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DAIRYPages 32-37

Tip of the month: Reduce digital dermatitis through sire selection – p18

MachineryForage kit forseason ahead

Pages 26-37

SPECIAL FEATUREFocus on forage and grassland

Pages 38-42

RENEWABLESPotential on-farmenergy investments

Pages 48-49

Details: Page 5

NEW PRODUCTS

OPEN DAY

Latest releases to thedairy marketplace

MARCH 2013 Volume 60 Issue 3FARMER

**DF Mar Cover_Layout 1 22/02/2013 08:39 Page 1

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Lambert Leonard May WP DF_Lambert Leonard May WP DF 22/02/2013 09:32 Page 1

1MARCH 2013 DAIRYFARMER

LEADER

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

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.

ContactsEditorPeter Hollinshead 0207 332 [email protected]

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De Cymru – ardal llaeth achyfoeth. No, not a print-ing error but for those ofus not from the principal-ity, it reads ‘Wales – the

land of Milk and Money’. This was the opening sentence when

correspondent Ian Potter went to ad-dress milk producers in South Wales.At one time farmers in this neck of thewoods had just a small handful of buy-ers wanting their milk and now it looksset to be a veritable battlefield with thelikes of Arla, Wiseman, DC, First Milk,Freshways, Medina, Glanbia et al want-ing a slice of the action down there.

Heightened competition is starting toshow in other parts of the country toowith milk buyers laying out their good-ies to tempt any disgruntled passer-by.

For a start Arla has just launched anew fully ‘code compliant’ direct con-tract for farmers who do not want tojoin Arla Foods Milk Partnership; Wise-man is believed to be due to launch itscampaign soon; and Dairy Crest is set

to unveil its formula pricing details.Even that stalwart of South Wales

milk procurement, First Milk, is con-scious of not allowing the rug to bepulled from under its feet by offeringmore tempting prices and direct con-tracts.

Such competition for milk is thebright light on the horizon andwill be sharpened by greatercontract flexibility.

But will the financialbenefits of this scram-ble come soon enoughto cover winter feedbills? It doesn’t looklike it, which is whythere are wide-spread calls for FFAto re-man the picketlines.

And althoughCaptain Handley hasnot given the go-aheadyet, patience is fast running out!

EDITORa word from the

**DF Mar p1 Leader_Layout 1 22/02/2013 12:47 Page 1

2 MARCH 2013DAIRYFARMER

THIS MONTH

CONTENTSmarchVolume 60 Issue 3

On farm

RegularsComment

Welfarefocus

Cow comfort is keydriver for organic

Queenscairn dairy herd

10-12

24-25 Vet’s View44-46 Milk Prices50 Workshop tips56 Finance

4-6 Latest news8-9 Cowmen Comment16-17 Potter’s View54-55 Good Evans

26-37Special feature

Using brassicas as a solution toreseeding, how to tackle shortages inforage stocks and tips on managingyour cows at turnout

Forage & grassland

**DF Mar p2 3 Contents_Layout 1 22/02/2013 08:41 Page 1


THIS MONTH

If cows could talk they would choose...

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Can sire selection help breed dermatitis out of our herds?

38-42

Vet’s view

24-25

Practical approach tomanaging diseases

Renewables

Opportunities in windenergy and latest onrenewable schemes andincentives

On-farm energy

Breeding18-20

Disease control Digital dermatitis

**DF Mar p2 3 Contents_Layout 1 22/02/2013 08:41 Page 2


NEWS

FFA gets mandate to turn up the pressure

Farmers For Actionsays it is runningout of patiencewith milkprocessors after

milk price rises failed tomaterialise for February. At a recent meeting in

Derbyshire, David Handleywas given a strong mandateto keep applying thepressure, and farmers saidthey were unanimous insupporting a resumption ofthe protests, if necessary.However, they may have

an uphill task – the creamprice is nothing spectacularat about £1.28, and butterand cheese prices aresteady.

EU marketsAnd EU markets are, ifanything, slipping – albeitslightly. The US market ismore bearish now than itwas two months ago aftermilk volumes picked up,but there are some positivesigns from the GlobalDairy Trade, especially

with forward prices forthe likes of Skimmed MilkPowder.Although many farmers

here state these factors donot impinge on the UKbecause we do not makemuch butter or powder, thereality is the effect it has onbuyer sentiment as it is a loteasier to get price riseswhen global markets aremoving up than it is whenthey are going down. The latest Global Dairy

Trade Auction’s index was

up 3.1%. This means therehas been five consecutiveauctions where the indexmoved up. In fact therehave been only twoauctions in the last 14where the index moveddown. While most of those

forward movements havebeen small, neverthelessthe SMP price is nowhigher than at any timesince July 2011, and theWMP price higher thanDecember 2011.

Arla Foods offers code contractJThe rhetoric against ArlaFoods over whether it willcomply with the voluntarycode or not has been build-ing for weeks as the dairycoalition’s end of Marchdeadline for complianceruns down. But, in a move which took

critics by surprise, the firmhas launched a new ‘ArlaDirect’ contract which it says‘is leading the industry bybeing the first supply con-tract that is fully compliantwith all aspects of the code’.The contract features liq-

uid and compositional vari-ations, a volume bonus forlarger producers, seasonal-ity options and a 12-month

notice period with a three-month trigger as specified inthe code.

LaunchedIt has been launched as partof the co-operative’s drive tosecure an additional 500million litres of milk in theUK – on top of the 3.2bnlitres it currently sources –and is being offered at astandard litre price of30.02ppl. It is being madeavailable to farmers in Eng-land, Scotland and particu-larly Wales – where it isincreasingly sourcing from.It means the firm has di-

versified from sourcing milkvia its Arla Foods Milk Part-

nership, which consists of1300 farmers (and latterlythrough Arla-Milk Linkmembers). Farmers who aspire to be members ofArla Foods amba will be advised to select AFMP’sshared ownership model,with the new Arla Directcontract being available forthose who want to supplyArla but would prefer a di-rect supply option. The NFU welcomed the

move. Mansel Raymondsaid: “We urge all other milkbuyers to fundamentally re-view their milk supply con-tracts to ensure fullcompliance with the dairycontract code.”

Meadow expansionrMeadow Foods is in-vesting £3.1 million at itsfresh division in Peterbor-ough. An initial £1.3m invest-

ment will be spent to fullyautomate and double thecultured plant’s capacity,and to reduce waste andincrease efficiency. A further £1.8m has

been assigned this yearfor new mix tanks, inlinestandardisation and addi-tional on-site storage. Thisinvestment, it says, willimprove product qualityand give Meadow the ca-pacity to produce enoughpacked cream to satisfythe entire UK market.

**DF Mar p4 5 6 News _Layout 1 22/02/2013 11:27 Page 1


NEWS

rDairy Farmer readersare cordially invited to at-tend an open day at TimGibson’s Hunters HillFarm, Bedale, North York-shire, on Wednesday,April 10, 10.00 to4.00pm.Tim has kindly agreed to

host the day when visitorswill have the opportunityto inspect his herd, seethe three robots in action,and view the recently in-stalled automatic feedingsystem. In addition, guest speak-

ers Ian Potter and DavidHandley will take themicrophone at 1.30pm togive you their take on thecurrent state of the UKmilk industry.A free lunch will be pro-

vided for those who regis-ter beforehand by calling01677 424 284 whichwill help with the planningof numbers. Otherwise,attendees will be askedto register on arrival atthe farm.

Farm open dayIrish heifercalvings goup by halfJA third more cows havecalved in Ireland so far in2013 compared to 2012, giving firm evidence theIrish may be taking up theirGovernment’s exaltations toexpand. A total of 240,653 cows

calved between January 1and February 8, comparedto 185,367 last year. Heifercalvings are up 55% and thenumber of dairy replace-ments increased by 70%. The overall effect, which is

due to both more heiferscalving and a change in thecalving pattern, will ringalarm bells among UKcheese makers at a timewhen cheese prices are gen-erally high. It is almost certain a signif-

icant amount of Irish cheese

will come into the UK as aresult of this extra milk – toadd to that which hasalready arrived – and have abearish effect on the market.

DifficultiesFarmers For Action’s DavidHandley has publicly recog-nised the difficulties thiswill cause them in price ne-gotiations with processors,as excessive price demandswill quickly make UKcheese uncompetitive.It is known very little

cheese is in store that doesnot already have a buyer allocated to it, but this can,and will, quickly change.Irish milk production for

December was 6.2% below2011 levels at 136.2 millionlitres.

DC retainssupply contractJDairy Crest has retainedits contract to supply milkto Sainsbury’s fromFebruary 2014, but at alower price with the newcontract for three years. The company says its

policy is to become moreefficient through costreductions and share thosewith shareholders, custo-mers and farmers via abetter milk price. It says itis on track to exceed itsannual cost savings targetby delivering savings ofaround £23m for the yearending March 31, 2013.

Milk productionJProduction in Januarywas 1058.7m litres, 59.5mlitres (5.32%) lower thanthe same month last year.Cumulatively we haveproduced 10,884m litres,which is 354m and 3.3%lower than last year. GBproduction is around 3.7%lower last year.


NEWS


Farmers dischargedin gangmaster caseJFifteen dairy farmersprosecuted by the Gang-masters Licencing Authority(GLA) for using labour froman unlicenced gangmaster –Marden Management –have all received absolutedischarges from SwindonMagistrates Court, in a casewhich has reportedly costmore than £100,000. The discharge was despitethe farmers pleading guiltyto the offence of takinglabour from an unlicensedgangmaster. They wereordered to pay just £300each towards the costs of theprosecution. NFU president PeterKendall called the GLA’sapproach to the MardenManagement prosecutions‘heavy-handed’ as ‘thefarmers involved in thiscase co-operated with theGLA investigation into

Marden Management fromthe outset’.“They couldn’t under-stand why the Defra teamdecided to prosecute thefarmers,” he said. “The Dis-trict Judge said the GLA’sguidance at the time was‘misleading’ because itwasn’t clear the rules ap-plied to the dairy industry.”

DisappointedBut the GLA was unrepen-tant, and in a comment itschief executive Paul Broad-bent said he was ‘disap-pointed’. “This was by far the mostserious example the author-ity has tackled exclusively,in terms of the intentional,well-organised and system-atic financial exploitation ofworkers, but the punish-ment does not fully reflectthat,” said Mr Broadbent.

Defence solicitor Tim Hay-den, from Taunton-basedClarke Willmott, said: “Youhave to say the proceedingsagainst this group of farmershave achieved very little. Onthe GLA side, at least£100,000 spent in prosecut-ing, no penalties imposed inany of the 18 cases and a re-covery of £6800 in costs. Onthe other, three years of anxi-ety, court appearances andsubstantial defence costs pri-marily in contesting finan-cial allegations which weresubsequently withdrawn bythe GLA.“It is extraordinary theprosecution has chosen toallege in a press release thatthese farmers were exploit-ing workers when they ex-plicitly withdrew thatallegation against the wholeof this group by letter inMarch 2012,” he said.

First Milk looks to increase farmer investment levelJFirst Milk is to increaseits liquid pool price by0.5ppl and its cheese andbalancing pools by 0.4pplfrom 1 April. It is also increasing itsfarmer investment levelfrom 0.2ppl to 0.5ppl to ‘gofaster and further with ourinvestments’, as well as‘exploring routes where its

employees and farmerssupplying milk to othercompanies can also invest inits added value growthstrategy’. Members will beconsulted on this route aspart of its regular FarmerForum meetings.First Milk chairman BillMustoe said: “We haveinvested £20 million over

the last 18 months onacquisitions and jointventures through a mixtureof existing bank facilitiesand cash generated fromthe business.

Added value“In order to speed up ourmove into added value weare looking at every avenue

to secure funding for ouradded value investmentstrategy, and this hasprompted a number ofdiscussions with ouremployees and farmerscurrently supplying milk toother companies. They likewhat we're doing and thedirection we're taking, andthey want to be part of it.”

Semen exports

News in brief

JDespite worries overSchmallenberg virus (SBV)present in bovine semen,Canada has now lifted itsban on European semenand embryos collectedafter June 1, 2011. Productsfrom SBV donors, testednegative prior to collectionand a minimum of 28 dayspost-collection, will be per-mitted. However, the im-portation of semen andembryos from positive SBVmale and female donors toCanada remains restricted.

Dairy incomes fallJThe official Defra farm-gate price for December was30.9ppl, and the averageprice for 2012 was 28.03p.Both were records. However because of ris-ing costs, average farm in-comes are projected to drop44% on last year to settle at£50,000, compared to nearly£90,000. In 2010/11 dairy in-comes were £71,500.


IBR is increasingly important in the UK with a study identifying infected animals in 96% of herds1. Causing respiratory and reproductive disease, IBR can negatively impact herd profi tability.

Within a herd some cows will be infected carriers and some will be naive and uninfected. Effective control of IBR at the herd level needs effective control at the cow level. The two Rispoval IBR Marker vaccines now

offer a simple 2-step vaccination programme, fl exible enough to protect the right animal in the right way and the only programme licensed to give up to 12 months protection from a single booster.

Each farm is different and IBR is a complex disease, therefore your vet can best advise on the most appropriate IBR vaccination programme for you.

AH938/12

For further information please contact your veternary surgeon or Pfi zer Animal Health, Walton Oaks, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 7NS. Rispoval® IBR Marker Inactivated contains inactivated gE-negative BHV-1 strain Difi vac POM-V Rispoval® IBR Marker Live contains

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How good is your IBR

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Reference: 1. Woodbine K.A. et al., (2009) BMC Veterinary Research 5-5

Rispoval IBR Marker vaccines, helping to improve IBR control

NEWDATA

Pfizer - IBR WP DF_Pfizer - IBR WP DF 22/02/2013 09:33 Page 1


COWMEN COMMENT

TIMGibsonTim Gibson farms in Bedale, North Yorkshire, milking 180cows with three Lely robots and the farm has 140 acresof combinable crops. Tim also runs a separate dairyengineering and supplies business from the farm.

