Dairy Farmer Digital Edition June 2012

DAIRY FARMERForward thinking for a profitable future June 2012

TIP OF THE MONTH: Are you feeding enough of the right type of fibre to your cows? – p24

delivering forage and nutrition technologies part of the groupBiotal Ltd Tel: 02920 475550 www.biotal.co.uk

For fermented wholecrop between 35-45% DM to improve aerobic stability and forage quality

For fermented milled wholecrop between 45-75% DM to improve aerobic stability and forage quality

At uncertain times there’s one thing you can

rely on, using Biotal forage inoculants to help

deliver increased production from forage.

wholecrop gold® works on low dry matter

fermented wholecrop to improve stability and

preserve nutrients of cereal fibre, resulting in

better intake productivity.

wholecrop gold mill® has a dual action which

prevents high dry matter fermented wholecrop

heating up and moulding, ensuring good

intake and maximum performance.

The sure way to preserve

your marginsChoose Biotal for crop and

condition specific additives

See us at Cereals Event stand H845 13-14th June, Boothby Heath, Lincoln

Inside this issue…

On farm feature Pages 10-11

Breeding specialPages 14-22

New productsPage 28

Win calf jacketSee insert

Milk pricesPages 30-31

**DF Jun Cover 18/5/12 09:18 Page 1

1. Reist M et al, Vet Rec 2002, 151:377-380.Eprinex Pour-On for Beef and Dairy Cattle contains eprinomectin. EPRINEX® and the steerhead® logo areregistered trademarks of Merial Ltd. ©Merial 2012. All rights reserved. Legal Category POM-VPS (UK),LM (Ireland). Advice on the use of this or alternative medicines must be sought from the medicine prescriber.Read packaging before use. For further information contact Merial Animal Health Ltd, CM19 5TG or call theMerial Customer Support Centre on 0800 592699 (UK) or 1850 783 783 (Ireland).

No wonder dairy farmers have trusted Eprinex® for over a decade, it’s a winning formula that’s proven to deliver more of what you need…

Eprinex®. Proven to Deliver You More.

PERFORMANCE Trials have shown that, by killing damaging worms,Eprinex® can increase milk yield by as much as 2 litres per cow per day1.

CONVENIENCE With zero milk withhold, you can use Eprinex® at any stageof production without the worry of lost milk sales.

EFFICACY Eprinex® contains eprinomectin, licensed to kill more speciesand stages of worms and for longer than any other cattle pour-on.

Eprinex®

A winning formula

CONVENIENCEPERFORMANCE

EFFICACY

Merial Eprinex WP DF 18/5/12 10:23 Page 1

CONTENTS

1DAIRY FARMER JUNE 2012

Vol 59 No 6 June 2012

News and commentNews review 2 Cowmen comment 4On farm 10Potter’s View 12Nutrition 24

Breeding specialNMR champ 14Healthy Holsteins 18Right cow type 20 DNA profiling 22

RegularsMarketplace 28Milk prices 30 Workshop tips 32Good Evans 36

NEXT MONTH

Housing and slurry

In this issue…At the tipping point?

The severity of the recentprice cuts takes thembeyond mere smarting –they hurt. Badly. And justto rub salt into the wound

the rumour mill is predicting someprocessors are wanting to slashprices even further in July.

That’s why Milk Link’s recentannouncement to hold its latestprice until September is crucial inlaying a steadying hand on whatcould so easily become a freefallspiral.

Hand in glove with this is theco-op’s impressive £5.95m (12.8%)payback to farmers which, on topof last year’s £3.95m, demonstr-ates that the time of the co-opsmay have come at last. It’s truethat payments wise First Milk isbehind, but it’s moving in theright direction. And let’s notforget the achievements of thelikes of United Dairy Farmers, andwe could probably add Arla tothat list, as even though its UK

Editor

Peter Hollinshead 0207 332 2949

[email protected]

Production Editor

Gillian Dixon 01772 799 417

[email protected]

Display Advertisement Manager

Mark Jackson 01322 449 624,

07775 754 548,

[email protected]

Classified Advertisements

Ben Lea and Susan Rains

01772 799 454

Advertising Production

Justine Sumner 01772 799 437

Fax: 01772 796 747

[email protected]

Subscriptions 01858 438 893

www.subscription.co.uk/df/0024

Circulation 01858 435 361

[email protected]

Single copy: £3.75

Subscription rates: UK £45 a year

Europe: £55 World: £65To subscribe, call our hotline on 01858 438 893.

Alternatively visit www.subscription.co.uk/df/bar1

© Briefing Media Ltd 2012All rights reserved. No part of this publication maybe reproduced or transmitted in any form or byany means, electronic or mechanical includingphotocopying, recording, or any informationstorage or retrieval system without the expressprior written consent of the publisher. The contentsof Dairy Farmer are subject to reproduction ininformation storage and retrieval systems.

Dairy Farmer, Briefing Media Ltd, Unit 4, Fulwood Business Park, Caxton Road, Preston, Lancashire PR2 9NZ.

Contacts

Origination by Farmers Guardian, Briefing Media Ltd, Unit 4, Fulwood Business Park, Caxton Road, Preston, Lancashire PR2 9NZ. Printed by Headley Brothers,Invicta Press, Queen’s Road, Ashford, Kent TN24 8HH. No responsibility can be accepted by Dairy Farmer for the opinions expressed by contributors.

Editor

division isn’t a co-op yet, it morethan likely will be one day.

With such eye catching per-formance, all of this could leavethe likes of Dairy Crest, Lactalis andMuller/Wiseman feeling prettyexposed, and already pundits arepredicting a significant number of‘direct’ farmers will be showingmore than a passing interest in co-op thinking over the next fewmonths.

Which is a strange turnaroundfrom when these Cinderella co-ops were unloved and the solepreserve of that rump of diehardzealots who were prepared tostick to their guns even under thepain of financial torture.

Following deregulation thesmart money went on the plcmodel but recently the highestand fairest prices have onlyconsistently been delivered to alucky few ‘aligned’ farmers,leaving others discontented onthe sidelines.

Which brings us to surmise justwhat was in First Milk KateAllum’s mind at the recent DINconference when she predictedthat ‘2012 will be a year of majorchange in the UK dairy industry’.

Are we about to witness astructural sea change?

**DF Jun p1 Contents 18/5/12 11:16 Page 1

2 DAIRY FARMER JUNE 2012

NEWS

Top student■ Winner of this year’sRABDF/Dairy Crest DairyStudent of the Year award is21-year-old Grace Smith fromthe 240-acre Conrick Farm,Sanquhar, Dumfriesshire,which carries a herd of 160Holstein-Friesians and a 30,000laying flock. Grace is in herfinal year at the SAC campusat Ayr and hopes to join theSAC team of consultants aftergraduation, specialising indairying and nutrition.

Chairman quits■ The respected chairman ofthe Wiseman Milk Partner-ship, Iain Smith, has resignedon the back of RobertWiseman Dairies refusing toconsider a counter proposalhe put forward in relation tothe 2ppl price cut. In what isclear evidence of the lack ofnegotiating power of thesegroups, neither the WisemanMilk Partnership nor DairyCrest Direct agreed to theprice cuts, which were‘imposed’ on them.

Almost worst job■ According to a US survey,dairy farming is the secondworse job to do. Theoccupation was ranked 199out of 200, only surpassed bythe job of felling trees. Top ofthe table, on the other hand,is the job of softwareengineer.

Princess Royal award■ Former Genus chairman andcheesemaker John Beckett hasbeen presented with theRoyal Association of BritishDairy Farmers’ Princess RoyalAward by Her Royal Highness.The honour was made for hisoutstanding services to theindustry.

United cut■ United Dairy Farmers cut itsmilk price by a further 0.9pplfor March 2012 supplies. Thenew base price is 26.5ppl for4%b/f and 3.18% protein, andthis is the fourth consecutivemonthly cut totaling 2ppl(1.75ppl down in 2012) takingthe standard litre price downto 26.81ppl.

NEWS IN BRIEF Milk price steadiesto catch its breath T

he big question facingproducers at the momentis will prices go anylower after the last batchof milk price cuts?

At the time of writing thereare four glimmers of light on agloomy horizon which give somegrounds for optimism, albeitslim. First, Milk Link is holding itsprice until September, and thiscould well be pivotal inpreventing other price falls.

Second, the cream price mayhave bottomed out and theJubilee/Wimbledon/Olympic/Euro

2012 season (all of which maysee a boost in summer fruit salesand thus cream) aren’t far off.

Third, the poor weather inApril and early May hastempered milk volumes and,fourthly, UK cheese prices arestill holding up despite theturmoil in the fat market.

CheaperSet against those, however, issterling’s rise against the euro,which will suck in cheaper Irishproduct, especially cheese, andalso the considerable overhang

of dairy product on the worldmarket, which is currentlystanding at an extra 20 milliontonnes compared to last year.

And this surplus will not clearany time soon, according toexperts. “The overhang in themarket will take a year to reduceand will start to increase in early2013,” predicted United DairyFarmers’ David Dobbin speakingat the recent Dairy IndustryNewsletter conference. The bestcure will be bad weather and lowprices themselves, he added –which would pull back volumes.

Commodities on slide THIS month’s Global Dairy Trade,which has now become the mostimportant barometer ofsentiment on the world dairymarkets, dropped 2.4% across allcontracts and commodities atthe May 1 auction, although itgave a small boost to the cheesesector.

Prices for whole milk powder,skimmed milk powder andanhydrous milk fat all fell again.Forward contract prices forAugust were also downsignificantly – down 8.4% forWMP, 10.1% for SMP and AMFdown 13.6%.

At the May 15 auction themarket was down on average6.4% and forward prices haveslipped further.

In Europe the butter price is

still falling, with cheap EasternEuropean butter now hoveringonly €32 above the interventionprice of €2218. The UK priceequivalent is £1930/tonne.Meanwhile the EU’s stores arefilling fairly rapidly, with 61,000tonnes consigned to privatestorage, and rising on a weeklybasis.

Good newsEuropean cheese prices are alsostill sliding, but UK prices forthe moment are staying firm –which is clearly good news forMilk Link and First Milk.

Whole milk and skimmed milkpowders are falling in Europestill, however there is someevidence whey powder pricesare picking up.

First Milkinto sportsnutritionWHEN the Wiseman family soldout to Muller, First Milk made agood profit on the shares itheld. This month it hasreinvested some of that moneyinto the premium functionalfood sector by buying the sportsnutrition company CNPProfessional.

The company sells a broadrange of quality products for thesports nutrition market, withmany of its products containingadded value whey proteiningredients. These products tie in well with its joint venturewith Fonterra.

Strong growthThe sports nutrition sector inBritain has more than doubledin the last five years, and stronggrowth is predicted for the nextfive years too.

The co-op’s chairman BillMustoe said: “With theacquisition of CNP Professional,we believe we have invested in astrong company in a rapidlygrowing sector, and all of thiswill allow us to drive more cashfor our farmer shareholders.”First Milk did not disclose howmuch it paid for CNP.

Pen a poem about cheeseNEXT time you’re wanderinglonely as a cloud on England’sgreen and pleasant dairying landput any idle dreams of your nextcheese sandwich to good use –pen a poem for the BritishCheese Board (BCB) aboutcheese and put it to the nation’sfinest music.

The organisation is searchingfor a new cheese anthem set totunes such as Land of Hope and

Glory, Jerusalem and theNational Anthem.

Primetime TVPublicity for the campaign hitseveral newspapers, and evengot airtime on primetime TVcourtesy of Have I got News forYou, complete with the usualsarcasm.

Submit your entries to the BCBvia www.britishcheese.com

**DF Jun p2 3 News 18/5/12 11:01 Page 1

NEWS


““

Clean and Dry...soothes and clears Concentrated formulation

• Fast and effective

• Improve teat condition

• Cost effective

•Soothes, softens & clears

•Use at calving time and on

hard udders (esp heifers)

•Tested for non-taint of milk

®UDDERMINT HOOFCARETEISEN TEAT WIPES•With chelated copper

and zinc, for

prolonged action

•Gel, spray-on, and

footbath

Its effect on a heifer ’s udder is phenomenal ! I’m convincedthat using UDDERMINT on all our heifers for the first 2-3 days

after calving has increased milk yield by up to 10%.

UDDERMINT used worldwide

over 5 million times per year!

VEGELYTE®

• Electrolytes, dextrose and fibre

•Gel powder/digestive aid

• Very economicalA name you can trust

Redditch. B96 6RP. Tel: 01527 821488 www.uddermint.com

Win a calf jacket■ MSD Animal Health –manufacturers of BovilisBovipast RSP, the onlymultivalent vaccine whichhelps protect calves againstthe key viral (RSV and Pi-3)and bacterial (M haemolytica)causes of pneumonia – arecontinuing to highlightfarmer approaches to keypneumonia diseasemanagement issues.

To take part in the 2012Bovilis Bovipast RSP NationalPneumonia Survey – and forthe chance to win one of 10versatile thermal calf jackets –see the insert in this issue ofDairy Farmer, or visitwww.farmersguardian.com/pneumonia2012

COMPETITION

April milkPRODUCTION in April was1202.5 million litres, which is90m litres less than last month,11m litres up on last year and69.3m litres up on two yearsago.

New face formilk campaignTHE latest celebrity to don amilk moustache for the MakeMine Milk campaign is ex-hard-man footballer turned film starVinnie Jones.

His official headline aboutmilk is: ‘You know what is goodfor you’, but the strapline whichwas rejected for the promotionwas the double meaning in‘avoid broken bones’.

No dairy crisisdeclares CiolosTHE fat market across Europe mayhave crashed and costs may berising but there is ‘no crisis’ in thesector.

That is according to AgricultureCommissioner Dacian Ciolos, whoused those exact words in hisresponse to the Polish request forthe reintroduction of exportrefunds and higher interventionprices.

“Due to strong increases inexports of EU SMP and butter, nogrounds exist for the reintrod-uction of export subsidies, andincreasing the intervention priceswould send the wrong message tofarmers,” he said.

According to UK politicians,however, there is a definite crisis,and one which warrants a majorshift in thinking and practicesfrom the sector. Both England’s

Farming Minister Jim Paice andScotland’s Rural Affairs MinisterRichard Lochhead have collectivelyinsisted a ‘robust’ code of practiceshould be introduced to improvethe balance of power betweenprocessors and producers.

