure a smooth transition period.”

DAIRYMatters

‘I recognise that the strength of UK dairy farming lies in its diverse production types’

The recently elected NFU dairy board chair Paul Tompkins farms with his wife Rachael in the Vale of York. Not from a farming background, Paul worked in the financial sector before meeting his wife and joining the family dairy business.

As a dairy farmer I am very familiar with the extreme highs and lows the market throws at us, and the enormous pressures experienced by businesses such as mine during downturns.

Eight years ago, when milk prices were at a historic low, I found that combining my voice with other producers was the most effective way for me to amplify my concerns and ensure farmers were being listened to.

That is why I really value being part of the NFU and why I wanted to be part of the national dairy board, representing dairy farmers across England and Wales.

At home, we supply milk to Paynes Dairies for the foodservice and retail liquid market, so I fully appreciate the challenges of growing a business while at the sharp end of the milk price league table.

My feet are firmly held on the ground by two teenage children and my wife Rachael, who is at the epicentre of my life and our farm business.

Living in the Vale of York, where the land is flat and skies are huge, might make impressive sunrises, but also it brings plenty of challenges, especially during periods of excessive rainfall. We are just a few metres above sea level and predominantly grow grass for forage on hard clay soils.

For me, the joys of farming are encapsulated in the

Paul Tompkins

lives of our Holstein cows, whose pedigrees we can trace back to the 1950s.

The success of our business lies in its team. Our miking herd is now approaching 450, which means providing the right environment, nutrition and care can only be achieved with dedicated, hardworking people who are aiming high.

We have an ambition to reach 1,000kg of milk solids per cow per year in the near future.

I recognise that the strength of UK dairy farming lies in its diverse production types. We are each experts in our own fields, and the wide spectrum of production methods must therefore be acknowledged in policy development, and within wider NFU lobbying.

Risk profile

This is why I want to see a future where policy and regulation reflect the risk profile and the options available to individual farms, rather than the current blanket approach we often see today.

It feels like we are at an important point in time for the industry; a vibrant, profitable, sustainable future is an ambition shared by all farmers, but we need effective regulation which understands and works alongside good farming practice. A functioning, collaborative supply chain is paramount.

I believe those farmers who work together to strengthen the position of producers in the supply chain, and form strong relationships with their buyers, are more likely to achieve favourable outcomes and create longer term, resilient business.

Positioning more farmers in this way and developing strong farmer representation models will therefore be a key objective for both myself and the wider dairy board over the next two years.

However, any attempts at being profitable are too often thwarted by disease outbreaks. After years of hard work, utilising all the tools available to us, we are starting to see some progress with bovine TB.

Now, together with tackling new emerging diseases,

A vibrant, profitable, sustainable future is an ambition shared by all farmers, says Paul Tompkins.

“ Our future depends on our reputation as a favourable workplace

we must maintain our focus on developing e ective policy which works for our livestock, our businesses and the wider environment in which we operate.

Adequate resourcing and preparation for disease outbreaks, surveillance and management are all essential.

Many things make a farm business successful. One of the most important is how well it treats and invests in its people. While I recognise the costs of investing in ourselves and those who work on our farms, it is important we build a culture across the industry where everyone who works on a dairy farm feels supported and valued.

We must nd ways to a ract more people to be a part of our industry, as our future depends on our reputation as a favourable workplace. Good people also help to boost business productivity, encourage new ideas and help us grow sustainably.

No-one is more frustrated than me by the lack of recognition for the environmental good dairy farmers deliver alongside food production. Dairy farming plays a critical role in protecting our environment and helping to tackle climate change.

I welcome the Government’s a empts to incentivise investment and best practice on-farm but combined with the thin margins made on dairy farms, there

remains a shortfall in the total capital needed to meet our ambitions to do be er.

ere are already a number of impressive initiatives out there which seek to monetise sustainability, and it is only through working closer together as a supply chain, incentivising innovation and sharing best practice that we will be able to a ract a premium for our products and support dairy farmers to go further.

Investment

Dairy farming remains central to rural economies. It drives investment and employment across the countryside and supports a range of di erent industries. e importance of the sector to the wider social and economic fabric of the UK must be recognised, alongside the role the sector can play in boosting local economies, displacing imports and growing UK export opportunities.

For me, dairy farming is not just a job, it is a vocation and an integral part of my life. I feel privileged to represent NFU dairy farmer members and look forward to meeting more of you over the coming weeks and months to discuss how we can best work together to achieve a pro table, productive and sustainable future for our industry.

Managing the risk factors associated with mycoplasma bovis is key to controlling the disease on-farm and protecting naive youngstock. Katie Fallon reports.

Managing mycoplasma bovis in the dairy herd

Endemic within many of the UK’s dairy herds, mycoplasma bovis (M.bovis) causes several diseases in cattle, including respiratory disease, middle ear disease, mastitis and arthritis.

Largely affecting calf populations, M.bovis often presents itself as calf pneumonia and while the disease can sometimes be eradicated following strict culling and vaccination protocols, proactive disease management is often a more realistic solution.

Veterinary investigation o cer at SRUC, Colin Mason, says there are numerous ways M.bovis can spread from farm to farm, and in many cases the

Treatment

JTreatment for arthritis due to M.bovis is variable, says Mr Mason, as sometimes cases can be very advanced, meaning treatment is difficult. Whereas cases which are caught early will respond well to treatment.

When looking to treat respiratory disease and middle ear disease associated with M.bovis, Mr Mason says the main line of treatment is antibiotic and antiinflammatory therapy.

disease may have been on farm for a long time.

Consequently, it is almost impossible to work out exactly when and how the disease was initially brought onto farm.

Mr Mason says: “ ere are many superb dairy farms which are immaculate and doing a really good job and have this disease, so it is not synonymous with poor farming practices.”

The most likely route of M.bovis spreading onto farm initially is via cattle carrying the disease, says Mr Mason. However, it can also be transmitted via fomite spread on equipment being brought onto farm or by staff or personnel working between farms.

He says it is important to note that M.bovis is different to typical bacteria as it lacks a cell wall, which influences what drugs can be used to treat it, as penicillin and its derivatives will not work.

When treating middle ear disease, Mr Mason says a clinical resolution to the disease is difficult to achieve, due to it being a hard area to get a successful cure.

As a result, the cure rate for

mission and fomite spread, but it can also spread through cow’s milk or colostrum.

For farms which have been diagnosed with M.bovis and operate as a closed herd, Mr Mason advises farmers to consider their boundary biosecurity.

When looking at the spread of M.bovis within a herd, it is largely spread within calf populations due to the disease often presenting itself as calf pneumonia.

Focus

Mr Mason says: “A lot of the focus on M.bovis in dairy systems is on calves, as this is where a lot of the disease is spread and where a lot of the disease occurs.”

Transmission of the disease between calves usually occurs through nose to nose contact, aerosol trans-

middle ear disease can be quite low. Mr Mason advises farmers work with their vet to review treatment strategies in line with associated M.bovis disease.

He says: “One of the features of M.bovis is chronic disease and relapses, you can get a lot of cases where calves look like they are getting better, but a week to a fortnight later they have relapsed again.”

Mr Mason says: “Five years ago, I would have put equal weight on all of these areas of transmission, but now we do not think that colostrum and cow’s milk play as big a part in the disease spread, due to a low proportion of colostrum and bulk milk samples being positive for M.bovis.”

Mr Mason advises focusing a lot of attention on managing the risk of fomite spread and respiratory pathogens within the calf rearing environment. He says that due to the nature of calf rearing practices on dairy farms in

Vaccination

JIn terms of disease control, vaccination is an option, says Mr Mason. While there is currently no licensed vaccine for M.bovis available in the UK, there are two vaccines which can be imported into the UK with a special import certificate, which are being used successfully.

Another potential control option to manage disease spread is pasteurising colostrum, says Mr Mason. And while this can be a useful tool to improve the hygiene of colostrum in general, he advises caution should be taken to the cleanliness of colostrum before pasteurising.

The most likely route of M.bovis spreading onto farm initially is via cattle carrying the disease, says Colin Mason (inset).

the UK, pathogens such as M.bovis can spread easily through automatic and group feeding systems and in large groups of calves.

He says: “Pneumonia in dairy-bred calves is absolutely multi-factorial and most of the pathogens which cause pneumonia are present on most farms. It is a disease cloud rather than a specific agent and M.bovis is part of that cloud.”

Mr Mason says M.bovis will play a

Control

JWhen it comes to eradicating M.bovis on an individual farm level, while it is difficult to achieve, theoretically it is possible to get rid of the disease on-farm, says Mr Mason.

He says: “New Zealand opted for a stamping out policy through testing and culling which has worked, but is drastic at herd level. I do not think it is a practical approach for the average UK dairy herd.”

He says there are examples of farms which have removed M.bovis from the herd by isolating and removing carrier animals, but most herds will be managing the disease to an acceptable level.

He says: “M.bovis is a bug which is hard but not impossible to completely get rid of and really the aim should be to maximise calf resilience to reduce the impact of the disease to an acceptable level.

VET’S VIEW

different role on each farm depending on the farm’s circumstances and risk factors within the calf environment.

He says: “I think on most farms the biggest risk factors for dairy calves are whether they are experiencing a cold stress, group size, stocking rates, air quality and feeding rates.”

He advises ensuring optimal feeding rates are in place to ensure calves are getting enough energy intake and are meeting their nutritional requirements to increase their resilience to respiratory pathogens, as well as getting stocking rates and air quality right.

Mr Mason says: “The disease cloud which is present within a calf rearing population is no different to a load of children at nursery.

“Most of these pathogens are there most of the time and a lot will depend on the stressors we put on these calves as to whether they succumb.

“Respiratory disease is a complex, multi-factorial thing with calves, and one of my worries is we home in too much on M.bovis as a single agent, as it is part of a bigger picture.”

“A lot of these control strategies are sound advice which you would want to try and do your best with anyway, particularly around calf pneumonia.”

Pathogens

He advises managing pathogens through vaccination, reducing stocking densities, managing cold temperatures in young calves, managing air quality, feeding rates and colostrum quality, and reducing fomite spread through improved hygiene of milk feeding utensils.

He also advises keeping calf groups relatively small and consistent and not mixing calves between large age ranges.

Mr Mason says: “All of these things are not specific to M.bovis, but will help to manage the disease and are things you would want to do anyway.”

Monitoring the reproduction and health indexes of individual dairy cows and heifers can tell the herd manager a lot about how each animal is being managed, but monitoring animals on a group-by-group basis can unlock a wealth of additional information which can be used to improve the overall herd’s performance.

In addition to monitoring the reproductive and health status of individual dairy cows, the SenseHub® Premium application plan from MSD Animal Health also enables herd managers, their staff and any external consultants (such as the farm vets or nutritionists) to fine-tune how each group of high and low yielders, dry cows, freshly calved cows and heifers is being managed.

This is particularly useful when monitoring multiple groups of animals, or livestock located away from the main farm, as it enables each group’s activity, rumination and behavioural patterns to be compared against anticipated trends. It is then possible to assess if, how and when changes in housing conditions, the weather, feeding regime or day-to-day management have impacted the group’s health, comfort, nutrition, productivity and welfare.

INFORMED DECISIONS

Armed with a better understanding of how each group of animals is faring, herd managers can fine-tune existing herd health plans or introduce new protocols which will improve the herd’s productivity.

Where necessary, the reports generated by SenseHub can also be shared quickly and easily with third parties so the farm’s vet and nutritionist can have a better understanding of how each group’s daily management regime is affecting animal behaviour and output.

This all adds up to make the management of multiple groups of animals easier, quicker and less stressful. It also takes the guesswork out of assessing what does and does not work for a specific group and helps to reduce the potential impact of planned changes and unforeseen events on the herd’s health and performance.

YOUNGSTOCK

The SenseHubTM Premium plan can also be used alongside the SenseHubTM Dairy Youngstock application plan to observe for the signs of ill health in calves from birth, with nipple-fed calves in single hutches or post-weaning calves in group pens.

It is also compatible with the SenseHubTM Dairy In-Line Somatic Cell Count and SenseHubTM Dairy In-Line MilkPlus sensors and the MSD Animal Health sorting gate.

Improvements to calf he

Developing standard operating procedures for biosecurity can have a positive impact on hygiene in the calf rearing sheds. But where should producers start? Dairy Farmer reports.

Whether

year round or block calving, pushing yield or opting for a grass-based lower input system, pedigree or a mix of genetics, the calf is critical to the ongoing successful performance of a herd.

e safe arrival of a calf marks the start of the cycle, yet calf mortality rates are signi cantly above targets, with BCMS data showing mortality rates in dairy calves at 6% in the rst three months of life.

Data from NADIS suggests scour accounts for almost 50% of mortality in the birth to six-week

phase, with pneumonia then becoming a bigger issue post-weaning.

Alison Clark, of Progiene, says: “ e calf is born with no immunity, into an environment with a signi cant pathogenic load, be that in housing or bedding, from the dam or being shed by other calves. However, by following a few simple best practice guidelines, the balance soon tips in the calf’s favour and helps minimise problems.

“ ere is a vast amount of information out there on preventing and treating scour, optimal feeding versus over-feeding, but what we are seeing more and more on-farm is that some of the basic elements of good hygiene are being overlooked.

“Ultimately, good hygiene – in all areas associated with calves – is fundamental to supporting their

rKnow your disease status (what pathogens you are up against)

health and well-being and paving the way for them to grow and thrive.”

According to the UK Dairy Biosecurity Survey, carried out for Progiene, 89% of those questioned said they had a biosecurity protocol, but only 8% were satis ed with the protocols and only 31% followed them.

Knowing what the challenges are on a particular farm is a good place to start, says Ms Clark.

She says: “Take time to examine calving pens and calf housing and look at how well and e ectively they can be cleaned.

“Look at whether the milk

preperation kitchen and feeding equipment are easy to clean with hot water and the correct disinfectant. If not, it is more unlikely to be done.”

Ms Clark says it is important to think about visitors to the farm.

Boot dip policy

She says: “Do you have many visitors? And do a number of di erent people work with the calves? If so, a boot dip policy is really important and you may want to extend that to ensuring people change their overalls when moving from older cows to calves.”

r

r

rRemove livestock and muck out, paying attention to corners and around posts correct rate and

r

Alison Clark

Data shows dairy calf mortality rates at 6% in the first three months of life.

alth and hygiene pay off

According to the survey, 80% of dairy farms have a boot dip, yet almost half do not require visitors to use it. Worryingly, only 62% change it a er more than 15 uses.

