CowManagement UK June-July 2015

V O LU M E 13 N O 4 J UN E /J ULY 2015

IN THIS ISSUE

LIVESTOCK EVENT

C O W H EA LTH

RO BO TIC ‘ REVI VAL’

Must-see exhibits at this year’s two-day show

Update on responsible antibiotic use

New lease of life for both herd – and producer

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CO NTENT FEATURES

Cow Talk Overalls off: helicopter pilot Roger Evans CRV Avoncroft Breeding Information NMR Dairy Management News Business update: milk price ForFarmers Nutritional News/ Thompsons Nutritional News 58 Events and contacts 5 12 20 23 39 45 51

REPORTS

14 Robots renew dairying passion for Clive Davies 54 Herd size means Bart De Saegher is managing people, not cows MANAGEMENT

18 Scheme helps to develop vital dairying skills 48 Milking the records to yield value FEEDING

36 Grazing high yielding cows and good dry-cow management improve health and performance BREEDING

42 Balanced breeding boosts milk yield

Clive Davies “Automated milking has given us a new lease of life” 14

Editor Rachael Porter Have you got your ticket?

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ummer is in full swing and the Livestock Event is just around the corner. So take a look at our annual preview of the two-day show, which starts on page 29. The robots are back and this time the Lely exhibit includes an automatic feeding demonstration – another world first for the event.

Our special includes a closer look at robotic milking with grazing, which could interest readers who may have dismissed it as an option for their extensively managed herds. And we also have a sneak preview of just some of the many products and services that are set to be launched at the NEC, in Birmingham.

We’ve a timely update on antibiotic use, which looks at how Norway’s dairy industry has achieved its status as the EU’s lowest user. We ask what lessons could be learned, by UK vets and producers, on using data to breed for better health.

We also have a selection of articles on feeding, dry-cow management, training

and development, and breeding for production using CRV’s Results Navigator.

CowManagement also has a special treat for two lucky producers this summer. We raided the piggy bank and got our hands on two tickets to see Wales play England in the 2015 Rugby World Cup. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning them is to fill out the card in this issue – or pick one up from our stand at the Livestock Event – and hand it in. It couldn’t be simpler.

Because it’s such a special prize we’re limiting entries to just one per person, so maximise your chances of bagging a seat by urging your dairy producer friends to also fill out an entry card.

And, if they win, be sure to remind them who told them about the competition!

We’re also keen to hear what you think about the magazine, and we’re looking for producers to feature in our ‘Overalls Off’ column, so please pop along and say ‘hello’.

We hope to see you soon!

Main article Antibiotics update

Gold Cup Finalists round up

Special Livestock Event

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Data collection and breeding for health are both key to reducing use

Who do you think will win this year’s coveted NMR/ RABDF title?

Robot exhibit returns and we preview some of the new products to be launched

COW MAN AG E ME N T

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Live calf-rearing demo at LE 2015 New to Livestock Event this year is the live calf rearing demonstration – a first for the UK. Designed to showcase all types of housing and feeding systems the DeLaval-sponsored demonstration will also feature a series of seminars.

All will offer producers information and advice to help improve youngstock performance.

Research has shown that group-housed calves are likely to achieve higher performance levels than traditional individually penned young calves,

says EBVC’s Richard Cooper, who will be among the live calf rearing demonstration seminar speakers.

A US-based trail concluded that paired calves ate more starter prior to weaning, as well as ‘vocalising’ less and beginning to eat sooner at weaning. Following grouping and weaning, these calves also consumed more feed and had higher daily live-weight gain.

In other recent studies, calves reared in pairs showed greater adaptability, particularly around weaning, and

Breeding emphasis on dairy health and fertility increases Norway revised its TMI in June and it maintains its emphasis on health and fertility.

While the weighting on production in the breeding programme remains unchanged at 28% that for diseases other than mastitis has increased from 2% to 4%.

Now, in addition to ketosis and milk fever and retained placenta, the revised index for the Norwegian Red will also include traits reflecting fertility-related disorders, such as the health of the cow at calving and heifer health.