“The latestroofs have justgone up andlook good. I ampleased with thebuilder forgetting on withthem in what isalways a badtime of year forshed building

I’m sitting here finally in glorioussunshine and no, as you may well bethinking, I am not abroad in somesunny climate. Yes, for the first time in12 months it is sunny in Bedale!

As some of you may know we have anEnvironment Agency weather station atthe end of our drive from which,periodically, I get rainfall measurementssent to me. Mind you, I’m not just sure ofthe accuracy of the equipment as threetimes in the last 12 months it has beentotally submerged in flood water.

The weather station provides vitalinformation for the flood defences of Yorkand is part of the early warning systemwhich alerts the city when it is about tobe chin deep in water. Today they aredoing some ‘urgent repairs’ whichconsists of putting the highly technicaland sophisticated equipment ‘on aconcrete block’ in the hope that when itfloods us out here, they can still tell it’sraining and warn York to get its boats out.

Back in my grandfather’s day they hada similar system in place. He was a gamekeeper on the moors above Wensleydaleand when it rained enough to put thewater over the road at Wensley he rangthe landlord in a pub in York who thenhad a day or so to get prepared to beflooded out. The locals still use the same

rule of thumb today, but in the high-techworld we now live in when the raingauge at Hunters Hill is under a foot ofwater the EA can’t tell whether or notYork will be soggy in a few days’ time.

Our rainfall just out of interest this past12 months has been 36ins. In the previous12 months it was just 18ins. There was20ins from August until January and theprevious year in the same period we hadjust 4ins. The 20-year average for the areais 24ins. So nature has just corrected itselfand maybe we will be set for anotherdrought this summer. I remember fencingin March 2012 and getting sun burnt.Today it is sunny but no threat ofburning, or fencing for that matter.

High riskOur farm is in high risk area forcatchment sensitive farming. We areoffered most years some grant money fordifferent schemes to take away rainwaterfrom pollution sources to clean up therivers. One of these grants is for theroofing of stock gathering and feedingareas, and we successfully applied to roofover our dry cow feeding yards.

Traditionally all our cows have been fedoutside in winter on yards and graduallywe have now been able to cover areas tokeep rain water out of the slurry and

**DF Mar p8 9 Cowmen Gibson_Layout 1 22/02/2013 08:45 Page 1

divert it away. The latest roofs have justgone up and look good. I am pleasedwith the builder for getting on with themin what is always a bad time of year forshed building to meet the grant deadlineof the end of February. April 10 is the date I have set for an

open day at the farm here. It will be 10years on since the last major one when wehad about 1000 people and I havearranged a line up of the same speakersto say where we are heading in the next 10 years. Ian Potter and DavidHandley will both be here to say a few words about the future. The event is being supported by suppliers to thefarm. I would be keen to welcome readers of

Dairy Farmer along to see what changeswe have made to the farm in the recent

years. We will be open from 10am till4pm, with speakers on from 1.30 pm. Themain point of interest for a lot of peoplewill be the feeding system which has nowbeen in operation over a year. This will beavailable for people to see as will therobot milking system that will have beenin 12 years this summer. We hope to see plenty of you at the

farm on April 10 from 10am to mark “10years on and 10 years forward!”


COWMEN COMMENT

Farm factsrFarm size: 350 acresrCows: 185rMilk: 8000 litresrSoil: Mostly stone andsandrRainfall average: 24inrMilk buyer: PaynesDairies.

GREENCROP IRRIGATION

01328 701992 | [email protected] | www.greencrop.co.uk

M D W ISP

P

The dry cow area has beenroofed over with the help of anenvironmental grant.

rCourtesy Tim Gibson with guestspeakers Ian Potter and David HandleyrWednesday, April 10, 10-4pmrRegister for free lunch by calling 01677424 284, or register on arrivalrSpeakers on at 1.30pm.

Farm open day details

**DF Mar p8 9 Cowmen Gibson_Layout 1 22/02/2013 09:16 Page 2


ON FARM

Cow comfort is big driverfor future of organic herd

The 180-strong Queenscairn herd, Kelso, is run on organic lines and achieves an impressive9000 litres a cow. Bruce Jobson went to discover the secrets behind this performance.

Queenscairn figures

r180 HolsteinsrCIS recorded 9200kgrSCC 120rMilk sold 8900 litresper cowrAverage milk price

33.45pplrMargin per cow perday £5.46rFeed conversionefficiency 1.39 litres perkilo dry matter

Cow comfortand animalwelfare arekey prioritiesat Queen-

scairn, and the decision hasbeen taken to move fromcubicles to partial strawhousing.

Rob and Andrena Shankstook the decision to investmore than £350,000 in a newstate-of-the-art straw basedsystem for a portion of themilking herd, dry cows andin-calf heifers.

Mr Shanks says: “We havelow cell counts of 120, andmastitis isn’t a problem.We’ve taken that into con-sideration with housing theearly calvers on straw. But

we place emphasis on in-creasing cow comfort andyou can lose a lot of money,time and effort if a cow slipsand goes down in the cubi-cles or has milk fever.

“We’re building a 150ftlong by 135ft wide spanbuilding with 20ft centralfeed passage. The layoutincorporates a 16ft slattedalleyway on one side onlyfor the straw-bedded milk-ing cows, while the otherside of the feed passage willbe a completely straw bed-ded area for dry cows andin-calf heifers.

“In the future, we’ve gotthe option to increase num-bers above 200 cows andmaintain two-thirds of the

herd in the cubicles, whichare bedded on sawdust. It’simportant to maintain yieldsand margins and we aim toimprove upon every detail,however small. We have asmall team of three staff andwe’re achieving increases inanimal health and comfort,feed conversion efficiency aswell as total consistency ofdiet,” he says.

The couple took the deci-sion to convert to organicmilk production in 2005 andcompleted the two-year

conversion in 2008. MrShanks is the current chair-man of the Scottish OrganicMilk Producers Associationand remains committed toorganic milk productiondespite its current economicclimate.

“Organic farmers defi-nitely need a premium milkprice. Over the past 12months, Queenscairn hasaveraged 33.45ppl rising upto 37.31ppl in December2012. However, it’s impor-tant to view the overall

Rob Shanks: decided to go to straw yards for fresh calvers.

JDairy Farmer readers are invited to view the latest developments atTim Gibson’s Yorkshire farm – April 10, 10-4pm. See p5.

OPEN DAY – HUNTERS HILL FARM, BEDALE

**DF Mar p10 11 12 On Farm_Layout 1 21/02/2013 12:27 Page 1


ON FARM

Do you know what’s in your colostrum product?Locatim® is the only licensed standardised immunoglobulin treatment proven to reduce mortality in the calfLocatim helps provide essential protection against neonatal diarrhoea.

Talk to your veterinary surgeon today.*Locatim® contains Bovine concentrated lactoserum containing specific Immunoglobulins against E.coli F5 (K99) adhesin. Legal Category: POM-VPS. For further information contact your veterinary surgeon or POM-VPS medicines prescriber.

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Please use medicines responsibly. For further information please visit www.noah.co.uk/responsible

ART4081

organic milk price over theextended period rather thanmerely the peak months.Daily milk yield per cow iscurrently 31.6 litres andmargin per cow is runningat £5.46p per day, which isabove the market averagefigure of £4.03p,” he says.The pedigree Holstein

herd is CIS milk recordedand averages an impressive9200kg per cow at 3.9% fatand 3.1% protein, with milksales at 8900 litres per cow.Calving interval has slippedback by 25 days since goingorganic, and is now runningat 420 days. Mr Shanks con-siders this as a possible con-sequence of reduced levelsof concentrate feeding. Fer-

tility levels have been main-tained with conception ratesrunning at 60%.Queenscairn averaged

more than 10,000 litres percow prior to organic conver-sion and Rob considers a10% reduction as an accept-able figure. Feed consistencyhas played an importantpart in Queenscairn’s suc-cess and the herd is fed on aKeenan diet. Mr Shanks is along-term advocate of thesystem having invested insix of the company’s mixerwagons over a number ofyears. “Whether a farm is tradi-

tional or organic, it’s imper-ative to provide a consistentdiet, day after day, week Diet consistency is crucial – conversion efficiency is 1.39litres/kg DM.


ON FARM


Organic diet (FW)

r72% home-grownr3.5kg organic blendr2.5kg organic soyar2.5kg triticaler2.5kg oats/barleyr2kg beansr2kg lucerne

r0.6kg strawr0.15kg mineralsr0.1kg limestone flourr10kg whole crop oats(24% DM)r30.5kg grass silage(28%DM)

genetic potential has in-creased over the years. “Theherd was originally BritishFriesian and we used a suc-cession of Holstein bullswhich offered increases insize, dairyness and capacityas well as transmitting bet-ter quality udder traits. “In recent years, the Hol-

stein appears to have lostthe dairyness with strengthtrait which was the hall-mark of the breed. I likecows to be robust and beable to compete at the feedbarrier and be relatively

trouble-free. Given the costsof rearing replacement ani-mals, it’s important to breedcows with longevity so thatthey are able to make along-term contribution tooverall herd profitability.“I’ve used some tradi-

tional UK bloodlines such asBlackisle Benloyal andWhinnoch Umpire, but I’vealso used several of our ownhomebred bulls in order toprovide more strength, asthese bulls having been bredfrom deep-pedigree cowfamilies,” he says.

after week. This in turnleads to better feed conver-sion and subsequent in-creases in production.“We feed everything

through the mixer-wagonand the cows do not receiveconcentrates in the milkingparlour,” he explains. In total, 72% of the ration

is home-grown, with theonly purchased feed beingorganic soya, organic In-tamix blend and minerals.Keenan nutritionist Rob

Gilchrist says: “Queenscairnfeed conversion efficiency iscurrently 1.39 litres per kiloof dry matter, which isabove the market averagefigure of 1.28 litres. Currentdaily average productionper cow is running at animpressive 30+ litres a day.” Mr Shanks maintains a

strong interest in the herd’sbreeding programme and its

“Currentdaily averageproduction percow is runningat an impressive30+ litres a dayRob Gilchrist

Cubicles bedded with sawdust ready for cows returning after milking.The new shed in progress -- part of the £350,000 investment.

JDairy Farmer readers are invited to Tim Gibson’s farm with guestspeakers Ian Potter and David Handley. Details p5.



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milkwatchwith Boehringer Ingelheim

Weather impacts on collegedairy herd’s turn-out plans

Grazing-based mixed herd’s biggest challe

On Lodge Farm,Bilsborrow, Lan-cashire, our Milk

Watch farmer faces all thesame problems as everyoneelse in dairying, plus a fewadditional challenges.As the farm manager at

Myerscough College, RogerLeach says the farm hasdual roles to fulfil as an edu-cational and commercial es-tablishment.This remit places added

demands on the mixedfarming business of almost1000 acres which includes230 acres of arable (growing

Meet our two Milk Watch farmers. We will be tracking them over thecoming months, looking at the highs and lows of milk production.

winter wheat and beans forwholecrop silage); a 220-head dairy herd; a unit rear-ing beef from the dairyherd; a suckler cow herd ofAberdeen-Angus; and about1000 ewes.

RainfallThe average annual rainfallof over 900mm was far ex-ceeded last year when itreached 1258mm. “We haveno land ploughed and willbe relying totally on springdrilling for our wholecropcereals,” he explains. Recent bad weather has

also impacted directly onthe cattle and the milkingherd has been unable tograze for the past two years.“Grazing is definitely

something we like to do butit is becoming more andmore difficult,” he says. “But even in a good year

we don’t turn out beforeearly May as we like to takea first cut of silage from allof our grassland as wenever know if we’ll get thechance to cut again.”The Holstein herd pro-

duces just short of 9000 litresat 4.4% fat and 3.19% pro-

tein, although its whitewater contract with the Co-op via Muller WisemanDairies sees no payment forthese components.The herd’s recent chal-

lenges have included prob-lems with cows’ feet and anoutbreak of mastitis, bothnow having been satisfacto-rily addressed. Last summer’s outbreak

of mastitis was attributedlargely to E coli and thesource of the problem foundin the strawed calving shed.While every case was

treated immediately with

James Willcocks says mastitis cases are always dealt with swiftly.

Milk Watch farmerJames Willcockshas adapted his

farming precisely to suit hisfarm. Located about 10 miles

south of Bodmin Moor, hesays the system he runs atTregleath Farm, Washaway,is neither fully extensive nora traditional British set-up.“We are grazing-based

and some of the herd willbe out from the end of Feb-ruary until Christmas in agood year,” he says. “Butwe also feed two tonnes ofconcentrates.”

The result is an averageyield approaching 8000litres at 4.4% fat and 3.3%protein from his 280-headmixed breed herd. Milk isdestined for cream and icecream at nearby TrewithenDairy.From a family which has

been on the largely rented,570-acre farm for 25 years,James took over full respon-sibility on his father’s retire-ment around six years ago. Beginning with a Holstein

base, he felt the breed wasincreasingly unsuited to thefarm, where long distances

had to be walked each day,and now operates a threeway crossing programme. .However, describing the

biggest challenge as main-taining the quality of grazed

grass throughout the sea-son, he says it’s easy to over-estimate its feed value.A total mixed ration

which includes equal partsof grass and maize silage

**DF Mar p14 15 MilkWatch_Layout 1 21/02/2013 12:30 Page 1


SPONSORED SERIES

A word from Boehringer Ingelheim

This article is brought to you by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, makers of Ubrolexin®. Advice onthe use of Ubrolexin or other therapies should be sought from your veterinary surgeon. Ubrolexincontains cefalexin monohydrate and kanamycin monosulphate. POM-V. Further information availablefrom Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8YS. Email:[email protected]. Date of preparation: Feb 2013. AHD 7489. Withdraw milkfrom supply for human consumption for 120 hours after the last Ubrolexin treatment. UseMedicines Responsibly (www.noah.co.uk /responsible). www.mastitis.co.uk. References: 1. Patersonet al (2012). Euro Surveill. 17(50). 2. A summary of the proceedings and discussions, VLA andGVS/AGV Nat. Conf., Uni. of Warwick, Sep 2010. 3. RUMA guidelines. Accessed on January 17,2013. http://www.ruma.org.uk/guidelines/antimicrobials/long/attle%20antimicrobials%20long.pdf

rTHE news of MRSA being de-tected in the UK dairy herd1 atthe end of 2012 has againbrought the prudent use of an-tibiotics into the news. This,along with discussions aboutwhether or not antimicrobialsare becoming less effective inanimals and man2, has givenenough cause for concern foran increasing number of farm-ers to be asking their vets formore information. What both vets and farmers

want is to have effective antibi-otics to treat disease both nowand into the future, so doesthis talk mean this status mightbe at risk? The answer is no, there will

still be antibiotics to treat bac-terial diseases when needed,however there may be a fewchanges in the recommenda-tions about which antibiotics touse and how best to make useof them.