Ms Clark says: “A simple footbath label can help manage this and a record sheet ensures the right product is used, at the correct dilution and for the right amount of time. ese are o en available from your merchant and are simple, quick and easy to use.”

Ms Clark says understanding what disease challenges your calves are up against can also help develop a management plan.

Calf-side diagnostic tests can detect cryptosporidium, rotavirus, coronavirus and E.coli within 10 minutes.

“With input from your vet, a programme of appropriate vaccination

may be helpful, but at the same time, we recommend developing a clear standard operating protocol.

“Spending some time on this, ensuring you cover all the basics as well as guidance on what needs to be cleaned, with which product, and a speci c concentration helps rule out human error.”

According to a Progiene survey, 80% of dairy farms have a boot dip.

Cleaning feeding equipment/utensils

JKnowing what disinfectant to use in each situation is not always straightforward, and dilution rate is also a factor to consider, says Ms Clark.

She says: “Knowing the challenges on your farm is the best starting point. You can then select the best product, but if you use a Defra-approved disinfectant for something outside its Defra order, a product suitable against TB for example, you need to use it at the General Orders [GO] dilution rate. An example of this is when using a product with TB orders against E.coli or salmonella; you would use at the recommended GO dilution rate.”

Best practice

rAfter feeding, rinse all equipment thoroughly with warm water

rSoak calf feeding equipment for 20-30 mins in hot (55degC or greater) water containing 0.5% chlorinated alkaline detergent or general purpose detergent

rThoroughly wash all equipment inside and out with a brush to remove deposits and biofilm

rRinse off all the equipment with non-tainting disinfectant

rHang on a rack and allow to air dry

• For routine surface disinfection, use at a dilution rate of 2% v/v of product dissolved in water

•

Please Note: Disinfectants are regulatory biocides.Use biocides safely. Before use read the label and product information. *For full DEFRA approval visit: disinfectants.defra.gov.uk

Farming in harmony with local residents is important for the future of the farm run by the Gertenbach family. Chris McCullough reports.

Expansion not an option

Growing populations and expanding towns and villages mean that in some cases residential areas are ge ing closer and closer to farms.

While in some cases there can be con ict in terms of tra c disruptions at harvest time, noises and smells, when farmers can live in harmony with their neighbouring towns and villages, there can be bene ts for both sides of the community.

is is the case for Johannes Gertenbach, whose dairy farm is located right beside the small town of Fritzlar in the northern Hesse region of Germany.

e farm is so close, in fact,

that he cannot expand the farm in any direction, but he says he is happy with that scenario.

Johannes says: “Our main farmyard is right beside the town, with many residents having to drive past our cow barn entrance when leaving their homes and returning. “ is is not really a problem for us and we have had no real issues over the years with this close proximity.”

At peak milking numbers, Johannes and his father Gorg run 400 Holstein cows through the parlour. e milking herd is run in four groups depending on yield and stage of lactation.

Cows are fed a total mixed ration once per day with an average individual intake of 37.5kg per day.

Over the years, the father and

son team have upgraded the farm’s infrastructure with a new Boumatic 20/20 rapid exit parlour installed in 2015 and later a new shed for heifers was added.

No room

However, with literally a few metres between the farm and the closest of the town’s houses, there is no room to expand the farm.

Johannes says: “We farm about 200 hectares in total, with elds

rotated between wheat, maize and grass. Normally, there is about 70ha in grass.”

With the help of four Polish employees working in shi s, Johannes milks his cows twice per day at 5am and 5pm. Each milking takes up to four hours to complete.

Milk is sold to Schwalbchen Molkerei AG, which pays about 37 euro cents per litre (32ppl).

Johannes says: “Our costs are of course rising, but hover around 33-34cpl, giving us a margin of about 4cpl.”

And even though physical expansion of the farm is out of the question, Johannes says he is commi ed to investing in the future of the herd and farm.

He says: “We are pu ing up a new barn on the other side of the farm for dry cows, which is coming in at an average of €6,300/cow space.

We farm about 200 hectares in total, with fields rotated between wheat, maize and grass

JOHANNES GERTENBACH

Johannes Gertenbach

“Looking ahead, we are now considering growing 12-15ha of sugar beet. And we want to try and maximise e ciency on the farm by reducing the normal 24 months calving age of our heifers down to 21 months.

“I want to try and reduce the feed costs and lower the unproductive time the heifers have in the herd, therefore lowering the calving age should help us do this.”

And he says ensuring good relationships with the neighbours

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is vital if he is to operate in such close proximity to the town.

“Our neighbours can walk past the barns at any time as the road is right next to us. Some of them even keep a close watch on the animals and the yards.

Farm facts

rThe milking herd is yielding 13,300kg per cow per year at 3.34% protein and 4% butterfat

rThe best 25% of the herd is inseminated with sexed semen, the bottom 20% with beef bull semen and the remainder with conventional semen

rBull calves are sold to local farmers at one month old, achieving a price of €170 (£145) per head

“We have never had a problem with the s or trouble on the farm, but that is not to say it could not happen. A number of school groups have regularly visited the farm to see the animals and learn more about where their food comes from. I think that aspect is very important to young children today and to us as well being able to facilitate that.”

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Johannes Gertenbach installed a new Boumatic 20/20 parlour in 2015.

Captain sons dominate PLI rankings

Sons of Genosource Captain now dominate among young genomic Holstein bulls, securing the first four positions in the ranking for Profitable Lifetime Index (£PLI), published this week by AHDB.

DG Peace is the new number one, with outstanding efficiency –including Feed Advantage at 281 and Maintenance feed index of -25 –helping to secure this top spot.

With a PLI of £908, this bull moves up from sixth place, thanks to gains in already high production credentials. A predicted transmitting ability (PTA) for protein of 41.3kg is breed-leading, which is combined with 1,080kg of milk and 46.9kg of fat.

In second place, with a PLI of £873, is DG Space, one of the highest HealthyCow (HC) index bulls among the top 20 sires. This bull’s HC of £259 means the better health he will

Top 10 Holstein bulls with genomic indexes ranked on £PLI

DG Peace is number one in the genomic index ranked on £PLI.

transmit is worth, on average, £259 to each of its daughters over their lifetimes, compared with a bull with a HC of zero.

The bull earns this through excellent udder health (-22 SCC, -2 Mastitis), high daughter Fertility Index (9.3) and strong Calf Survival (2.9).

DG Dillion moves up to third position from just outside the top 20 in the last index run, earning a PLI of £868. This bull also transmits good Calf Survival (3) and has a high Lameness Advantage (2.7).

With a PLI of £865, Cogent Koepon Rocky is the final of the leading four Captain sons, also demonstrating the outstanding efficiency traits for which Captain is renowned. Rocky’s PLI is £865, Maintenance is an impressive -24 and it has an EnviroCow index of 4.5.

Peak AltaMorpheus, a son of Winstar Curfew, now ranks fifth, with a PLI of £863 and featuring a PTA fat of +0.21% and a very high daughter Lifespan Index of 159 extra days.

New blood in the rankings for spring and autumn block calvers

JWith inseminations now in full swing in spring calving herds, and autumn calving some months away, breeding decisions for block calving herds may be either made, or on the distant horizon.

As AHDB publishes the new across-breed sire rankings based on Spring and Autumn Calving Index, (£SCI and £ACI), this may be the proof run from which autumn calving producers will make their breeding decisions.

If so, they will find a new number one leading the

index, all help to increase its SCI to £597. The Holstein sire, £ACI ranking, in the shape of Genosource Captain (ACI £713), a familiar name which has led the rankings for many years and is also now the leader on PLI. Big gains in production and favourable maintenance have contributed to Captain’s improving performance.

Those still contemplating matings for spring calvings will find three familiar bulls at the top of the £SCI rankings, despite some reshuffling within the rest of the top 10.

The Jersey, VJ Groenbjerg Lobo Lobster, continues to lead. This bull’s high milk components, combined with excellent daughter fertility, lifespan and maintenance

Also climbing up the list is Aardema Pistolero (ACI £700), with last time’s number one, and a leading milk quality improver, Progenesis Wimbledon, edged into third position (ACI £689). Winstar Graziano is a new entrant in fourth position (ACI £684) and udder health specialist Westcoast River ranks fifth (ACI £682).

Progenesis Wimbledon, remains second (SCI £594), with higher milk yields and equally impressive daughter fertility and good somatic cell counts.

Third-ranking Denovo Invictus (SCI £580) is the best udder health improver in the top 10 and scores well for maintenance. And making its debut in the ranking is the high fat transmitting Holstein, Windstar Graziano (SCI £575), in fourth place.

Continues over the page...

Source: AHDB Dairy. AIS = AI Services; ALT = Alta; CBL = Cogent Breeding; GEN = Genus ABS; SMX = Semex; WWS = World Wide Sires UK. £PLI = Profitable Lifetime Index; SCC = Somatic Cell Count; LS = Lifespan; FI = Fertility Index; Feed Adv = Feed Advantage; Env Cow = EnviroCow; TM = Type Merit.

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BREEDING BULL PROOFS

Transmission of high health and efficiency are hallmarks of a new wave of leading Jersey bulls in the breed Profitable Lifetime Index (£PLI) rankings.

The new number one is the Danish-bred VJ NR Hauggaard Nibali Nibiru, which is an impressive udder health improver (-22 SCC, -2 Mastitis) and climbs six places, with a PLI of £462.

The high milk quality VJ Groenbjerg Lobo Lobster edges upwards into second place, with Predicted Transmitting Abilities (PTAs) for fat and protein of +0.37% and +0.26%, respectively.

The bull has a PLI of £431 and 137 UK daughters contributing to its production figures, also earning an outstanding daughter Fertility Index of 14.

Vikings dominate new interest among non-Holstein sires

The Ayrshire list also sees a changing of the guard with VR Venom taking over the lead, up from second place last December. This sire’s PLI now exceeds £500 for the first time and, despite an annual base change, weighs in at £513.

The long-standing VR Vilano has been edged down into second position with a PLI of £428, sharing this score with new entrant, UK-bred Whinnow Origin.

A largely unchanged Friesian list sees Bloemplaat Hoeve Ewoud retain first place with a PLI of £318.

Inch Hearty retains second place (PLI £281), now with 102 daughters, and a strong Lifespan Index

(110). This bull also has the highest Type Merit in the top five, at 1.74.

A new entrant in third spot is

Goonhilly Seb, with high protein transmission (15kg, +0.1%) helping it earn a PLI of £279.

Captain maintains lead while new graduates join proven sires

JA continued strong lead by the Holstein sire, Genosource Captain, plus two new graduates in the top 10 are features of the daughter-proven Profitable Lifetime Index (£PLI) ranking.

Captain’s PLI climbs to £874, despite the impact of the rolling base change which takes place each April, as the bull continues to excel in Predicted Transmitting Abilities (PTAs) for production, including 1,187kg milk, 49.5kg protein and 37.6kg fat.

Combining this with

outstanding Feed Advantage (289), this bull earns its stripes from close to 500 daughters milking in the UK and many more internationally. Captain’s Type Merit of 1.85 also ranks it high on the conformation lists.

Climbing a place to second is Westcoast River (PLI £778), with 329 UK milking daughters. River has one of the best HealthyCow ratings at £286, thanks to outstanding udder health (-32 SCC) and higher daughter fertility (Fertility Index 10).

Ranking even higher for

daughter fertility is third placed Aardema Pistolero, with a 12.3 FI. This bull too scores well for HealthyCow at £275 and has a PLI of £722. Both River and Pistolero are sons of Westcoast Guarantee, a former number one £PLI sire himself.

New graduate

The highest-ranking new graduate moves into fourth position in the form of Peak AltaZazzle son, Winstar Greycup. This bull’s PLI of £717 reflects a well-balanced

profile, including high fat PTAs, at 40.4kg and +0.19%.

Fifth to seventh places are occupied by three De-Su 14222 Kenobi sons, the first being FB Kenobi Targaryen, with a PLI of £710 and excellent protein transmission (36.2kg).

Marco Winters, head of animal genetics for AHDB, says: “The leading proven sires demonstrate a superb balance of traits, including those which will confer health, efficiency and high production on to their daughters.”

Newman

Source: AHDB

A VJ NR Hauggaard Nibali Nibiru daughter.

Daughter-proven Holstein bulls ranked on £PLI

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The Holstein, Ayrshire, Dairy Shorthorn and Jersey each have their breed merits and are milked as one herd on the McLean family’s Priestland Farm. Wendy Short reports.

Northern Ireland farm runs a mix of breeds

The Priestland herd is dominated by the Holstein, but there are also several Dairy Shorthorn cows, as well as 15 Ayrshires and a similar number of Jerseys among the 180-cow total, says John McLean of Priestland Farm, Bushmills, Co Antrim.

He explains the reasons behind the multiple breeds on the unit: “We admire all dairy ca le, whatever the breed, and we do quite a lot of ca le showing.

“Having spo ed some nice Jerseys at a show, we bought some to join our Holsteins and it went from there. ey have all ed in very well and they add a bit of interest and colour.

“

e coloured breeds make a useful contribution to business income. e home-bred Dairy Shorthorn and Ayrshire bulls nd a ready market with other milk producers in the region.

“ ey are sold from eight weeks old, up to about 18 months. One of our Dairy Shorthorns has gone to AI stud and has daughters in Australia.”

Cubicles

Designed for the Holstein, the cubicles readily accommodate the other breeds, he states.

“It could be imagined that the Jerseys, for example, might lie awkwardly in the larger cubicles, but in fact there are no issues at all in that regard.

“Waterbed ma resses with a foam inner layer have been used for the past decade, and they have proved to be very robust. e original purchases are still in daily use and have been a worthwhile investment.”

We admire all dairy cattle, whatever the breed, and we do quite a lot of cattle showing

JOHN McLEAN

Some 100 females are calved in autumn, with a small number calving every month of the year.

“Our breeding pa ern makes best use of the buildings and it also helps to spread the workload,” says John, who farms with his parents, Iain and Joyce.

His brother, Ma hew, is employed elsewhere, but helps out on the farm, which does not employ sta .