Easy routeSpeaking after the latest DairySupply Chain Forum in mid-May,and in response to the comments,NFU Scotland vice-president AllanBowie said: “Without morebalanced contractualarrangements between dairyfarmers and their milk buyers,many processors will continue totake the easy route to managingtheir own margins by simplylowering the price they pay tofarmers rather than looking totheir customers.”

Feed prices rise and more set to followNO sooner had milk pricereduction letters arrived onfarms than letters from feedcompanies announcing rises infeedstuffs started to land on thedoor mat.

These heralded price increasesof around £10 per tonne in thelast month alone, and follow onfrom similar price increases inApril. And it looks as if theremay be more to follow.

Soya prices have continued toincrease over the last month byas much as £10 a week to peakabove £350, before droppingback slightly. China has been

buying huge quantities, andthere have been supply issuesfrom Argentina.

According to a spokesman forFeeds Marketing: “We don't seeany reason for the prices tocollapse short term, unless the(US futures trading) funds decideto sell off their long positionsrapidly.

“We suggest farmers covertheir requirements now as it isunlikely things are going to getany better.”

Rapemeal and gluten priceshave also increased on the backof poor supplies. Over the last

five weeks Megalac hasincreased in price three timesand cumulatively by more than£100 per tonne.

Wheat prices have started toease, however, as the SouthAmerican harvest has got underway, and it is likely they willcontinue to do so as theEuropean and US harvests drawnearer.

The US is expecting a recordharvest of 416m tonnes, whichwould be an increase of 16%.However, the predicted globaltotal is 678m tonnes, comparedto last year’s 695m tonnes.

**DF Jun p2 3 News 18/5/12 11:01 Page 2


COWMEN COMMENT

Rosemary CollingbornRosemary Collingborn and her husbandJoe farm a closed herd of 100 pedigreeFriesian type cows, 60 young stock andbreed bulls for sale. She has served on theMDC Council, Veterinary ProductsCommittee and RSPCA Council.

Breakfast conversation canbe a little on the thin side

■ FARM: Family run 185 acres dairyfarm in North Wiltshire■ HERD: Closed herd of 100Friesian type pedigree cows■ YIELD: 8000 litres■ SOIL TYPE: Heavy – Oxford clay■ RAINFALL: 749mm■ MILK BUYER: First Milk.

Farm facts

Available online:www.abbeydaledirect.co.ukwww.fanevalleystores.comwww.wynnstayonline.co.ukMagnets not included, T&C apply

To find your nearestagricultural merchantparticipating in this offer,visit: www.coxagri.com orcall Cox on: 0845 600 8081

The year started wellbut now our farm isunder water, most of ourremaining silage eatenand the milk price

unsteady. We turned the cows and

youngstock out at the end ofFebruary and grazed the wholefarm for a month, including silagegrounds, day and night. Yieldsrose from 25 litres per cow to 30,so we had an extra five litres a dayfrom grass for six weeks and werein control of the paddocks, ratherthan them getting away from us.

The cows were then back in atnight in the middle of April toallow a bigger grass wedge todevelop. Annual yields arecurrently running at 8000 litreswith 3500 from forage, so there’sstill room for improvement,but it shows what can be donewhen you breed and feed for

production from forage.Part of this strategy was based

on the fact I bought my husbanda plate meter last Christmas andhe has used this to very goodeffect. He has decided the cowshave been going into thepaddocks without enough coverand coming out with too little.But he did say it was a pity Ididn’t buy him a luminous oneto use at night as he feels veryself-conscious when theneighbours are watching!

The other first this year is thatwe have completely emptied thedirty water pit, and injected thewater into the ground. The onlyproblem was compaction, evenwith perfect ground conditions,but we are assured the results willastonish us, particularly as wehave been economising onfertiliser since prices shot up.

After all these firsts, matters

deteriorated completely frommid-April. However, in spite ofextensive flooding, the cowshave still been going out,although you can hear theyoungstock complaining loudly asthey don’t like being in again.

Back to the milk price, and it’sobvious the market still isn’tworking. With cost of productionalready above price achieved,and a shortage of product beingsold, a normal market would seethe middleman putting the priceup to the end buyer. But insteadthe primary producer cops it.

When I told my hairdresserabout Dairy Crest’s price drop,she said in astonishment: ‘Well Iwouldn’t notice if the price ofmilk went up 5p... I never lookat the price.’

ChallengingWe have just had our annualmeeting with our accountantwhich is always challenging.When planning succession hit theagenda he said he was gettingconfusing signals because I had aleft-brain and my husband aright one. This could explain whywe find it difficult going in astraight line together!

Regular relaxation for farmersround here is to be found in ourlocal pub. Occasionally we wivesmight join in our husband’sfarming conversations. It’s then aninnocent remark can bring forth atotally unjustified response. To mysurprise, as I look round inindignation, I see my fellow ladiesnodding knowledgeably.

‘It’s like looking through awindow and seeing ourselves.’Then, turning to their husbands:‘That’s just how you respond atbreakfast time.’

In my experience, breakfasttime is normally the trigger. Atthis point, we wives might nothave seen our husbands for a fewhours, and naturally want todiscuss the coming day on thelines of: ‘How is the sick cow? Didyou remember to do so and so?’

Or: ‘Now it’s dried up, shouldwe put the heifers out?’ Or: “Canyou mend my kitchen sink today?’

I’ve learnt through bitterexperience any other greetingthan: ‘Hello, what would you likefor breakfast?’ Or, more popular:‘Your breakfast’s ready’, is totallyunacceptable at this stage.

The usual response is: ‘You can’texpect me to listen until I’ve gotsome food inside me.’

The problem for me is themoment for the day’s helpfulsuggestion never seems to arrive.After breakfast it’s always: ‘I’mhaving a kip, don’t disturb me.’ Orhis mobile is clamped to his ear.

And regarding whatever it iswhich has needed mending forthe last six weeks the likely retortis: ‘If you mention it one moretime, I’ll never do it.’

When will our farmer husbandsrealise if they would only listen totheir wives’ helpful suggestions,saying: ‘What a good idea, dear’,then life would be a lot easier foreveryone!

**DF Jun p4 Collingborn 18/5/12 09:20 Page 1

Use Medicines Responsibly. For more information visit www.noah.uk/responsibleMastiplan, Cepravin and Cobactan are only available via your veterinary surgeon from whom advice should be sought.Mastiplan LC contains 300mg/20mg Cefapirin/Prednisolone. Cepravin Dry Cow contains cefalonium. Cobactan contains cefquinome. Legal categories: POM-VMastiplan, Cepravin and Cobactan are the property of Intervet International B.V. or affiliated companies or licensors and is protected by copyrights, trademark and otherintellectual property laws.Copyright © 2009 Intervet International B.V. All rights reserved. Further information is available from: MSD Animal Health, Walton Manor, Walton, Milton Keynes MK7 7AJ

[email protected] www.msd-animal-health.co.uk

MSD Animal Health is working with mastitis experts, vets and dairy farmers to

encourage more effective and appropriate use of mastitis treatments, now and

in the future, through the adoption of Early Lactation Therapy (ELT).

ELT is a pragmatic way forward for proactive dairy farmers aiming to

successfully balance the demands of herd performance, best practice in

mastitis management and the responsible use of antibiotics.

Ask your veterinary surgeon now for more information

on ELT and look out for more information in dairy publications

throughout the year.

ELT x1a Man Farmer WP DF June November 2012 18/5/12 11:37 Page 1


COWMEN COMMENT

Christopher Murley farms in partnershipwith his parents and brothers at HigherBojewyan Farm on the north coast ofCornwall. They run 300 pedigree Jerseysaveraging 5900 litres at 5.9% fat and3.87% protein.

We’ve put end to cowssorting their TMR feed

Christopher MurleyOur cows went out tograss on March 5 byday in very dryconditions, and asalways it makes life a

lot easier when there’s less yardwork and less slurry about.

With our focus firmly on theuse of grazed grass, we’ve spentmore time this year on dividingsome bigger fields into paddockssmall enough for each grazing,aiming to turn cows into covers of2800 and coming out at 1500(hopefully!). As it happens Marchwas relatively easy with virtuallyno rain, making for good grazingwith cows doing well.

Our young stock finishedstubble turnips on March 11 andwent onto grass with somehaylage for the first few days. Thisyear, for the first time, we’ve beenpaddock grazing them thinkingthat because they have been used

to electric fences all winter itshould go smoothly. So far thishas worked well with heiferslooking very well and contented.With any luck when these heiferscalve and go with the milkers theyshould make better grazersbecause they have been used topaddock grazing, but just howthey will take to cubicles afterbeing out wintered is anyone’sguess.

With March being so dry grassgrowth was really slow at 30-50kgDM/ha, but on the plus sidequality and intakes wereexcellent. We had two fields oflast autumn’s seeds looking verybackward with cracks in theground big enough to lose yourfingers – something I have neverseen here in March before. Theydesperately needed some warmrain to get going, but the onlything growing well is chickweed!

As March gave way to April sothe weather changed with someexceptional rainfall both by dayand night, making grazing cowsmuch more challenging. OnSunday, April 29, the weather wasso bad the cows managed lessthan half-an-hour at grass! Grasssaved up for silage has bulked upreasonably well but with very lowcarry over we need really goodyields as well as quality.

Ration changeThis spring we have made somebig changes to the way we bufferfeed the cows in an effort tomake it more efficient for us andbetter for the cows’ digestion. AsI’ve written before we did have aserious problem with cows sortingthe concentrate from the partialTMR, and although we have donemany things to minimise it wehave been unable to satisfactorilyreduce it as much as we wouldhave liked.

While the cows have performedquite well we still felt there wasroom for improvement bystopping cows wasting so muchtime sorting and giving themmore time to lie down and makemilk. So we have gone with theobvious solution of admittingdefeat and stopped feedingconcentrate in the mix at all.

Now we are relying on molasseswith extra cake in the parlourmade with rolled cereal ratherthan ground so as to break downslower in the rumen. It is too earlyto tell how well it might work inthe winter but hopefully theirdung will be more consistent andthey will be more relaxed.

We have tried many ‘solutions’over the last few years fromphysical factors such as chop

length, extra molasses or water,and nutritional fixes such asbicarb and mycotoxin binders.These all have there place buthave not provided the ultimateanswer.

Results so far from switchingconcentrate for molasses has beenencouraging, and even with aslight loss of milk litres, qualityhas remained very good.Hopefully we will make up thelitres in time as the cows settle tothe new diet.

We will carry on with alkalagefor this year to see how it goes,but we did wonder whether weshould grow another forage cropto help encourage intakes in thewinter. We looked at pea/barleywholecrop but finally decided toconcentrate on making goodquality grass, red clover andalkalage as these seem relativelyeasy to manage and producegood results.

After we finished drilling thespring barley we have been busysowing ryegrass after the stubbleturnips. We’ve also been buildinga small extension to the milkingparlour building to accommodatea footbath and foot trimmingfacilities, and also putting biggerwater pipes and troughs in somefields to try to keep up with cownumbers.

■ SIZE: 144ha (355 acres)■ CROP: 22ha (55 acres) spring barley■ HERD: 300 pedigree Jerseys +replacements■ YIELD: 5900 litres, 5.9% F &3.87% P ■ BACTOSCAN: 11■ CELL COUNT: 127■ MILK BUYER: Milk Link.

Farm facts

NEW PROFILED CONCRETE SLATS;* Slats offer much better grip for the cows.

* Slat will not dry out as ordinary concrete slats.

* Slats are cleaner as the dung passes better through the slots.

* More confident cows.

* Cows show more natural behaviour

* Better heat observation and overall herd health.

* Increased feed intakes and milk production.

* 10-year manufacturers guarantee on the profiling.

We offer:ADVICE-DESIGN-SUPPLY-INSTALLATIONBringing you advanced technology and barn equipment from around the world,

meeting expectations of comfort and welfare for tomorrows dairyman

De Boer Housing Systems Ltd your partner in excellence.

Enquiries; call head office 01208 816773

**DF June p6 Murley 18/5/12 09:48 Page 1

Heatime® Horizon

Fabdec Ltd, Grange Road, Ellesmere, Shropshire, SY12 9DG

Fax: +44 (0) 1691 627222 Email: [email protected] www.heatime.co.uk

Cow Management Systems

Heatime Horizon is a stand-alone heat detection system

for dairy farmers wishing to improve farm efficiency &

profitability by improving their breeding program.

Heatime Horizon is based on the same motion sensing technology as

the traditional Heatime system but uses Long Distance Technology to

transmit data in real-time and not just at milking times. This allows for

earlier heat detection across the herd.

• Accurate heat detection rate - up to 95%• Easy to use touch-screen interface• Real-time transmission of data• Built-in herd management reports• Large farm capability - up to 1000 tags• SMS alerts available• Modular system - allows future expansion

Over 500,000 cows in the UK are using Heatime technology!

For more information call Fabdec on: +44 (0)1691 627 200

Stand-alone heat detection using Long Distance Technology

Heatime® Horizon

User Profile

Farmer:

Peter Chapman

Size:

420 Acres

Location:

Thornton, Middlesborough

No. of Cows:

180

Farming Type:

Semi TMR, In-Parlour feeding

Fabdec system:

Heatime® Horizon

“It’s the best investmentI have made in yearsand the first time in fouryears I have been able tosell fresh calved heifersat the market.”

500 Metre Range

Fabdec WP DF 18/5/12 13:09 Page 1

REGISTER YOUR DETAILS TOCONTINUE RECEIVING YOURCOPY OF DAIRY FARMER

Please take a couple of minutes to visitwww.subscription.co.uk/cc/df and complete the registration form

Dairy Farmer is a leading specialist farming title, providing

in-depth, technical and management advice to service the

progressive dairy farmer.

DO NOT DELAY – REGISTER TODAY TO RECEIVETHE INDUSTRY’S NO.1 DAIRY PUBLICATION

If you are unable to access our web site, but still wish to register, then please email [email protected] with your Dairy Farmerregistration request, your name and your address. A registration card will then be posted to you.

DONOTLETTHISBEYOURLAST ISSUE!

FG House Reg WP DF 18/5/12 13:10 Page 1

SPONSORED SERIES


Step 2: Monitor high riskanimals and their recordsOnce high risk, early lactation cowshave been identified, it is important toprioritise those cows in the first 100days of lactation, regardless of theiryield, ahead of cows in later lactation.It is worth remembering shouldmastitis occur before an animal isconfirmed in-calf, there is likely to be agreater economic impact than a case ina pregnant animal.