Critically important

Certain specific antibiotics arenow described as ‘critically im-portant’ and these are prepara-tions considered to be a lastline of defence against certainserious human infections. These will need to be used

more carefully to make the bestuse of them. Take a look in yourmedicine cupboard and talk toyour vet about whether you areroutinely using some antibiotic

preparations ‘first line’ whichmight be better left in reserve.Guidelines about the proper

use of antimicrobials havebeen produced by RUMA (Re-sponsible Use of Medicines inAgriculture) which is a collec-tion of agricultural organisa-tions representing every stageof the ‘farm to fork’ process.They describe how best to

make use of the antimicrobialswe have3. The British Veterinary Associ-

ation has also published guide-lines on the use of antibioticswithin the cattle industry.

Mastitis

Choosing the right tube for theroutine treatment of mastitis isan area where we mightchange our behaviour in future. Working with your vet, you

might choose to determine themost appropriate tube by thebacteriology testing of currentmastitis cases rather than justtreating blind. Bacteriological testing of

some high somatic cell countcows might also be wise. Yourvet can then guide you tochoose a first line intramam-mary tube that provides a highlevel of cure while offering aclear treatment path for the future.

llenge is grass quality

both intramammary and in-jectable antibiotics as well asan anti-inflammatory, thedecision was taken to com-pletely change the shed.

“It was dank and dark inthere, without good airflow,and we’ve been able tomove all the cows out andgive them better accommo-

dation,” says Roger.Cell counts now run at

159,000 cells/ml while mas-titis rates are a reasonable17.9 cases/100 cows/year,but since the herd is bench-marked against all the dedi-cated Co-op producers,there is plenty of incentiveto keep on improving.

Roger Leach says changing cow accommodation has improved health.

and wholecrop wheat withtriticale is regularly fed tothe cows, whether inside orout.

Block calvingCalving is split into two 10-week blocks, the first inspring from the end of Feb-ruary until April, and theautumn block from late Au-gust until October.

“Almost half of the herd isdried off now, but it’s thecalm before the storm, as 50heifers will calve before themiddle of March,” he says.

The farm’s operation, run

by James with his wife Kiki,and a herdsman, tractordriver and student, waschosen as the Dairy Farmerof the Future in 2011.

Cell counts are around the150-180,000 cells/ml and itsmastitis incidence has seenjust three cases recorded inthe last month.

Mastitis cases are alwaysdealt with swiftly, with anintra-mammary tube and in-jectable antibiotic as well asan anti-inflammatory.

“We use all three productsas the recovery rate is somuch better,” says James.

**DF Mar p14 15 MilkWatch_Layout 1 21/02/2013 12:31 Page 2


POTTER’S VIEW

IANPotter

“The FSA hasrecently sentboth Selfridgesand the Hooks asummonsbanning furthersales

This month, Ian Potter takes a look at the David and Goliath struggle of one enterprisingSussex dairy farmer as the big guns of the FSA start to bear down on him.

Now I don’t claim to be an aficionado, but those whodrink milk straight fromthe bulk tank reckon ittastes much better than

normal homogenised, pasteurised milk.The customers of Philip and Steven Hook

certainly do. The Hooks farm 180 acres and70 organic dairy cows, and in April 2007Phil Hook mentioned he had started retail-ing their own unpasteurised milk at 75p perpint. Today, the Hooks still milk 70 cows but

their raw milk business has about 3000 cus-tomers, both local and via online sales. Allare given a health warning it is unpas-teurised milk, but some buy Hook’s milkunder doctors’ orders. One 82-year old cus-tomer says he has 16 pints of raw milkevery week following removal of part of hiscolon. Others claim it clears up eczema,while others are lactose intolerant but candrink it.Then the Hooks had the opportunity to

rent a small space in the prestigious Self-ridges store in Oxford Street, London. In2011 they installed a self-service unpas-teurised milk vending machine. Westminster City Council’s Environmen-

tal Health sanctioned the Selfridges ma-chine, and an identical machine had beenapproved and installed in Canterbury onlythree years earlier.It has been an exciting time for this small

family farm, who were the centre piece of a

90-minute feature film called ‘The MooMan’, which looked at a year on the family’sfarm and was selected as a film in the USA’sSundance Film Festival – see www.the-mooman.co.uk.But step forward the muscle men at the

Food Standards Agency (FSA). First it triedto stop the family selling their unpasteur-ised milk online, but failed. Undaunted,though, the FSA has recently sent both Self-ridges and the Hooks a summons banningfurther sales. The FSA states that the Hookshave ‘breached food hygiene regulations’. This opens up a whole heap of questions.

Is the FSA prosecuting a small family farmand Selfridges for publicity, and becausethey are easy targets? Would they have beenso keen to prosecute if the vending machinehad been located in a Tesco store? Andwhere does the FSA’s vice-chairman, TimBennett, sit in all of this when the prosecu-tion is discussed at FSA board meetings? Now not only is Tim Bennett vice-chair-

man of that organization, he is chairman ofDairyCo, and thus represents dairy farmers.The Hooks pay levy to DairyCo so, in effect,he is authorising the FSA to prosecute oneof his levy paying members. Was he in-volved in the decision to prosecute, for ex-ample? Answers please.And while this issue affects just one dairy

farmer, where would Mr Bennett sit if, say,10, 20, 100 or 1000 farmers were involved insomething the FSA didn’t like, or (heavenforbid) a food scare or scandal like the horse

**DF Mar p16 17 Potter _Layout 1 22/02/2013 09:07 Page 1


POTTER’S VIEW

Ian Potter

rIan is a specialist milkquota and entitlement broker.Comments please to [email protected]

meat one were to hit the dairy industry?He’d have a couple of pretty uncomfortablefeet in each camp I would imagine.The proverbial fans at the FSA now need a

decade of servicing to recover from the vol-ume of excrement that has hit them from thehorse meat scandal. And yet, incredibly, oneof its priorities appears to be prosecutingone small dairy farmer. The reason I bring this up is the parallel

between this and the Gangmasters Licens-ing Authority’s court case against ‘promi-nent’ dairy farmers (its word not mine).Here, a six-figure sum was spent on at-tempting to prosecute a handful of dairyfarmers in a three-year battle, before theJudge gave the farmers an absolute dis-charge last week. The NFU’s headline wasthat the GLA were ‘heavy-handed’ and Ithink the FSA could well see history repeatitself with the Hook case. Fingers crossedthat a bit of common sense prevails. Last month, I was invited to chair the

question time at the dairy breakout sessionat the AHDB’s Annual Outlook Conferencein Westminster. Independent international dairy consult-

ant Mark Voorbergen was bullish for globaldairy demand during the next decade,which will outpace production. That’s withthe exception of the EU. In the two yearspost-2014 and the ending of milk quotas hebelieved we may, for that short period, havetoo much milk on our hands.He posed the question as to why would

UK farmers invest in growth if their milk issold into a crowded domestic market withlimited growth opportunities? This waspointing to the fact we are obsessed with

our fresh liquid domestic market and havevery limited opportunities to access the ex-citing global market. He then stated that‘being late is never a reason to do nothing’ –in reference to the UK getting in on the ex-port act.The DairyCo Milkbench results for the

year ended March 31, 2012, were launchedat that same meeting. The report itself, I amafraid, is extremely complex and probablyonly of best value to the 315 farmers whocontributed, and thus who understandMilkbench. The average cost of production at 28.8ppl

at March 2012 excludes any cost for afarmer’s management time and hence itsvalue is questionable. Farmer wages are asensitive topic, with a West Midlandsfarmer costed in at only £8.90/hour, or lessthan £18,000 a year. This is for his manualwork only with nothing for managementwhich comes ‘out of the profit’. A week later I sat with a Welsh CARA

dairy bench consultant who presented hisannual costings. He said his best farmerscould command a salary (including man-agement time) of £62,500 a year. And hesaid his costs were actual, while some ofDairyCo’s are imputed costs and containassumptions. For example, he claimed one of his top

25% performing farmers also participated inMilkbench and the results were ‘polesapart’, and he believed Milkbench had toomany ‘let’s pretend’ figures included. The question then is are the results use-

able and is the data accurate? More ques-tions for DairyCo, I’m afraid. But hey, youpay them to be accountable!

‘Step forward the musclemen at the FSA…’

**DF Mar p16 17 Potter _Layout 1 22/02/2013 12:50 Page 2

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Can sire selection help breeddermatitis out of our herds?

Recent work at Liverpool Vet School is showing physical traits such as locomotion andfoot angle can predispose cows to digital dermatitis, and a bull index for this might helpcombat this devastating disease. Ann Hardy reports.

Breeding cattlethat are resistantto digitaldermatitis is aworthwhile

goal to be aimed for, and astart in the process can bemade by concentrating onthe traits in existing bullproofs.

This message comes fromDr Robert Smith, senior

lecturer in livestock healthand welfare at theUniversity of Liverpool’sSchool of VeterinaryScience, who says a studycarried out at their ownWood Park Farm revealedstrong links between digitaldermatitis and leg and feetconformation.

And since leg and feetcomposite, foot angle and

locomotion – found to bepositively correlated withdigital dermatitis – are allpublished as breedingindexes as part of a bull’sproof, their use in sireselection could potentiallyreduce the incidence of thedisease.

Significant differences inthe incidence of digitaldermatitis among daughters

of different bulls indicateddaughters of some sireswere far superior to othersin their apparent resistanceto the disease.

Affected“Some cows wereconstantly affected withdigital dermatitis whileothers were never affected,”says Dr Smith, adding

**DF Mar p18 19 20 Breeding_Layout 1 22/02/2013 12:52 Page 1

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overall, the disease affected74% of the university’s herdat some point during thestudies.“Some bulls had up to a

100% incidence of thedisease amongst theirdaughters while others had

an incidence of nearer 50%,”he says.He adds the proportion of

daughters which had nolesions at all on a singleinspection varied signific-antly between sires.The particular finding

across the university’s herdof a link between digitaldermatitis and the threetype traits (legs and feetcomposite, foot angle andlocomotion) corroboratesongoing population studieswhich have been under-

taken by Holstein UK forthe last decade or more. But whereas the

university’s work looked indetail at the foot health ofsome 100 animals in thetrial, the breed societyanalysed less detailed

No digital dermatitis. Month two: Starting to develop. Month four: Developing. Month six: Classic digital lesion.

The development of digital dermatitis


BREEDING


Digital Dermatitis (DD) facts

rLameness is probablyeconomically as important asmastitisrOn average, a lame cow isestimated to lose over 400litres of milk per lactationrDD accounts for 15-20% oflameness in UK cattlerDD primarily appears as a‘strawberry like’ lesionbetween the bulbs of theheelsrDD may also involve the

interdigital spacerDD commonly occurs inthe hind feet although forefeet may be affectedrDD is thought to beassociated with Treponemabacteria rRisk factors include wetconditions, intensive systemsand housingrPrevalence is lower in cowsat pasture than in cows onconcrete or straw.

Dr Robert Smith: bull trait selection.

records of hundreds ofthousands of animals.“Holstein UK have a snapshot

of a lot of animals and we have areal focus on a few animals,”says Dr Smith. “The fact they areshowing the same thing is agood thing as farmers can clearlyselect for these traits and couldimprove the incidence of digitaldermatitis in their herds.”

LocomotionRecommending that payingattention to a bull’s locomotionindex would be the mosteffective of all, he says it is alsological a steep foot anglemitigates against the disease asmore of the cow’s skin will bekept out of slurry.But geneticists widely agree

there is no better way to improveany trait than to select for pre-cisely that trait rather than aproxy, so a bull index for digitaldermatitis would lead to thehighest level of improvement.Michael Parkinson, who heads

the classification team forHolstein UK, says on this basisthe society would introduce a

PTA (Predicted TransmittingAbility) for digital dermatitis andhe was hopeful this would be inplace by the end of the year.

Bloodlines“You’re unlikely to select a bullbecause of his daughters’resistance to digital dermatitisbut it makes sense to usebloodlines that will make yourherd more resistant if you can,”he says.Until the introduction of the

index for the disease itself laterthis year, dairy farmers can makesome headway by choosing bullswhich transmit good legs andfeet and excellent locomotion.**The work at Wood Park Farm

was undertaken by student ClaireWhittle.

