Changes in infrastructure to prevent heat stress on Derbyshire dairy farm
For the Bayley family, changes to the accommodation for their housed herd of cows was made necessary after issues with heat stress in 2022
Welsh farm halves lameness by following AHDB's Healthy Feet Lite programme
Identifying and addressing lameness pinch points as part of a structured review has helped one dairy farming family reduce cases by almost half
Expansion not an option for German dairy farm
Farming in harmony with local residents is important for the future of the farm run by the Gertenbach family
Mixture of dairy breeds on Northern Ireland farm
The Holstein, Ayrshire, Dairy Shorthorn and Jersey each have their breed merits and are milked as one herd on the McLean family's Priestland Farm
Improve calf health and hygiene for the win
Developing standard operating procedures for biosecurity can have a positive impact on hygiene in the calf rearing sheds
The importance of people management in dairy farming
Running two dairy herds and a commercial property enterprise, Mike King has an efficient business, operating at a high level, but it was not always this way
Multi-generational dairy farm in Shropshire invests in future
With a total commitment to dairy farming, the Higgins family are looking at ways to take their business forward and are hoping the AHDB Strategic Dairy Farm programme will help facilitate this
Dairy Matters - Paul Tompkins: "I recognise that the strength of UK dairy farming lies in its diverse production types"
As a dairy farmer I am very familiar with the extreme highs and lows the market throws at us, and the enormous pressures experienced by businesses like my own during downturns
Managing mycoplasma bovis in the dairy herd
Managing the risk factors associated with mycoplasma bovis is key to controlling the disease on-farm and protecting naive youngstock
Protocols key to good heifer rearing on Ceredigion farm
Meticulous planning and attention to detail means all the team involved in calf rearing at Gwarllwyn Farm in Llandysul, Ceredigion, can work to the same protocols and achieve the best possible results
Dairy Farmer - From the Editor: "At times the rainfall was nothing short of biblical"
From Dairy Farmer editor, Katie Jones.
Over-seeding tired pastures
Once conditions dry out, many farmers will start to think about over-seeding their pastures to improve health and productivity of grassland
Business management key to profitability
Dairy farmers are producing in a new era of higher costs, more price volatility and a smaller safety net, but there are still plenty of opportunities
Grazing with milking robots on Yorkshire farm
Despite the increasing prominence of automated milking systems on dairy farms in the UK, some dairy farmers are opposed to housing cows all-year-round
Dairy Talk - Claire Eastham: "I would expect food inflation to hit the headlines again this autumn"
Well it's wet. I can only hope by the time you read this it's dry, or we're all in trouble
Red clover drives grassland productivity
Red clover is often presented as a good option for increasing grassland production, but it can be a difficult crop to establish and grow
Roger Evans: "No farmer would ever dare to pollute on the scale that sewage makes its way into rivers"
This month Roger Evans discusses after dinner speaking, water pollution and tells a tale of how a farmer got the better of the tax man
Dairy Talk - Ben Yates: "Silage pits are getting low from the long winter we have endured"
In Somerset, spring is trying to show its face between the rain showers. The warmer weather that we enjoyed recently gave us good growth rates of 34kg of dry matter/hectare per day
Partner Insight: Group monitoring takes guesswork out o herd management
Monitoring the reproduction and health indexes of individual dairy cows and heifers can tell the herd manager a lot about how each animal is being managed, but monitoring animals on a group-by-group basis can unlock a wealth of additional information which can be used to improve the overall herd’s performance.
Partner Insight: What makes a good silage?
High quality silage is a high energy, palatable and digestible forage which can provide a significant proportion of the nutritional needs of a high yielding dairy cow
Butter prices show first sign of strengthening as others wait for the flush
After weakening through March, commodity prices are showing some tentative signs of improvement with butter jumping from the €5,500 (£4,719) zone to as high as €5,950 (£5,106) for some trades
Wet spring helps to stabilise dairy markets
Farmers and growers are getting increasingly frustrated and concerned over the wet spring, which is on track to be one of the wettest in living memory, and if the situation does not change for the better soon, the inflationary repercussions will surely be felt later this year
Dairy Matters - Phil Latham: "I see no prospect for rolling out badger vaccination across the endemic area"
So my time on Defra's Bovine TB Partnership has unexpectedly come to an end. My three-year term ended and was disappointingly, for me, not extended
Understanding Schmallenberg in the dairy herd
Dairy farmers are encouraged to understand the signs and symptoms of Schmallenburg within dairy herds amid UK outbreak
NZ vet blog: "We're going to have to go all out on the recruitment drive"
In his latest article, New Zealand vet Rory Dean, discusses how his client's herds are performing in terms of fertility, looks at some of the disease risks he is faced with, and also discusses his practices current recruitment drive
World dairying: 12,000-cow dairy farm in Mexico grapples with challenge of cheap food imports
The issue of cheap food imports is one of the major issues facing a large dairy farming business in Mexico
Dairy Talk - Gemma Smale-Rowland: "The winter routine is dragging now"
Let's start with the record-breaking news, although I'm not sure that knowing that February had the highest rainfall in 250 years is the sort of record we want to be hearing about
Managing business change in dairy farming
A turbulent milk market against the backdrop of an ever-changing regulatory landscape has brought managing change into sharp focus for dairy producers
Foliar fertiliser helps cut nitrogen usage in half
With rising fertiliser costs looking set to remain, a dairy farmer from West Wales has successfully halved his nitrogen use
Good Evans: "It's not that I'm anti-tree, but I would just pick and choose where they went"
This month, Roger Evans discusses the situation in rural communities, delves into the world of politics and recounts a tale about rats and chainsaws