This can be seen in ongoing yieldsand also in reduced fertility. This bringsa clear focus to that first 100-dayperiod, and hopefully ensures these

Last month we learnt how the newly-introduced ELT principle could change mastitis management on-farm. ELT is anew protocol developed with the help of leading UK vets to assist with the day-to-day management of mastitis. HereJames Allcock of Lambert, Leonard and May vets, Cheshire, spends some time discussing Step 2. Early Lactation

TherapyEarly Lactation Therapy – a word from the vet

ELTsp

on

sored

series bro

ug

ht to

you

by M

SDA

nim

al Health

, man

ufactu

rers of C

ob

actan

Monitoring negative milk quality eventsin previous/current lactation:1. Cell counts:■ More than three consecutive recordingsabove 200,000 immediately prior to dry-off or ■ Two out of the first three recordingsabove 200,000 immediately after calving inthe current lactation2. Clinical mastitis cases:■ Any cow which is to be calved again having suffered three or more clinical mastitis events in previous lactation.

Points to remember

herds the policy might include cowssuffering two or more clinical eventsin their previous lactation.

Other monitoringmethodsPrioritisation of high risk cows meansthey should be given special attentionat every milking and by every parlourworker. Putting a legband or adistinctive spray marking on eachfreshly-calved cow for the first fewweeks of lactation allows for easyrecognition of these animals. For thesecows, foremilking (still a legalrequirement), visual examination and abrief palpation of the udder shouldallow rapid identification of anyclinical mastitis cases by anyonepreparing udders and applying clusters.

Ultimately, the success or failure ofmonitoring cows and keeping recordscomes down to consistency fromeveryone involved. The simple hintshighlighted here should be easy andstraightforward for anyone toimplement.

cows are prioritised ahead of others.As the below table shows, cows

suffering from mastitis before serviceand before conception had a greaternumber of days to first service anddays open than control animals.

The use of records tomonitor cowsTreating some of the milking herd ina different way to others need not beat all complicated, especially if youuse a checklist of ‘negative milkquality events’.

So what are these? Negativemilk quality events could include aseries of high composite cell counts inherds which milk record (eg morethan three consecutive recordingsabove 200,000 immediately prior todry-off, or two out of the first threerecordings above 200,000 immed-iately after calving in the currentlactation, as shown in the graphbelow).

Other negative milk quality eventswould be clinical mastitis cases. Anycow which is to be calved againhaving suffered three or more clinicalmastitis events would certainlyappear on the ‘risk list’ – in some

Graph illustrating individual cell counts before andafter the dry period.

ELT is a simple three-step process:1. Identify animals at high risk of developingmastitis2. Monitor high risk animals and theirrecords3. Early identification of clinical cases andearly appropriate treatment.ELT aims to help maximise cure rates, min-imise mastitis recurrence rates and deliver arapid return to acceptable cell counts and,hence, saleable milk.

ELT process

James Allcock.

Monthly recordings before and after dry period

**DF Jun p9 ELT Signed Off 18/5/12 09:23 Page 1


ON FARM

Over the past three years one Lancashire family has been engaged in the balancing act of improving silagequality to cut bought-in feed costs while at the same time holding high yields. Jeremy Hunt reports.

Better quality silage givesboost to dry matter intake

Consistent quality silage is the key to Anthony Bretherton’s rations.

This spring’s savage milkprice cuts underscore theneed to keep a tight gripon the cost of producingevery litre, and as a result

the challenge to produce moremilk from forage is now beingdriven by necessity.

Lancashire dairy farmerAnthony Bretherton and his wifeSuzy claim the milk price cut willknock around £25,000 off thefarm’s milk income. But they areat least confident the grass silagemade for their 135 pedigreeHolstein cows will enable themto rely on their forage to under-pin their rationing regime, whichis producing a herd average of10,500 litres.

Over the last three years theBrethertons have achievedsignificant increases in silage drymatter intakes and have adjustedcow diets accordingly – somethingwhich has not only reduced thecost of bought-in feeds but hasalso triggered an improvement inyield and had a beneficial impacton cow health and fertility.

Two years ago it was theimproved stability of the silagewhich led to feed savings of £30 acow being made during the first200 days of lactation, and this wasset against higher productionwhich saw yields increase by anaverage of 900 litres a cow.

The same silage treatmentswere undertaken last summer andwhile no further reductions inbought-in feed have been made,yield has been maintained. Allcows are fed for 40 litres from thecomplete diet mix and topped-up

in the parlour – althoughconcentrate feeding never exceedsmore than 100kg a day in totalusage. Most cows calve betweenJune and December.

The complete diet currentlybeing fed comprises caustic wheat(fed with 10% straw), rapeseed,soya, soya hulls and Megalac toproduce a 12-12.5ME diet.

ME levelWhile the quantities of individualstraights fed can vary, therationing rigidly sticks to its MElevel. Within the mix cows are fed33kg fresh weight silage andachieve a total dry matter intakeof 24.4kg per cow per day.

Anthony says: “We cut back

on the soya hulls last winter totry and increase silage intake. Itsaved money, intakes went upand yields were maintained. Wewere feeding 2.5kg of soya hullsbut reduced it to 1kg.

“Compared with a few yearsago we’re now feeding a lotmore silage. Current fresh-weight intakes of 33kg haverisen from around 26kg. At thattime we were struggling to getenough forage into the cowsand it was proving costly.”

Heavy land at the Bretherton’sFellside Farm, Bleasdale, nearGarstang, grows grass well butpoaches easily. It means theseason’s first silage cut may not betaken until the first week in June,

but it has also brought about arethink on cow management.

All cows – no matter what timeof year they calve – now remaininside on full winter rations forthe first 100 days of lactation.That means forage is now themainstay of the system – notgrazed grass. Cows past the first100 days of lactation do go out tograze and are managed on asummer regime based on a systemof nine paddocks.

The farm takes only two cuts ofsilage to put around 2000 tonnesin the clamp, and for the last twoyears the silage at the farm hasbeen treated with the inoculantOptimize Plus.

“It has helped us achieve alevel of stability in the forage sowe can confidently achieve arationing programme to give usa diet we can rely on all-year-round. We have no wastage orsecondary fermentation tocontend with,” says Anthony.

Last year’s second cut silageanalysis was: 42% dry matter,13.3% protein, 71.7% D-value,11.4MJ/kg and pH 4.2.

Liz Russell of Lancashire-basedEnvirosystems believes there’smassive potential among dairyfarmers to improve the qualityof forage, cut out wastage andcreate greater stability withinthe clamp.

“The bacillus in the inoculantbehaves like a biologicaldisinfectant and grows throughthe crop as a spore formingbacteria. It quickly populates itsenvironment and rapidly cleansup the crop to avoid deterioration

DON’T FORGET – WIN A CALF JACKETYou could be one of the lucky winners of these super prizes by taking part in our national

calf pneumonia survey. Complete the survey card enclosed, or fill in online at:

www.farmersguardian.com/pneumonia2012

**DF Jun p10 11 On Farm 18/5/12 09:25 Page 1

ON FARM


Deosan’s group of experts work with you to ensure you get the full price for your milk• maximising cell count and bactoscan income• improving the health and hygiene of your herd • reducing other losses due to poor hygiene

Are you gettingevery last penny

for your milk?

For more information call:

0800-0130789w w w . d e o s a n . c o . u k

Deosan - the intelligent solution

All cows – no matter when they calve – remain inside on full winter rations for the first 100 days of lactation.

from yeast and mould whichcause dry matter losses.

“When the clamp is opened upthere’s no spoilage provided thecrop is cut, harvested and ensiledto a high standard. The proteinin the silage is retained becausethe bacillus action inhibitsprotein breakdown duringfermentation,” she explains.

CompetitionShe believes forage quality canbe improved by a differentapproach to tackling therequired reduction in pH.

“Between pH7 and pH5there’s competition between allthe spoilage bacteria. The soil-born organisms want to wastenutrients and proteins and slowdown the fermentation process.

“By not using lactobacillus toachieve a rapid pH drop, the aimis to combat the soil-bornorganisms and capture theoxygen in the clamp so theanaerobic environment essentialfor the pH fall is created.”

Getting this consistent qualityis critical to the herd’s success.Anthony says his grazed grass is‘far too variable’ in terms of itsability to provide a reliable feedfor his cows.

“It’s just not consistent enough.Forage is now the key to the waywe feed our cows. In the last 10years the herd’s yield has risen bymore than 3000 litres, but in thelast three years we’ve seen a riseof 1500 litres – and it’s mainlybecause we’ve been able tomanage and look after those earlylactation cows and feed a correctlybalanced ration based on foragewe can rely on for its stability.

“Even in the spring andsummer we rely on forageinstead of grass to produce thehighest quality diet for the first

100 days of lactation, and by theend of the 100 days we wantcows safely back in-calf. We’reequally strict about our dry cowmanagement – good forage iscritical as the basis of thetransition diet.”

A new building at the farm tohold the main silage clamp hasbeen put up. This means morespace within the cubicle houseand this has undergone aninternal re-arrangement toprovide extra freedom for cowsand less ‘hot spots’ of cowcongestion.

Ventilation within the buildinghas also been increased by‘slotting’ the roof sheets. Andthe new-look building has alsocreated additional dry cowaccommodation and an areawhere newly-calved cows andheifers can spend the first 30 daysafter calving.

But whether it is betteraccommodation allowing formore targeted management orthe better diet, the cows seem tobe responding, with the herdachieving 41% of cows holdingto first service.

**DF Jun p10 11 On Farm 18/5/12 09:25 Page 2


POTTER’S VIEW

Fresh back from the Dairy Industry Newsletter conference, Ian Potter takes alook at producers’ smouldering response to the latest price drop.

Ian PotterIan is a specialist milk quotaand entitlement broker.Comments please to [email protected]

Will DC untangleitself for future?

This year’s annual DairyIndustry Newsletter (DIN)conference posed thequestion: ‘Is dairyrecession proof?’ A more

apt title, said one acidic farmeron hearing how quickly hischeese buyer had followed DairyCrest with a nice round 2pplprice drop, would be: ‘Is dairycollusion proof?’

The volume of milk now beingsold through the big supermar-kets enables them to squeezeprocessors hard, and processorsdon’t want to lose these majorcustomers. So the only thing theprocessors can do is squeeze thefarmer, and the only thing thefarmers have left to squeeze isthe cows’ teats.

How long will the low pricescontinue for? Well quite a while,said David Dobbin, the boss ofUnited Dairy Farmers. Until nextyear, probably.

Chinese demand has been a keyfactor in the rising world dairycommodity prices in recent yearsand, while oversupply has crashedprices, in the long-term China’sdemand will be critical. We needthem to start buying even morethan they do now. Just look at thenumbers – the population ofChina is 1.35bn which is almostdouble that of the EU 27 andmore than four times thepopulation of the mighty USA.

Increased global production isresulting in stocks mounting.Domestically the result is all ourUK processing being at 100%capacity, and we have ended upwith distressed milk deliveredacross the water for less than20ppl.

For the future I do worrywhere the phenomenal amountof milk from low cost producersin Southern Ireland (and whoare already gearing up for lifepost quotas) will be sold. Thiswas another point from theconference, and it will have a

significant impact on our ex-farmgate milk prices without adoubt.

Between now and 2015 theindustry will have to respond,and positively. At the DINconference Kate Allum said thisyear would be one of majorchange in the industry. Wellthere’s only six months left so ifshe’s right something has tohappen soon. Let’s hope thestrong businesses will getstronger (for the farmers) andthe weak won’t try and pass onthe pain to the farmers throughthe milk price.

Currently ArlaFoods UK isseemingly onthe up, butDairy Crest isn’t.Arla hasreported salesfor 2011 up 7%to £1587.2m, just 1.1% less thanDairy Crest. However operatingprofit was down 14% to £31.4m,and operating margin was downfrom 2.5% to 2%. However thecompany paid a record dividendto its Danish parent of £97.4mduring the year.

It’s a shame Arla’s UK farmersdon’t get a share of the profitslike Milk Link’s farmers did, buthopefully they will do one day.Next year Arla is likely tobecome the biggest dairycompany in the UK after DairyCrest completes its currentdivestment programme.

Last month I said Dairy Crestwas definitely the worry –especially its liquids division –and those comments weretimely and appropriate. Thecompany gave farmers a brutallyshort notice period for the 2pplprice cut, and instantly therewere strong rumours it was thefirst cut of at least two – withanother planned soon.

Was it coincidence Dairy Crestannounced the 2p drop so close

to the end of the month,making it nearly impossible forfarmers to arrange anotherbuyer, and to give notice whichthey have to do before the endof each month? This meantDairy Crest had its producers‘cornered’ for another 13months. Despite that obser-vation from a furious farmer theshort timescale didn’t present ahurdle to dozens of farmers whodid actually submit their noticeto Dairy Crest, however. Theirreaction to the price drop washuge.

No doubt Dairy Crest, orwhoever has itsliquid businesswithin the next 12months, will beplanning to charmand cuddle up tothe resigningproducers with a

view to sweet-talking them intorescinding their resignation.

Some farmers, though, arewondering if Dairy Crest’skamikaze price moves might be abit more strategic than it wouldappear. For example, theyquestion whether it is deliberatelytrying to lose producers to makeits liquids business easier to sell,and also speculate if it is workingwith a potential purchaser whowill pick up producers who leavethe company.

Clearly Dairy Crest is currently inknots, but equally obvious is thatit has a plan to untangle itself forthe future. We shouldn’t under-estimate it.

The main questions, to me, arewhether Dairy Crest shrinks orsmartens-up and sells-up. Forwhat it’s worth my money is onthe latter. It is being restructuredinto a fundamentally differentbusiness, especially if it concludesthe sale of its very profitable StHubert business. Certainly there’slots of speculation around at themoment concerning the major

companies, some or all of whomcould be involved in major movesin 2012.

One thing is for certain, withDairy Crest having givenproducers only four days noticeof the price cut and LanchesterDairies trumping it with abackdated 2ppl price cut, thesetwo companies have done moreto ensure either a voluntarycode or contract change will beimplemented than the NFU hasdone in years of banging itsdrum. The message to Jim Paiceand the devolved Governmentsis: push through change and ameaningful code, or sharpenyour teeth in other ways.

Such short or negative noticeperiods have set relations withproducers back at least five years,farmer confidence has beenshattered and investment andgrowth plans wrecked overnight.