TechTalk by Rosebeck

Neil can be contacted by email: [email protected]

For further information call VOLAC International on 01642 718814 or visit www.rosebeckservices.co.uk

Following on from last month’s column on the highs and lows of sand cubicles, an enthusiastic response has led me to expand on the importance of pre-milking preparation and not just for cows bedded on sand. Cleaning the teats before unit application is vital but it has to be part of a bigger picture aimed at protecting udder health and helping produce high quality milk from cows capable of sustaining a long life in production. A quick thought! Do you make genetic selections for slow milking cows? I would expect NO. Do you have slow milking cows? Why can a heifer give you 18 to 20+ litres of milk/milking in early lactation and milk out in 3.5 to 4 minutes, yet at drying off take over 5.5 to 6 minutes to give you 8 or 9 litres/milking? She was not a slow milker at calving, she has been turned into one! Trials in the US proved that employing an extended pre-milking preparation routine versus a quick dry/medicated wipe and apply method resulted in cows milking out approximately 2 minutes quicker at fourth lactation than those that had received just quick preparation. Oxytocin takes 60 to 90 seconds to reach the udder and stimulate true milk let down, yet its effect is now proven to last up to 4 minutes. So rushing to apply the unit as early as possible will lead to over milking, not because the units are left on too long, but be-cause the cow is being over milked at the start of milking when no let down has taken place. To create long lasting cows with healthy teat skin and teat ends, extend and improve your pre-milking routines, you have plenty of time and cows invariably milk out quicker if correctly prepped. Pre-foaming or automatic rotary brushing/scrubbing, followed by stripping and dry wiping before unit application can fit the bill exceptionally well. Remember oxytocin lasts up to 4 minutes, so prep enough cows to give milk let down a chance. As stated last month, combine this with very fast acting germicides, proven to not only kill the first bug in 10 seconds, but to complete a thorough kill within 12 to 15 seconds and you have the ideal routine for quick milking cows, long lasting cows, good milk hygiene standards and optimum financial return per litre.

Proper Preparation

Prevents …!!


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Range of dry matter intakesDry Matter Intake (kg/head/day) range

Milking cows 10-15Dry cows 8-10Heifers (1-2 years) 7-10Heifers (0-1 year) 2-6


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with Micron Bio-Systems

In the first in this sponsored series helping you get the most out ofyour conserved feeds, we look at early season planning with NewBreed UK’s Richard Rolfe and Mole Valley Farmers’ Graham Ragg.

Are you ready for thecoming silage season?

While wecanpray forgoodweather

this year, there is no guaran-tee we will get it. However,there are many areas wheresome early planning canhelp ensure both the qualityand quantity of any crop areas good as they can be. “First decide how manyacres you need for silage toprovide enough forage tosee you through the nextwinter,” says New BreedUK’s Richard Rolfe. “Adairy cow will consumeabout 10.5 tonnes of silagebased on 12kg dry matterintake over a 210-day winterwith a silage dry matter of25%. This will increase toabout 15 tonnes per cow ifyou are planning to bufferfeed,” he adds.“Aim to maximise first cutacreage,” says GrahamRagg of Mole Valley Farm-ers. “Even a modest increaseof 10 acres of additional first

cut can make a considerabledifference to silage output. Ifthis 10 acres is cut twicemore through the season itcan supply 20t/acre or 200tof extra silage. It can oftenpay to keep cows on a tight-er stocking rate at turnout toallow for this extra 10 acresof silage.”The table below shows therange of dry matter intakesfor a dairy herd. Workingbackwards you can deter-mine the silage acreageneeded. A cow consuming12kg dry matter per daytranslates into 48kg freshsilage per day at 25%DM.

Over a 210-day winter, thisequates to around 10 tonnesof fresh silage or around0.5ha per cow in milk (as-suming 18t/ha fresh silage).

Silage fieldsAnother thing worth doingis to walk your silage fields.Molehills, stones and un-evenness need to be ad-dressed. “Also assess yourswards for composition ofperennial ryegrass so areseeding or repair strategycan be formulated,” sug-gests Mr Ragg. “If lower than 50% peren-nial ryegrass, a complete re-seed should be considered.And broad leaved weedsmay need chemical controlif over 5% of the sward.“Do not graze silageground with sheep or applyslurry after the end of Janu-

ary prior to first cut. Sheepgrazing after this date willreduce yield, and slurry ap-plications later than the endof January will result inharmful bacteria on the grasswhich can give rise to thewrong kind of fermentationin the clamp,” says Mr Ragg.“Apply first cut fertiliseras soon as conditionsallow,” advises Mr Rolfe.“First cut silages tend toproduce more milk than sec-ond cuts even when theyhave the same analysis, andmake sure any remainder isapplied at least six weeksprior to cutting,” he says.“Nitrogen levels for thefirst cut need to be around80 to 100 units/acre (100 to125kg/ha) to maximise firstcut yield, which is usuallythe highest yielding and

Milk production depends on getting silage making right.

Richard Rolfe

**DF Mar p22 23 Forage Watch 1_Layout 1 22/02/2013 13:56 Page 1


SPONSORED SERIES

Graham Ragg

best quality,” adds Mr Ragg.If you are going to use acontractor, contact him earlyso he is aware of your likelyrequirements. Then checkthe clamp for repairs and fillgateways with hardcore. Make sure you have

enough silage sheets to fullyoverlap the side walls andtop of the pit, and if possibleuse of vacuum film to coverthe grass. Order all consumableswell ahead. “Use a wellproven additive to max-imise silage performanceand reduce dry matterloses,” advises Mr Ragg. Even in perfect harvestingconditions, the use of amulti-component inoculantcontaining lactic acid producing bacteria and en-zymes, such as the Advancerange from Micron Bio-Systems, can lead to signifi-cant improvements in silagequality.

Lactic acid producing bacteria ensure a rapid andefficient fermentation – thefaster the fermentation iscompleted, the more nutri-ents will be retained. Lookfor product that contains acombination of lactic acidproducing bacteria to domi-nate the full fermentationacross the pH range.

Enzyme benefitsThe inclusion of enzymeshas two potential benefits.Firstly, they break downcomplex carbohydratessuch as starch and cellu-lose into sugars which helppromote more lactic acidand so aid the fermenta-

tion process – particularlyuseful when sugars arelimited as will be the casewhere crops are harvestedin wet conditions. Secondly, enzymes havebeen shown to have a posi-tive effect on digestibility,particularly after storage ofbetween 30 to 60 days.“Finally, aim to cut a weekearlier. By mentally prepar-ing for an early cut it allowsyou more flexibility as theseason progresses. After all,it is the quality and quantityof the silage that underpinsyour dairy performance,”says Mr Rolfe.

**DF Mar p22 23 Forage Watch 1_Layout 1 22/02/2013 13:56 Page 2

spread or infect cowswithout slurry or moisture,so keeping cows’ feet cleanand dry is a key part ofreducing the exposure sothere is less of a problemin the first place.

The second thing weseem unable to do muchabout is twinning. The rateof twinning in dairy cattleused to be about 5% or lessof all cows calving, butwith the selection for milk

yield this has increased to10% incidence or more inmany herds.

Most would agree twinsare bad news for the dairycow, with the increasedhealth risks at and aftercalving damaging the milkyield and of courseincreased mortality andfreemartins in the calves.

Some 30 years agoHillsborough researchstation


VET’S VIEW

Surprisingly we don’t haveall the answers to diseases

This month, Chris Watson of the Wood Veterinary Group, Gloucestershire, confesses vets donot have all the answers, with some diseases down to control rather than treatment.

Ilike to think I have got apractical approach andan answer to tacklingmost diseases I see incattle practice. My

clients will usually agree Ido always have an answer– but not necessarily theone they want to hear.

However, there are a fewconditions which on somedays it seems as if we havenot got a solution. The firstof these is digital dermatitis.

This condition now affectswell above 90% of dairyherds accounting for 25% ofall cases of lameness in itssimple skin form and, moreworryingly, the chronichorn form.

There is little prospect oferadicating this disease soeverything is down tocontrol. Foot baths are thefront line and are now forlameness what teat dippingis for mastitis. This issomething which has to bedone routinely as the risk isever present.

There are broadlyspeaking two types of bathformulation – antibioticswhich specifically kill thespirochaete organism or theskin disinfectants whichcleanse everything on theskin surface. Antibiotics

have a ‘residual’ effect andcan be used every fourweeks or so but skindisinfectants have to beused daily in most cases.

So what are the keythings to remember?� Treat all cows – especiallythe dry cows.� Use the right product atthe right dilution.� Clean the bath frequently.� Use enough solution forthe number of cows andfaecal contamination.� Use sufficient depth tocover the foot.

Digitaldermatitiswill not

**DF Mar p24 25 Vet's View_Layout 1 21/02/2013 12:33 Page 1


VET’S VIEW

There are easier ways to maintain healthy ruminal fl ora

Pro-RumenHEALTHY RUMINAL FLORA MAKES A CONTENTED COW

Pro-Rumen contains Saccharomyces cerevisiae (live yeast) which acts by supporting the activity of benefi cial rumen bacteria. Pro-Rumen can be used following antimicrobial therapy and as an aid to recovery after treatment of mastitis, ketosis, bloat, scour and ruminal stasis. Pro-Rumen also contains milk powder and fat soluble vitamins for nutritional value and to further aid the management of benefi cial rumen bacteria.

Further information is available on request from: UK: Vetoquinol UK Limited, Vetoquinol House, Great Slade, Buckingham Industrial Park, Buckingham, MK18 1PA.Tel: 01280 814500 Fax: 01280 825460 Email: offi [email protected] Website: www.vetoquinol.co.uk ROI: Vetoquinol Ireland Limited, Vetoquinol House, Great Slade, Buckingham Industrial Park, Buckingham, MK18 1PA. Tel: 1800406117 Fax: 1800406116 Email: offi [email protected] Website: www.vetoquinol.co.uk

Are you looking for an aid to post therapeutic management of rumen

fl ora following:-

Ketosis?, Digestive Upsets?, Metabolic Disorders?, Mastitis?, Bloat?, Scour?,

Ruminal Stasis?, Cereal/Protein Poisoning?

AR

T3062

Management

rDigital dermatitis:Good footbath technique,remember the dry cowsrTwins: Early post-calving checksrSchmallenberg: Checkpregnancies again.

were developingtechniques for improvingthe health of the cowcarrying twins by ident-ifying them early andadopting different feeding techniques in latelactation and during thedry period. This work hasbeen repeated withmodern cattle genetics inthe US and has failed

miserably to achieve anyimprovement.

Increased feeding of thetwin-bearing cow duringthe dry period by providingan increased energy denseration actually producedmore problems than tryingto feed them normally.There was just as muchperi-calving disease andthey were more likely to be ketotic and havemastitis in the subsequentlactation.

So it is bad news againfor twins and all we canreally do is make sure wehave good treatment andcare protocols after calvingto reduce the health impactof twins.

My third problem isSchmallenberg virus. It isdifficult to know howmuch attention to give thisvirus as we still do notknow the full extent orscale of any clinical diseaseit may produce.

OutbreakCertainly there has been atleast one clinical outbreakin our practice with dairycows scouring, showingmilk drop and pyrexiawhich is thought to bepossibly associated withSchmallenberg.

Also on a few farms wehave seen the loss of earlypregnancies in a cluster ofcows at or around the same

time, which again wouldbe typical of this sort ofvirus sweeping in anddamaging the foetus. Thepregnancies were alldiagnosed as being toosmall at the PD session andcurrently many are beinglost when subsequentlyrechecked. Some areprogressing but I cannottell if there is damage to thecalf. The worst thing willbe pregnancies being lostand not found till later andlosing precious time.

A vaccine is likely tobecome available but as yetwe have no details, and weare at a loss to suggest howand if it should be used incattle herds.

**DF Mar p24 25 Vet's View_Layout 1 22/02/2013 10:08 Page 2


FORAGE & GRASSLAND

Brassica break offers solution to reseeding

Much grazing was damaged by last year’s disastrously wet season and subsequentproductivity is likely to suffer when the land dries out. Helen Mathieu, of British SeedHouses, tells us of one way round the problem.

Costs of production for summer sown hybrid brassicasInputs Estimated

average costSpray off old sward (including glyphosate) * £43/haSeed and fertiliser £100/haFertiliser spreading £20/haDrilling and rolling £45/haTotal production cost £208/haCost of feed at 5tDM/ha £42/tDM or 4.2p/kgDM*A second spray after the brassicas may be required andwould in this case be included in the cost of the grass reseed.

According toHelen Math-ieu of BritishSeed Houses,establishing

these fast-growing cropsafter an early grazing orfirst cut of silage couldprovide summer stripgrazing of around5tDM/ha before leavingland clean and available

for a timely autumn reseed.Bred in New Zealand, the

two kale/rape hybrid vari-eties currently available –Swift and Redstart – haveproven credentials in theUK as a summer catch-cropor for out-wintering situa-tions. Cost of production forthis crop type is estimated atbetween 4p/kg and 5p/kgof dry matter for a single

Cost of production for brassicas is estimated at between 4p/kg and5p/kg of dry matter for a single short-term summer grazing.

**DF Mar p26 27 F&G Brassicas_Layout 1 21/02/2013 13:07 Page 1


FORAGE & GRASSLAND

short-term summer grazing, with drymatter content typically 12-14% andenergy at 10-13MJ/kg ME.“In the current situation when dairy

farmers are faced with some tough de-cisions on which fields to prioritise forreseeding – and when – the hybridbrassicas offer an attractive option forsome of the ground,” she says.

Critical time“Following grass with a grass reseedin the spring does take land out ofproduction at a critical time, and fewcan probably afford this at the mo-ment. The real advantage of usingbrassicas is you can utilise early sea-son grazing or take a first cut, and stillgain additional forage during thesummer from the strip grazing. Thesystem also creates a grass break, sowill achieve very good pest and weedcontrol and provide an opportunity tosort out any soil structure problemsthat will otherwise impede grasslandproduction in the future,” she adds.Under a procedure recommended

by British Seed Houses, early seasongrazing or a first cut would be fol-lowed in May or June by spraying offthe old sward with glyphosate andthen direct drilling or over-seeding thehybrid brassica. Attention to detail onaspects such as soil nutrients and dis-ease control will ensure best results.“I always recommend soil testing to

establish precisely what a new crop re-quires,” adds Ms Mathieu, “but as ageneral guide soils should be at a pHof 5.8-6.5, with nitrogen applied atdrilling of 50kg-80kg/ha, and P and Kto achieve a soil index of 2. “Redstart is the best variety for a

short term break crop, and this shouldbe drilled in conditions that allowgood soil-to-seed contact at between5kg/ha and 7.5kg/ha, with seed ide-ally being treated to protect against in-

sect pests and seedling diseases such asfusarium.“With good establishment and opti-

mum growing conditions, the crop willbe ready to strip graze in about eightweeks, with 5t/DM/ha achievable.”Options thereafter are to spray again

after an initial strip grazing beforeploughing up for an autumn reseed, orif time and conditions allow, taking asecond grazing from the potential re-growth that will generate from hybridbrassicas. Helen Mathieu: soil testing recommended.