“Our buyer, Lakeland, pays a base price for volume and o ers bonuses for bu erfat, protein and for meeting somatic cell count and BactoCount targets, with a seasonality bonus for November and December milk production,” he says.

“We have recently signed

Dry cows and in-calf heifers on the Priestland farm, where they are fed a TMR of grass silage, wholecrop wheat and straw.

up to a sustainability bonus which will involve a yearly carbon audit, along with choosing from options including calf genomic testing.

“ e somatic cell count averaged 94 and the BactoCount averaged ve units during 2023, so we received the highest level of bonuses in these two areas.

“ is is achieved partly by

keeping the cows’ environment scrupulously clean, including cleaning the ma resses twice daily and applying fresh sawdust and cubical lime.

“ e lime is very e ective at killing o harmful bugs and is not harsh on the teats.”

e cows bene t from rumination monitoring technology and are fed total mixed ration com-

prising grass silage, wholecrop wheat and straw. e milking herd is currently run as one.

“Concentrate feed is not o ered in the parlour and the simple diet means it is very important that we achieve high quality for all four silage cuts,” says John.

“First and second cut came in at 12.8 MJ/kg/DM last year, with a dry ma er of 32.9%.

“ e straw is included at 0.3kg/head and is a recent addition to improve digestibility.

“We may be missing out on reaching individual yield potentials through the high yielders being slightly low on feed intakes and the low yielders marginally overeating.

“ is summer, the low yielders will probably be grazed to allow

John Mclean and dad Iain, who run the farm with mum Joyce.

The coloured breeds make a useful contribution to business income, says John McLean.

for a more targeted feeding programme.”

e herd has been closed due to bovine TB since September 2023, but it is hoped that the next test will prove negative.

Once the restrictions have been li ed, the sale of surplus breeding stock will resume.

Sexed semen is used for replacement breeding, with AI bulls sourced mainly from the USA and Canada for the Holsteins, which were graded up in the 1990s.

John says: “Heat detection collars were introduced last summer and we generally have good results with the sexed semen.

“ e lower end of the herd goes to an Aberdeen-Angus or British Blue bull. A younger

calving age is preferred and some of the heifers will calve at 21 months. e Jerseys must be calved at a young age or they will they put on too much condition, with a negative e ect on yield.

“Heifers are evaluated by eye before being inseminated, to make sure that they are su ciently well grown.”

Unlike some other herds, John says they do not prioritise ease of calving.

He says: “In our experience, the rst generation will calve easily, but their calves are likely to be smaller and may run into di culties when they themselves calve down.

“Instead, we prefer to select for width, right from the muzzle and front end and through to the ribs

Farm facts

rThe milking herd is fully housed and yields an average 9,500kg, with individual breed average figures of 10,100kg (Holstein); 9,500kg (Ayrshire); 8,500kg (Dairy Shorthorn) and 6,500kg (Jersey)

rThe rolling averages for butterfat and protein are 4.2% and 3.3% respectively

rBaby calves are fed manually in individual pens, before going into larger groups at three weeks old

and rump. Calving problems are extremely rare.”

Young calves are managed with reference to their size in the early stages.

“Young Jersey and Dairy Shorthorn calves may remain in groups of similar size rather than age, due to their lighter bodyweights, but they are served according to their ages as maiden heifers, to maintain the calving pa ern.”

e family has a keen interest in ca le showing and John travelled widely as a professional livestock er, before returning to work on the family unit.

Reserve

He says: “ e breeds are shown under our Priestland pre x, with the exception of our ‘Bushmills’ Dairy Shorthorns.

“ e Holsteins have taken a couple of reserve breed championships at the Royal Ulster Winter Fair and a championship award at Balmoral Show, while the Dairy Shorthorns and Ayrshires have won a number of championships at both events.

“Our Ayrshire, Priestland Hail Sierra Lily, recently won the breed society’s online photographic competition in her class for the second consecutive year.”

e four breeds ‘do very well as a group’, he says.

rCalves are weaned at two-and-a-half to three months, starting on hay and moving on to grass silage and concentrate feed

rYoungstock are usually turned out from the end of April until October

“ e Jerseys can be a li le stubborn, but they are not short in con dence and will hold their own among the larger breeds.

“ ey have to be closely monitored, to make sure they do not exceed their target condition scores.”

One of the family’s major concerns is the trend in some countries towards encouraging a reduction in dairy cow numbers.

“A decrease in cow numbers is under discussion, but the introduction of new rules could lead to a rise in milk imports, which would incur transport costs and an increase in food miles.

“As one of the smaller countries, Northern Ireland has been proactive at tackling climate change. Bringing in food from elsewhere, when it could be produced at home from mainly grass-fed cows, does not seem like a sustainable solution.

“As a family, we feel that enforcing a cut in herd numbers would be a mistake,” says John.

Young Jersey calves remain in groups of similar size rather than age, due to their lighter bodyweights.

Sexed semen is used for replacement breeding.

Spring weather has so far been extremely challenging, so here we take a look at how to manage grassland and grazing in far from ideal conditions.

Once conditions dry out, many farmers will start to think about overseeding their pastures to improve grassland, but what needs to be done to achieve the best result? Dairy Farmer reports.

Successful spring overseeding in grassland requires careful planning, a ention to detail, and a commitment to ongoing management, as well as the appropriate equipment, says Simon Weaving, of Weaving Machinery.

As well as the traditional method of turning old pastures or stubble, over-stitching can also be used to revitalise old pastures, which helps introduce high-quality forage varieties, improve nutrient content and palatability for livestock, as well as improving yield.

Mr Weaving says: “Overseeding with a direct disc drill is now practiced more widely than ever.

“Whether a farmer is looking to employ regenerative farming practices to build soil health, improve soil structure and increase soil biology, or simply looking to minimise costs, they should consider direct drilling.

Carbon

“ is method reduces establishment costs, is less weather reliant and minimises fuel consumption, as well as reducing the amount of carbon released from the soil into the atmosphere.”

Mr Weaving says direct drilling is the ‘most reliable method’ where penetration of the existing sward is necessary and with a channel created in the process, there is improved seed to soil contact at the desired depth.

He says: “ is contact enhances seed germination rates and establishment, leading to a more uniform and even ley, while the precision helps maximise the

Overseeding tired pastures

establishment of grass cover and minimises seed wastage.

“Competition from the existing sward can be challenging when stitching into existing pastures, so it can be useful to graze grass tight before stitching new seed in.”

Mr Weaving also says restitching can help suppress weed growth and control pest populations in pastures.

“Competitive grass species can outcompete weeds for resources such as sunlight, water, and nutrients, reducing the need for chemical inputs.”

Stitching-in new seed should be timed to minimise the yield loss associated with taking an area of land out of grass production.

It also needs to be timed in line with silage production and be

practical for the removal of stock from these elds.

“With a shorter window for soil to se le before stock returns to grassland, using a direct disc drill could be the most e ective way of establishing a new ley while minimising soil disturbance as opposed to a conventional drill,” says Mr Weaving.

Direct disc drilling can also prove useful when establishing a break crop, such as stubble turnips or kale, which can be used to avoid a grass-to-grass reseed.

“Using a break crop in this way can help to break any pest and disease cycles and provides additional organic ma er if used appropriately. Consideration must also be taken to ensure this method is

as economical as possible,” he says.

Choosing the right drill for overseeding is critical, he says.

“At Weaving, we manufacture the Fenix drill in a three-metre working width, mounted format and depending on whether you are more arable or grassland focused – we can o er 24-row or 32-row models.”

is close spacing drill with its compact modern design is suited to reseeding degraded grassland or stitching into stubbles, leys and burnt-o ground.

Alternatively, it can be used for cover crops, forage crops, cereals or legumes.

rFor more on rejuvenating leys and tips for a successful reseed, see page 40.

Direct disc drilling can help rejuvenate grassland.

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Unseasonal weather can make it difficult for farmers to manage grass growth, but what can farmers do to utilise grazing when conditions are far from ideal. Ellie Layton reports.

Pasture management provides profit power

There is a strong link between grass utilisation and pro t, with most successful farms achieving 80 to 85% grass utilisation, said Dr Noel Gowen of Grasstec, speaking at a Farming Connect event held at Andrew Giles’ Maesllwch Home Farm, Glasbury, Powys.

Dr Gowen said that while many farmers were achieving their ambition of growing more grass, e ectively using that grass could be the main stumbling block, particularly when faced with di cult weather conditions.

Maximise

However, he advised farmers to maximise grass intakes by allowing cows to graze whenever possible if ‘ground conditions are good enough’, even if this only meant grazing took place for a few hours a day.

Dr Gowen said: “Increasing utilisation from six tonnes per

A wet spring has meant grazing has so far been a challenge this year.

hectare to seven per ha will increase net pro t by more than £200/ha.

“For a 100ha farm that is in excess of £25,000 more net pro t a year.”

Grazing infrastructure, including cow tracks and water

systems, all needed consideration to help facilitate utilisation throughout the year, and Dr Gowen encouraged farmers to target a daily grass intake of 16-17kg dry ma er (DM)/cow at every opportunity.

And despite the excessive rain, Dr Gowen said the mild winter meant there was a good supply of grass on many livestock farms.

He said: “Grass grazed in the rst rotation is the cheapest feed of all and can cost as li le as £20/t DM.

“But if it is not utilised because cows are not turned out early enough, then the opportunity for cheap feed is lost and there will be a knockon e ect with feed quality and yields, with subsequent rotations being poorer.

Dr Gowen said: “In an ideal scenario, the aim is to have high opening covers and then budget for a controlled reduction down to about 1,900kg/DM/ha until the crossover period, where growth becomes higher than demand.

“From that point onwards surpluses will start to build.

“A grass budget helps you decide how many cows you can turn out and when, and you also need weekly measurements to determine your level of cover.

Dr Gowen said with some careful planning, spring grazing this year could be managed to ensure improved utilisation of grass throughout the season.

“Once cows go out, utilisation of grass goes up, feed costs drop and you are se ing up the sward well for the second rotation.”

Dr Gowen’s grazing rules

rGraze down to a low residual height of 3.5cm-4.5cm to suppress the production of seed heads and stemmy tillers which are lower in feed value, leading to reduced DM intake and subsequently reduced cow performance

rGraze off paddocks quickly before stock eat the regrowth

rGrass uses energy in its roots to grow new leaves, but if the regrowth is taken off there will be no energy store and growth will be stunted

rPaddock size and grazing hours will help control this

rRest paddocks between grazing to allow tillers to recover to the three-leaf stage

rRotation length should be between 30-60 days in spring, 18-22 days in summer and 30-45 days in autumn

rMeasure grass covers; if covers are too high, above 3,500kg DM/ha, light will not reach the base of the sward, prompting slower regrowth and it will be harder to graze down to 4cm; if covers are too low, less than 2,500kg DM/ha, cows have to work harder to achieve their intakes

In the field Andrew Giles, Maesllwch

JGrass is a key driver for profit for Andrew Giles and his team who run 550 spring-calving New Zealand Friesian cows over three units.

Speaking at the Farming Connect event, Mr Giles said: “Years ago, I visited New Zealand and the way they utilise grass really opened my eyes. Grass is a key driver of profit in our business, so without fail we measure grass every week and input the data on Agrinet to provide an accurate picture of grass covers and growth.

“This data is discussed at a team meeting with the herd manager and assistant managers and used for long and short-term grazing strategies.”

In a usual year, Maesllwch is a dry farm, with an average rainfall of 860mm a year. However, with careful management, the team achieves average grass growth of 13t DM/ha. When growth falls below the average of what Mr Giles expects for the specific time of year, one of the first changes he makes is to extend the length of the

grazing round. He said that if the weather forecast pointed to a dry spell, concentrate feeding would be increased and silage fed in the paddock on top of a fresh grazing break to adjust grass demand.

Mr Giles said decision making was based on data from grass growth measurements to ensure that the herd is presented with high quality grass every day of the grazing season.

Maesllwch, like farms across the UK, has been dealing with an exceptionally wet spring, but by monitoring grass growth and weather forecasts Mr Giles said whenever possible they had been able to graze for a few hours a day since February.

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Despite the increasing prominence of automated milking systems on dairy farms in the UK, some dairy farmers are opposed to housing cows all year round. However, Ross Johnson shows how to combine the technology with traditional grazing. Dairy Farmer reports.

Combining grazing with milking robots

When moving from a swingover parlour to three robots in 2021, Ross Johnson says his aim was always to keep cows out grazing, as well as taking advantage of the benefits offered by automated milking.

Ross, who farms with his father Colin and uncle Robin, at Low Whinholme Farm, Northallerton, Yorkshire, is milking 130 cows with three DeLaval VMS robots alongside a three-way grazing system.

He says: “Robots have given me the opportunity to experiment with our farming system by automating milking and providing data to help me concentrate on making the most of our forage.”

He confesses that when he was offered the opportunity to go into the family partnership, he did so on the proviso that robots would do the milking.

Respect

“We had nobody else to milk, my uncle was doing it all, and I did not want that life. However, I also had a great deal of appreciation and respect for the farming system he and my father had built, so I wanted to find a hybrid model,” he says.

The farm grows good grass, with spring protein content around 22%, providing yields of 25 litres per cow per day (8,000 litres per cow per year). Ross describes the crossbred cows as smaller and hardier than the typical Holstein chosen for robot milking.

“They suit grazing and provide a

good yield with low inputs,” he adds.

And this is where the system becomes both interesting and complicated.

Ross says the robots were a significant investment and one they will have to work hard to realise the benefit from. However, he has the time and the data to make the adjustments needed to reach his goals.

“I could have just carried on farming in the same way, but the robots were the catalyst to push for better yields and optimise our system. I am learning to get more out of the robots by how I separate the herd.”

With the robots separated over two sheds, he has allocated one to his high yielding cows and two for the remainder of the herd.

The higher yielding cows are housed for about 150 days of lactation. Following this, cows move to the second barn and the three-way A, B, C grazing system.

Ross says: “We want to maximise

milk yield during early lactation and, thankfully, we have the silage to do it. However, it is also good for the cows to be out and we think it is important to provide a balance between milking and welfare.”

This approach has seen improvements in cow health, with very few foot problems, a SCC count hovering around 100 and hardly any mastitis cases.

The grazing system sees cows have free access to the robots and pasture. Most cows, following a visit to the robot in the morning, go out to pasture A and return for a second milking before moving to pasture B.