I’ll finish, though, with somegood news. At the same time asthe price cuts were announcedSainsburys declared it would bepaying a cost of productionprice of 30.3p to its 324 farmerssupplied through Dairy Crestand Wiseman. This cost ofproduction model, prepared byKite, is a genuine effort bySainsburys to assist their farmersthrough these very volatileperiods. The model is fair, usestransparent, publically availabledata, and is great news for thosefarmers. Some years they will bethe winners on the scheme,other years Sainsbury will, butoverall it will balance out.

It is a shining example of bestpricing practice and long may itcarry on and succeed. Hopefullythe model can be mirrored byothers. And quickly!

Between now and 2015the industry will have torespond, and positively.

**DF Jun p12 Potter 18/5/12 09:26 Page 1

Visit farmersguardian.comfor news, views and much, much more

Breaking news – keep up-to-date with the latest news, or sign up to our weekly newsletter to find out what’s happening in the industry

Videos – from tractor tests to interviews with leading political and industry figures

Comment – share your opinions and take part in our online debates

Pictures – display your pictures in our reader gallery and find out what’s happening on farms around the country

Online events – from our popular Farming Prospects series to our conferences streamed live to your computer

Classifieds online – More than 130,000 people visited www.farmersguardian.comlast month. Make sure your ad gets noticed

Visit now for in-depth and exclusive stories

Farmersguardian.com

FG House Com WP DF 18/5/12 13:09 Page 1


BREEDING

The highest yielding NMR milk recorded herd can be found on a farm in Shropshire. Ann Hardy visitedEnchmarsh Holsteins to learn how the cows are bred, fed and managed to keep them at peak performance.

UK top production herd putsemphasis on type selection

The highest yielding NMR recorded herd in the UK is milked twice-a-day and at grass for six months of the year.

Gerald and John Allsopmake it all sound soeasy – as if producinga herd average of11,731 litres at 4.4%

fat and 3.16% protein on twice-a-day milking and with sixmonths of grazing is of noparticular note. But getting tothe bottom of this remarkableperformance – which at 886kgfat plus protein tops the currentNMR Annual Production Report– was never going to be easy.

And the brothers’ modesty andself-effacement only add to thechallenge, with their first instinctbeing to heap praise on theiradvisers – Rob Braithwaite ofWorld Wide Sires for helping tobreed the right cows, Nick Beardfrom Lloyd’s Feeds for fine-tuning their nutrition and thevets from the Stapeley Practice.

But no-one is fooled intobelieving the remarkableEnchmarsh herd is not theproduct of Gerald and John’sgenius – of the stockmanshipskills they began to pick up inboyhood when their father ranEnchmarsh Farm before them; ofthe attention to detail theyconsistently deliver; and theamount of time they areprepared to devote to theircows.

Gerald says: “I always got akick out of high yields, although– and I know this doesn’t quiteadd up – I don’t like to over-emphasise production.”

Another thing which ‘doesn’tquite add up’ on the family’sChurch Stretton farm is itsdifficult location on the edge ofthe Shropshire Hills, and thisincludes some challenging landwhich rises to 1000ft.

This is categorically not a lush,lowland farm where grass andmaize-growing are easy and thesummer is long. This is a farmwhich keeps a large flock ofBeulah and Welsh Hill Speckle

Face sheep (run by John) andwhose 500 acres rise throughShropshire’s Area of OutstandingNatural Beauty and up to thetop of the famous Long Mynd.

Down in the yard on a rainyspring morning, the 90-strongherd is oblivious to its record-breaking credentials, and Gerald(who takes primary responsibilityfor the cattle) is modest abouthis accomplishment.

“I never thought we would beat the top of the list,” he says.“We just carry on doing what weenjoy and try to do a good job.We really don’t do anythingspecial.”

Conformation However, acknowledging thatbreeding the right cow hasplayed an important part, Geraldsays his focus is firmly fixed onconformation.

“Breeding has played a bigpart,” he says. “And as a rule,we breed for type and feed forproduction.

“This isn’t because I think thecows will last longer,” he adds.“It’s because I know they will.”

To this end, he has tappedinto the Worldwide MatingService (WMS), which he hasused for the last 10 years. Withthe linear scores for every oneof his heifers and cows fed intothe system, he is able tocorrectively breed everyindividual with the aim ofachieving a consistentlybalanced and uniform herd.

“It would be an impossibletask otherwise,” he declares.“Especially as far as inbreeding isconcerned. It’s all very wellhaving these good bulls, but youhave to know how to use them.”

Placing his faith in the WMSsystem has developed theEnchmarsh Holsteins into long-living cattle whose conformationtraits can be summarised asstronger than national average(more width through the rumpand chest, with more depth ofbody); more dairy-like than

The keys to high production inthe Enchmarsh herd:■ Breeding the right cow throughthe use of Worldwide Mating Service ■ Using high quality bespoke feedsin the parlour and TMR■ Producing high quality silage andgetting 3800 litres from forage■ Using homeopathic products toenhance general health and keepingcell counts low■ Paying scrupulous attention todetail in every aspect of management■ Offering individual attention toevery cow in the 90-strong herd.

Enchmarsh herd

average; and with exceptionaludder conformation – all themore remarkable in the contextof their production, with thehighest yielders producing morethan 14,000 litres.

Past sires with which he hashad particular success includemany of the Durham sons (MrSam, Durham Ross, Ocean-ViewZenith and Damion), as well as

**DF Jun p14, 16,17 Breeding Allsop 18/5/12 09:30 Page 1

Cogent WP DF 18/5/12 10:25 Page 1

BREEDING

www.semex.co.uk 0800 86 88 90

THE NO.1SOLUTION FORGENOMIC SIRES

Gerald Allsop takes primary responsibility for the cattle on farm.

Moet Melody and Sanchez, whilethe ‘A-list’ sires now in the tankinclude Goldfish, Dempsey andsome remaining Shottle.

“I don’t have a lower limit forType Merit,” he says. “Some bullscan be better than their linearsuggests, so if Robrecommends a bullwhich is a littlelower for type, Iwouldn’t thinktwice about usingit.”

Also remarkinghe has ‘someregard’ forproduction in abull’s PTA (PredictedTransmitting Ability) he adds: “Iwould not use a low productionbull. But you have to rememberover the years the base levelchanges as bulls keep improving.So a bull which may not have agreat plus today, is still a lotbetter than a bull we used 10years ago.”

ClassificationFurther evidence of the breedingpolicy’s success is seen in thecows’ Holstein UK typeclassification which over the last

five years analyses at 12Excellent, 47 Very Good and 11Good Plus. Some 90% of all cowsand heifers score Good Plus orbetter, while the averagemammary score across the cowsis an impressive 85 points.

“I wouldn’tbreed dairyreplacements fromanything whichhadn’t classified atleast VG or wasn’ta potential VG,”adds Gerald.

The age profileof the herdtestifies to its

longevity, with the good survivalof older cows allowing aroundhalf of all dairy heifers to beoffered for sale throughShrewsbury Market. Here, Geraldhas long held the record for thehighest priced heifer and isknown for taking meticulouscare in offering top quality cattle– sometimes even those he hasbeen advised to keep.

More evidence of longevitycomes through the 100 tonnecows which have gone throughthe system. “I don’t really knowhow many we’ve had,” he says.

“Probably it’s somewhere around10.”

Feeding the herd is under-taken with precision and theTMR is built around what thefarm’s nutritionist describes as‘fantastic, lively first-cut silagewhich is cut early and made withan incredibly close attention todetail’. It regularly has metabo-

lisable energy levels of 11.8 to11.9MJ/kg DM, crude protein at15.5%, and a D value of around71.

This silage is included in theTMR at a ratio of around 60:40with home-grown maize silage,and other ingredients are sugarbeet pulp and a bespoke blendwhich includes breakfast cereals,

I think a lot of mydifferent cow families,and if we block calved Imay have to get rid ofsome I wanted to keep.Gerald Allsop


BREEDING

No.1LAVAMAN

10 of our bulls in the top 14 of the UK PLIgenomic rankings

No.1NUMERO UNO

DUDE: No.1

MERCHANDISE£10

No.1

SEMEX IS FAR AND AWAY THE BRAND TO TURN TO FOR GENOMICSOLUTIONS. LOOK AT THE FACTS. WE HAVE:

3,500 bulls a year

Semex is surely the only solution!

Gerald Allsop (left) with Rob Braithwaite (right) from World Wide Siresand herdsman Janis Silajanis in the background.

prairie meal and Sopralin(containing high levels of by-passprotein), hi-pro soya andprotected fat. The TMR is fedyear-round, including as a bufferwhen the herd is at grass.

The parlour ration is alsobespoke, and tailored into a17% protein nut which is highlydigestible and comprises mostlyby-pass protein. With amaximum 7kg/day fed in theparlour – even for the highestyielders – the aim is to maximiserumen health and allow the TMRto drive the herd’s performance.

ConcentratesOverall consumption ofconcentrates through both theTMR and the parlour cake is 3.19tonnes/cow/year, while marginover purchased feed is animpressive 7.24p per litre,despite the high cost of thebespoke components of theration. Milk from forage issimilarly impressive, running forthe last 12 months at 3800kg.

Other aspects of the herd’sperformance include its highhealth status – it has been closedfor 15 years (with the exceptionof two cattle bought last

February) and is free fromproduction diseases such as IBR,BVD and leptospirosis – and itsremarkably low cell counts,currently rolling at 69,000cells/ml for the past 12 months.

Mastitis rates are similarly lowat 24 cases per year, and anti-biotic use has been cut toaround half its previous level.The use of homeopathy isattributed with maintainingexceptional udder health andlow cell counts in particular.

“It’s something I’ve beenputting in the water for 20years,” says Gerald elusively. “Iwouldn’t be doing it if I didn’tthink it worked.”

Calving takes place year-round, and cows are not pushedto get back in-calf. “I think a lotof my different cow families, andif we block calved I may have toget rid of some I wanted tokeep,” he says. “With year-roundcalving, if they lose two or threemonths it really isn’t the end ofthe world.”

To this end, inseminationrarely begins until eight weeksafter calving and the herdcalving index is 421 days. “Wemay inseminate earlier if the

cow is managing easily, butbecause I don’t have a lot ofcows I can judge each one on anindividual basis,” he says.

Managing each cow as anindividual is at the heart of theherd’s success, but beingmanaged by a master of his artaccounts for its premier-leagueposition.

Gerald Allsop may get a kickout of high product-ion, but thisis emphatically not a herd whichis driven to perform. Productionjust seems to fall into place inthis hard-working herd in whichthe breeding, feeding, stockman-ship and attention to detail inmanagement are the buildingblocks for success.



BREEDING

Criticism of the Holstein breed for its poor health and fertility is completely misplaced, according to dairy farmer Martin H

Big benefits of high-health Ho

K-Line is a flexible hose line sprinkler system

originally designed for irrigation. However, the low

application rate makes the K-Line system well

suited to effluent distribution. At the heart of the

system is a series of tough plastic pods protecting

a sprinkler, firmly attached to special K-Line low

density polyethylene pipe. Sprinkler head selected

dependent on each individual system

K-Line irrigation

www.wrootwater.com • Tel: 01302 771881

• Clean & dirty water systems • Low application rate system • Easy to install, use and move • Low capital cost • Designed to suit individual needs • Will suit any paddock shape, size or terrain • Designed to operate at low pressure • Best possible use of the nutrients in farm dairy effluent• Provides a more uniform application compared to travelling irrigators

The Holstein breed hasbeen unfairly malignedfor its poor health andfertility, despite the hugerange of sires and

appropriate breeding indexeswhich have provided a clear pathto good health for severalgenerations.

This message comes fromGloucestershire dairy farmerMartin Hope, whose keencommercial focus has driven hisbreeding strategy for many yearsand who is now reaping thebenefit in the quality of hisHasworth herd.

Currently producing 10,723kgat 3.88% fat and 3.26% protein(305 days) from 150-head ontwice-a-day milking, it is hisherd’s cell counts of 66,000cells/ml and its calving index of382 days (both 12-month rollingaverages) which provide theclearest illustration of its well-

rounded credentials. And sinceperformance such as this doesnot go unnoticed, it is nosurprise AI companies have nowsought out Martin’s cows aspotential bull mothers.

Farming as a tenant on 280acres at Colways Farm, Hasfield,near Tewkesbury, Martinattributes much of his herd’sgood performance to his carefullyconsidered approach to cowbreeding.

He says: “My parents were notreally interested in the breedingside, but they could see I loved thecows so they graded up the herdto pedigree in the 1970s and 80s.”

Also mentored by the farm’sformer herdsman, Martin’spassion flourished and the herd– which has always been closedand completely homebred –developed some exceptionalfamilies. Citing the Christobels inparticular, he says these have

Two-year-old Hasworth Alexander Gloria VG87 is one of the first groupof Alexander daughters to be classified in Martin Hope’s herd.

risen to the top on the strengthof their fertility and health andare the main family beingsought as potential bull mothers.

“This family above all othersproved to me the Holstein doeshave good health and fertility, butthe challenge has always been tofind the right bulls,” he says.

Opting to use the fitnessindexes as soon as they becameavailable, Martin says he wasbuoyed by his early success.

“One of the first high fitnessbulls we used was Heather HolmeVelvet, which was selected at thetime partly for his long daughterlifespans and their low cellcounts,” he says. “I’ve beenabsolutely delighted with thedaughters, which are now mostlythird calvers and just get betteras they get older. Every one is stillin the herd today, and one hasjust classified Excellent.”

GradualBut any intrinsic benefits frombetter breeding inevitably taketime to materialise. He claims:“There’s no point in using a goodbull one year and not the next asthe results are gradual andcumulative and will build up overthe years.

“If you use a minus 10 cellcount bull and keep on doing it,your herd will be three timesbetter in three generations.”

Arguing breeding parameters

should be set and adhered to, headds: “Why would anyone use abad Fertility Index or poor cellcount bull? I wouldn’t let a rep oranyone else persuade me to doso; I don’t even think bulls likethat should be on the market.”

Favouring PLI (ProfitableLifetime Index) as his initialscreening tool, Martin’s breedingpolicy has always been driven byeconomics and he says: “I thinkPLI is an index we should all takenote of if we’re interested inprofit – especially its health andfitness components.”

Other bulls which currentlymeet Martin’s criteria includeGo-Farm Artes, Danillo, AlpagIron Active, Ballycairn Tiergan,Regancrest AltaIota, CrackholmFever, Morningview Levi andPirolo Goldwyn Wyman, whilehis most overwhelming recentsuccess has been with Golden-Oaks ST Alexander.