**DF Mar p26 27 F&G Brassicas_Layout 1 21/02/2013 13:08 Page 2


FORAGE & GRASSLAND

Forage stocks shortage can be downward spiral

Forage stocks are under severe pressure on many farms. To help tackle the problem,Dairy Group consultant Christine Pedersen tells us the first step is a forage audit.

Table 1: Forage production and requirement 2012–2013Yield Opening Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep(t DM/acre)

Grass Acres harvested1st PRG 1.8 - - - - - - - - 90 - - - -1st PP 1.4 - - - - - - - - - - - - -2nd PRG 1.3 - - - - - - - - - - 48 - -3rd PRG 1.3 - - - - - - - - - - - 20 -Production (t DM) - - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 162 0 62 26 0Requirement (t DM) - - 29 29 29 30 31 32 16 15 14 18 22 22Stocks (t DM) - 329 300 272 243 214 183 151 135 282 267 312 316 295Maize/W cropMaize 4.0 - - - - - - - - - - - - 53W crop 3.5 - - - - - - - - - - - - -Maize/WC production (t DM) - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 212Maize/WC requirement (t DM) - 15 15 15 16 17 17 9 9 8 12 12 15Maize/WC stocks 159 144 128 113 97 80 63 54 45 37 25 13 210Total production (t DM) - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 162 0 62 26 212Total required (t DM) - 44 44 44 46 48 49 25 24 23 30 33 37Total stocks (t DM) 488 444 400 356 310 263 214 189 327 304 337 329 504

Undertaking aforage auditmeans youneed to assessboth how much

forage you have got in stockin the form of hay, straw,and silages (and its feedvalue), but going forwardyou will need to work outhow much forage you ex-pect to produce in 2013.

After calculating the for-age requirements for thenext 15-18 months (mini-mum), then reconcile foragestocks and potential produc-tion with requirements, andthis will help to identify anypotential shortfalls.

Planning is normally in

tonnes of dry matter and theexample shown indicates agood stock of grass silage,but a limited stock of maizewhich is being rationed.(See Table 1).

Where supplies are tight,there are steps you can taketo reduce your requirementfor forage. For a start, targetyour best quality forage toyour most productive cows– if you do not group cows,consider it.

PassengersThen consider the passen-gers in your herd and re-view at what point cullsbecome uneconomic.

Review rations, particu-

larly for youngstock, andconsider replacing some orall of the silage with straw ifavailable (ensure a balancedration is maintained).

Also look at increasingyour forage availability. Thefirst step is to minimise anywaste. Review the feed outprocess to identify points

where losses occur. Manysilage clamps have morewaste than considered ac-ceptable. Reduce waste bydemanding excellent clampface management.

Once you have done that,you may still have to buy in.Investigate the local marketfor forage and/or use moistfeeds where available andcost effective. Before youcommit to purchasing ei-ther, make sure you knowthe quality of what you arebuying and how it will fitinto rations. Think about thepracticalities of transportand storage and factor po-tential losses into the priceyou want to pay.

Christine Pederson: take stock.

**DF Mar p28 29 F&G Stocks_Layout 1 21/02/2013 12:35 Page 1


FORAGE & GRASSLAND

You can grow Fieldstar almost anywhere• Grow Fieldstar for maximum energy.• Excellent early vigour: Stiff: Not susceptible to eyespot.• At 34% dry matter Fieldstar produces more starch than any MGA Listed variety.• Available with Take Off.

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Table 2Maize growing cost No plastic PlasticDry matter yield (t/ha) 12 15Value at £100/t DM 1200 1500Growing cost (£/ha) 850 1150Growing margin (£/ha) 350 350

Many farms may comeout of winter with low or noforage stocks, and as a con-sequence may be forced tofeed 2013 first cut throughsummer and autumn, im-pacting on forage stocks fornext winter.

Break this cycle by plan-ning now for 2013/14 feed-ing. One thing to consider iswholecrop silage (usinghome-grown or purchasedcereal crops) to supplementgrass and maize silage.

While there is still an op-

portunity to sow these,spring cereal wholecrop islikely to be inferior in qual-ity and quantity to an au-tumn grown crop or maizesilage. However, a spring-grown crop may be justifiedto fill a gap between Julyand maize harvest for sum-mer/autumn calvinggroups where autumn sowncrops are unavailable.

Assess your maize silage –consider growing an area ofan earlier maturing varietywhich can be cut before the

main maize crop. Typicallyvery early varieties may beready to harvest two tothree weeks earlier whichagain may be useful forsummer/autumn calvinggroups.

PlasticAs part of this it may beworth looking at maizegrown under plastic – espe-cially in marginal areas. Thetypical yield benefit is twoto three tonnes of dry matterper hectare, with the extracost including plastic at£300/ha. The cost per tonnegrown is similar, but the ear-lier harvest could make abig difference to forage sup-ply, especially for autumn

calving herds. (See Table 2).It may also be worth

looking at other forages.Consider whether there is aplace for things like fodderbeet, lucerne or kale. Wouldyou be able to grow andharvest such crops?

Finally, make sure grazingis ready – check fences andwater supply now to makebest use of an early turn outif the ground conditionsallow. Remember last yearwhen there was excellentgrazing available in Febru-ary and March. Considersplitting the milking groupwith lower yielders (below25 litres) having access tograzing only plus parlourconcentrates.

**DF Mar p28 29 F&G Stocks_Layout 1 21/02/2013 12:36 Page 2


FORAGE & GRASSLAND

t

M

Beware acidosis can beproblem even at turnout

Farmers looking to maximise yield from grazed grass must be wary of problems with rumenhealth at turnout, particularly acidosis, according to John Bax of Lallemand International.

Many pro-ducersassumeonce cowsare turned

out onto high quality springgrass the nutritional chal-lenges associated with win-ter feeding are over. “However, recent survey

work has shown this maynot necessarily be the case.Studies in the south of Ire-land and Australia showrumen acidosis and its asso-ciated metabolic problemsare significant concerns withgrazed cows even when verylow levels of concentrate areoffered,” says John Bax.

Rumen acidosis is a condi-tion which occurs when thepH in the rumen dropsbelow 5.8. This happenswhen the rumen microbesferment sugars and starchesto produce large amounts ofvolatile fatty acids (VFAs)and lactic acid at a faster ratethan the cow can use them. Itis generally recognised cowswith a rumen pH of less than5.8 are suffering from subacute rumen acidosis(SARA), while cows with apH less than 5.5 are clinicallyacidotic. “The cow’s response is to

try and buffer these rumenacids with saliva. This is why

structural fibre is so impor-tant in the diet as it stimu-lates cudding which in turnpromotes the production ofmore saliva and increasesbuffering,” adds Mr Bax. Common pre-disposing

factors for causing acidosisare diets low in NDF, low inphysically effective NDF andhigher in non-fibre carbohy-drate (NFC) which includesthe more rapidly fer-mentable components suchas sugars and starch. “Lush fresh pasture pres-

ents a double challenge as itis high in sugars and low instructural fibre and so accel-erates VFA output and re-

“Lush freshpasture presentsa doublechallenge as itis high in sugarsand low instructural fibreJon Bax

**DF Mar p30 31 F&G Biotal _Layout 1 21/02/2013 12:44 Page 1


FORAGE & GRASSLAND

*1 trial vs. untreated, 2009. Poncho® and Mesurol® are registered trademarks of Bayer. Poncho contains clothianidin. Mesurol contains methiocarb. Use plant protection products safely. Always read the label and product information before use. Pay attention to the risk indications and follow the safety precautions on the label. For further information, please visit www.bayercropscience.co.uk or call Bayer Assist on 0845 609 2266 or 01223 226644. © Bayer CropScience Limited 2013.

Your herd needs dependable forage maize feed. So choose Poncho seed treatment.

Poncho protects the crop by controlling major seedling pests. It encourages early, healthy growth and enables every plant to capture maximum sunlight.

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duces saliva production.Even low quantities of con-centrate fed at milking timecan exacerbate the acidosisrisk,” he claims.In a recent study in Eire, 12

grazing herds were moni-tored to establish the degreeof metabolic challenge. Thelevel of concentrate supple-mentation was low, less than2kg/cow/day, so conditionssuch as SARA would not beexpected to be a problem. Of the 12 herds, 75% were

found to be showing signs of

acidosis. Six were defined asat high risk with more than33% of the cows having arumen pH less than 5.8.Three herds were sufferingfrom SARA when more than25% of the cows had arumen pH less than 5.5. Onlythree herds were defined asnormal with fewer than 33%of cows having a rumen pHless than 5.8. When the datawas looked at on a cowbasis, rather than as a herd,over half the cows were af-fected by acidosis with 11%

acidotic and 42% sub-acuteacidotic.In a similar study in Aus-

tralia, 800 grazing cows from100 herds were monitored indetail. A similar pattern wasobserved with 10% of thecows acidotic, 30% sub-acuteacidotic and the remainderdefined as non-acidotic. “The consequence of aci-

dosis will be reduced milkyields, poorer fertility and anincreased risk of lameness.So how do we tackle theproblem?

NDF proportions“One option is to increase theproportion of physically ef-fective NDF in the diet. Thismight be by providing straw,buffer feeding with maize orwholecrop silage, or usingconcentrates higher in di-gestible fibre rather thanstarch, perhaps an HDF con-centrate or similar,” he says. “Another proven approach

is to feed a rumen specificlive yeast. This helps therumen microflora cope moresuccessfully with changes indiet, such as those whichoccur at turnout, by stimulat-ing the lactic acid utilisingbacteria in the rumen whichhelps remove the acid buildup. Live yeast also helpswith the growth of fibre di-gesting bacteria which im-proves fibre utilisation andreduces the rate of decline inrumen pH. “Grazing trials have

shown Biotal SC Gold liveyeast can improve NDF di-gestibility and limit the im-pact of grazed grass onrumen pH by beneficiallychanging the populations ofrumen microflora. As well asimproving short-term ani-mal responses such as milkyield, there are longer termhealth benefits to improvingrumen function in grazingcows,” declares Mr Bax.

Lush pastures accelerate VFA output and reduce saliva production.

**DF Mar p30 31 F&G Biotal _Layout 1 21/02/2013 12:45 Page 2


FORAGE & GRASSLAND

From pasture restoration to forage handling, a host of new grassland equipment hasbeen launched ready for the coming season. Martin Rickatson reports on the highlights.

Foraging kit designedto make the job easierSlit injector allows forimproved nutrient useJIntended for mountingonto the firm’s six-metrehydraulic-folding SwardSlitter, Opico’s new SlitInjector is designed toallow improved nutrientuse from slurry applied tograssland. Because the injector

delivers slurry down to theroot zone, it is claimed togive an estimated nutrientefficiency of 85% as oppos-ed to 20% for splash plateapplication.

Mascerates A Vogelsang ExaCutdistributor, complete withlarge capacity stone trap

and easy drain port, mace-rates the slurry, beforefeeding it to the inlinerubber outlet nozzleswhich have adjustableheight control. The Injector is fitted

with a heavy duty doubleswing arm operated by adouble-acting hydraulicline feed valve. Standardline fitting is a female 4inBauer HK108, but alter-natives can be specified.When ordered with the

6m hydraulic foldingSward Slitter, the SlitInjector costs £20,512+VAT. As a standalone,price is £11,978+VAT.

Opico’s new Slit Injector is intended for mounting onto the firm’s 6-metrehydraulic folding Sward Slitter and allows for improved nutrient use.

West Sussex-based Bale Baron UK is now offering a range of forageharvesting equipment from the Italian firm Tonutti Wolagri.

Forage equipment importedJBale Baron UK, whichimports bale packers fromCanada, is now alsooffering a range of forageharvesting equipment fromthe Italian firm TonuttiWolagri. The linkage-mounted 7.7-

metre and 8.8m Aries 770and 880 tedder modelsfeature eight rotors apiece,with 1.3m-wide units on thesmaller machine and 1.5mrotors on the 880. The larger model also

uses six tine arms per rotor,whereas the 770 has five,with each tine arm carryingtine pairs of differentlengths to ensure thoroughspreading. Both machinesfold vertically to within 3mfor transport, with atransport height of 3.3m.

Bale Baron is alsoimporting Tonutti’s 4.5mOrion 450 rotary rake,which has a single rotor of3.6m diameter, with 13 armsper rotor and four tines perarm. The machine’s swathcurtain has a telescopicsupport which is infinitelyadjustable for the desiredswath width.

Finger wheel Also on offer is Tonutti’srange of V-form fingerwheel rakes, designed tooffer a lower cost method offorming the large volumeswaths required to keephigh capacity forageharvesters and balers at fullstretch. The largest modelcan gather up to 13.8m ofmaterial in a single pass.

**DF Mar p32 Machinery_Layout 1 22/02/2013 12:16 Page 1

DAIRY FARMER MARCH 2013

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Designed to work in Grasslands, Cereal beds and Turf conditions. The Spring Tine Harrow can be used for tearing out old thatched grass, aerating soil & encouraging new growth, breaking slurry crust, spreading manure and leveling mole hills. It can also be used as a weeder in many cereal beds.

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“New PU1011 blades excellent giving clean scrape, far superior to rubber blades leaving yards far cleaner and with no evidence of ware after three months of constant use.”D & G EdwardsBrinsea Green Farm, Bristol

The A G Dispenser has been designed to bed cubicles with sawdust, shavings, chopped straw, paper pulp, gypsum, sand and lime. Users report up to 40% saving on materials. 160 cubicles bedded in eight minutes. Seven models available from walk behind to tractor / loadall mounted.