Rather than have a third pasture area, Mr Johnson has chosen to buffer feed in C. This, he believes, is driving yields while enabling the cows to spend more time outside.

“We have to drive yields because the robots are a significant investment and overhead for the farm.

“We have the silage, so I see it

as a hybrid arrangement that gives the cows more time outside and the farm more milk,” he says.

“Running three robots and having a 20-litre average per cow per day does not work, I knew we needed more milk to make this system work, but I did not want to increase our other overheads to achieve this.”

He explains that, before the robots, there would be no need to run a diet feeder in the spring and early summer because the cows were out. Having some cows in means there is more work, but it is still a fraction compared to feeding the whole herd all year.

“Keeping high yielding cows in for early lactation and the grazing system with buffer feeding in our C area is easy to manage and it is yielding 15% more milk and rising.

“However, we have noticed mid lactation cows dropping off when they go out, so the next challenge is managing their diet,” he adds.

Ross Johnson uses data from his milking robots to hone his grazing system.

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.

What makes a good silage?

Achieving a high quality silage requires attention to detail, timeliness and preparation, according to Dr David Davies, an independent silage expert.

He says: “Cutting grass early, when it is leafy and before any stem emerges is vital for consistency in the clamp.

“Farmers opting for a traditional cutting date will end up with a variable crop with some stemmy and some leafier grass. Concerns about leafier crops having insufficient fibre content are misplaced because higher quality silage encourages improved intakes and cows obtain their fibre by eating more grass.

“A good nutritionist who understands the value of quality forage will be able to put together a ration with the correct additional fibre.”

Creating the right conditions for fermentation is crucial, Dr Davies adds, pointing to the importance of creating desirable end products.

He says: “The fermentation process should result in a minimum of five parts lactic acid and one part acetic acid.

What makes a good silage?

● Dry matter of 30-32%

● Target D value of 75%

● Metabolisable energy of 12MJ

● Crude protein of 17%

● NDF content below 43%

“A lactic acid-dominated fermentation means improved intakes, higher levels of true protein and lower urinary output of nitrogen. Higher lactic acid levels give rise to lower levels of volatile fatty acids [VFAs] and protein breakdown products. Acetic acid levels result in higher dry matter [DM] losses and increased undegradable fibre, leading to poorer digestibility and lost sugar.

“The sugar content of early silage cuts is lower because sugar accumulates during grass growth, so achieving a good fermentation is more challenging.

“Protein levels are higher, so this necessitates a rapid drop in pH to drive the correct fermentation process.

Additive

Creating the right conditions for fermentation is crucial, says Dr David Davies.

and worst performing varieties on the recommended list.

proportion of the cow’s energy and protein requirements.”

“It is important to use the right additive with a minimum of one million homofermentative bacteria, such as L. plantarum. Without a good additive, increased buffering and a slower decline in pH results in more protein breakdown products and undesirable VFAs.

“This reduces palatability and intakes and cows will produce urine with a higher urea content.”

A sure way of improving silage quality is to reseed fields where yields and quality have declined.

John Spence, forage crops product manager at Limagrain UK, says choice of mixture is critical.

He says: “Choosing a mixture designed for cutting and forage quality is key. There are significant differences between the best

“Limagrain tests the yield and quality of individual varieties across the cutting season for three or four years. Using data from these trials, mixtures are developed to achieve agronomically and offer superior yield and quality.

“The results from Limagrain trials show LG Multicut, a dual-purpose mixture designed for multicut systems, outyielded a similar control mix by four tonnes of DM per hectare over the four-year period.

“Digestible fibre [dNDF] for LG Multicut was on average 3.2% higher than the control. Each percentage increase in dNDF is equivalent to 0.25kg/cow/day of milk production, so a 3.2% increase equates to 240kg/cow/year based on 300 milking days.

“Reseeding delivers greater consistency in quality in the clamp, resulting in higher quality forage providing a greater

Peter Smith, silage expert at Volac, supports regular reseeding to enhance the nutritional value of the grass but highlights challenges with new leys.

He says: “Grass growth in newly established swards is lush so can be more difficult to wilt. The protein content is higher so fermentation can be more difficult.

“Contamination with soil is a risk so it is better to cut slightly higher to avoid this. This will encourage grass to tiller higher up the stem, so to counteract this the grass should be cut or grazed down to the base before winter to ensure it tillers lower the following spring. These issues point to the importance of using the right additive, as after investing in a new ley it is important to make the most of it.”

When establishing new clover leys, weed control can be a challenge in the first year. Dairy Farmer looks

Controlling weeds in clover leys for optimal forage quality

Well-managed grass, whether for grazing or silage, is one of the most cost-e ective and productive feed sources for dairy herds in the UK.

With more producers looking to include clover in their leys, for both its nitrogen xing properties and nutritional value, advice on how to manage weeds in these leys is useful.

Simon Francis, commercial technical manager at FMC, says that in the past few years there have not been any chemical options for producers to e ectively control weeds in newly-established clover leys.

“As there were not any ‘clover safe’ herbicides available on the market for newly sown leys, many farmers a empted to stitch in clover a er the rst year, allowing weeds to be controlled in the rst year with non-clover safe herbicides,” he says.

“However, stitching clover into an already established ley is di cult to achieve and its expensive, plus

there is a long period when you are not ge ing the bene ts from the legume.”

Mr Francis explains that the recent re-introduction of a popular clover safe option in grassland herbicides, together with understanding weed burdens and cultural control methods, means clover ley establishment can be much easier than it has been.

Mr Francis explains that newly sown clover leys are more susceptible to annual weeds.

“Because you are moving the soil, o en on land that has not been disturbed in several years, annual weeds will germinate and can quickly take over,” he says.

Chickweed

“

ese weeds, particularly chickweed and charlock, are quick to grow and will compete very aggressively with young grass and the slower establishing clover.

“Chickweed, for example, forms a large mat which can smother grass crops. At best this can leave the new ley patchy and uneven, at worst can smother the entire eld.”

He explains that perennial weeds,

such as docks and thistles, will also start to germinate but will not be an immediate threat.

“Annual weeds are the main concern in recently sown leys but perennial weeds will also start to get a foothold if not controlled early.

“Docks, for example, are a highly competitive weed with big leaves that compete strongly for moisture and nutrients and smother the grass,” he says.

According to the AHDB, dock seeds can remain viable in the soil pro le for up to 25 years and germinate rapidly a er soil disturbance.

Because they have a deep penetrating tap root, they can be extremely hardy and, as a result, very hard to remove once they have a foothold.

Adult plants also produce up to 60,000 seeds per year, so ge ing them under control before they mature is extremely important.

“Docks are palatable to animals but have reduced nutritional value, up to 50% less than grass, so e ectively if docks makeup the forage you are losing up to 50% of the potential output value,” Mr Francis adds.

“Other pernicious weeds can be a problem.

“Ne les and thistles are unpalatable to grazing animals, so spread in the eld, reducing the area for grazing. ey also reduce the palatability of silage or hay cut from the ley, so if you end up with a high population of these weeds there will be a loss of production.

“As they are not palatable, they will not be grazed and will spread even further. is is why it is important to nip them in the bud early.”

Simon Francis

More producers are looking to include clover in leys, due to its nitrogen fixing properties and nutritional value.

Steps to follow when reducing weed presence

JTo reduce the presence of weeds in grass, it is important to follow an integrated approach, says Mr Francis.

When looking to reseed or sow a new clover ley, he recommends starting with a clean and well-prepared seedbed to help reduce any competition from weeds.

Using deeper cultivations when reseeding can also help control perennial weeds.

For controlling annual weeds in the first year of a clover/grass ley, Mr Francis recommends using a cloversafe herbicide when the weeds are small but actively growing.

“We have the re-introduction of Triad SX, which will be familiar to growers, that is ‘clover safe’ and can be used from three leaves of the grass and once clover has reached

three trifoliate leaves,” he says.

“It has strong activity against a broad spectrum of annual weeds, particularly chickweed.

“It can be used from March to October, so is perfect for use on newly sown leys.”

Although annual weeds are the focus of this application, Mr Francis explains this product can also help knock perennial weeds.

Thistles

“It has more limited but still useful activity against perennial weeds, such as docks and thistles,” he adds.

“This means producers will come out of the first year with a much-reduced burden and weeds which are much less viable than they would have been.

“This all makes them easier

to control in the second and following years when there are more herbicide options available.”

Producers are only permitted one application per crop per year, so it is important to get this timing right.

If weeds are still an issue after the first year, Mr Francis recommends following up with applications of other ‘clover safe’ products which can be used in more established leys and also utilising cultural controls.

With docks, for example, consider spot spraying or hand rouging plants in the second year.

“Clover leys can be a challenge to get going, but the benefits in terms of nitrogen fixation and nutritional value outweigh the effort,” he says.

Red clover is often presented as a good option for increasing grassland production, but it can be difficult to grow. Richard Halleron reports.

Red clover drives grassland productivity

The last 12 months have seen red clover pro led as the go-to option for Irish dairy farmers when it comes to upping grassland output while, at the same time, reducing the levels of applied nitrogen to zero.

e issue was discussed at a recent ZeroNSile webinar, hosted by AgriSearch in Northern Ireland, where the main speaker Dr David Pa erson, a grassland agronomist at the Agri-Food and Biosciences’ Institute (AFBI), said red clover could x up to 200kg of nitrogen per hectare (81kg N/acre) from the air on an annual basis.

Red clover trials

JAlso speaking in the webinar, Agrisearch general manager Jason Rankin highlighted the key role that high quality silages play within all ruminant production systems, adding recent years had seen rising costs and greater volatility, where the price of chemical fertilisers was concerned.

“Fertiliser use accounts for approximately 20% of greenhouse gas production on farms across the UK and Ireland,” he said.

He said: “Crops have the potential to produce up to 15 tonnes of dry ma er/ha.

“High animal intakes and comparable levels of animal performance can be achieved while the growth pro le of red clover will act to improve soil structure.

Cuts

“ is level of clover output is achieved on the back of up to four silage cuts in the same season.”

But it is not all plain sailing where this unique legume is concerned said Dr Pa erson.

“ e downsides associated with

Sowing red clover can help reduce levels of applied nitrogen to zero.

red clover include its lack of persistency,” he added.

“It can be di cult to ensile, crops are problematic from a grazing perspective and a four-year break is needed between crops of red clover that are established in the same eld.

“Four years is the optimal period over which a red clover sward will

deliver productive yields. A er that it is a case of moving on to new ground.

“Crops of the legume can also be predisposed to clover rot and stem eel worm, hence the requirement for a four-year break when it comes to establishing red clover in the same location.”

“Significantly, trials carried out by Agri-Food and Biosciences’ Institute scientists have confirmed red cloverbased swards can deliver high yields and equally high levels of protein without the use of chemical nitrogen.

“As a consequence, farmers growing silage swards containing significant quantities of red clover need only add the required levels of potash and phosphate to ensure high levels of productivity. However, there

has been a low uptake of this production option up to now.”

Mr Rankin said another attraction of red clover was the fact that its protein content is of an exceptionally high quality.

He said this should allow dairy farmers in particular to reduce the levels of additional protein they offer their cows in the form of concentrate feeds.

However, he also acknowledged red clover can be a complicated crop to grow.

“Soil pH, phosphate and

potash levels must be correct in order to optimise crop growth,” he said.

“Red clover grows from a single point within the plant. If this crown is damaged, issues relating to persistency within a silage sward will arise.”

The ZeroNSile project has seen red clover swards established on 11 farms over the last year. Mr Rankin said 2024 would be the first year in which intensive monitoring of the swards will take place.

Red clover sward management

JWeed control in newly established red clover swards can be tricky said Dr Patterson, who explained there was a real limitation on the suitability of post-emergence herbicides.

He reminded growers that any product used must be red clover safe. Assuming an effective post-emergent

herbicide becomes available in 2024, it should be used six to eight weeks after the new crop has been sown, he said.

“The majority of the clover plants must be at the trifoliate leaf stage with docks at a small enough size to be dealt with efficiently,” he said.

“Spraying too early will kill

Establishment of a new sward

JDr Patterson said all previous vegetation in a field must be killed off with a herbicide prior to establishment of a new red clover sward.

“This is the only way the new crop will get the chance it requires,” he said.

“After that, any traditional cultivation system can be used.

“The objective is to create

a fine, firm seed bed. Growers should aim for a table-top finish.

“Stale seed beds are an option as a means of reducing weed numbers once the new sward is sown out.

“Red clover is not really suited to over seeding-based establishment systems.

“Rolling prior to and after planting is advised with red

clover seedlings, but spraying too late means the canopy has closed over and, as a result, a high percentage of the target weeds have protection.”

Where the management of chickweed is concerned, Dr Patterson said effective control could be secured by grazing newly established

swards with sheep or calves for a short period of time.

“Spot spraying of weeds is also feasible in certain circumstances,” he said.

“Another option is to take a very early cut of silage, which will remove a lot of the competition pressure caused by the likes of chickweed.”

clover swards. Seeds should be placed between 5-10mm deep.

“It is important for them to stay in or around the surface of the soil. Red clover seeds are three times the size of those produced by white clover.”

Dr Patterson said red clover swards were best established when soil temperatures were around 8degC. This takes in the

period late April to early June.

The advised seeding rate is 6kg/acre for stands of pure red clover, or 9kg of a companion grass and 4kg of red clover when a mixed swards is required.

The optimal soil pH value for red clover establishment is 6.5.

Only phosphate and potash fertilisers are required at time of sowing.

Your climate smart partner

The wet conditions through winter and early spring have caused further damage to already hard-hit grassland and delayed reseed plans for many, but there are still many options for rejuvenating swards in 2024. Dairy Farmer reports.

How to rejuvenate tired and winter-worn grassland

One of the most important jobs for milk producers this spring is to assess which underperforming elds need to be reseeded or overseeded during the year and to make a plan as to when the best time to do this is, says Agrii national grass, roots and environmental seeds product manager Adam Simper.

He says: “Persevering with an existing sward which is winter-damaged or now full of weed grasses is always a false economy, with both yield and quality likely to be reduced.

“Timings might not be ideal, but this is a year where some dicult decisions need to be taken and compromises made.

“A full reseed will not only boost overall yield, but improvements in D-value, metabolisable energy, protein and sugar content will help maximise milk yields and deliver be er returns from grazing and forage.”

ree key areas will be particularly important this season, he says.