“Alexander ticked all theboxes and was particularly goodfor daughter fertility,” he says. “Iliked his sire Stormatic, and hisdam Neu-Way Patron Allie whocame from a great cow familywhich is renowned for its health.

“As soon as I saw Alexander’spedigree, I knew I had to usethis bull and I was chuffed tobits when I saw the calves, and Istarted using him heavily.”

Now with 34 daughters on theground including half a dozen

**DF Jun p18 19 Breeding Hope 18/5/12 11:38 Page 1

BREEDING


tin Hope. Ann Hardy reports.

olsteins

Teat protection in the summer presents differentchallenges, choose the teat disinfectantdesigned for the job.Deosan Summer Teatcare Plus - Highly Effective against mastitiscausative organisms, Dual action skin conditioning properties plusglycerine, Dip or spray versatility, Apply post milking to help repel flies post milking when the teat is at it's most vulnerable.

Profit from proven summer teat protection

For more information call:

0800-0130789w w w . d e o s a n . c o . u k

Deosan - the intelligent solution

Martin Hope and herdsman Ian Fisher have a meticulous daily routine.

has reached this target.Along with his breeding

policy, every other aspect of theherd’s management has alwaysbeen driven by economics whichwas brought sharply into focuswhen large parts of the farm –which are in the flood plain ofthe River Severn – were underwater in 2007/8.

“We lost 260 acres of maizeand 50 acres of grass over thoseyears,” he says. “We had to buyin large amounts of forage forboth winters and had to sellstock just to keep going.”

Always aware the samesituation could recur, Martin nowaims to keep the business in peakperformance, so creating afinancial buffer for a similar crisis.

ForageTo this end, the herd is at the topof the game for feed efficiency,achieving a remarkable 4400litres from forage, whichtranslates to a margin over allfeeds of more than £1900 percow and 18.49p/litre.

Concentrate use is 0.27kg/litre,with all fed within the TMR andno parlour feeding, althoughMartin admits: “Our feed costsper tonne are more than average

because it’s important to me wefeed a quality product.”

Ingredients in the TMR aregrass and maize silage in a ratioof 30:70, sugar beet pulp and ablend including soya hulls, hi-prosoya, distillers, wheat, rape meal,Sopralin (containing high levelsof by-pass protein) and prairiemeal, plus a mycotoxin binder,yeast and minerals.

Other husbandry practices aresimilarly fine-tuned and includeprompt two-year-calving, a short(42-day) dry period and fort-

nightly veterinary checks. Meticulous daily routines by

both Martin and herdsman IanFisher ensure the DIY AI, heatdetection, parlour routine,drying off procedures, dry cownutrition, calving and theyoungstock care are all handledconsistently and with closeattention to detail.

“If you get the basics right,everything else falls into place,”says Martin. “And if you get thebreeding right first, that givesyou a head start.”

just coming into milk, Martinhas recently had them classifiedand gained scores of 87, 85 (x3),83 and 82 and continues to useAlexander sexed.

“The daughters are not tootall but they all have widththrough the front end withoutany coarseness; they have greatudders, legs and feet and arejust good ‘do-ers’ which arealways in the first two rows atmilking,” he says.

“It’s always exciting when anew crop of heifers comesthrough and you can see you aremoving forward, and now we’rereally looking forward to theXacobeos and Dancers whichwill be next to calve,” he says.

Aiming to speed up thethroughput of heifers, he hasheavily used sexed semen withan eye on expanding the herd to200-head and ultimatelyoffering heifers for sale when he

**DF Jun p18 19 Breeding Hope 18/5/12 11:41 Page 2


BREEDING

A lot has changed in the 20 years since Martyn and Debbie Icke moved to Wheatlands Farm, near Pershore,Worcestershire, and as a result the herd’s breeding policy has had to change as well.

Breeding type of cow tomatch production goals

From left to right: Martyn Icke with sons Richard and Simon.

The Ickes aim for cows with good body depth and high DM intakes.

When the Ickes cameto the 124-acrefarm they brought80 cows and fourchildren. Now they

farm 475 acres, have plans toincrease the herd to around 400,and sons Richard and Simon areactively involved in the business.

“When we came here wewere able to manage with 80Friesians,” recounts Martyn Icke.“The objective was to maximiseyields from forage and we wereproducing around 6500 litres percow with 4900 from forage, butwith Richard and Simon wantingto come into the business wehad to look to increase numbers.

“We initially expanded to 150and in 2005 bought some extraland and a herd of cows from aneighbour to push numbers to250. We are now milking 280cows and this year we will beexpanding two sheds which willallow us to move towards 400cows.”

As well as expanding numbersthe Icke’s have totally changedtheir management system,moving away from an emphasison milk from forage and insteadfocusing on increasing yields.The cows are now housed all-year-round and since 2009 havebeen milked three times daily,

with yields now averaging11,500 litres.

Cows calve all-year-round as alevel production profile helpsmaximise income from the liquidmilk contract. The herd is TMRfed, with a diet based on maizesilage, grass silage, caustic wheat,soya, rape, soya hulls, soypass,Trafford Gold, yeast and straw.

Martyn says: “The changes tothe system mean we have had tochange the type of cow webreed. Our original cows, whichwere Friesians, had evolved froma Shorthorn herd initially startedby my grandfather. They weresuited to producing milk fromgrazed grass but would notthrive under the new system.”

Requirements Since 2002 the Ickes have beenworking with Genus breedingadviser Steve Hunt who hashelped move the herd forwardto meet the requirements of thebusiness. He explains: “When Istarted working with the herdwe were looking for cows whichwould suit the system and thefacilities so we wanted forageconverters. Legs and feet wereimportant as we needed cowswhich were happy walking tograzing. Having looked atMartyn’s cows it was clear we

did not want to go too extremeso we did not select for staturebut favoured low angularity anda wide rump.”

The Genus GMS breedingprogram goes back six gener-ations to build a genetic linearfor every cow as the basis fordecisions on type, and Stevebelieves this is more reliablethan scoring individual cows. Hesays a visual score is just asnapshot of a cow on aparticular day.

Having entered the cowdetails and selection criteria theprogram produces a list ofpossible sires which will meet theherd objectives, and Steve thenrefines this list until the finalselection is made.

“When working with herds, Iam more interested in themiddle cow in the herd, not theextremes. These are the cowswhich the farmer doesn’t noticeand the vet never sees, as theyjust get on with producing milk.So the objective when finalisinga team of bulls is to try and raisethe merit of these cows in themiddle and to get more of themin the herd. You will alwaysproduce cows which are at theextremes but we don’t set out

specifically to do this,” he says.As the herd has evolved so the

emphasis of sire selection haschanged, with the focus on thecapability to produce high yields.The key now is to produce cowswith the capacity to achieve highdry matter intakes and so bodydepth is another vital trait.

“Despite the changingrequirements of the farm wehave been able to produce cowswhich suit the system whileimproving the genetic merit ofthe herd. Although the herd ishigh yielding with 11,500 litresat 3.8% butterfat and 3.2%protein, we have never selectedhard for yield. You do not needhigh milk bulls to produce highyields but you need bulls whichproduce cows which can excel inthe system.

“The average of bulls used inthe herd is +300kg milk and wehave not been afraid to use bullswhich are negative for milk yieldif they bring other attributes tothe herd. Type has beenimproving steadily and we makesure the current sires are betterthan the combined type score ofthe herd.”

Figure 1 shows the geneticvalue for production traits of

**DF Jun p20 21 Breeding Ickes 18/5/12 09:34 Page 1

BREEDING


sires used in recent years, and the averagehas never exceeded +400kg of milk whichSteve says shows you don’t need to selecthigh yield sires to achieve high yields. Figure2 shows the trend in the genetic value ofsires used for key type parameters. Steveexplains the aim is to see a steadyimprovement from fourth lactation and overthrough to virgin heifers. In addition, currentbulls used should score higher than thecombined herd average. Together theseindicate a steady improvement in type.

To keep breeding simple, Steve produces ateam of five bulls to use every year, with firstand second choice matings recommended foreach cow. The bulls used in the last fouryears are shown in Figure 3. As the aim is toexpand the herd from their own resources,sexed semen has been used on the heifers.These calve in at around 27 months but thisis being pulled back to two years. The farmcurrently carries around 230 replacementsand the Ickes are culling hard.

Martyn says: “The heifers are our bestgenetics so we are bringing them into theherd and moving some of the cows out aswe have reached the capacity of the currentbuildings.”

Management traitsOver the last seven years greater emphasishas been placed on management traits.“Having got the type of cow we want, theaim is to make sure they stay in the herdlonger and selection for management traitsis one way we can hopefully influencelongevity,” says Martyn.

Trait information is now available forcalving ease, lifespan, somatic cell count,daughter fertility and body condition andallows farmers to select sires which willimprove performance in these key areas.

Steve now looks to include sires which willimprove lifespan, fertility and cell counts. Hebelieves management traits will become akey selection criterion on many farms.

“Management traits allow us to start to

improve other aspects of the cows and soincrease the time they spend in the herd. Welook for sires which are above average fordaughter fertility, above average for lifespanand which are cell count improvers. At thesame time they must allow us to continue tomaintain the type and develop a moreconsistent cow.”

Martyn is convinced the planned approachto breeding has benefitted the business.“Breeding is a long-term process and is notsomething where you can chop and changedirection. Having got the cows we want wecan now keep the type where it is and workon improving the management traits – untilthe system evolves again,” he concludes.

Fig 1 – Genetic production audit Fig 2 – Genetic type audit

2009 2010 2011 2012Shottle Denethor Reece BlueskyDragon McCormick Bluesky JeevesMason Jeeves Jeeves GoldenboyAtlas Padbury Doberman Ponder Homestead Sentry Goldenboy Wisconson

Red

Fig 3 – Sires used at Wheatlands Farm

**DF Jun p20 21 Breeding Ickes 18/5/12 09:35 Page 2


BREEDING

DNA profiling has revolutionised cattle breeding but the way in which breeders and AI companies react inthe next 12 months will be crucial to the direction of the industry. Bruce Jobson reports.

Will progeny testing beobsolete in near future?

Breeding high rated genomic heifers to proven bulls may be regressive.

Prior to the introductionof genomics, theaccuracy of a youngbull’s evaluation wasestimated at around

35%. Genomic evaluation hasincreased the level of accuracyto 65-70%. The increase inreliability is the equivalent of 20milking daughters in a bull proof.

Doubling the level of accuracyhas given the AI industryincreasing confidence to select thenext generation of young sires.Importantly, the genomicidentification of a group of ETsibling bulls allows sire analysts tobetter identify the ‘best’individual in the group on varioustype and production traits.

This means AI companies havebeen able to cut costs, with somehaving reduced the number ofsires coming forward for testingprogrammes on the basis thatbetter quality young bulls havenow been identified. A $200(£124) genomic profile is cheaperthan a $20,000 (£12,360) progenytest.

As the genetic threshold hasincreased, some young bulls havenot completed progeny testingowing to lower identifiedprofiles. In the long-term, thebenefits will filter through tofarmers as better proven bullsentering AI will be the result.

However, let’s consider some ofcontroversial options. If all goeswell, and genomic sires delivergreater accuracy as proven bulls,why should breeders againconsider using a six-year-old plusproven bull as part of theirbreeding programme?

Caution has been urged byseveral parties in the industry,but as the dynamics havechanged farmers have realised anopportunity beckons. Marketingelite genomic animals is a newconcept and some pedigreebreeders are keen to maximiseon the inherent potential.

Using high genomic youngsires will increase the opportunityto breed a young bull for AI aswell as breeding a potential bullmother. For the first time,breeders will have more controlover their destiny.

UK farmers can now evaluatetheir progeny on an equivalentbasis with North Americanbloodlines. The game haschanged forever. Taking the useof young bulls forward, aresulting high ranked 15-month-old genomic heifer should besubsequently bred to an evenhigher genomic young sire inorder to maximise the genetics ofthe next generation. And so on.

RegressionThis begs the specific question:why should a breeder use agenomic sire rated at 3500Canadian LPI points and thenregress back to breeding theresulting maiden heifer to aproven bull at 2000 LPI?

There will always be pedigreebreeders wishing to breed theshow winning, high type animalfor a particular market. However,some pedigree breeders will optto increase the genomic value oftheir animals.

Commercial breeders have animmense opportunity to propeltheir herd’s genetic potentialforward, perhaps withoutconstraints. Furthermore, the costof producing genomic young bullsemen is undoubtedly cheaperfor the AI industry and selling at£12 or £14 per dose provides ahealthy return.

The other thing we should beconsidering is providing farmerswith genomic young sires on asexed semen basis, although thismay undermine the AI industry’sgross profit margin owing to thecost of sexed semen production.

The advantages of sexing thisgenomic semen are obvious asmore heifer calves would doublethe number of records in asubsequent proof. Likewise,farmers may be more tempted totest genomic bulls in order toincrease heifer numbers as well asincrease the herd’s genetic gain.

A few years ago, all AIcompanies provided young bullsemen either free or on adiscounted basis as part of anincentive package to use it. Solet’s look at Canadian DairyNetwork trend figures asgenomic sires entered testingprogrammes.

Possibly due to ‘hype’ orexpectation, use of younggenomic sires increased in Canadato 31% of all inseminations, morethan double the traditional level.The young bull trend has revertedback to around 10–18% duringthe past two years, but this maybe a result of numerous highquality Goldwyn sons returning toactive service.

These trends may againfluctuate once the first genomicsires return to service. Farmersmay be better incentivised toconsider using the next genomicgeneration, or as in the case ofrecent Goldwyn sons, capitaliseon the progeny test results.

Let’s just go back a couple ofstages. The MOET concept aimedto increase the rate of geneticgain by using performancerecords of two-year-old siblingsisters. These were used in orderto compare and identify theirperformance levels against othersibling ET female groups.

IntervalSibling young bulls were progenytested in ‘teams’ and the conceptinvolved turning over gener-ations faster by reducing thegeneration interval from a thenfive plus, to around three yearsplus.

I published a critique at thetime and part of this looked atfurther making generationturnover even faster by insteadmating top indexing ET youngsires and females on a 15-monthbasis rather than MOET male andfemale sibling teams. This had thepotential to propel genetics so farforward down the road thatproven bulls were obsolete.

Almost 25 years later, genomicscience has delivered greaterindividual young sire accuracyand the means to deliver theidentified genetic advances. Oncedown the genomic fast lane,there may be no turning back!