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DF_03_P33_DF_03_P33 22/02/2013 09:25 Page 21


FORAGE & GRASSLAND

Krone offers higher specification Swadro rake JKrone’s Swadro 1400Plus is a higher specifi-cation version of theexisting Swadro model,and comes in 11 to 13.5-metre working widths. Allmodels are equipped withhydraulic axle heightcontrol to ease the task oflowering the implementinto its transport position. The machine’s driveshaft

has been strengthened,while the maintenance-freerotor gearboxes haveheavy-duty and unlub-ricated modular systemDuramax cam tracks,which come with a three-year warranty. The tine

arms run in sealed racesand require no lubrication.Each rotor carries 13 tine

arms and features Krone’sJet Effect, which raises theleading end of the rotorfirst, preventing the tinesfrom scratching the groundduring lifting and lowering.

Depth selection An Electronic Comfortrotor height control systemon the ISOBUS-readySwadro 1400 allows theoperator to select the work‘depth’ of the first rotorfrom the tractor cab. Servo-motors set the

remaining rotors automat-

Krone has introduced the higher specification Swadro 1400 Plus rake.

ically and to identicaldepths. As standard, onerotor can lift out separatelyfrom all others.Meanwhile, Krone has

also revised its line ofEasyCut front-mountedmowers, which now

comprises five models. A new SmartCut

system features outward-turning disc pairs whichare close-set for greaterblade overlap to improvecutting quality in thinnercrops.

Grassland subsoilers addedJPhilip Watkins hasbranched out beyond itsarable equipmentcultivation range to addfour models of grasslandsubsoiler to its line-up. The subsoiler range

comprises three, four, fiveand six-leg models. Allfeature a single row ofserrated straight discswhich are depth adjustable.These open up for subsoilerlegs which are spaced

600mm apart, and featureauto-reset as standard. At the rear, a 457mm

diameter packer roller,equipped with slot-cuttingblades to ensure positivedrive and reduce smearing,firms and aerates.Options include a

following harrow which isadjustable for both heightand angle. Price for thefour-leg, 2.4-metre model is£9000.

Tow-and-go with new rollerJA key selling point of theRota-Roll, which Twose haslaunched, is a hydraulicpositioning system whichenables the operator toswitch from safe transportmode to a full-width rollingposition via one tractorspool. The design allows users

to simultaneously turn theroller through 90 degreesinto the working position,lock it securely in place and

raise the transport wheels.The operation can be

accomplished from the cab,with the whole operationtaking no more than 30seconds.The roller offers a 3.65-

metre working width. Other design concepts

include axles which aremid-mounted to reducestress on the tractor anddrawbar, and ensure atighter turning circle.

**DF Mar p34 Machinery _Layout 1 22/02/2013 14:34 Page 1


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DF_03_P35_DF_03_P35 22/02/2013 10:12 Page 21


FORAGE & GRASSLAND

Drill designed for fodder and pasture repairJDesigned both forreseeding grassland andfor sowing the likes ofstubble turnips and kale,Dales Agri now offersNorthern Ireland firm ErthEngineering’s Agriseeder inGreat Britain.

Based on the principleof slit-seeding, the three-metre Agriseeder features a300-litre hopper fromwhich an electric fan feedspipes to direct seed downto coulters. These run in theshadow of each of themachine’s two rows ofangled, notched discs,while a 14in flat press rollbrings up the rear. Two

versions are available, with18 or 24 discs at 160mm or125mm spacing.

Auto-contourAn auto-contour systemuses a secondary susp-ension arrangement toimprove ground contactand maintain depthconsistency.

The drill frames arepartitioned into metre widesections, with downloadapplied to each byhydraulic rams which arelinked to each other toequalise force per ramregardless of movementcreated by undulations.

Erth’s seeder can be used for pasture renovation and sowing crops.

The in-cab control boxprovides full performancemonitoring, displaying feedrate, forward speed andarea covered. Seed flow canbe observed via the see-

through distributor cap.Options include spring-

loaded eradicators, a largerhopper, hydraulic fan driveand bout markers. Pricesstart at £15,900.

**DF Mar p36 37 Machinery_Layout 1 22/02/2013 09:05 Page 1


FORAGE & GRASSLAND

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A weighty way ofaerating pastureJIrish firm Alstrong employs adifferent take on pasture aeration tothat of many other manufacturers,with its 2.5-metre trailed implementbeing based around an 18mm steeldrum and welded blades. The Soil Aerator weighs 2.7 tonnes

in standard form, but can beballasted with water to boost thisfigure to 4.7t. Alstrong says the bladedesign, which has been patented,ensures no soil disturbance andleaves a finish level enough to havebeen used successfully on sportspitches. The 150mm-long blades aredesigned to shatter the soil at up to60cm deep.

Working speedsAlstrong claims working speeds ofup to 20km/hour are possible,depending on field size andundulations, and this allows forpotential workrates of fourhectares/hour. Standard featuresinclude wide flotation tyres and asoft-ride hydraulic transport system,as well as a safety transport lock.Transport width is 2.7m and powerrequirement 120-130hp. Cost is £9600.

Alstrong’s Soil Aerator uses a 2.5-metre barrelmade from 18mm steel, with welded blades.

Zetor to offer implement lineJCzech tractor maker Zetor isplanning to offer a line of forageequipment, much of which is sourcedfrom Italian firm Tonutti Wolagri. At Lamma 2013, Zetor showed the

Columbia R10 round baler, whichproduces bales 1.2 metre high by 1.2mwide. A 1.93m pick-up feeds a chain-and-crossbar compression chamber byway of a rotary packer. Minimumpower requirement is a claimed 45hp.

There are also plans to offer theSyria 160. Bale diameter can be variedfrom 0.8-1.6m, while bale width is1.2m. With an 80hp powerrequirement, the baler has a 2.28mpick-up which feeds a 14-knifechopper. The crop then moves to acompression chamber which consistsof three rollers and five rubber belts.Syria prices to be confirmed, but

the Columbia starts from £17,000.

**DF Mar p36 37 Machinery_Layout 1 22/02/2013 14:38 Page 2


RENEWABLES

Is it the right time toinvest in renewables?

Against a background of changing renewable incentives and capital costs, manyproducers have been holding back wondering whether this is the best time to invest orwait? Stephen Davies from the Green Electrician Group, suggests the sooner the better.

Each time energyprices rise, dairyfarmers are putunder increasingpressure to find

ways to meet their consum-ption needs. With energy prices

currently outstrippinginflation, increasing by140% in the last 10 yearsand set to increase a further12% for each of the next twoyears, there is a very realconcern amongst dairyfarmers as to the long termaffordability of energysupplies.Generating energy from

renewable sources dramat-ically reduces energy billsand is fast become thedriving force for installinggreen energy. In addition, itgenerates a separate, index-linked income stream whichcan help counter the risingcosts of energy, feed orunstable milk prices.

So how do you decidewhich type to choose? Themost popular forms on farminclude solar PV, biomass,heat pumps, wind turbines,solar thermal, anaerobicdigestion, biogas, methaneand hydro-electricity. As every farm is different,

it is not a case of ‘one sizefits all’ but more whichtechnology is best suited tothe location and projectedenergy demands.

AssessmentEqually, all projects shouldbegin with an energyassessment so costs can bereliably outlined againstsavings and income, alongwith 20-year forecasts. Anyproject should also includea suitable monitoring syst-em to protect the farmer’sinvestment, with real-timealerts to highlight any dropin performance.The returns from renew-

able electricity remain high,with the Feed-in Tariff (FiT)set until April 2014 forhydro, anaerobic digestion,micro CHP and wind beforefurther cuts. Wind turbinesare currently offering up to20% returns, subject to windspeed, although planningpermission can be a signif-icant hurdle for many. In contrast, planning

permission has been liftedfor most commercial roofsolar PV installations,making it an easy solutionfor many dairy farmers.

Solar has its own 20-yearFiT, which is reviewedquarterly and cut subject touptake. However, with adrop in the cost of PVcomponents more thanmatching the recent drop inthe FiT, new 50-100kW solarPV installations are stillattracting returns of morethan 15%. The Renewable Heat

Incentive (RHI) is availablefor commercial heatinstallations of biomass,heat pumps, solar thermal,biomethane and biogasplants. The scheme hasseen a fairly low uptakesince its launch in 2011,despite incentives whichcould give a payback ofunder two years for abiomass installation.However, thesetechnologies are well suitedto the dairy industry andcould have a significantrole to play in the future.

Stephen Davies: good return.

JAt Hunters Hill Farm, North Yorkshire, by kind invitation of our columnist TimGibson. Guest speakers: Ian Potter and David Handley. April 10, 10-4pm. See p5.


**DF Mar p38 40 Renewables _Layout 1 22/02/2013 14:25 Page 1

”We decided Endurance was the best way to go!”

Find out why Dolidre Farm chose the Endurance E-3120 50kW wind turbine.

www.endurancewindpower.co.uk/Dolidre_Farm.Watch the video here:

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Endurance Renewables WP DF_Endurance Renewables WP DF 22/02/2013 10:21 Page 1

RENEWABLES


rWells Farm Dairy hasbeen farmed by the Holtfamily for more than100 years. With a developing

pasteurisation business,the current focus is nowon increasing energyefficiency, reducingoperating costs andlowering its impact onthe environment.“We must keep ahead

of the ever changingbusiness climate toremain profitable,” saidMark Holt. “For a farmwith exceptionally highenergy usage such asours, the current threatis future energy prices.Our move to renewableenergy technologies willhelp stabilise our energy

costs while enhancingour own green businesscredentials, making ourproducts more attractiveto customers.”Following an energy

audit of the site, it wasidentified that a combin-ation of renewabletechnologies would helpreduce energy bills andprovide a separateincome stream. The firstof these technologieswas commissioned in2011 with the install-ation of 100kWp ofsolar PV, split over twobuildings, providing thefarm with an annual80,000kWh of electri-city, a saving of 43t ofcarbon a year.In late 2012 a monit-

Case study - Wells Farm Dairy, Bradley, Staffordshire

So what are the econ-omics of renewables? Taxplanning may be a signif-icant reason to considerrenewables following therecent ten-fold increase inthe Annual InvestmentAllowance (AIA) up to£250,000. This means100% of the cost ofinstalling many renewabletechnologies can be set

against income in thesame business tax year.Funding for renewable

investment can come fromthe farmer’s own bank,packages such as the GreenElectrician’s Siemens orLombard options, or fromthe Government’s newGreen Deal offering loansfor energy efficient projects.Other options include ‘rent-

a-roof’ or ‘land schemes’,where developers offerrental/lease income inreturn for space to instalsolar PV or wind turbines.As with all things, there aregood and bad offers soprofessional advice isessential. For those waivering,

remember that loweringcarbon emissions has

become increasinglyimportant to supermarkets,and renewable technologyis one way of boosting afarm’s credentials andmaking products greenerand more attractive to milkbuyers.For further information onrecent dairy projects, visitwww.thegreenelectrician.co.uk,or call 0845 654 2528.

oring system wasinstalled to analyse theuse of energy in thedairy over a three-monthperiod. The process ofpasteurisation andbottling currently usessteam produced by akerosene boiler. Themonitoring systemprovides data on volume

of steam used, temper-ature and loading,enabling a specificallydesigned biomass boilersystem to be built to suitrequirements. The datawill also allow forreporting on savingsachieved and highlightincome achieved via theRHI over 25 years.

Mark Holt says the farm has adapted well to new technologies.

**DF Mar p38 40 Renewables _Layout 1 22/02/2013 09:20 Page 2

Hallmark WP DF_Hallmark WP DF 22/02/2013 13:31 Page 1


RENEWABLES

If you have beenthinking aboutdeveloping a windproject on your land,you need to move

quickly to beat the propo-sed degression in the Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs). These comeinto force from April 2014.Degression is a tariff cut

between 5% and 20%, andthis depends on how manywind turbines have beeninstalled and pre-accreditedduring the previous year.

DeveloperRenewables First is one ofthe most active 500kWwind developers and evenwe don’t know how largethe degression cuts will be.However, we are planningon a cut of 10% to 20%, butno one will really knowuntil it is announced inearly 2014.The best advice we can

give is to push ahead now

and get planning consentfor your project before theend of the year. Then youcan pre-accredit your siteand avoid any cuts at all.Provided you can pre-accredit by the end of 2013,your site will be locked-into the higher 2013 FiT forthe next 20 years and will not suffer from anydegression at all.Landowners have two

main options whendeveloping a wind site,namely either self-fundingor leasing the site to aninvestor. Self-funding offersthe highest rewards butalso the risk of spendingthousands on a planningapplication which may besubsequently refused by theLocal Authority.On the other hand,

leasing the site in return fora quarterly rent removes allof the costs and risk fromthe landowner, and gives it

to the developer who hasleased the site. In return for the lease, the

site owner can typicallyexpect to receive up to 10%of the gross income fromthe turbine for a single500kW turbine (less forlarger turbines because theFiTs are much smaller).

Surplus energyAt some sites, it is alsopossible to consume theelectricity generated by thewind turbine firstly on site,thereby providing cheaperelectricity to the site owner,with only the surpluselectricity exported to thegrid. In practice, this is

relatively simple to achieveprovided the site hassignificant on-site loads andsuitable existing electricalinfrastructure.If you are interested in

leasing your site, Renew-ables First has links toorganisations which wouldbe interested, subject to thesite passing some basic testsfor wind speed, site access,grid connection and a checkon planning sensitivities. Please remember, it is

important to get in touchnow to have the bestchance of beating the FiTdegression cuts.� Details on 01453 887 744,or www.renewablesfirst.co.uk

Lease out your land toharvest turbine income

Just as solar panels can be installed without householder cost and provide freeelectricity, the same applies to wind turbines where investors are keen to lease yourland. Phil Davis, of Stroud-based Renewables First, explains the scheme.

Prospective wind turbine developers are being advised to act quickly.