“Firstly, it is important to ensure old swards are successfully killed o with a glyphosate-based prod-

uct before preparation of the seedbed begins.

“Next on the list is to think about nutrition requirements. e high levels of rainfall will have potentially washed key nutrients from the soil and mineralisation of nitrogen is likely to have been low to date.

“It is therefore important to sample the elds to determine pH, P, K and Mg indices. Walk in a ‘W’ around the eld, taking soil samples to a depth of 15cm if ploughing, or 7.5cm if only cultivating the surface.

“Any problems seen will then need addressing with lime and an appropriate fertiliser regime.

“Finally, seedbeds will also need careful preparation following the challenging conditions with the aim of preparing a rm, ne seedbed, making sure ring rolling is carried out a er drilling to maximise seed to soil contact.”

Mr Simper says another important factor is to make sure the right grass seed mixture is chosen based on its intended end use and individual growing conditions.

Breeding advances

He says: “Select mixtures with a high proportion of new grass and clover varieties which have recently been added to the Grass and Clover Recommended List in order to maximise advances in breeding programmes and help increase on-farm pro tability from home-grown forage.

“Our approach is to pick the best varieties from a range of breeders to capitalise on individual characteristics, such as cu ing and grazing yields, D-value, ground cover scores, disease resistance and seasonal growth.

“It is also important to choose

a no clover mixture if signi cant weed problems are expected.

“You can always introduce clover at a later date once a herbicide has been applied to the sward.”

Once established, suitability for grazing can be monitored by pulling gently at the grass blades between thumb and nger, says Mr Simper.

He says: “If the root system is pulled out, the plant is not ready to be grazed. If the roots stay in the ground and the grass blades rip o , graze periodically from 8-12cm down to 4-6cm.

Tillering

“ is will encourage the plant to tiller out and help achieve a dense leafy sward. Gentle rst grazings also allow sunlight to reach and stimulate the grass tiller buds and the clover’s growing points.”

Overseeding can be an option in some cases, he says, as it is a simple but e ective way to rejuvenate old or damaged grass leys at a lower cost than a full reseed.

“Overseeding can also be more e cient and reduce the amount of time home-grown grass forage is out of production.

“Timing is key, with the main aim being to minimise competition from the existing sward. Overseeding can take place up until the end of April, but later summer is also a good option as grasses are not growing as vigorously as in May or June.

“Careful consideration also needs to be given when choosing where to overseed, an open sward is needed, as a thick old sward will be very hard to open out to allow the seeds to reach the soil so then a full reseed may be a be er option.”

Adam Simper

A full reseed will deliver better returns from grazing and forage, says Adam Simper.

AWARDS NOW OPEN FOR ENTRIES

The British Farming Awards is back for 2024 and open for entries and nominations. The aim is to shine a light on the phenomenal work taking place across the industry and the driving forces behind it.

Now in its 12th year, the event is supported by Morrisons and will celebrate the diversity and resilience of UK farmers and their businesses.

Alongside core farming sectors – arable, beef, dairy and sheep – the awards, run by Dairy Farmer’s parent company Agriconnect, also recognise the importance of sustainable farming practices, innovations within agritech and those who have diversified successfully.

Crucially, the awards champion the role of family farms, new entrants and agricultural students – all of which are vital to the future of the industry.

Positive changes

The British Farming Awards welcomes nominations of businesses which have introduced positive changes, streamlined production and efficiency and adapted structures to tackle ongoing challenges presented by policy, legislation, the environment and volatile global commodity markets.

Sophie Throup, head of agriculture, fisheries and sustainable sourcing at Morrisons, says: “As long-term supporters of British farming, we want to thank farmers across the country for all the work they continue to do.

“That is why we are pleased to once again be supporting the British Farming Awards, recognising the effort, skills, care and innovation British farmers put into making and providing the food we all enjoy so much.”

THE British Farming Awards

celebrate all those people who make our sector what it is today. There is clearly no shortage of talent, dedication and enthusiasm, and through the awards we aim to recognise farmers achievements.

As well as providing an opportunity to celebrate among peers, these awards also highlight the sheer commitment and drive of our farming community and shines a light on the often unsung heroes who make the

NEW AWARDS FOR 2024

XThe British Farming Awards is launching two new awards for 2024 – Agricultural Influencer of the Year and Agricultural Employer of the Year.

The introduction of social media influencers in farming is booming, with more and more farmers recognising the benefits of multimedia platforms.

The British Farming Awards

WORD FROM THE EDITOR

industry tick. As with any busy job, it is difficult to appreciate how far you have come until you take a step back. But the British Farming Awards are a chance to do just that.

Many of our previous entrants credited the application process as offering a chance to reflect and think objectively about their business or product and what a successful future looks like.

As agriculture continues to go through major change, events such as the British Farming Awards

aims to champion an influencer within the industry who is using digital mediums to raise the profile of farming, educate wider non-farming audiences on the challenges they face daily and the many triumphs British agriculture has to shout about.

The new Agricultural Employer of the Year award looks to celebrate

FARMERS GUARDIAN FARMING HERO

X The Farmers Guardian Farming Hero, sponsored by Eternit, is a prestigious award designed to recognise one individual’s dedication to the farming industry.

The award is given to a member of the agricultural

industry who has worked tirelessly for UK farming, either through delivering innovation, championing the needs for fellow farmers, spearheading change and/or promoting the industry to the wider public.

You can nominate someone you

are more important than ever to shout about all the benefits farming provides, from shaping and preserving landscapes and habitats, to ensuring quality food is a mainstay on the nation’s plates.

KATIE JONES Editor of Dairy Farmer

an agricultural organisation which goes the extra mile to support not only its employees, but also the community in which it operates.

Talent

The organisation will be actively attracting new talent into the industry and investing in developing its employees.

feel is working tirelessly for UK farming. They will not be notified that they have been nominated unless they are chosen as the winner of the award. This award is chosen by the British Farming Awards team and announced during the awards night.

Sponsored by

It feels wonderful to have an award from farmers, as we are farmers at heart and it is all we have ever wanted to do

Robert Nicholson

Cannon Hall Farm, South Yorkshire

Winner of last year’s Farmers Guardian Farming Hero

There are a lot of misconceptions about the industry in the wider public, so to show what we really do and the truth behind farming is really important

Holly Atkinson

Carswell Farm, South Devon

Winner of last year’s Farm Worker of the Year award

It is exciting and inspiring to see the energy in the room and so many farmers doing amazing things. Everyone here is so passionate

Alex Crawley

Grazing Management, Gloucestershire

Winner of last year’s New Entrant: Against All Odds award

JUNE 21

Entries close

AUGUST 1

Shortlist announced

AUGUST 15

Judging and interviews take place

OCTOBER 17

Awards night KEY

The Nicholson family (left to right): Richard, Roger, David and Rob.

Moving through the year, attention will soon turn to issues around heat stress, fly control and managing lameness when changes to management occur.

46

Reducing heat stress impacts

Changing weather patterns and rising temperatures in the UK mean it is important to look at strategies to combat heat stress in dairy herds.

Over the past 60 years, the average UK temperature has risen by 0.8degC. This comes alongside a change in weather patterns, which has meant we are also experiencing hotter and drier summers.

The years 2022 and 2023 both saw temperatures in the UK reach well above 30degC, and with global temperatures set to rise, heat stress will undoubtedly be more problematic for dairy farmers – and

for longer periods of the year than previously experienced.

Scott Gearon, Galebreaker’s ventilation engineer, says it is possible to mitigate the impacts of heat stress and protect herd productivity through proper ventilation.

Improving farm buildings to reduce heat stress

JThe structure of livestock buildings significantly affects how well they ventilate throughout the year.

Mr Gearon says that most farm buildings in the UK are constructed to keep the rain off and poor weather out, rather than allowing fresh air in, meaning many are poorly ventilated.

He says: “The smell of ammonia or damp means there is not enough airflow to push out the gases. This can also have a negative effect on cow respiratory health.

“When you start to see rust on purlins and fixings or mould on timber, you know you have areas of damp, humid air, which is another sign of poor ventilation.”

He advises farmers to use smoke bombs to highlight

problem areas: “In summer, an effective cattle housing ventilation system should refresh the air at least 60 times per hour, clearing smoke in less than a minute.

“I would also recommend buying a sensor to continuously monitor the temperature and humidity. This will give you a much more reliable indicator of heat stress risk.”

Windspeed

In the UK, the prevailing windspeed is about one metre per second, which means there is likely to be enough wind to allow for natural ventilation to remove excess heat, as well as dust and gases such as ammonia.

Mr Gearon says there are cost-effective options to improve air quality without resorting to fans.

He says: “One of the most

As the warm air escapes, it creates a vacuum effect

SCOTT GEARON

A recent project run by Galebreaker and Smartbell found that high yielding cows in peak lactation were most at risk of heat stress, and when not cooled with mechanical ventilation, suffered significant losses in milk production.

The Animal Centred Controlled Environment for

effective ways to increase airflow is to install an outlet at the apex of the building, where warm and humid air naturally rises.

“As the warm air escapes, it creates a vacuum effect, helping to draw in fresh air through the open sides of the building. If you are looking for a more technical approach, Galebreaker’s VVS side curtains continually monitor the temperature, wind speed and direction, and will open and close automatically to make full use of natural airflow while still providing protection from adverse weather.

Mr Gearon also says that grants for these items are now available from the Government as part of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, through the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund.

Dairy project, funded by Innovate UK, assessed two farms in Devon and Monmouthshire during the 2023 September heatwave. The trial used Smartbell eartag technology, temperature and humidity sensors, and CCTV to measure cow behaviour during this heat event.

The results showed that in the housed environment with minimal ventilation, each cow lost an average of 50 litres of milk over a four-week period.

Air flow

However, improving air flow with ventilation systems increased the cows’ ability to cope with heat stress.

Cows housed in a cubicle shed with a positive pressure ventilation tube were able to ‘last longer’ before there was a drop in feeding time and milk yield.

Key findings

JOn the hottest days of the study, time spent feeding was down by 95% in cows not using cooling mechanisms.

For the cows not cooled by the positive pressure ventilation tube, daily milk yields took 20 days to return to normal after a heat event.

Cows which were cooled were found to return to normal within two days.

Lying times of the cows not being cooled during the heat event were severely affected and they continued to bunch for days after the heat event. This resulted in an increase in lameness within the herd.

Milk fatty acid profiling is another tool for tackling health and welfare issues at herd level and for individual cows. Wendy Short reports.

Importance of milk fatty acid profiling

Milk recording systems contain information on milk fa y acids at an individual and herd level, but they are not o en used to help with management decisions.

However, ca le nutritionist Andrew Jones says the data can be used as a tool for making dietary recommendations.

Mr Jones explains that bu erfat is made up of molecules of varying chain lengths, each of which has been allocated a marker.

Milk fa y acid (MFA) pro ling focuses on the gures accompanying these markers, although they will only give an indication of a potential problem.

eir main role is to provide a focus for further investigation.

“A wide range of information can be derived from interpreting MFA data,” says Mr Jones, who runs nutrition advice service, ChewintheCud.

“For example, the markers will show whether the cow is in positive or negative energy balance post-calving.

“Ideally, she should have regained a positive energy status by a maximum of 50 days a er calving. Many cows are not reaching this target and their fertility performance will fall below expectations.

“ e markers can also highlight rumen functionality, or body condition loss.

“ e data can even ag up an issue with dietary consistency, by showing high individual scores for milk urea.

“On further investigation, the cows might be sorting the ration and picking out the ingredients with the highest protein content.

“An alternative explanation would be that the diet is not being mixed e ectively every time it is prepared.”

One speci c marker is linked to milk lactose and Mr Jones says the gures can point to an increased requirement for dietary sugars on certain units.

He adds the cows may need im-

Markers can highlight rumen functionality, body condition loss and even an issue with dietary consistency

ANDREW JONES

proved access to the ration, whether that is by increasing the time they spend in the feeding area, or by providing extra trough space.

“Low milk lactose can also be a sign that they are being kept away from their feed for too long, perhaps due to excess waiting times in the collecting yard,” he says.

Warning

“ is situation can be remedied by milking the cows in two groups, if that is a practical option.

“For fresh calvers, low lactose levels can be a warning that dietary adjustments may be needed for the transition period. It can be associated with a poor transition period and these will need to be corrected,

in order to achieve improved yields.” e inclusion of molasses can o er a cost-e ective solution to several issues, he says.

It can alleviate ration sorting, thereby enhancing rumen health and resulting in be er rumen function.

Increasing sugar levels in the diet in this way can li bu erfat percentages, by increasing sugars in the diet. MFA pro ling can also help with evaluating the transition period for an individual cow, while looking at the total gures will show general herd performance.

Mr Jones says the data can be analysed alongside technologies including activity collars and rumination collars.

He says the gures provided by some milk recording systems can be used to produce performance graphs, although they are normally available at herd level only.

Depending on individual farm milk contracts, MFA pro ling can be applied as a check to ensure that the supplier is meeting buyer requirements, he adds.

e rise in demand for continental-style hot drinks in cafes around the country has brought a ention to the MFA marker for saturated fats, he comments.

“A high score for saturated fats, which includes C16.0, along with a low score for unsaturated fats in a

milk report will show that the milk will froth readily,” he adds.

“ is aspect of milk pro ling has not received a great deal of a ention to date, but it is growing in terms of relevancy. It could prove to be a useful marketing advantage for milk sales into the future.

“ is type of information could also be used to ensure that excess levels of C16.0 are not being fed in the diet.

ANIMAL HEALTH

Andrew Jones’ priority milk markers

rMilk lactose

rShort chain fatty acids

rMono-unsaturated fatty acids

rC16:0

rC18:0

rC18:1

“Another practical application of MFA pro ling is that it can be used to determine the ‘spreadability’ of products like bu er.”

MFA pro ling is usually carried out on a monthly basis and the data can be reviewed remotely, using the appropriate milk records spreadsheet.

Research

e technique was developed about a decade ago, as part of a project linked to healthy milk which was launched following scienti c research into saturated and unsatur-

ated fat content. Most milk spreadsheets will contain about a dozen separate markers and six of these are considered the most signi cant by nutritionists.

“Producers who have integrated MFA pro ling into their management systems can allow their nutritionist access to the analysis in electronic format,” Mr Jones says.

“A er interpreting the data, there may be a follow-up visit to the unit.