**DF Jun p22 Breeding Jobson 18/5/12 11:56 Page 1

DAIRY FARMER JUNE 2012

FORMAKIN MONTBELIARDE NEW SIRE AVAILABLE

VALFIN One of the top index sires, Strong Bodies, Exceptional Udders,

The sire that ticks all the boxesQuality Imported Heifers available

For more information visitformakin-montbeliarde.com

or call Robin McMurrich on01786 812175 or 07971 973155

OUTSTANDING QUALITY FEEDSOUTSTANDING QUALITY FEEDS

EXTRA MAGNESIUM WILL BE INCLUDED IN ALL THESE FEEDS

FOR PRICES AND DELIVERY PLEASE CALL

ROBERT WHITEOAK 07768 747665ANDREW HINMAN 01452 720589Gloucester Animal Feeds, Cocknells Farm, Standish Lane,

Moreton Valence, Gloucester GL2 7LZwww.gloucesteranimalfeeds.co.uk [email protected]

SECURE YOUR SUMMER SUPPLY -CALL US FOR CONTRACT PRICES NOW

DIAMOND 18TYPICAL FORMULA

Wheat, Rape, Palm Kernel, Biscuit,Wheat Dist, Molasses, Wheatfeed,Cereal, Hipro Soya, Soya Hulls, Pro

Rape, Pro Wheat, Vegetable Fat,Minerals & Vitamins

Oil 5.1% Protein 18%Fibre 7.9% Ash 6.5%

QUALITY DAIRY 18TYPICAL FORMULAWheat, Maize Gluten,

Wheatfeed, Palm Kernel, Rape,Molasses, Sunflower, Hipro Soya,Pro Wheat, Biscuit, Vegetable Oil,

Minerals & VitaminsOil 5.1% Protein 18%Fibre 9% Ash 7.7%

HIGH SUGAR BEET 18TYPICAL FORMULA

Sugar Beet, Corn Dist, Wheat, MaizeGluten, Rape, Palm Kernel, Sunflower,

Molasses, Maize Sugar, Wheatfeed, ProRape, Hipro Soya, Pro Wheat, Pro Fat,Vegetable Fat, Minerals & Vitamins

Oil 5.6% Protein 19%Fibre 10.7% Ash 7.6%

SUMMER HDF 16TYPICAL FORMULA

Sugar Beet, Palm Kernel,Wheatfeed, Maize Gluten,

Sunflower, Molasses, Wheat,Vegetable Fat,

Minerals & VitaminsOil 4.25% Protein 16%Fibre 13% Ash 8.5%

23

DF_06_P23 18/5/12 11:25 Page 21


NUTRITION

All fibre is not the same according to US nutritionist MaryBeth de Ondarza. Ann Hardy reports.

Are you feedingthe right amountand type of fibre?

Mary Beth de Ondarza: different fibretypes should be carefully balanced.

Achieving both the correctamount and the right type offibre in the high yielding dairycow’s ration requires more ofa balancing act than many

farmers realise. But those who get thebalance right will be rewarded withbetter rumen health, higher dry matterintakes and the reduction of sub-clinicalruminal acidosis, which in turn can havea big impact on milk production.

This message was put to a group offarmers meeting on Rob and JaneTargett’s Higher Dimmer Farm in CastleCary, Somerset, by US nutritionist MaryBeth de Ondarza. In an event entitled‘Revving the Rumen’ and sponsored byMole Valley Farmers and ingredientsupplier DSM, she said a keyconsideration was the digestibility offibre and it was worth having foragesanalysed to establish fibre digestibility.

“Look hard at the NDF (neutraldetergent fibre) digestibility,” she said,“and this will show you how much themicrobes are digesting the fibre.”

Too much slowly digestible fibrewould be too bulky and fill up therumen, whereas highly digestible fibrecould be readily broken down by therumen microbes.

ReductionsThis meant highly digestible fibre couldoffer the scope to reduce both theenergy and protein intake from cerealor other concentrate sources.

“The more bugs you can make in therumen the less expensive protein youhave to buy from a feed company,” saidDr de Ondarza.

Highly digestible fibre is retained inthe rumen for a shorter time, allowingdry matter intakes to increase, she said.Research had shown for every extraunit of NDF digestibility, there wouldbe an increase in DMI of 0.17kg, and arise in milk production of 0.25kg.

However, when feeding highly digest-ible forage, she said other measures maybe required to prevent acidosis.

“In other words, you may need to

supply more long fibre,” said Dr deOndarza. “The cows will chew thehighly digestible forage less so they willneed some of the longer, tougher stuffto keep the rumen functional.”

She said a small amount of long, lessdigestible fibre was needed for theproduction of saliva, to form a rumenmat, and to maintain rumen movementwhich ensured the acids which wereproduced by rumen fermentation weretransported to the rumen’s outside wallfor absorption into the bloodstream.

“It’s a balancing act between the lowand high digestibility fibres,” sheemphasised.

The type of forages which werehighly digestible she said were certainmaize silages which had been bred forhigh digestibility, sugar beet pulp, soyahulls and citrus pulp.

Grass silage and hay she said werevery variable and could be good or bad,and some late-cut hay could have lowNDF digestibility.

“But hay can cover a lot of sins,” addedDr de Ondarza. “It can help take care ofdietary changes and inconsistencies aslong as there isn’t sorting, and is especiallygood for reducing acidosis.”

Other measures to achieve rumenhealth included avoiding overcrowdingat the feed face, spreading feeds acrossthe day and preventing sorting withinthe TMR. X

**DF Jun p24 26 Nutrition 18/5/12 09:38 Page 1

0800 86 88 90 www.semex.co.uk

The SEMEX BEEF TEAM is a specially selected range of bulls created in associationwith the renowned Norbreck Genetics to offer an exciting diversity of beef bulls withexceptional genetics.

These prestige sires have been selected to suit the demand of progressive British dairyfarmers looking for attractive returns on beef calves that are born easily, live healthilyand grow quickly. This collection of beef bulls has the desirable quality andSemex value that brings profitable breeding solutions.

PROFITABLE BEEF SOLUTIONS FROM SEMEX

BRITISH BLUE: Newpole Chalky White

Norbreck WP DF 18/5/12 10:26 Page 1


NUTRITION

A VET’S VIEWMILK fever is the most important nutritional disorder affect-

ing dairy cows, and yet it is preventable. Not only will milk fever

lead to downer cows, and death if left untreated, it will be cost-

ing you money – whether through decreased yield, associat-

ed health problems and increased vet costs, or dystocia and

less viable calves.

Each case will cost about £250. Direct costs include treat-

ment, labour and management, vet bills, decreased milk yields

and the cost of replacing the cow if she does not recover.

However, it is the indirect costs which are not noticeable and

which really raise the cost of the disease. These include the

increased incidence of associated diseases and metabolic

problems, and the effects of decreased dry matter intakes.

Sub-clinical milk fever occurs when a cow has low blood

calcium without showing the typical signs of milk fever, yet

could still be suffering from the associated diseases.

Estimates put the cost of sub-clinical milk fever at up to 1ppl.

The first step to rectifying the situation is to identify whether

you have a sub-clinical problem. An increase in mastitis rates, ke-

tosis, displaced abomasums, retained foetal membranes, metri-

tis and more dystocia cases can all be signs of a calcium defi-

ciency. If any cattle are going down with milk fever, many others

could be just under the threshold and suffering sub-clinically.

Once a problem has been identified, the next step is

pinpointing the problem. Nutritional analysis can be very help-

ful in these cases. Forage, which is high in calcium, can low-

er the cow’s ability to mobilise her own calcium around the

time of calving when it is needed most. Diets with high potas-

sium, or low magnesium are risk factors, as is a low dry mat-

ter intake.

ActionThe final step is taking action. Consulting your vet and

nutritionist is essential, as most calcium deficiencies can be re-

solved through the ration and dietary management. Identify-

ing which cows are at risk and providing these with calcium

around the time of calving can lessen the chances of milk

fever and reduce the incidence of associated diseases.

One step to achieve this is the use of a bolus (such as

Bovikalc®). Each bolus provides 42g of calcium in two forms; a

quick release formula which releases most of the calcium in 30

minutes and a slow release formula which delivers further

calcium over a prolonged period.

Administration of supplemental calcium to at-risk cows

around calving can reduce the amount of clinical milk fever

cases, and the costs associat-

ed with the sub-clinical disease.

Giving these cows a bolus at

onset of calving, or at calving

and again 12 hours later, can

dramatically decrease the inci-

dence and effects of milk fever.

By Jake Lawson, Paragon Veterinary Group

More fine-tuning of starchin future dairy cow rationsDAIRY cow rations will see more fine-tuning of their starch content in futurewith emphasis placed on the speed ofstarch degradability rather than simplythe overall starch percentage. Thischange reflects concerns over acidosisassociated with fast degrading starch,and the need to synchronise theavailability of protein and energy foroptimal microbial function.

“I understand why UK farmers usewheat in their rations but it’s likerocket fuel in the cow’s rumen,” saidMary Beth de Ondarza from ParadoxNutrition in New York.

Remarking wheat was a particularacidosis concern and care was neededto counter balance its pH-reducingeffects, she suggested ways in whichstarch digestion could be optimised inmaize silage.

Recommending a 1.9cm cut length and2-3mm roller clearance, she added: “Beout there at the clamp at silage-makingtime and measure the particle size andmake sure the kernels are crushed.

“The time to do it is when thecontractor is there as there’s nothing you

Source Rate of starch Formfermentation

Wheat Fast Steam-flaked

Barley High moisture

Oats Dry-ground

Corn Dry-rolled

Sorghum Slow Dry whole

Rates of starch fermentation forfeeds and treatments

can do about it in January,” she said.Also recommending waiting for the

maize silage to be ‘fully cooked’, she saidthis took four months so the clamp shouldnot be opened until after Christmas.

“People who used to do it early – inOctober or November – will never do itagain,” she said.

FermentedExplaining the available starch wassignificantly lower during the firstthree-four months after harvest, shesaid maize silage fed in January mayneed to be complemented with 0.5kgmaize meal, whereas this could possiblybe dropped when the silage was evenmore fully fermented in March or April.

Sugars and starches as energy sourcesalso had to be synchronised with proteinsin the rumen where Dr de Ondarza saidthe microbes needed the correct ratio ofthe two on a minute-by-minute basis.

In the USA she said there had been atrend for total starch levels to comedown although this had been fromhigher levels than in the UK. Thisprocess had been helped by moredigestible forages which were a bettersource of energy in themselves.

MANURE consistency is a goodbarometer of rumen health andshould be regularly monitored togauge the effects of ration changes,said Mary Beth de Ondarza on herwalk of Higher Dimmer Farm.

“Manure should be uniform, notbubbly or pasty and it should looklike a pile of shaving cream,” shesaid.

Bubbles in the manure she saidwere a sign of inadequate matformation in the rumen, leadinggrains to exit the rumen and be

digested in the large intestine. The bubbles were created as a result ofstarch fermentation, which createdgases which could not be belched outfrom this lower part of the gut.

Shinyness gave a similar indicationas starch fermentation in the largeintestine created acid in the lowergut, and this responded by producingmucus to protect its lining.

But while bubbly, shiny manurewas said to be undesirable, a dimplein the middle suggested itsconsistency was just about right.

MANURE CONSISTENCY AS BAROMETER OF RUMEN HEALTH

Mary Beth de Ondarza with host RobTargett (far left), at Higher Dimmer Farm.

**DF Jun p24 26 Nutrition 18/5/12 10:33 Page 2


ADVERTORIAL

Bock launches ‘Europe’s Number One’Silage Clamp Solution to the UK Market

As UK farmers count the potentialcost of new proposals from Defra onthe storage of silage, a new con-tender has appeared on the UKsilage clamp market bringing with ita track record of expertise that hasearned it the top spot as Europe’sspecialist in one-stop silage clampsystems.

A partnership between Bock GmbH,who are Europe’s leading silage clampexperts, and Milbank, one of the UK’slargest precast concrete specialists,Bock UK promises to bring unrivalledbenefits to UK farmers looking at theinstallation, service or ongoing mainte-nance of their silage clamp.

Bock’s UK Business DevelopmentManager Ben Chalk says: ‘There hasbeen talk of our industry rubbing itshands in glee at the thought of UKfarmers being forced to replace silageclamps pre-dating 1991, but as far asBock UK is concerned that’s pretty far

from the truth. Bock has worked withfarmers for more than 30 years and canoffer expertise in both clamp construc-tion and EA requirements. We want tosupport the UK farming industry long-term, and would like to act in an advi-sory capacity to any farmer who feelsthey may be affected by this legislation.

The unique inclined wall design of theBock silage clamp offers a range ofdesign innovations that the companysays will benefit farmers. ‘What we aresaying is that if you are forced tochange your silage clamp system, Bockcan offer a complete solution with unri-valled benefits designed to offer opti-mum performance,’ says Ben. ‘Theincline clamp wall provides 35% extracapacity, up to 30% higher yield withminimal temperature fluctuations andone of the safest working environmentsyou will find in any silage clamp systemin the world.’

After a flurry of enquiries, Bock UKhas already successfully delivered a

number of silage clamps throughoutthe UK, including one as part of ananaerobic digestion system at theDuchy of Cornwall’s eco-friendlymodel village at Poundbury,Dorchester.

Ben concludes: ‘We are so confidentthat the Bock system will be as widelyused here as it is in Europe that we haveissued a challenge to all farmers to talkto us about our promise of more than30% better performance. We are thefirst UK company to offer a completesilage clamp solution, including ourunique cover system and maintenance,and can provide free, advice and con-sultation on the benefits of updatingyour silage clamp system and the divi-dends it can bring.’

For more information contact Bock UKwww.bock-uk.com telephone 01787220560.

GERMAN FLECKVIEHproduction & power & profit

SEMEN & EMBRYOS & LIVESTOCK

CROSSBREEDING WITH FLECKVIEH INCREASES:

for England, Scotland & Wales: for Ireland (North & South):

F1: 5

0% Fl

eckv

ieh -

50%

Hos

ltein

Elite Fleckvieh GeneticsTom Voizey Yeovil, Somerset

Tel: 07530 899606 Email: [email protected]

efg Ardadoney Fleckvieh GeneticsWilliam GilmoreRasharkin, Co. Antrimmobile: 07703126908

� protein content � milk price � calf values� longevity � fertility

www.spermex.de

27

DF_06_P27 18/5/12 11:55 Page 21


NEW PRODUCTS

Automatic feeding catersfor all herd requirements

Cows can be fed as and when you want throughout the day and night.