An indication of the income which could beexpected from a leased single 500kW site

Average wind speed Lease-rental income/year6.5 metres/sec (14.5mph) £40,0007.0 metres/sec (15.7mph) £44,0007.5 metres/sec (16.8mph) £48,000

**DF Mar p42 Wind_Layout 1 21/02/2013 08:54 Page 1


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DF_03_P43_DF_03_P43 22/02/2013 10:13 Page 21


MILK PRICES

Phone Neil or Richard NOW on Tel (016973) 32585Email: [email protected] or Fax (016973) 32546

PRE - STRESSED CONCRETE SPECIALISTS DESIGNED TO BRITISH STANDARDS

Manufacturers of all types of pre-stressed panels for agricultural andindustrial use. Top Quality at competitive prices.

Supply and delivery or collection ex works.Standard lengths in stock, specials made to measure.

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Brochures on request

WE ARE ONLY A PHONE CALL AWAY

email: [email protected] web: www.whitesconcrete.co.uk

TAKE THE CIRCULAR CONCRETE ROUTE TO SLURRY STORAGE

MILKpricesFirst Milk setto increase itsprice for AprilJFirst Milk is to increaseits milk prices from April2013 as well as havingconfirmed a further returnon members’ investedcapital. The liquid pool price is

to increase by 0.5ppl, whilesuppliers in the cheese andbalancing pools will seetheir price move up by0.4ppl. The first price increase

for the liquid marketsuppliers in 2013 takes ourstandard litre (4%b/f &3.3% prot, Bactoscans of30,000/ml & SCCs of200,000/ml, 1mltrs/yr onEODC but beforeseasonality, balancing orcapital retentions) price upto 29.65ppl. Following the 0.25ppl

increase from Jan’13 ourbalancing price increasesto 28.90ppl, as will thecheese milk pricefollowing the slightlybigger increase of 0.5pplfrom Jan’13.

Our Highlands andIslands supplier, alsohaving received the 0.5pplincrease from Jan’13, willsee the price move up0.4ppl in April to29.36ppl.

Bonus All the quoted pricesinclude the company’s0.5ppl production bonuspayable providing themonthly supply is greaterthan the same month theprevious year. In addition, the business

will also pay out a 3%return on members’ capitalaccount balances in April.Since 2010 the company

has made two returns oninvestment in each year,equating to an annualpayment of £1800 or 6%for an average 1mltr litreproducer. From Apr’13 First Milk

is also increasing membercapital contributions from0.2ppl to 0.5ppl.

T H E R O C K S A L T M E NbomEST 1970

Ba� � Madley LtdPremium Quality Red Lump Rock Salt

Telephone:01981 250301

‘ H a n d s e l e cte d f ro m t h e H i m a l aya s ’

If it’s not our name on the bag, It’s NOT our salt!

**DF Mar p44 45 46 Milk Prices_Layout 1 21/02/2013 12:58 Page 1


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Milk price analyst StephenBradley on the latest milkindustry developments.

News in brief...CaledonianCheese up 0.13p

December milkprices explained

M&S increase1.3ppl from Feb

JThe Fresh Milk Company,Caledonian Cheese, hasincreased its milk price by afurther 0.13ppl fromFeb’13. The increase viahigher constituent paymentstakes our standard litre up0.13ppl to 29.87ppl and30.37ppl on the company’sprofile price option, basedon our rolling 12-monthprofile payment to Dec’12of 0.5ppl.

JMarks & Spencer increasedits milk price paid to its ded-icated suppliers by 1.322pplfrom Feb’13, taking the re-tailer’s headline standard litremilk price up to 33.58pplunder its price model.Some 0.962ppl of the total

increase will be added to thebase price, while the HealthierMilk Premium (for achievingthe target of less than 69%saturated fat in milk), will lift0.36ppl to +0.7ppl. The combined increase of

1.322ppl takes our standardlitre up to 33.47ppl, on thebasis of meeting set targets.

JOur milk price tablehighlights prices paid forDec’12 supply and showsUnited reduced its milk priceby 2ppl dropping our standardprice back to 29.89ppl. However, those really

eagled eyed readers willobserve the Arla Foods’increase from Dec’12 ishighlighted in our table as anincrease of 0.71ppl and notthe 1ppl announced by thecompany. The reason is theprice increased fromDecember 10 and thereforethe remaining 0.24ppl (theresult of the increase notapplying for the first ninedays of December) will bepicked up in the Jan’13 price. The same applies for

Paynes Dairies, which alsomirrored the Arla Foods’ priceincrease for December. ArlaMilk Link’s increase of1.33ppl from December 3 isalso highlighted as anincrease of 1.24ppl thismonth, with the remaining0.09ppl to be picked up inthe Feb’13 price beforetaking into account the0.23ppl cut from the two-yearrolling currency model.


MILK PRICES


Notes to tablePrices paid for 1mltr producer supplying milk of average constituents 4% butterfat and 3.3% protein, SCCs of 200,000/ml and Bactoscans of 30,000/ml on EODC excludingcapital retentions and MDC levies. SAPP = Seasonally Adjusted Profile Price. (i) Nov’12 prices before seasonality. (ii) Dec’12 prices before seasonality. (iii) Seasonally adjustedprofile price for Dec’12 taking into account monthly seasonality payments and profiles of supply. ** Seasonal adjusted profile supply for 1mltr supplier (using monthly RPAfigures) for Dec'12=2,614ltrs/day, flat supply=2,740ltrs/day. (iv) Table ranked on the seasonally adjusted price for the 12mths to Dec’12. § SAPP reflects 12mth profileadjustment of -0.28ppl. ¢ SAPP reflects 2,723ltrs (Aug to Dec’11 daily average) paid as ‘A’ ltrs with the remaining ‘B’ ltrs paid @ 105% of the ‘A’ price (ie constituents plusMarket Related Adjustment) for Dec'12. • No 'B' litres/day applicable for Dec'12 with daily volume of 2,614ltrs/day being below the 'A' volume of 2,723ltrs. 0.5ppl productionbonus for Milk Link, First Milk and Glanbia Cheese not applicable for Dec'12 SAPP with daily production not within our 3% tolorance of Dec'11 based on RPA monthlyfigures.••* No balancing charge from Jul'12 through to Dec'12. ∞ Price before seasonality includes 12mth rolling profile payment of 1.06ppl to Dec'12 (unchanged onprevious month). ∞^ Price before seasonality includes 12mth rolling profile payment of 0.45ppl to Dec'12 (unchanged on previous month). ± Price before seasonality includes12mth rolling profile payment of 0.5ppl to Dec'12 (unchanged on previous month). # Constituent payments priced by volume. ≠ Seasonality built into monthly base price. ArlaFoods—AFMP Asda and Non-aligned prices merged into Arla Foods AFMP Standard from Oct'12. (•••) Dec'12 price increase effective from the 10th Dec'12 (••••) Dec'12increase effective from 3rd Dec'12. ¶ Price includes Regional & Support Premiums. ‡ Non-seasonal price includes 12mth average rolling profile of 0.5ppl to Dec'12(unchanged on previous month). Tesco milk prices include the 0.5ppl bonus for co-operation with Promar costings. Milkprices.com cannot take any responsibility for lossesarising. Copyright: Milkprices.com

Nov'12 Dec'12 Dec'12 12mth Diff4.0/3.3 4.0/3.3 4.0/3.3 Ave Dec'12Before Before 1mltr Jan'12 vSeas'lty Seas'lty SAPP Dec'12 Nov '12(i) (ii) **(iii) (iv) (i) v (ii)

D.C – M&S ∞ 32.15 32.15 34.09 31.62 N/CD.C – Waitrose ∞^ 31.97 31.97 33.82 30.59 N/CMüllerWiseman – Sainsbury's Central Scotland 30.66 30.66 30.66 30.56 N/CMüllerWiseman – Sainsbury's England 30.66 30.66 30.66 30.56 N/CD.C – Sainsbury's 30.51 30.51 32.45 30.49 N/CMüllerWiseman – Tesco Scotland 31.58 31.58 31.58 30.26 N/CMüllerWiseman – Tesco England 31.58 31.58 31.58 30.26 N/CArla Foods – AFMP Sainsbury's ••* 30.54 30.54 30.53 30.17 N/CCadbury – Selkley Vale Milk 30.16 30.16 30.16 29.73 N/CArla Foods – Tesco ••* 31.33 31.33 31.32 29.70 N/CMüllerWiseman – The Co-op Dairy Group 30.00 30.50 30.50 29.48 0.50Caledonian Cheese Co – Profile ‡ 29.42 30.14 30.39 28.85 0.72Arla Foods – Standard (former Asda)••* (•••) 29.38 30.09 30.08 28.84 0.71Wyke Farms 29.25 29.25 29.25 28.83 N/CBlackmore Vale Farm Cream 29.20 29.20 29.20 28.65 N/CParkham Farms 29.00 29.00 30.49 28.63 N/CD.C – Davidstow ∞ 28.85 28.85 30.79 28.62 N/CBarber A.J & R.G 29.11 29.11 29.11 28.44 N/CYew Tree Dairy 29.50 29.50 29.50 28.42 N/CCaledonian Cheese Co 28.92 29.64 29.64 28.34 0.72Meadow Foods Lakes ± 29.00 29.00 29.50 28.21 N/CMeadow Foods – Level 29.00 29.00 29.00 28.17 N/CMeadow Foods – Seasonal 29.00 29.00 30.00 28.17 N/CArla Foods – Standard (Former Non-Aligned)••* (•••) 29.38 30.09 30.08 28.13 0.71Wensleydale Dairy Products 29.48 29.48 29.48 28.12 N/CPaynes Farms Dairies (•••) 29.20 29.91 29.91 28.03 0.71MüllerWiseman – Aberdeen 29.00 29.50 29.50 27.88 0.50MüllerWiseman – Central Scotland 29.00 29.50 29.50 27.88 0.50MüllerWiseman – England 29.00 29.50 29.50 27.88 0.50Grahams Dairies 29.00 30.00 30.00 27.87 1.00Joseph Heler 27.99 27.99 29.99 27.82 N/CD.C – Liquid Regional Premium ∞ ¶ 28.85 28.85 30.79 27.69 N/CSaputo UK – Level supply # 27.96 27.96 27.96 27.57 N/CMilk Link – London Liquid (••••) 27.50 28.74 28.23 27.55 1.24Milk Link – West Country Liquid (••••) 27.50 28.74 28.23 27.55 1.24South Caernarfon 28.28 28.53 30.52 27.51 0.25Arla Foods – AFMP Standard ••* (•••) 29.38 30.09 30.08 27.50 0.71Milk Link Rodda's ¢• (••••) 27.91 29.15 28.64 27.50 1.24Belton Cheese 28.05 28.05 28.05 27.36 N/CGlanbia – Llangefni (flat) 28.35 28.35 28.02 27.31 N/CSaputo UK – Seasonal # 27.66 27.66 29.16 27.27 N/CGlanbia – Llangefni (Constituent) 28.28 28.28 27.95 27.21 N/CMilk Link – Manufacturing ¢• (••••) 27.51 28.75 28.24 27.14 1.24First Milk – Highlands & Islands § 27.71 28.46 27.68 26.89 0.75First Milk – Liquid § 28.65 29.15 28.39 26.87 0.50First Milk Balancing § 27.35 28.25 27.49 26.49 0.90First Milk – Cheese § 27.25 28.00 27.24 26.48 0.75United Dairy Farmers ≠ 31.89 29.89 29.87 26.31 -2.00Average Price 29.23 29.51 29.77 28.36

Latest milkprices from


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DF_03_P47_DF_03_P47 22/02/2013 09:28 Page 21


DAIRY MARKETPLACE

NEWThis month, we feature thelatest slurry injector and utilityvehicle, plus a new calf feederand milk dispenser.

productsJSolucop, a new solublecopper sulphate for foot-baths, is now available inthe UK exclusively fromStrathclyde Nutrition. Witha consistent physical quality,Solucop is a powdered formof copper sulphate which iseasier to mix, dissolvingmore readily in cold waterthan conventional crys-talline copper sulphate. � Details: 01555 820 627. JOPICO has launched a

range of Maschio hedge cut-ters to the UK.All three models in the

range - Camilla, Katia andCarla – have a double-sidedflail and dual direction rotorto achieve a cleaner cut,plus a large cutting headangle (246-degree) forworking down deep banksor under tree branches.The Carla 500 has a reach

of 5m and a high in-boardpivot point which allowsthe flail to work alongsideor tuck in tightly behind thetractor. It is suitable fortractors over 2800kg inweight with at least 60hp.The Camilla is suited for

general multi-purpose use.Its large oil tank reserveensures oil keeps coolduring long periods. It issuitable for use withtractors from 2300kg and60hp.For more heavy-

duty/professional use, theKatia is capable of cuttinghedges left for three years instewardship schemes, andhas a reach of up to 625cm.It requires a tractor weightof 3000kg and at least 80hp.Ex-VAT prices are: Camilla

450, £16,762; Katia 550,£20,425; and Carla 500,£17,915.� Details on 01778 421 111,or www.maschio.co.uk

JDow AgroSciences haslaunched DoxstarPro, a fo-liar-acting spray containingfluroxypyr and triclopyr,which together deliver amore robust and reliableeffect than when used alone.They are readily translo-cated within the targetplants, giving long-lastingcontrol of broad leaved andcurled docks and chick-weed. The maximum doserate is now two litres per haper year applied in 300-400litres of water. � Details atwww.grassbites.co.uk

Maschio hedge cutterslaunched by Opico in UK

Soluble coppersulphate powder

Foliar spray

JDairy Spares’ new Milk-Kart on wheels accuratelyfills calf feeders using apump dispenser with flowmeter. With a capacity of 125litres, the insulated tankmaintains temperature. Adetachable battery-operatedpump unit can be used tofill the tank and to dispensemilk into feeders. Sized to fitthrough a standard door-way, the Milk-Kart haslarge, heavy duty, all-terrainwheels for easy movementand is fitted with automaticbrakes. It costs £2395+VAT. � Details 01948 667 676.