“It is not unusual for the results to ag up a particular cow and a er further investigation she will have been recorded as lame or su ering from another health issue.

“ is will have had an impact on her dietary intake, with a knock-on e ect on the milk pro ling gures.

“ e data element is part of the standard milk recording process, but MFA pro ling relies on producer awareness and knowing how the data can be used.

“Bu erfat is much more complex than simply being present as a constituent of cows’ milk.”

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Milk fatty acid profiling can show whether a cow is in positive or negative energy balance post-calving.

Identifying and addressing lameness pinch points as part of a structured review has helped one dairy farming family reduce cases by almost half. Aly Balsom reports.

Improved foot health through Healthy Feet Lite programme

Designing a system that reduces the pressure on cow’s feet while promptly identifying and treating early lameness has proved a winning combination for foot health at Ty Fry Farm, Cardi .

Between 2020 and 2022, lameness levels dropped from 46% to 25% in the 60-cow herd, thanks to actions delivered as part of a Healthy Feet Lite (HFL) programme (see panel). is compares to a UK average of about 30%, according to gures from e University of Liverpool and e University of No ingham.

e family farm is run by Rhodri Lewis; his parents, John and Becky; and his grandfather, Bob. e family’s enrolment onto the programme in 2020 came just at the right time as they began work to erect a

new 65-cubicle cow shed and milking robot.

At the time, it was a case of either investing or leaving the industry as a result of the farm’s ageing infrastructure. is included a 50-year-old parlour and Newton Rigg cubicles.

John says: “Our view was we either needed to update everything or give up. We feel like we are dairy farmers, so we thought we would stick with it.”

With the help of AHDB mobility mentor and vet Morgan Hanks, of South Wales

Farm Vets, they were able to use the whole farm review on foot health to in uence building design and ongoing management protocols.

In this instance, their involvement in the HFL was part of a wider European Innovation

Between 2020 and 2022, lameness levels at Ty Fry Farm dropped from 46% to 25%.

Healthy Feet Lite

rHealthy Feet Lite (HFL) is a scaled down, more accessible version of the Healthy Feet Programme, run by AHDB

rBoth structured programmes are designed to help dairy farmers reduce the number of lame cows by identifying and applying the right management techniques

rHFL is delivered by mobility mentors who work with farmers

to create an achievable set of action points to tackle lameness on a specific farm

rThe lite version requires less time input from farmers and focuses on a short list of actions that will have the greatest impact on herd mobility

rHFL requires six or 12 monthly mobility reviews, rather than quarterly reviews as with the full programme

PICTURES : Ruth Rees

Left to right: Bob, Rhodri, Becky and John Lewis.

ANIMAL HEALTH

Partnership (EIP) Wales project looking at ways to engage farmers in lameness control. is was overseen by vet Sara Pedersen of Farm Dynamics.

Having not routinely mobility scored, the Lewis family initially estimated their lameness levels (de ned as score two and three using AHDB’s mobility score) to be about 8% of the herd.

However, scoring showed it to be much higher at 46% –although it is worth noting that the scoring system used for the EIP Wales project was more sensitive than the standard scoring system.

Five key actions were identi ed through the HFL programme, all of which have been combined to reduce lameness:

1 Focusing on improving cow comfort

Sole ulcers, caused by pressure on the feet, were identi ed as the primary cause of lameness. is was likely in uenced by standing times of about four hours a day through the parlour. Too many cows were also standing in the old cubicles due to a lack of lunge space. ere

What is it worth?

rA cow which is mobility score three costs £6.80 per day, while a mobility score two cow costs £2.25/day, according to AHDB figures using 2023 costs

rUsing these latest figures and AHDB’s cost calculator, in 2020 lameness was costing the herd at Ty Fry Farm a total of £29,638/year or £486/cow

rBased on the most recent score (27%), the

were also issues with white line disease, likely caused by pushing in the collecting yard or ‘scrabbling’ in the cubicle housing as a result of limited space and dead ends.

Consequently, cow comfort was one of the main areas for a ention in the new build. Flexible plastic cubicles were chosen and the AHDB guide for cubicle measurements used to ensure they were set up correctly. e new shed is also generally understocked at about 55 cows and there are no dead ends.

Cows are averaging 3.2 robot

cost of lameness in the herd is £14,860/year or £280/cow; this equates to a saving of £14,778/year

rModelling carried out by agriculture consultant ADAS shows a lame cow is likely to produce 249kg more of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per cow per year, compared to a healthy one. This means the herd is likely saving about three tonnes of CO2e per year

visits per day, which takes milking standing times to 15 to 30 minutes per cow per day. Rubber ma ing in front of the robot also improves comfort.

2 Treating lame cows quickly and efficiently

e robot has freed up time to observe cows and pick up the early signs of lameness. e installation of a handling area next to the robot and ability to auto-segregate also makes it easier to pick up and treat feet. Rhodri says the hassle of collecting cows for trimming

Having a robot on-farm has freed up time to observe cows and pick up the early signs of lameness.

on the old system meant it o en got put o .

“We would only be picking up cows’ feet for serious issues, where as now we try and catch them as soon as possible and treat them quickly,” he says. is means a block can be applied earlier, preventing issues from developing into more severe lesions.

3 Adopting a routine for foot-trimming

Cows are now routinely foottrimmed at drying o . is allows the sole ulcer site to be modelled out, says Ms Pedersen.

She says: “What you are doing is you are taking the pressure o the sole ulcer site, so that when the pedal bone drops around calving [due to a relaxation of the ligaments] you do not get the compression of the quick on the foot.”

is reduces the risk of sole ulcers developing.

4 Managing the dry cows separately

e HFL highlighted that dry cows did not have enough space or lying time, largely due to the fact that they were run with the milking cows in the old cubicle setup.

Since the milkers have moved

Left to right: Vet consultant Sara Pedersen and vet Morgan Hanks.

ANIMAL HEALTH

Farm facts

rFamily farm including Rhodri Lewis; his parents

John and Becky and his grandfather Bob

rTenanted farm totalling 91 hectares (225 acres) including grass and maize silage ground

r60-cow herd calving all-year-round

r10,100 litres per cow per year at 4.2% fat and 3.3%

into the new shed, the old cubicles have been replaced with a straw yard for the dry cows.

Ms Hanks says this helps cow comfort.

She adds: “ ey have more space and their nutritional requirements are being met, plus there is less standing time as they are not competing with milkers for lying space and they are not being moved.”

Ms Pedersen says improved nutritional management also prevents cows from losing too much weight post-calving. is has a knock-on e ect on foot health, as weight loss will result in a reduction in the foot’s fat pad which can raise the risk of sole ulcers.

5 Managing heifers differently pre-calving

Heifers are now housed in cubicles on concrete pre-calving, compared to straw or outwintering previously. Consequently,

protein (increased from 7,500 litres on twice-a-day milking)

rMilked through a Lely robot

rSupplying Muller

rCows grazed in summer

rRear own replacements –building numbers at present using sexed semen with the view to installing a second milking robot

rAberdeen-Angus beef bulls

rBeef kept as stores

their feet are more adapted.

First lactation lameness reduced from 54% to 12.5% during the two-year period, partly due to the fact they were calving into a be er environment.

Overall lameness should reduce further as older, chronically lame cows leave the herd.

Recent mobility scoring showed lameness levels had increased slightly to 27%.

Ms Pedersen says this is a national trend, resulting from increased standing times during the hot, humid period in late summer/early autumn last year; the impact of which is only being seen on the feet now.

In the long-term, Rhodri says ge ing on top of lameness should help get the most from the new robot system, as cows are less likely to visit the robot if they are lame.

“If there is a collect cow [for the robot], the chances are it has got foot issues,” he says.

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Spring and Summer Care for Healthy Teats

Livestock vet Patricia van Veen is warning of an increased risk from flies and urging early action following one of the warmest and wettest springs on record. Dairy Farmer finds out more.

Weather calls for early fly control strategy

Met O ce data suggests UK winters are ge ing warmer and we er, with the number of ground frosts declining.

Vet Patricia van Veen, of Zoetis, says warm and wet weather provides optimal conditions for the overwintering of ies and the acceleration of maggot development.

She says the best way to manage ies within a herd is to put controls in place before large y numbers become visible.

Ms van Veen says: “Implementing measures early in the season before ies are readily visible will make their control easier and more e ective.

“Once you start seeing ies, the population has already exploded, making it harder to manage them.

“Fly traps are a good way to monitor levels on the farm.

“When you start seeing ies appearing in the traps,

that is when appropriate action must be taken to protect stock.” e main ies a ecting ca le include stable, horn, house, face and head ies.

Diseases

ey can spread diseases such as summer mastitis and New Forest Eye, and cause signi cant production losses due to constant irritation.

Studies in ca le have shown

COWS launches lungworm survey

JThe Control of Worms Sustainably (COWS) group has launched a survey to find out more about lungworm in cattle and its treatment across the UK.

Through the survey, which will be filled in by vets, COWS hopes to learn more about when outbreaks of lungworm are occurring, what class of stock is most affected, what clinical signs are seen and how

well they respond to treatment. This will help COWS track lungworm cases throughout the 2024 grazing season.

Helen Carty, veterinary centre manager for the SRUC, says: “In recent years, we have been aware of reports of suspected lack of efficacy of wormers to treat lungworm infections in cattle.

“But no-one is sure whether this due to growing resistance

that y worry can cause growth rate losses of up to 0.3kg a day and 0.5 litres a day milk loss, mainly due to the ‘hassle factor’ leading to reduced feed intake.

“Not only do ies cause a signi cant nancial loss, they are also a welfare concern,” says Ms van Veen.

She adds the most e ective control method is a two-step approach, using spot-on products or long-acting y control

of lungworm to the wormers, or is it solely down to poor administration, such as underdosing or inappropriate timing?”

COWS has devised a survey for vets to fill in and submit when they come across cases of lungworm. The collated, anonymised data will be used to form the basis of future discussions around the issue.

The results of the survey will be released in 2025.

How can fly numbers be managed?

rImproving ventilation in sheds to create unfavourable conditions

rProviding good drainage

rUsing fly sheeting in high-risk areas

rKeeping manure dry and compacted and turning it every two to four weeks

rCovering manure heaps and not overfilling slurry lagoons

eartags, alongside environmental management to control y breeding sites.

“When it comes to managing ies, farmers will have more success by combining chemical control alongside the management of y breeding sites,” she says.

Risk

“However, ideally, their use should not be considered in isolation.

“Many y species travel considerable distances to feed and survive over winter by their larvae burrowing into the ground. So, keeping stock away from y breeding sites like wet and muddy areas can help reduce the risk.

“A good y control strategy is an important part of preventative healthcare for all livestock.

“Not only does it have the potential for improving productivity in your herd, but it also prevents costly diseases, which can have devastating consequences.”

Fly worry can cause growth rate losses and milk loss in cattle.

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For the Bayley family, changes to the accommodation for their housed herd of cows was made necessary after issues with heat stress in 2022. Jonathan Wheeler reports.

Infrastructure changes to prevent heat stress

The impact of climate change on British farming is all too evident to Jason Bayley, who has already made several changes at Lady Leys Farm, Lullington, Derbyshire, to combat it.

One of the biggest single investments has involved a new building for housing freshly-calved cows, which was constructed a year ago, says Jason, who farms with his parents Roy and Janet, and sister Jo.

Jason explains one of the key drivers to this development was the farm’s experience in the summer of 2022.

He says: “ at was a di cult time for heat stress, although

the fans ed in the main set of buildings we had at the time helped. We did not want to put any cows outside, so we had every animal in the sheds and had to keep them there for quite a while.”

e new building’s main role is to se le freshly-calved cows into their lactations.

Light

It is a simple steel-framed building with a clear roof, which means cows have much more light. During the day there is minimal di erence between the light outside the building and that inside it.

But the roof – a polycarbonate material with aluminium

strips running through it –ensures it remains cool even in the ho est conditions.

Jason says: “ e material does cost about 25% more than conventional roo ng sheets, but it means the ca le enjoy much more light and much less heat.

“As a result, we will not have to spend any money achieving 200 lux. Even on a cloudy winter day they enjoy 500 lux.

“Last September, the weather got very hot and humid, but it stayed several degrees cooler in that building, even though it does not have roof fans, than it did in the conventional buildings that do have fans.

“ e idea is to do the very best we can for the freshly calved

cows for that crucial rst 50 days of their lactation. We are providing them with a bit of TLC.”

He said the roo ng panels means the shed is well lit at all times and there are no shadows.

He says: “ ere are no

It is a very even, soft light and it stays very clean. The cows are very happy in it

JASON BAYLEY

: Tim Scrivener

Freshly calved cows benefit from a new shed with a polycarbonate roof at Lady Leys Farm.

cobwebs or condensation

either. It is a very even, so light and it stays very clean.

e cows are very happy in it.”

Jason is so convinced of the roof’s value that he has taken delivery of another consignment of the sheets. ese will be used to replace the conventional sky-lights in the main suite of buildings, which date from the 1980s.

Jason says: “My father built them when the family rst arrived at the farm.

“Using the new material in the skylights will maximise the amount of light in the building, without the risk of raising the temperature.”

e new building for the fresh calvers also o ers each cow more space, with roaming areas, an outdoor pen and the plastic cubicles, which ex when

cows brush against them, are slightly larger than conventional ones. ese are ed with ma resses and topped with sawdust and receive regular doses of lime to help control bacteria.

At the feed barrier, cows stand on a rubber ma ing that is more comfortable for them than a concrete oor and they enjoy plenty of water trough space.

Clean

Like the rest of the herd, the total mixed ration is spread on a resin strip, which helps the cows eat clean and the family believe reduces food degradation risks.

During the summer, the sides are le entirely open to maximise air ow, but in winter they build a big bale wall on the windward side to protect the ca le against the worst weather.

•

•

•

•

Cubicles are fitted with mattresses and topped with sawdust.

The shed’s polycarbonate roof allows in light and keeps cows cool.

ANIMAL HEALTH

Climate change has also had an impact on other areas of the farm, with both silage and slurry storage and handling capacity being improved in recent years.

The family has expanded silage storage capacity so they can carry more feed from good years to help ensure supplies in poorer ones.

And their silage needs are massive; 7,000 tonnes of maize and about 5,000t of grass, to feed a herd that is housed throughout its lactation, with only dry cows and young stock going out to grass.