Lely’s new Vectorautomated feedingsystem – claimed to be asgroundbreaking as theintroduction of the first

Lely Astronaut milking robot –ensures correct rations are fedto cows consistently and ontime.

Developed in close co-operation with customers, thesystem ensures a constantsupply of feed in a flexiblemanner, 24 hours a day, sevendays a week. The robot knowsexactly how much feed there isat the feed gate and it deter-mines when and where feed isrequired.

The fully automated processensures optimal flexibility, withthe ability to adjust the feedingstrategy for different groups ofanimals.

Feed is stored in the ‘feedkitchen’ in different compart-ments for up to a three-day

period depending on the robotsize.

A feed grabber moves overthe feed kitchen to select thefeed and loads it onto themixing and feeding robot.

A concentrates dispenseraccurately monitors the feed

quantities, and can also mix inminerals and additives. A userinterface with touch screen isused to set up the feeding planand the feed kitchen. It is alsopossible to programme rationsand view a variety of reports.■ Details at www.lely.com

Ready for hot, dry summer

New grass mixtures from Limagrain will give production in a dry summer.

DROUGHT Buster is LimagrainUK’s new grass seed mixturedesigned to withstand hot, dryweather which can lead to ashortage of grass.

Including continental plantvarieties specifically chosen fortheir ability to tolerate longerperiods of drought, the mixturecontains purpose-bred foragetall fescues, Matrix Enhancedryegrass, Ensign Plus whiteclover and tetraploidryegrasses.

The seed is treated withHeadstart and Integral to helpencourage establishment. Drought

Buster is available in 25kg bags.Tall fescues and Matrix

Enhanced ryegrass recoverrapidly in drought conditions,and are used effectively on thecontinent.

The mixture includes Herbie perennial ryegrass, usedwidely in Spain, as well as deep rooting tetraploidryegrasses.

The inclusion of Ensign Pluswhite clover blend will help fillany mid-summer grazing gaps,when ryegrasses are lessproductive. ■ Details on 01472 371 471.

Portable AIgun warmer ANY temperature fluctuation ofplus or minus 2degC can accountfor sperm loss when AI’ing.

Dairymac’s AI Gun Warmer is aheated, temperature-controlledcarrying case for loaded AI guns.

It keeps the guns at the correcttemperature of 35degC (95degF). Itis fully portable and it can be wornon a belt or shoulder strap or hungfrom a crush, fence or wall.

A full charge lasts four to sixhours and it comes with both220v AC and 12v DC chargers.

It costs £350 plus VAT.■ Details from 07872 161 128 orvisit www.dairymac.com

More power ■ McCormick’s new five-model X70 range of six-cylinder tractors providesextra on-farm power.

Replacing the XTX andTTX series, the new range ispowered by a ‘leaner andgreener’ version of the 6.7-litre McCormick Beta-Powerengine.

With 188hp for draft workand transport duties, and199hp when driving pto-powered implements, theX70.70 has an 8hp and 19hpadvantage over the TTX190,while at the top of the rangethe X70.80 lifts performanceover the TTX230 with 214hpand up to 232hp.

The X70 series replacementsfor the smaller and lighterXTX tractors step up evenmore in the performancestakes, with ‘boost power’increases of up to 20hp overcurrent models for pto andtransport work.

For example, the X70.40replacement for the XTX145puts out 150hp for draft workand up to 175hp, with equi-valent figures for the X70.50(which replaces the XTX165)of 165hp and 188hp. ■ Details on 01302 757 566,or www.agriargouk.com

Milk replacer ■ BOCM PAULS’ new calf milkreplacer – Omega Gold – is awhey-based product high inomega-3 aimed at maximisinggrowth rates and healthstatus of calves.

This is the first milk replacerto contain omega-3, providedvia linseed. Omega-3 fattyacids are poorly transferredfrom cow to calf but areessential for high growthrates and good immunity.

It also contains a uniquepackage of plant extracts andshort chain fatty acids. Thesehave been formulated toboost the immune responseand help target the specificissues facing young calvessuch as respiratory problems,scouring (which accounts formore than 70% of calf losses)and a general lack of vigour.■ More information atwww.bocmpauls.co.uk, or call08456 717 839.

NEWS IN BRIEF

New products are now featured in each issue ofDairy Farmer. Please sendinformation and photographsto Jennifer MacKenzie [email protected] call 01768 896 150.

New products

**DF Jun p28 New Products 18/5/12 10:12 Page 1


BOCK UK EARLS COLNE BUSINESS PARKEARLS COLNE COLCHESTER ESSEX CO6 2NS

TELEPHONE:

01787 220560EMAIL: [email protected]

LET EUROPE’S LEADING SILAGE CLAMP PRODUCER SHOW YOU HOW OUR PROVEN CLAMP DESIGN SUPPLIED WITH HIGH QUALITY SILAGE FILMS AND COVERS WILL MINIMISE YOUR SILAGE LOSS AND DELIVER THE HIGHEST QUALITY SILAGE

30%IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF YOUR SILAGE CLAMP BY UP TO

www.bock-uk.com

www.farmersguardian.com/DFF2012

enteronline:

29

DF_06_P29 18/5/12 10:53 Page 21


MILK PRICES

PremiumQuality, LumpRed Rock SaltContains over 70 trace elementsand minerals Inc. magnesium,cobolt, copper and selenium.

Tel: 01981 250301

www.ballofmadley-hereford.co.uk

Available in250kg, 500kg,1200kg Bags

Milk PricesMilk price analyst StephenBradley comments on the latest milk industry developments.

Heler cuts price■ Joseph Heler has cut its milkprice by 2ppl from Jun’12.With this being the company’sfirst negative price move sinceOct’09 it takes our standardlitre (4% b/f & 3.3% prot,Bactoscans of 30,000/ml andSCCs of 200,000/ml, 1mltrs/yron EODC) down to 25.99ppl.Our manufacturing standardlitre (4.3% b/f and 3.5% protwith the same hygiene,volume and collection as ourflagship standard) alsoreduces 2ppl to 27.61ppl.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Liquid prices start tocollapse one by one

With nearly 50% ofthe value wipedfrom bulk creamprices since lastautumn, it had to

be only a matter of time beforeproducer liquid milk prices startedto yield under the pressure.

First to lead off was Dairy Crestwith its 2ppl cut from May 1. Thisdecrease from the base price takesour standard litre down on their‘Regional Premium’ contract to26.61ppl. This includes a 12-monthrolling profile payment of 1.21ppl– based on monthly RPA figures –with indications this will reduce to1.19ppl in due course.

Once Dairy Crest declared it didnot take long for others to react.Robert Wiseman Dairies followedwith a 2ppl cut of its own but amonth later from Jun’12. Thecompany claimed that after athree-year period of rising milkprices, the sustained impact of achallenging market and the

collapse of bulk cream prices hadleft it in a position it described as‘untenable’. The decrease takesour price down to 26.43ppl onRWD standard contracts, with theCo-operative Dairy Group pricealso down 2ppl to 27.78ppl.

Arla Foods has acknowledgedto producers it has tried tomanage lower markets internallywithin the business for as long aspossible, but it also cut its price onstandard and non-aligned milkprices by 2ppl from Jun’12. Thedecrease takes our price down to26.63ppl on their standardcontract (which includes the0.25ppl Cravendale premium),with the Non-aligned price(including the Morrisons premium)down to 26.88ppl.

The Asda DairyLink price alsomoves down 2ppl to 27.38ppl,some 2.9ppl below the SDDG priceafter Sainsbury’s producers votedoverwhelmingly to have their milkprice linked to costings.

Milk Link’s commitment IN announcing it was reducing itsmilk prices by 1.5ppl from Jun’12,Milk Link made the commitmentto hold the new price through tothe end of Aug’12.

Their decrease (first sinceAug’09) takes our price down to27ppl on both liquid andmanufacturing contracts and27.40ppl for Roddas in Cornwall.These price levels include the0.3ppl Premier Bonus as well as

the 0.5ppl monthly ProductionBonus for supplying milk volumesequal to, or above, the samemonth the previous year. Ourmanufacturing standard litre(4.3% bf & 3.5% prot with thesame hygiene, volume andcollection as our flagshipstandard) reduces to 28.04ppl forthe standard manufacturingcontract, while the Rodda pricepulls back to 28.87ppl.

**DF June p30 31 Milk Prices 18/5/12 13:29 Page 1

MILK PRICES


ww

w.r

ebuildin

gs.c

o.u

k

Leading the market in buildings & equipment

Innovative wing profile creates highest softness, and adapts to body shape. The soft slope to rear edge promotes cleanliness.

LYING AREA RUBBER MATTING

10

SCHURRGERATEBAU GMBH

COW BRUSH

Makes for quiet cows free from irritation, cleans massages

and calms, while removing parasites and mites

RUBBERMATTING

CURTAIN AND LIGHT RIDGE SPECIALISTS.Bespoke agricultural steel framed livestock buildings, fully erectedor supplied in kit-form.In-house design service.

Feb'12 Mar'12 Mar'12 12mth

4.0/3.3 4.0/3.3 4.0/3.3 Ave

Before Before 1mltr Apr'11

Seas'lty Seas'lty SAPP Mar'12

(i) (ii) **(iii) (iv)

D.C – M&S ∞ 32.50 32.48 31.81 30.94

RWD – Tesco Scotland 30.21 30.21 30.31 30.03

RWD – Tesco England 30.21 30.21 30.31 30.03

D.C – Sainsbury's 30.79 30.77 30.68 29.85

D.C – Waitrose ∞^ 31.09 31.07 30.63 29.72

RWD – Sainsbury's Central Scotland 30.53 30.53 30.63 29.71

RWD – Sainsbury's England 30.53 30.53 30.63 29.71

Arla Foods – Tesco •• 29.96 29.96 29.54 29.68

Arla Foods – AFMP Sainsbury's •• 30.48 30.48 30.09 29.36

Cadbury – Selkley Vale Milk 30.04 30.04 30.04 28.70

Caledonian Cheese Co – Profile ‡ 29.70 29.67 29.57 28.70

Robert Wiseman – The Co-op Dairy Group 29.78 29.78 29.88 28.51

Wyke Farms 29.00 29.00 29.10 28.45

D.C – Davidstow ∞ 28.99 28.97 28.88 28.45

Arla Foods – Asda•• 29.38 29.38 28.99 28.39

Barber A.J & R.G 28.61 28.61 28.61 28.11

Caledonian Cheese Co 29.07 29.07 29.07 28.10

Blackmore Vale Farm Cream 28.65 28.65 28.65 27.98

Parkham Farms 28.82 28.82 29.35 27.91

Wensleydale Dairy Products 28.49 28.49 28.51 27.85

Grahams Dairies 28.60 28.60 28.60 27.78

Milk Link – London Liquid 28.50 28.50 28.61 27.70

Milk Link – West Country Liquid 28.50 28.50 28.61 27.70

Milk Link Rodda's ¢• 28.91 28.91 28.00 27.70

Arla Foods – AFMP (Non-Aligned) •• 28.88 28.88 28.49 27.70

Meadow Foods Lakes ± 28.96 28.96 28.98 27.69

D.C – Liquid Regional Premium ∞ ¶ 28.61 28.59 28.50 27.67

Robert Wiseman – Aberdeen 28.43 28.43 28.53 27.61

Robert Wiseman – Central Scotland 28.43 28.43 28.53 27.61

Robert Wiseman – England 28.43 28.43 28.53 27.61

United Dairy Farmers ≠ ≠ 27.71 26.81 26.84 27.59

Meadow Foods – Level 28.88 28.88 28.88 27.55

Meadow Foods – Seasonal 28.88 28.88 28.88 27.55

Paynes Farms Dairies 28.45 28.45 28.45 27.53

Saputo UK – Level supply # 28.21 28.21 28.21 27.46

Arla Foods – AFMP Standard •• 28.63 28.63 28.24 27.44

Milk Link – Manufacturing ¢• 28.51 28.51 28.10 27.35

South Caernarfon 28.02 28.02 28.26 27.27

Joseph Heler 27.99 27.99 27.99 27.23

Belton Cheese 27.80 27.80 27.80 27.18

Glanbia – Llangefni (flat) 27.85 27.85 28.05 27.18

Saputo UK – Seasonal # 27.91 27.91 27.91 27.16

Glanbia – Llangefni (Constituent) 27.78 27.78 27.88 27.07

First Milk – Highlands & Islands § 27.97 27.97 27.37 26.98

D.C – Liquid Milk & More ∞ ¶ 27.80 27.78 27.69 26.86

First Milk – Liquid § 27.90 27.90 27.39 26.81

First Milk – Cheese § 27.50 27.50 27.00 26.56

First Milk Balancing § 27.50 27.50 26.99 26.56

Average Price 28.92 28.90 28.80 28.05

Notes to tablePrices paid for 1mltr producer supplying milk of average constituents 4% butterfat and 3.3% protein, SCCs of200,000/ml and Bactoscans of 30,000/ml on EODC excluding capital retentions and MDC levies. SAPP =Seasonally Adjusted Profile Price. (i) Feb’12 prices before seasonality. (ii) Mar'12 prices before seasonality. (iii)Seasonally adjusted profile price for Mar’12 taking into account monthly seasonality payments and profiles ofsupply. ** Seasonal adjusted profile supply for 1mltr supplier (using monthly RPA figures) for Mar'12=3,013ltrs/day, flat supply=2,740ltrs/day. (iv) Table ranked on the seasonally adjusted price for the 12mths toMar’12 § SAPP reflects 80% of producer’s previous year’s daily average volume (2,269ltrs/day) paid as a coreprice with the remaining marginal volume (744ltrs/day for Mar'12) priced @ 90% of the core price for Mar'12.¢ SAPP reflects 2,726ltrs (Aug to Dec’10 daily average) paid as ‘A’ ltrs with the remaining ‘B’ ltrs paid @ 80%of the ‘A’ price (ie constituents plus Market Related Adjustment) for Mar'12. • 287 'B' litres/day applicable forMar'12 with daily volume of 3,013ltrs/day being above the 'A' volume of 2,726ltrs. 0.5ppl production bonusfor Milk Link & First Milk applicable in the seasonal price for Mar'12 with daily production above that ofMar'11 based on RPA monthly figures. •• 4ppl balancing charge for Mar'12 based on Oct'12 BADP calculatesas -0.45ppl when spread across all litres supplied. ∞ Price before seasonality includes 12mth rolling profilepayment of 1.19ppl to Mar'12 (0.02ppl down on the previous month). Milk & More 12mth rolling profile pay-ment also 1.19ppl. ∞^ Price before seasonality includes 12mth rolling profile payment of 0.55ppl to Mar'12(0.02ppl down on the previous month). ± Price before seasonality includes 12mth rolling profile payment of0.58ppl to Mar'12 (unchanged from previous month). # Constituent payments priced by volume. ≠ Seasonalitybuilt into monthly base price. Arla Foods – AFMP Standard reflects price before the addition of 0.25ppl Non-Aligned Farm Premium. ¶ Price includes 0.4ppl Regional Premium. ‡ Non-seasonal price includes 12mth aver-age rolling profile 0.6ppl to Mar'12 (0.03ppl down on the previous month). Tesco milk prices include the0.5ppl bonus for co-operation with Promar costings. Milkprices.com cannot take any responsibility for lossesarising. Copyright: Milkprices.com

**DF June p30 31 Milk Prices 18/5/12 11:05 Page 2


WORKSHOP TIPS

Electric fences need to pack a punch if they are to gain the respect of yourcows or they will simply push their way through. Mike Donovan reports. Mike

DonovanMike is a respected machin-ery columnist who gives ususeful tips on building ormodifying our own farmequipment. Sign up for hisfree newsletter atwww.farmideas.co.uk

Solar power gives zing to your fence

Solar panels seem tohave caught theimagination of thenation, but while there’sno Feed-in Tariff

incentive for the solar panel onthis electric fencer, that doesn’tmake it any less financiallyviable.