Accurate calffeeder filling

**DF Mar p48 49 New Products_Layout 1 21/02/2013 13:03 Page 1


DAIRY MARKETPLACE

T: 01359 250415

Powermix ProDiet Feeder Cubicle Bedder Powerspread

Models from 9m to 25m Mix and chop Versatile elevator systems

3 Models 3pt or loader mounted Spreads all materials

Models from 1600 to 3200 gallons Spreads solid & liquid material up to 20m Spreads and chops

www.shelbourne.com

Diet FeederPowermix Pro

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Cubicle Bedder

Powerspread

Powerspread

ersatile elevator systemsV

Mix and chopModels from 9m to 25m

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3pt or loader mounted3 Models

ersatile elevator systems

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3pt or loader mounted3 Models

Spreads and chops

: 01359 250.shelbourne.com

TT: 01359 250415

Spreads solid & liquid material up to 20mModels from 1600 to 3200 gallons

www

Spreads solid & liquid material up to 20m

: 01359 250415.shelbourne.com

Models from 1600 to 3200 gallons

New products are featured in each issue of Dairy Farmer. Please send details and pictures toJennifer MacKenzie at [email protected], or call 01768 896 150.

GOT

A NEW

PRODUCT?

Cushman launches utility vehicleMilk mixer and dispenser

JCushman, known for itslight transportation vehiclesfor commercial, industrialand turf maintenance appli-cations, has brought a newcontender to the all terrainmarket with its 1600XD-R4x4 utility vehicle.

Combining four-wheeldrive with a 22hp, 1007ccthree-cylinder OHV dieselengine, its performance isenhanced by an automatic,continuously variable trans-mission with low and highgear ratios. It has a userselectable locking rear dif-

ferential which can be en-gaged in both two-wheeldrive and four-wheel driveoperation, four-wheel inde-pendent suspension, and ex-ceptional hauling and

towing capacity, with amaximum vehicle load of726kg. The 1600XD-R can belicensed for road use. � Details atwww.cushman.co.uk

JKiwiKit’s Stallion MilkMixer mixes and dispensescolostrums, whole milk orpowder. The mobile tanker-cum-mixer is available in450-litre capacity (singleaxle) and 800-litre (tandemaxle) models. It has a cali-brated float level indicator, asimple click-and-clean sys-tem and dispenser gun todeliver 320 litres per minute.� Details www.kiwikit.co.uk,or 01584 879 959.

**DF Mar p48 49 New Products_Layout 1 21/02/2013 13:03 Page 2


WORKSHOP TIPS

WORKSHOPtips with Mike Donovan

About Mike

r Mike is a machinerycolumnist offering tipson building or modifyingfarm equipment. Sign upfor his free newsletter atwww.farmideas.co.uk

One pass reseeding

Up in theOrkney Islesthey spend alot of timemanaging

their grass swards as theyneed to make the most oftheir land in the shortgrowing season. David Sinclair

has a substan-tial contractingbusiness andhas made twomachineswhich customersfind useful. The firstis a combination of a four-metre Opico harrow andAccord DL air seeder.The Accord is mounted

on the tractor three-pointlinkage and has a second

linkage on the back of theframe to carry the harrows.To do this David had to adda second tier to the Accordframe to make it strongenough to carry the weight.The frame is also beefed up

with heavy angle andplating.

The machineruns on a pairof wheelswhich giveconstantworking depth.

The drill outputsinto spouts which

are located on ahydraulically lifted bar. Thewings on this are linked tothe wings on the harrow, sofield cont-ours are workedevenly.

The Accord drill is usefulbecause the meteringsystem is very accurate,and the seed is positivelyblown down into the sward– far better than using aspinning disc. David found it was best

to go over the seeded landwith a roller to press theseed into the soil, andbefore long he converteda four-metre TwoseCambridge roller, whichhas alternating star andsmooth sections, into a onepass machine. With the Opico fitted to

a frame which goes on thefront linkage, he hasanother DL drill on thedrawbar of the roller. Again, the drawbar

frame had to be virtuallyrebuilt, lengthened and

strengthened to carry theweight of the drill. Theseeding system is made thesame, and the Twosetransport position, using arear axle raised and lower-ed with a long ram, is alsounchanged. The combination mach-

ine scratches a bed for theseed and then presses it inwhile the soil is fresh andmoist, making it a one passoperation.

Further pictures can beseen online by registering athttp://eepurl.com/c-eec

This month, Mike Donovan looks at how overseeding can save pasture down time.

TOP TIP

rGo over the seeded

land with a roller to

press the

seed into the soil.

The Opico is cleverly mounted on a front three-point frame, while thetrailed roller has a DL drill on its drawbar.

The roller showing the rebuilt Y-shaped drawbar with the drill on top.

**DF Mar p50 Donovan_Layout 1 22/02/2013 14:40 Page 1


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BEKINA BRUGES BREAK DELIGHTS NEWLY WEDS“We were made very welcome by our Belgian hosts”

Newly wed ‘Farmers Guardian’ readers Joe Green�eld and Kerry Jones, who farm near Nuneaton in Warwickshire won our Bekina competition marking the 50th anniversary of this family owned Wellington boot manufacturing business. Joe and Kerry enjoyed a free luxury break in historic Bruges just weeks after their Dec 15 wedding. “We were made very welcome by our Belgian hosts, who took us on a memorable tour of this medieval city centre build when Bruges was a major centre trading in wool imported from England,” commented Kerry. Joe adding that, “As one who spends long hours wearing wellies in all weather it was great to get a break from dairy farming thanks to Bekina, a company based in rural Flanders manufacturing boots that are a real treat for farm feet.” For more photographs of our winner’s weekend away visit Bekina on facebook.

www.facebook.com/bekinaboots - www.bekina.be - available through Agrihealth Ltd

Call Agrihealth (free) T 0800 269 180

51

DF_03_P51_DF_03_P51 22/02/2013 10:15 Page 21

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

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DF_02_P53_DF_12_P53 22/02/2013 13:33 Page 22


GOOD EVANS

GOODEvansThe dog and I have a lot incommon – nobody likes us!This month, RogerEvans tells us thetime might havefinally come to tradein his present, muchloved best friend fora new working dog.

Ithink a lot about the price of milk and ifnon-farming people ask me about milkprices I have to say the price I amgetting is the highest I have ever had. Quite reasonably they ask me ‘so what’s

the problem?’ Well, it isn’t really the priceof milk that is the problem, it’s the cost ofproducing it, and first and foremost in along list is the cost of purchased feed. Traditionally, a kilo of feed would

produce a litre of milk. I know the price offeed varies a lot and you mostly get whatyou pay for, but if a kilo of feed costs 27-28pence and a litre of milk earns you 29-30p,where’s the future in that? If I’m feeding a cow in the parlour for 10

litres of milk and it costs me £2.70, and the10 litres of milk comes to £2.90 or £3, itwon’t take me long to spend the 30p I havemade on all the other inputs that havegone up. Nowhere can I see anything thatwill bring the price of this feed down as allaround the world more and more ‘feed’ isbeing used to produce energy. Everywhere I drive I see bare water

logged fields which were surely destinedfor a wheat crop, but the seed wheatremains firmly in the shed. Where wheathas been put in there are considerableacreages on headlands and in hollows thatwill not grow anything this year. The only

plus I can see is that the spring sown cropsthat will have to go in will not use so muchnitrogen as autumn sown crops, so wemight see fertiliser prices weaken. So the cost of feed on an ongoing basis

will drive change and challenge us thatwhat we’ve always done in the past mightnot be good enough in the future. All the graphs you see show demand for

dairy products growing faster thanproduction and that in itself should re-establish a worthwhile gap, but here andnow it’s tough and there are no quick fixesabout that. Last summer the low pricebrought farmers out on the streets and itworked, but it’s not a solution any of uswould like to rely on in the long term.My dog and I have a lot in common. The

main thing we have in common is we areboth past our best. Next to that comes like.We both like each other, which is a mostimportant thing to have in commonbecause, as far as I can tell, no one else likeseither of us. So that’s a sort of bond wehave that brings us closer together. I can’t tell you how many times people

have come up to me and said “Is that yourfarm on the right two miles out of thevillage?” I reply in a cheery sort of way,“yes, that’s right” and I’m waiting for themto say something like “the cows looked

**DF Mar p54 55 Evans_Layout 1 21/02/2013 13:04 Page 1


GOOD EVANS

well” or just “I wondered where youlived”. But they don’t. They usually say “Icalled there last week selling poppies andthat bloody dog bit me”. Now that he’spast his best he only bites about 20% ofvisitors when it used to be 50%. Somepeople he bites every time they come,while some people he really likes and Ican’t work out how he chooses who goesinto each category. He really likes biting theAI man and if he can’t catch him, he biteshis tyres.We spend a lot of time together, the dog

and I. Especially at this time of year. Mostof my time is spent going around feedingheifers and dry cows and the dog isimportant. If I have to take a big bale into apen of cattle, he will keep them back forme, but if they are very determined to tryto get out, and I shout too much encour-agement, he will run into the pen and fetchthem all out. (He knew all about the ‘F’word long before he ever saw “MrsBrown’s boys”). But to be fair, he will alsofetch them all back for me after. As you know, we run a state-of-the-art

cutting edge business here and an import-ant part of that is having a succession

policy. I’ve got an eldest grandson hangingabout at weekends doing the scraping andhe’s putting pressure on me. He told mehow much satisfaction he gets fromscraping the yards in a tidy fashion, as if itwere some sort of art form. So I think if I’m under pressure, why

shouldn’t I put the dog under similarpressure? There’s a sheep dog rescue placenear here – I might phone them and seewhat they’ve got. Trouble is, since I had mydog’s bits taken off he’s put a bit of weighton and he has a job to find a place on thetractor cab floor without getting in the way.Sheep farmers would have little time for

a dog that wouldn’t ride on a quad bike.Contractors that come here often have adog in the cab as it stops them talking tothemselves all day long. Our old Same tractor is frequently used

with the stock trailer on, moving dry cowsaway and bringing some home to calve. Ineed the dog for that but there’s no roomfor him on the floor. He used to get behind the seat at one

time but the window strut broke andknocked him off. Now he won’t get upthere at all!

“My dog andI have a lot incommon. Themain thing wehave in commonis we are bothpast our best

**DF Mar p54 55 Evans_Layout 1 22/02/2013 10:09 Page 2


FINANCE

Pensions are big news for everyone, especially with the introduction of ‘auto-enrolment’last year. Tom Morgan, partner at Baker Tilly, explains what this means for anyone whoemploys staff.

Pension changes are on the wayemployed dairyman willstill have to enrol hisemployee where they meetthe criteria. Workers aged between 22

years old and state pensionage with high enoughearnings must be enrolledas soon as their employer isobliged to implement thesenew rules. Younger andolder workers can opt in, ascan those workers who earnbelow the limit.

Opt outEmployees will be able toopt out of the scheme, butwill be automatically re-enrolled every three years(when they can opt outagain). Until September 2017,

the rule is a minimum of1% of liable earnings willbe payable by bothemployer and employee,and this should help easeeveryone into the newregime over the next fewyears. Between October2017 and September 2018,this rate rises to 2% foremployers and 3% foremployees, and fromOctober 2018, employerswill have to pay at least 3%of earnings into thescheme, while employeespay at least 5%.

This is meant to stoplow paid workers beingrequired to pay only a fewpennies per week into theirpension, because they don’tpay anything until they arewell above the lowerearnings limit. Contribut-ions rates can, of course, behigher.Compulsory contributions

will be due on earningsbetween the NationalInsurance lower earningslimit for the year (£109pw in2013-14) and upper earningslimit (£797pw in 2013-14),but auto-enrolment is onlytriggered once a week’searnings have reached thePAYE threshold (£182pw in2013-14). For those not complying

with these new rules, thePensions Regulator canissue a fixed penalty notice,which can be increasedon a daily basis until thebusiness complies. My advice is don’t leave

everything until the lastminute. Most employerswill need advice, and soplan now to ensure you areready in time and to avoidthe resulting penalties if youare not.More information [email protected],or call 01432 352 222.

Under thenew rules,employershave to enrolevery ‘eligible

jobholder’ automaticallyinto a qualifying workplacepension scheme and pay anemployer contribution. While it is true only the

largest employers havebeen affected so far, almostevery business anddomestic employer will

have to comply over thenext five years.

Smallemployers havenot beenexempted fromthese changes,

they just have a bitlonger to prepare.So, a sole trader

dairy farmerwith one

rFor those not complying with these new rules, the Pen-sions Regulator can issue a fixed penalty notice, which canbe increased on a daily basis until the business complies.

Expert opinion

“Smallemployershave not beenexempted fromthese changes,they just have abit longer toprepare

**DF Mar p56 Finance_Layout 1 22/02/2013 09:21 Page 1

........................................................................................................

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Lambert Leonard May Robot WP DF_Lambert Leonard May Robot WP DF 22/02/2013 10:24 Page 1

Dehorning is acutely painful.1 That’s why a local

anaesthetic is given – but a few hours later its

effect wears off and pain erupts. Administration

of Metacam – newly licensed for dehorning pain –

provides time-appropriate pain relief.1 So now, at

last, you can make dehorning a more comfortable

experience for everybody.

P A I N E R U P T I N G A F T E R T H E L O C A LY E T A N O T H E R T H I N G M E T A C A M T A K E S C A R E O F

Reference: 1 Heinrich A et al. J Dairy Sci 2010;93:2450-2457.

Advice on the use of Metacam or other therapies should be sought from your veterinary surgeon. Metacam contains meloxicam. Prescription only medicine. Further information available from Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8YS, UK. Email: [email protected]. Date of preparation: Dec 2012. AHD 7409. Use Medicines Responsibly (www.noah.co.uk/responsible). www.mastitis.co.uk/MetacamCattle Days, not hours

NEW LICENCE

16:46

Boehringer WP DF_Boehringer WP DF 21/02/2013 13:21 Page 1

Dairy Farmer Digital Edition March 2013

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