Jason says: “We have built extra storage to make sure we can keep forage in front of the cows 12 months a year.

“We had already increased our milk from forage figures, which has also driven the need for more silage storage.

“But with the variability of the weather in mind, it is useful to have extra storage so we can carry extra stocks in case production is reduced by dry weather.”

Weather

It also helps buffer them against weather events at key storage harvesting dates.

“We still get an average of 650 millimetres of rain, which I accept may seem relatively low to those who work with so much more.

“But we can not predict when it will arrive or with what intensity.”

Farm facts

r600 milkers average 11,200 litres/year/head on a total mixed ration

rMilk is sold to Aldi via an Arla 360 contract

rThe milking herd is housed all year round on mattresses topped with sawdust

rThe farm is 344 hectares (850 acres) on medium loam soils with some clay patches, with two different rotations being run to provide the grazing, silage and cereals fed

They use a multi-cut silage system, aiming to take the first cut in mid/late April and then three or four further cuts at five week intervals.

Jason says: “Sometimes, when we have dry conditions there is not a lot to cut. We have had to abandon cutting entirely on one occasion.

“We are governed by the weather and can only do what we can, and all the time the climate is changing.

“If we get a lot of rain in a closed period for spreading either dirty water or slurry on the fields we can end up with a lot to store, so we really had no option but to expand capacity.”

To make sure they utilise the

nutrients contained in slurries and ensure they can spread effectively when needed, they have also invested in extra spreading technology.

They effectively have eight months’ storage capacity and use a Tramspread dribble bar to spread it on grass and arable crops when conditions are suitable, or there is rain forecast which will wash it in.

In drier seasons they have a Vredo disc injector to ensure they incorporate the slurry and get optimum benefit from the nutrients it contains.

When needed they mix dirty water into the slurry to ensure it is pumpable.

Jason Bayley says the farm has also increased silage storage to mitigate variability of weather.

Older sheds at the farm are set to have polycarbonate skylights added. The roofing material ensures housed cows to get plenty of light.

There is often a perception when entering that you have to be the biggest and the best, but we aim to showcase innovation, dedication and adaptability, no matter the size and scale of the business.

ENTRIES CLOSE JULY 5, 2024

Don’t miss your chance to enter, visit: britishfarmingawards.co.uk

The FETF grant scheme has been refined for 2024 with new products added to assist in the longer-term management of pastures and drainage. Toby Whatley repiorts.

FETF grant scheme adds items for pasture and water management

The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) has been reintroduced for 2024 with new options added for pasture management and improvement.

The scheme is divided into three funding groups of productivity, animal health

and welfare and slurry management with three application windows planned to run throughout 2024.

All schemes have a minimum grant value of £1,000.

Grant

The grant to capital value for items has been set at 50 or 60%, based on an Rural Payments Agency-gener-

ated average cost for the items. The grant values do not cover the total cost of the items listed, and businesses are expected to fund the remaining balance.

The scheme cannot be used to fund items which have been bought through hire purchase or leasing, secondhand, ex-demonstration or products businesses already own.

New items have been added to all three schemes, with the productivity section seeing changes and additions to assist farmers in the longer term management of grassland pastures and the improvement of field drainage – a potentially valuable addition as many farms still face flooded, waterlogged and compacted pastures.

Grassland pasture aerator

JIntroduced as a new item for 2024, the grant can be applied to either trailed or mounted machines which operate with a large diameter roller-aerator and pasture slitters.

Machines must achieve a minimum working depth of 160mm using hardened steel blades and operate over a minimum width of 2.3m.

Units must be able to accommodate the carrying of additional weight to improve blade penetration in dry conditions, which could be in the form of water or solid material ballast.

The maximum grant value offered is £1,749, based on a average expected item cost of £3,498.

Field drain cleaner

JAlso added to the 2024 list, a pressurised field drain cleaner is designed to be used with existing land drains to remove blockages of silt and organic material to improve water discharge and drainage capacity from the land.

Predominantly developed in the Netherlands, the machines can provide farmers with the means of significantly improving the field drainage infrastructure without the cost of installing new pipework and runs. This could be attractive for businesses renting land on shorter term Farm Business Tenancies. Eligible machines must provide a minimum flow of 200 litres/minute at 50 bar and be supplied with

a minimum of 100 metres of cleaning hose. The design of the pressure nozzle should selfpropel the hose into the drain.

Water pressure is generated from a pto-driven pump, with cleaning water drawn from the watercourse through a suction pipe. A maximum grant value of £6,153 is offered with an expected average cost of £12,306.

Grassland sward lifters

JContinuing on the list of eligible products from 2023, grassland sward lifters are still available for funding support with a maximum grant value of £2,250 set against an expected average cost of £4,500.

Eligible units must operate with three legs to a minimum depth of 300mm and include

a cutting disc ahead of each leg working at a minimum depth of 50mm. A packer roller must be fitted to operate behind each leg to produce a level finish. Breakaway actions on each leg can be through either the fitment of shear bolts or mechanical reset, including a hydraulic breakaway.

MILKprices

Wet spring helps to stabilise markets

JFarmers and growers are ge ing increasingly frustrated and concerned over the wet spring, which is on track to be one of the we est in living memory, and if the situation does not change for the be er soon, the in ationary repercussions will surely be felt later this year.

On the ip side, and on a more positive note, the poor weather has helped demand remain steady while helping to keep a check on seasonal milk production.

With the number of milk price increases announced pre-spring ush, buyers would have been

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rubbing their hands together at the potential opportunity through Q2 of being able to ratchet downward pressure on markets prices. All that was needed was the catalyst of a good early spring.

Challenges

However, things are certainly not turning out as buyers might have expected and, while the physical challenges on-farm are currently increasing by the day, the dairy market situation could be somewhat more negative had Mother Nature blessed us with a decent early spring.

Cheesemakers keep up the price pressure

JCertain milk buyers for cheese are doing their best to try and keep their suppliers’ morale from sinking deeper by trying to show they are investing in their supplier milk pool moving forward.

This is especially the case in competitive milk fields, such as in the South West. One such milk buyer being Barber’s Cheesemakers, which has announced price increases of 0.52ppl for May and a further 1.02ppl for June.

The June price of 40.25ppl for our manufacturing standard* is the culmination of five price increases for this year to date (missing a move out for March), with

a total increase by of 4.11ppl.

First Milk is another buyer maintaining a competitive edge having increased their milk price for May by 0.75ppl to 39.5ppl, with their Haverfordwest Tesco cheese price increasing by the same amount to 41ppl. This latest increase tallies the co-op total to 3.5ppl after four consecutive price increases.

Coming up on the inside rail in the last few months is South Caernarfon, the north Welsh co-op having increased its price for May by 1ppl to 38ppl, representing an overall increase of 4ppl from four consecutive monthly increases.

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

Freshways increases 2ppl from June

JHaving now completed the acquisition and started work on their new 400 million-litre West Bromwich dairy, Freshways has confirmed its first milk price move for this year with a 2ppl increase for June.

The increase is Freshways’ first price move

for seven months, taking our liquid standard* up to 37ppl.

The company reports that the decision was made in consideration of the rising cost of milk production and to ensure the partnership with suppliers remains sustainable for both parties.

First Milk lifts BV Dairy price by 0.65ppl

JFirst Milk has increased its newly acquired BV Dairy milk price for consecutive months with a 0.65ppl increase for May.

The increase follows the 0.6ppl rise the previous month and takes our liquid

standard up to 38.25ppl.

With both Arla Foods (bar a small currency adjustment) holding its milk price for April, and with Muller holding for May, most other liquid players put their milk prices on hold for May.

TSDG production costs ease south

JOne of the bell weathers for tracking on-farm cost of milk production, the Tesco Sustainable Dairy Group cost tracker decreased by 0.6ppl for May, taking our liquid standard price down to 41.82ppl for our Muller supplier, with our Arla Tesco direct supplier receiving the same decrease to 41.57ppl.

Sainsbury’s has increased

its Sainsbury’s Dairy Development Group (SDDG) milk price by 0.01ppl, taking our Muller SDDG price up to 40.55ppl, with the increase also backdated to April bringing the previous month up to the same level.

Finally, Co-op has increased its Co-op Dairy Group price by 0.12ppl taking our price up to 39.96ppl.

Our Liquid standard litre is 4% butterfat and 3.3% protein, for our Manufacturing 4.2% butterfat and 3.4% protein and in both cases Bactoscans of 30,000/ml and 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.

Latest milk prices from

Butter prices show first sign of strengthening

After weakening through March, commodity prices are showing some tentative signs of improvement, with butter

jumping from the €5,500 (£4,719) zone to as high as €5,950 (£5,106) for some trades.

These real market prices have also been boosted by the futures markets, which have

Average milk prices settle around 37p for February

JThe latest official Defra milk price for February is 37.34ppl at 4.26% fat and 3.43% protein, which is a fall of 0.34p on January. This equates to a standard litre price at 4% fat, 3.3% protein of 35.5ppl.

NMR is reporting average fats for February at 4.44% and protein at 3.39%, which

points to an ‘NMR milk price’ of 37.6p.

Similar Constituents in March were pretty similar at 4.45% fat and 3.38% protein. The estimated non-aligned average price for February is 36.22p and for March it is 36.70p.

Futures recover after a torrid month

JEU butter futures had a dire March, losing all of the gains they made during February. But they have recovered spectacularly since, and in the first week of April were up by nearly €400 (£343) across the next six months compared to mid-March.

All of the contracts, bar April’s, are at or more than €6,000 (£5,149), and increase to a high of €6,275 (£5,385) for September contracts.

The recent high was €6,400 (£5,492) in late February, so prices are getting back to recent peaks.

The average for the next six months is €6,100 (£5,235). New Zealand butter futures have also soared by an average of €300 (£257) compared to two weeks ago to an average of €5,475 (£4,698).

Average

EU SMP futures also posted an increase – by an average of €70 (£60) across the next six months compared to two weeks – but they are still down by €80 (£70) to an average of €2,460 (£2,111).

They convert to milk prices in the low to mid-30p range.

positively soared by more than €350 (£300) over the last two weeks to top €6,000 (£5,149) again. It has not been at this level since February.

SMP prices are not rising in line with fat prices, how-

Butter has jumped from the €5,500 (£4,719) zone to as high as €5,950 (£5,106) for some trades.

ever, and demand is extremely weak. Prices remain below €2,400 (£2,050).

UK farmgate price vs. AMPE vs. MCVE

GDT lifts but will it buoy the market mood?

JThe GDT Index for the first auction of April posted a turn after two auctions of losses. The index increased by a modest 2.8%, taking the average price across all commodities to a still not great $3,550 (£2,020), compared to $3,500 (£2,773) before.

Increases

WMP, AMF, Cheddar and butter all posted increases of +3% across all contract periods, but SMP is still bogged down

in a sea of buying lethargy, and Arla’s medium heat SMP fetched $2,480 (£1,975), which equates to €2,300. The GDT commodities convert into an approximate UK milk price equivalent of 32.91p, which is up 1.7p on the previous auction. However, the UK market pays a premium over the GDT when it tracks low, and the current UK premium over the GDT is averaging 4p over the last three months and 4.8p over six months.

Cream prices are falling in the UK in line with the flush and are now well below the £2/kg threshold.

Flush

They are unlikely to recover significantly until the flush has passed. It is the same story for

spot milk prices – they are down to around the 30p threshold or even below.

Cheese prices are remaining relatively stable at £3,500 for mild Cheddar, which is the average price from 2020, but well down on the average price from 2021 of £3,700. Mozzarella is holding at £3,100.

Milk volumes

JMilk volumes are tracking at a level similar to last year, with most cows inside still and being fed winter rations.

The latest data shows UK volumes over the last two weeks have averaged just more than 43 million litres per day, almost exactly the same as last year and

down 0.2% on the long-term average.

On the climb

GB milk volumes have averaged 35.4m litres per day, down 0.2% against last year. We are now on the climb to peak milk, which is tracking 2022 and 2023 volumes.

UK peak weeks for milk production

NEWProducts

This month’s new products section includes a machine designed to make covering the silage pit easier, a solar-powered heating system and a post-calving rehydration drink.

New silage pit tool

JThe Tyreshift 350, manufactured by Ballyheather Engineering, is a loader mounted machine for placing old tyres or sidewalls onto the silage clamp.

It can accommodate 70 sidewalls, which can be placed accurately on the clamp via a hydraulically driven toothed chain.

Users have reported a 50% time saving when using the product during sheeting the clamp. It also features a cover tray for carrying a roll of silage sheet up the clamp and two models are available to suit different sizes of pallet toes.

rMore information from ballyheather.engineering@ gmail.com, or 07763 940 826.

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.

Solar-powered water heating

Anew solarpowered water heating system will help dairy farmers cut energy costs and reduce consumption, using Internet of Things (IoT) technology to improve sustainability and efficiency.

Developed by Soltropy, a specialist in solar thermal technology, the system uses energy from the sun and solar thermal panels to provide hot water on demand.

Estimates suggest farmers could make savings of up to £6,000 per year in energy bills.

The heat-generating solar thermal panels are three times more efficient than photovoltaic panels, which

SenseHub plan

JMSD Animal Health UK has announced the launch of the SenseHub Dairy Youngstock application plan in the UK.

The plan uses the SenseHub monitoring eartag to assess the behavioural patterns of calves from birth to 12 months of age to identify signs of ill health.

The new plan is suitable for nipple-fed calves in single hutches or for post-weaning calves housed in group pens.

convert sunlight to electricity, need less maintenance and do not require antifreeze.

It can easily be retrofitted onto existing systems and will feature IoT-connected solar tubes to enable remote monitoring.

Automated alerts will point towards errors and necessary repairs, and the system also provides an alternative off-grid option for renewable energy.

rMore information from 01415 595 840, or 07714 285 202.

As soon as the SenseHub system detects any irregular patterns, the relevant animal is highlighted on a Youngstock Health Report to signal it needs attention. The plan can be used as a standalone system or in combination with other SenseHub plans and

can also be funded via a SenseHub GO subscription.

rMore information from allflexuk@msd.com, or 01207 529 000.

New maize variety

JThe new KWS maize variety Papageno is on track to be added to the Forage Maize descriptive List for 2024/25. Available for spring 2024 sowing, it represents a significant advance in genetic progress.