Solar charging is now soreliable it is used for many roadsigns, and running the fencerbattery is well within thecapability of the panel. It’s truethat fencer companies make theall-in-one product, but here’s agood way of bringing the olderfencer up to date.

Charging fencer batterieswith PV panels is hardly newtechnology, yet it’s surprisinghow many farmers have yet totake up the idea and poses thequestion why not? Solar panelshave become smaller, lighter,and a lot cheaper over the pastsix or more years, and at thesame time the standard 12vbattery has become moreexpensive.

Less timeDairy farmers are keepinglarger herds, often with noextra staff, so the working dayis tighter. That means there’sless time for things to gowrong, and that includes suchmundane events as cattlebreaking out through theelectric fence. When it happensthere’s the major frustration ofgetting them back, and you areleft with the sight of the mess

the cows have caused by ramp-aging through next week’sgrazing or even silage grass.

The solar panel will helpprevent these breakouts. Withbatteries being constantly re-charged, even on cloudy days,the wire has always got the rightamount of zing. Fortunatelyfarmers can upgrade theirfencers very easily and, with thehelp of a pair of wheels, canmake the fencer easy to move inthe field as well.

The solar panel on GrahamFerris’ unit was built ten yearsago, and it is big enough tokeep the battery topped up in

both the winter and summermonths.

His first effort consisted ofputting the solar panel on theground, out of reach of thecows, and connected with apair of wires to the batteryterminals. It worked well untilthe cows got their tonguesaround the wires, whichfortunately broke before theymoved the panel itself. Sosomething tougher was needed.

The sack barrow design, withgolf cart wheels (out of a skip),is good in the field and can beput easily in the back of thefarm truck. The barrow has feet

in the front which are twoinches or more longer thanexpected, and the reason isthey provide the earth for thefencer. Standing on the frontof the barrow will push theminto the hardest ground, andhaving two of them provides agood earth even in very dryconditions.

InexpensiveWith solar panels available onthe internet for £20-30, the jobis both simple and inexpensive.Converting the electric fencerfrom ‘lug-it-home’ to solar is aworthwhile job for anydairyman. Keeping the batteriescharged all the time will givethem a far longer life, and thatmeans a single battery issufficient to run the fencer,rather than the two or threeneeded when they have to bechanged. And having a goodkick on the wire keeps cattlerespectful and reducesoutbreaks.■ Practical Farm Ideas isavailable in your newsagent orcontact Mike Donovan [email protected] or tel01994 240 978.

The solar panel keeps the battery charged and the golf trolley wheels arelarge enough in diameter to ride over rough ground.

ENTER TO WIN A CALF JACKETFor your chance to win one of our super calf jackets, simply fill in the national

pneumonia survey on the enclosed insert or complete on line at:

www.farmersguardian.com/pneumonia2012

**DF Jun p32 Donovan 18/5/12 09:44 Page 1

www.farmersguardian.com/DFF2012

enteronline:

DFF 2012 Cover only 18/5/12 11:34 Page 1


LIVESTOCKSERVICES

LIVESTOCK SERVICESEQUIPMENT & ACCESSORIES

DAIRY FARMER CLASSIFIED

��

�� !" �#�$$%%�&'(%�)*&+$$�,��#�$$%%�&'(%�)*&$$-

.��#��/�� 0 1�� #�222 ��

�� 3��.4��

Phone for the South West (01271) 882229The rest phone (01948) 662910/663143 or fax 663143

On-Farm Water SystemsDesigned and Installed

Water pipe installation carried out;Fast and efficient with no messVibratory mole plough used with pipe coilsupto 3km long.Large pipe coils, troughs and fittings supplieddirect or installed.

www.terrawatersystems.co.uk

0870 8200067

��

��

�� !��"��#��"��

��

$�� "��%��"��"��#��

&��"��"��"��#'&��()*)))+,+-./0��()-*11)2+3/*��43��'��'�! ###'3��'��'�!

• Dairy-Gyp cubicle conditioner

• Nationwide bulk deliveries

• Cost effective

• No burns or markings

• Reduces dermatitis & mastitis

• Does not support bacterial growth

• Compatible with all bedding products

• Now available in 20kg bags

• Improves cow welfare

��

��

� NEW �KVK Hoof Trimming Crates

ALSO AVAILABLE• Full Range of Hoof Trimming Equipment

(Selected Trim Discs, Trim Tec Discs. Standard Hoof Discs, Hoof Knives

Sure-Bond Adhesive, Bovi-Bond Adhesive, Demotec Green Shoe)

• Co-Flex Bandages @ £1 each • • Udder Mint (5kg for £43 + Vat) •

• Animal Husbandry Equipment (hobbles/medi-Dart/clippers) •

• Tru Test Weigh Equipment & Impartial Advice on Electronic Tags •

Tel/Fax 01738 842996 Mob. 07979 [email protected] www.bdsupplies.co.uk

Optimum working posture for the trimmer,minimum discomfort for the livestock.Farmers & Professional Hoof Trimmer

Proved over 20 years to cutSCRAPING time byup to 50%.

To clean uneven surfaces andleave a cleaner finish.

Saving Fuel & Labour Cost

BRITISH MADETRIED & TESTEDYARDSCRAPERSSOUTH WEST

COLIN BURNELL TEL/FAX 01769 580317 www.colinburnell.co.uk

AT LAST – a safe, humane,captive bolt stunner ideal forcalves and all farm animals.

NO FIREARMS PERMITREQUIRED.

Economical to buy and cheap to operate.

Phone for free brochure:ENTWISTLE GUNS, Preston

01772 718048 or fax 01772 718558

OrganicLaboratoriesHigh cell counts cost money

• Cell Counts • Mastitis,Scours • Pneumonia • TBSupplying the Farming

Industry with Homeopathyfor over 20yrs.

On farms everydayScarborough

01723 376905 07885 497852

DF_06_P34 18/5/12 12:45 Page 22


LIVESTOCK

Craven Concrete ProductsBENTHAM NR. LANCASTER

• VERTICAL CRAVEN WALLS

• UNDERGROUND TANKS

• SLURRY STORES

• SLURRY CHANNELS

• DIAGONAL SLATS

• PRESTRESSED PANELS UPTO 1.5m high• PORTABLE A WALLS• FEED & WATER TROUGHS• CATTLE & PIG SLATS• CONCRETE BEAMS• COW CUBICLES

www.cravenconcrete.co.ukTEL: 015242 61145 FAX: 015242 62060

www.cravenconcrete.co.ukTEL: 015242 61145 FAX: 015242 62060

Dairy EquipmentFABDEC DARI KOOL, BULK MILK TANKS (most sizes available)

Ice Builders and Plate Coolers.Parlours designed by the Farmer for the Farmer.

Replacement troughs for any parlour. Also secondhand equipment, ACRs, Vacuum Pumps, Motors, Jars,

Stainless line, Claws, Pulsators, Milkmeters, Feeders, etc, etc.Everything for the Dairy Farmer

Call Vic/Tracey Brown now on Tel: 01260 226261www.milkingequipment.com

ANDY’SCONCRETE GROOVING

• Quality Grooving (wide, deepgrooves) • Rough Concrete Plained• Value for money • Nationwide

Service • Personal service everytimeOver 25yrs experience

www.andysconcretegrooving.com

01249 654683mobile 0758 5118565

0011777722

779999448877

LIVESTOCK SERVICES BUILDING MATERIALS

DF_06_P35 18/5/12 12:41 Page 22

Ineed to remind you I writethis column a month beforeprinting. I am away nextweek so this is five weeks inadvance, so bear with me if

things have changed. I can remember fairly clearly

what became known as ‘BlackWednesday’. Norman Lamont waschancellor and in the morning heannounced a huge rise in interestrates. We had a friend who had abusiness which was struggling andI remember her saying ‘we’ll befinished now’. Interest rates wenteven higher in the afternoon andstrangely she didn’t seem soworried. ‘Everybody is finishednow’, she declared.

Today is the day Dairy Cresthave announced a 2ppl pricedrop. I suspect other milk buyerswill have similar letters ready topost. The repercussions of today’sprice cut bear similarities to thatBlack Wednesday, and there mustbe lots wondering where now?

Someone told me this is whatwe should expect – volatility. Wellvolatility would be ok if we had aspell with milk prices at 33 or34ppl to cushion the effect of the24’s and 25’s which are on theirway now. After all, others stillwant paying – my landlord hasgiven me notice of rent increasesof around 20%.

I’m selling all my wheat this year,but my friend Mr Potter’s websitesays wheat prices may go down£45 per tonne. That figure camevia Tesco price predictions on theircost tracker and cynics say theydid that to facilitate a price cut totheir dedicated suppliers, but theywouldn’t do that, would they?

I don’t know what therepercussions will be on milkproducers, but for sure the exoduswill continue. It will be fascinatingto see what affect all this has onthe value of cows and heifers,because if you decide enough isenough, the value of your cows isa vital part of your exit strategy.

I’ve got friends who have ceasedmilk production in the last 12months and I know it was, forthem, a big decision. I know theircows sold well on a bought trade,and I don’t expect they have anymisgivings today.

My own business isalways vulnerable to adry year, so last yearwas a bugger. Thisyear we’ve hadanother dry Marchbut now we facefloods in April. Thecows are wet andmiserable, the peoplewho look after themare wet and miserable, and if allmilk comes down 2ppl there is theprospect of working hard for therest of the milk year for nothing.

The 2ppl drop amounts toabout £24,000 on this farm. Myinsurance is up for renewal thisweek and it looks as if I can save£500 there. I’ll have to do that,but to make up the £24,000 I’lljust have to keep chipping awaywhere I can. My problem is I can’tyet see where the volatility willcome from which will drive pricesup. I suspect it will have to be thecommodity market, and we allknow how long that can take.

London has never been big inmy life but for several years I hadto go a couple of times a month. Iused to go by train and use taxiswhen I got there. I tried the tubea couple of times and decided it

wasn’t for me –too hot, dirty,crowded and Icouldn’tunderstand itanyway.

As I didn’tknow London,using taxis was away of learningsomethingabout it and so

my short journeys wereinteresting. ‘Where you fromguv?’ enquired the driver.‘Shropshire, you know whereShropshire is?’ Not many peopleknow where Shropshire is, which Ialways consider to be a big bonus.‘Shropshire, don’t tell me aboutShropshire, went there in my cabonce, took me half a day to washit off when I got back... neverseen so much muck on the roadsin my life’, he said. ‘Too manybloody farmers in Shropshire ifyou ask me.’ He’s right there, Icould name a few myself. So timefor a change of subject I thought.

‘How many of these cyclists doyou run over on a daily basis?’ I’venever seen anything like thebehaviour of cyclists in centralLondon. They change lanewithout signal, they overtakeslower moving traffic anywhere. Ifthey can’t get by on the outsidethey overtake on the inside oncrowded footpaths. They ploughthrough crowded zebra crossingswith complete disregard forpedestrians, yet they do all thiswith an aura of superiority: ‘I’mgreen, I use a bike to get about, ifyou all did what I do, there wouldbe no global warming, and lookat how fit I am.’

I don’t go to London very oftennow and the most I see of Londoncyclists is on the television wherethey turn up on the news bleatingabout the dangers the other roadusers put them in. I can’t believewhat they say on television andwhat they do in reality and I can’trepeat what the taxi driver saidabout them!

There are plenty of cyclistsaround here. You get some inlarge groups or one’s and two’swho seem to be on some long-distance journey. I think theycome around here because thescenery is brilliant, yet they arealways staring steadfastly at thetarmac 5 yards in front of them.

There’s another sort which taketo the hills on mountain bikes,obviously driven in their pursuit ofthe challenge of this sort ofterrain. Quite a lot do it at nightwith these brilliant lights on theirheads and on their bikes. Theyspooked some cattle near hererecently. Spooked cattle arefrightened and frightening. Thesecattle were in a hollow keepingout of the wind, but then theytook off and gates and fenceswere smashed and one suffered abroken leg.

I bet the cyclists didn’t knowabout the havoc they had caused.Bet they don’t even care!


GOOD EVANS

This month Roger Evans tells us how he will be coping with the latest milk price drops, and why cyclistsare not top of his list of favourite countryside visitors.

Volatility may be alrightif we could see an upside

Volatility would be ok ifwe had a spell with milkprices at 33 or 34ppl tocushion the effect of the24’s and 25’s which areon their way now.

**DF Jun p36 Evans 18/5/12 09:44 Page 1

Cattle Services WP DF 18/5/12 10:47 Page 1

The television show dedicated to farming and agribusiness.

The show covers industry issues vital to farmers, gives expert agronomy andveterinary advice as well as profiling commercial farmers up and down the UK.

Email: [email protected] or go to www.farmingsunday.co.uk

Every Sunday at 5pm (with repeats)Horse and Country TV, Sky Digital channel 280.

FARMING SUNDAY WP DF 18/5/12 11:31 Page 1

Dairy Farmer Digital Edition June 2012

Documents