Papageno is a multi-use maincrop variety suitable for maize silage, grain maize production or biogas, and has a maturity rating of 190, which

falls into the maincrop category. It has a high yield potential, producing an average of 19.1 tonnes of dry matter (DM) per hectare (7.7t DM/acre) and an ME of 11.72 MJ/kg DM.

Its 32% average starch content gives it high flexibility and is particularly suitable for high maize silage inclusion rates for cattle feeding.

rMore information from 01594 528 234.

Post-calving rehydration drink

JPremier Nutrition has launched Restart, a scientifically advanced post-calving rehydration drink, into the Irish market.

The product contains a blend of key nutrients, antioxidants, glucose precursors and selected yeasts to feed and condition the rumen microbiome, support a healthy immune system and give the

cow the best start after calving. Its highly soluble, quickrelease calcium propionate source gives the cow more available calcium, which boosts blood calcium levels.

Restart ingredients include a B-vitamin complex in combination with protected selenium and high levels of vitamin E to help assist immune response. Sugars are included as an energy boost to support the cow after calving.

Restart is available in 15kg buckets and 20kg refill packs; 1kg of Restart should be mixed into five litres of hot water (at a minimum of 40-45degC) and stirred thoroughly, then topped up to 15-20 litres with cool water and placed in front of the cow, ideally within one to two hours after calving.

rMore information from +353 87 491 4664.

‘Talk about double standards’

This month, Roger Evans discusses after dinner speaking, water pollution and tells a tale of how a farmer got the better of the tax man.

Iused to do a lot of after dinner speaking. One year I did 34 speeches. But, like a lot of things, this has had its time.

You might get someone who would come up to you afterwards and say: “I was hoping you would tell that story about the sheep.”

Five minutes later another person would say: “You told that story two years ago, you need to get some new material.”

Proof, if it were needed, that you can’t please all of the people all of the time.

I can’t remember all the details of this one particular event, only that it was in Cardiff, it was for some sort of auctioneers and valuers and it was at a lunch after their AGM.

It must have been 20 or more years ago now and I can remember that they had run short of time. It was a case of ‘you sit here and there’s no time for introductions’.

I didn’t know that there were to be two speakers and that the other speaker was the chair of a water authority. I was on first.

I did my usual amusing nonsense to start with. I’ve always used humour as a vehicle to carry the important messages I have.

People like to be amused and they will listen to you or read what you write rather than take the chance of missing something.

I remember that the first time I stood to be on the board of a dairy co-op someone asked the question: “What will my members say when I tell them that one of their new directors is a comedian?”

Anyway, I’m on my feet speaking to all these auctioneers and valuers and I thought it appropriate to finish with something serious.

I can’t remember being irritated, but I must have been. I finished by describing dirty water.

Perhaps some dairy farmer had been recently taken to court over some alleged breach, possibly water off a collecting yard.

I had read somewhere that if you wanted to see really dirty water you needed to see where

a motorway emptied out into a local water course. The water would be black, full of rubber, diesel, dirt and lead.

We live alongside a B-road. It’s a relatively quiet road, but all the rainwater that falls on it finds its way into the local river.

I only mention all this because environmental groups are just waking up to what is happening.

It’s more than 20 years since I spoke at that lunch and nothing has been done about it.

I’m not for a minute minimising the scale of the problem. Roads have been draining into rivers for hundreds of years, but the real irony is that it is much easier to take a farmer to court than it is a highway authority.

That chair of the water authority had as his theme, the importance of clean water. I must have buggered that!

Do I have any regrets? Not one. Talk about double standards. No farmer would ever dare to pollute on the scale that sewage makes its way into rivers.

Character

There’s this farmer I know. To say he’s a bit of a character would not do him justice.

Quite deliberately, he’s fallen through life’s net.

He prefers to deal in cash and so far as anyone knows he has several bank accounts and should someone pay him by cheque he pays this in and then withdraws all the cash and puts it somewhere else. This could be in another account or in a hidden tin somewhere.

He has quite a large farm, but he doesn’t employ anyone. He has quite a lot of ewes and suckler cows which he says he ‘ranches’.

This is his way of saying that when it comes to lambing and calving, they have to make their own arrangements.

Anyway, he is in serious trouble over a tax bill.

They have written to him lots of times, but he has never replied. No-one knows if he has even read the letters, but the next steps are the county court and

“ No farmer would ever dare to pollute on the scale that sewage makes its way into rivers

prison. e tax authorities seem reluctant to take this last step and so the local head of the tax o ce makes an arrangement to go to see the farmer to try to get some money.

He has never been on a farm before and so he buys a new pair of wellies with the buckles on the side.

He thinks it will help with a bonding process, as everyone knows that farmers always wear wellies.

e farmer is waiting for him and invites him into the kitchen for a cup of tea. ey make small talk and the tax bill is not mentioned.

Eventually the farmer says: “I see you have some new wellies on, I need some new wellies and was thinking of buying the same make, can I try one on to see if they are comfortable?”

e tax man says: “Of course.” So the farmer

puts the welly on and walks around the kitchen. e tax man notices that the farmer does not have any socks on and his dirty feet are best not described.

e farmer then asks if there any chance of trying the other one on too. e tax man replies: “Of course.” Big mistake.

As soon as the farmer has both wellies on, he dashes through the kitchen door, leaps on the tractor that is parked outside and disappears in a clamour of dogs.

e tax man has no wish to put on the farmer’s old discarded wellies, having seen what was inside them before, and suitably chastened he drives back to the o ce in his socks.

e farmer pays the tax bill just in time – in cash of course.

Dairy farmers are producing in a new era of higher costs, more price volatility and a smaller safety net, but there are still plenty of opportunities. Cedric Porter reports.

Business management key to profitability

After the previous year of high milk prices, producers struggled to make money in the 2023/24 milk year, but the outlook is a little brighter for 2024/25, according to business consultants Andersons.

Partner Richard King says: “The 2022/23 milk year saw a big increase in prices and, although costs went up a lot as well, many dairy farmers made record profits.

“The 2023/24 year illustrates the decline in farmgate milk prices, with costs also ‘sticky’ on the way down. Businesses are only just breaking even from their farming activities.”

For many years, Andersons has been running business models for typical dairy farms in England and Scotland. In the milk year ending March 2023, both farms made very healthy business surpluses – 6.5ppl in England and 5.9ppl in Scotland.

Those surpluses were only exceeded in the 2013/14 milk year.

In the English case, those profits were driven by a 45% increase in milk prices outweighing a similar increase in costs.

In 2023/24, the milk price had plunged by 22% from 47.1ppl to 36.7ppl. However, costs only fell by 12%. A small recovery in milk prices is factored in by Andersons for the 2024/25 milk year.

It expects prices to rise by 3.5% over the year, with costs down by a little more. That should increase the margin from production from nothing in 2023/24 in England to 1.9ppl and from -0.4ppl in Scotland to 2.4ppl.

Support importance

The Andersons figures show the importance of support payments to dairy farmer profits. In 2023/24, typical producers only made an overall business surplus because of the payments they received.

Under the post-Brexit regime, English Basic Payment Scheme

(BPS) payments are decreasing every year until they disappear altogether in 2027. So, in 2021/22 they were worth the equivalent of 1.8ppl, according to Andersons.

In 2024/25, they will have reduced to only 1ppl. However, the consultants calculate the adoption of Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) schemes will add another 1.5ppl to the bottom line in 2024/25, taking overall support to 2.5ppl.

Scotland has adopted a different post-Brexit regime retaining a direct payment model for now, so its supports are calculated to remain at the equivalent 1.8ppl until at least the 2025/26 milk year.

Welsh farmers will also receive direct payments in return for what are proving to be controversial proposals for the mandatory planting of trees and taking land out of production.

Mr King says: “The decline in English BPS payments can clearly be seen. But in 2024/25, our model farm has gone into SFI. This adds a useful amount to the bottom line, although there are costs associated with the scheme, which we have included in the farming margin.”

Improving the margin from production will be key to the financial sustainability of dairy farmers, says Mr King.

“Over the last 20 years, the margin from production has not changed very much at all and has often been in the range of 0ppl to 0.3ppl and, in 2006/07, 2010/11, 2012/13 and 2017/18, it was in negative territory. Over the 20-year period it has only averaged 1.0ppl.”

Mr King urges producers to focus

on profitability and not output.

He says: “Our most profitable clients are those practising low cost, medium output, grazingbased systems with milk from forage at more than 4,000 litres.

“Other key characteristics include block calving either in autumn, spring or both, cross-breeding to enhance milk solids and an absolute focus on cost control.”

High fixed costs

While some variable costs, such as fertiliser and fuel, have eased since the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there are some other costs that are persistently high. Perhaps the most significant is labour, with a lack of labour the reason why some producers have given up milk production.

Mr King says dairy manager salaries are between £50,000 and £75,000 a year, while herdspeople earn between £30,000 and £45,000.

Attracting, retaining and developing staff is likely to involve other considerations aside from salary, including training, good working conditions and a removal of a long-hours culture.

He says: “The dairy industry may have to be more creative in the future if it is to secure the labour it needs. That might mean more joint venture arrangements to provide a career pathway and the sourcing of labour from non-traditional sources, such as Asian countries and UK cities.”

Another ‘sticky’ cost is financing capital investment, which might be needed if the farm is to thrive in the future.

Mr King says: “Increased costs

of steel, timber, concrete and other building material, plus higher building labour costs, as well as higher nance costs due to higher interest rates, means the capital depreciation on an all-year-round non-robotic system has risen from

the equivalent of 2ppl 10 years ago to about 4.5ppl now.”

Mr King says it now costs between £10,000 and £20,000 per cow place to build a brand new dairy unit, an outlay which is largely preventing their construction.

Grass-based systems are cheaper, but still cost the equivalent of £6,000 per cow place. Requirements to improve slurry storage are also a cost burden and, although grants are available, at least half the funding must be found by the farm.

Milk prices are edging upwards, with some prices back over 40ppl, which could help margins in the current milk year. Mr King does not expect them to breach 50ppl anytime soon.

He says: “ e market probably hit the bo om of the cycle in the second half of 2023, only modest global output growth is expected for the rest to the year, with high production costs and lacklustre prices holding back increases.”

at prediction is echoed by Rabobank, which expects lower production in the world’s largest dairy exporting countries during the rst half of 2024, with lower feed costs and improving prices pushing up output in the second half of the year.

Recent Global Dairy Trade auction prices highlight the patchy recovery in dairy fortunes. In the rst ve auctions of the year, prices rose, but then there was a decline in two sales during March, but the rst April auction saw a 2.8% recovery in values.

Problems with slippery concrete?

Richard King, of Andersons, says his most profitable clients are practising low cost, medium output, grazing based systems.

Running two dairy herds and a commercial property enterprise, Mike King has an efficient business, operating at a high level, but it was not always this way. Faced with challenges in recruiting, training and retention, he reached out to a specialist. Dairy Farmer reports.

The importance of people management

Mike King, alongside his brother Chris, runs a large family dairy business at Kingspool Farm, South Gloucestershire, milking 800 Holstein cows on one site, and a further 400 on another.

In total, the farm extends to 809 hectares (2,000 acres), and alongside it is a commercial property business, letting 82 business units and self storage.

The brothers now employ 36 people across the company, which has grown significantly over the past nine years – and not without its challenges.

“We had a much smaller business – milking half the number of cows,” says Mike.

“We still had the commercial lets, but when I employed people, I employed them because they wanted to work, not because they were right for the role.

Paul has been able to help develop the younger people in our business to work up through the ranks

MIKE KING

“We had a number of people promoted into roles that they were never going to succeed in, because they were not the right characters, or they had ended up in those roles by default.”

Roles

Mike met Paul Harris, of the agricultural management and people management specialists Real Success, in 2015, at a local farm open day.

“I heard him speak and I thought, ‘that is exactly what I need’,” Mike says.

“I needed someone to come in and help sort the people out, so that I am not managing every single part of everything that goes on – which I was at the time.

“It was a very stressful time, because I had people in roles that could not fulfil them, and I had some legacy issues where people had come into

the business years ago that were not right for the business. So there was an element of retention, moving people on and recruiting new people.”

Paul began by running a team dynamics workshop with Mike’s team.

“That helped us identify a few issues which we could work on separately,” Mike explains.

“He then helped us with annual reviews as well as HR across the farm, the office and the commercial team.”

Retention was another focus for the business.

Beneficial

“One of the things Paul has been able to do is help develop the younger people in our business to work up through the ranks,” says Mike.

“One of the team members has been with us since he left college, and now he is a man-

ager, managing half the team as well as most of the operations. Paul has mentored him in how to talk to different people, manage people and time – it has been really beneficial for us.”

This work enabled Mike to expand the business.

“We were able to get the right people in place, and Paul has done a lot of training with managers to make sure they are skilled enough to manage their teams and able to take on some of the work I was doing,” he adds.

“We supply milk to one of the top-end retailers, so we work at – and need people to operate at – a high level.

“They must be invested in the business – to feel as if it is their business as much as ours.”

Mike is a part of the Real Success Priority Service.

“This means Paul and his team are always at the end of the phone. Any of my managers can call about an issue and get some advice,” Mike adds.

Working with Paul has had a profound impact, not only on the business, but on Mike himself.

“The work that Paul has done has enabled us to grow,” he says.

“I am less stressed and I can manage things a lot easier now.

“You are bound to still get a bit stressed but it is nothing like before. I was frustrated at the staff, but I realised I had them in the wrong roles.

“You have to manage yourself, your time and your people –and get the right people so that you can grow your business.”

Mike King

Paul Harris

LAMMA 2024 WAS A RECORD BREAKING EVENT

DON’T MISS OUT EXHIBITING AT LAMMA 2025

Visitor Stats*

40,000+ 650+

87%

80% of exhibition space is booked of exhibitors were

Benefits of exhibiting at LAMMA

✔ Engage with key decision makers

✔ Promote your products and services

✔ Increase brand awareness

-AGCOOver

✔ Increase brand credibility

✔ Launch new brand, product or service

✔ Meet current customers

For all sales enquiries or to book a stand scan or click on the below QR code and fill in the form:

We’ve had a really great show here at LAMMA – Full of quality conversations. Our stand is particularly interactive this year so it’s been really drawing people in. We’re looking forward to next year already!

LAMMA is a great place to meet up with our existing clients and meet new, it’s what brings us back each year. The show has been very busy for us once again.

-Agrifac-