“We expect to see production continue to increase but, with the new weightings, there should also be an even greater improvement in the breed’s health traits,” adds Mr Solberg.

“The revised weightings for the breed mean that the breed’s health and fertility traits are the envy of the global dairy industry,” adds Geno UK’s Wes Bluhm. “Improved health and fertility, without compromising production, can help to reduce vet and medicine bills.”

For an update on herd health and antibiotic use, see our article on page eight.

effectively had greater ‘social skills’ when moved to a group situation. This has clear benefits in terms of keeping heifers growing. But this increased feed intake and reduced stress may have other benefits in reducing the risk of common conditions, such as scour and pneumonia, that are often seen at weaning.

Group housing is also likely to benefit the welfare of calves so long as undesirable behaviour, such as naval suckling, is avoided.

Editor scoops prize

Editor Rachael Porter was runner up in NOAH’s 2014 Writer & Broadcaster of the Year Award with her article on hoof trimming, ‘The perfect pedicure’

Feeding errors now risk winter production Taking short-cuts with feed management through late summer and early autumn could reduce daily yields by nearly two litres per cow for the first three months of winter and see winter feed budgets providing up to 30% fewer nutrients.

“With the expected recovery in global dairy prices slipping back to late 2015, herd profitability this winter is going to rely on maintaining yields without overspending on feed, to keep feed costs per litre to a minimum,” says KW nutritionist Mark Scott.

He says that careless feed-input cuts and too great a focus on feed costs per tonne, rather than feed value, will both cost more than they apparently save.

Inadequate feeding during late summer when potential milk from grass drops

towards zero, for example, could also see cows lose up to 0.5 body condition score. “Replacing that lost condition will take priority over production once cows are housed,” he explains. “The energy needed equates to 1.9 litres per cow per day for the first three months of winter, worth around £8,000 for a 200-cow herd even at 23ppl. Yet the cost of 1.5kg per cow per day of a moist feed, like Traffordgold, to retain that condition through late summer would be between just £2,000 and £2,600.”

Selecting feeds that offer best value while, at the same time, accurately balancing the forage in the ration is also critical if milk output is to be maintained and feed costs per litre minimised. “Every £1,000 spent on soyabean meal supplies around 30%

less rumen-bypass protein than if the same money was buying rumenprotected soyabean meal. “That’s a lot of extra nutrients available for winter milk production for no extra cost.”

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Data unlocks potential to improve he alth

Recording aids re With pressure to show that steps are being taken to promote responsible antibiotic use increasing, we look at a dairy industry initiative that’s leading the way in Norway and find out if a similar scheme could be set up in the UK. text Rachael Porter

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ntibiotic use in Norwegian dairy herds is the lowest of any country in Europe and this achievement comes, in part, as a result of three decades of focusing on breeding for health and fertility. This, in turn, has only been possible due to detailed record keeping by vets and producers.

Reaping the success of this trend, the country’s breeding programme experts, with the backing of producers, have introduced new weightings that include greater emphasis on traits that support cow health.

“From 1975 to 1993 we saw the use of antibiotics increase, but negative publicity in the fishing industry regarding antibiotic use had a knock on effect on our cattle industry,” explains Geno’s Tor Sletmoen. Geno Global is the breeding organisation for Norwegian Red cattle. “Much of the use on dairy farms was for mastitis and vets and producers came to realise that much of it was unnecessary. As a result we have seen the use of antibiotics drop dramatically.

“Our producers now see that although the milk cheque is important so is the cost of production and improved herd health and fertility will drive this and result in better yields, easier to manage cows and improved longevity.”

The introduction of a national health card scheme boosted health and fertility management in 1990.

For the past 25 years each dairy herd has been legally obliged to record all health issues and any treatments must be signed off by the vet. This information has been fed into a national database and used in the breeding programme.

“Its introduction coincided with a number of health initiatives, an increased weighting towards health and fertility in Geno’s breeding goals and a dramatic reduction in antibiotic use in the dairy industry,” says Mr Sletmoen.

The increase in health and fertility weightings has resulted in impressive health parameters and improved production. Results just released through

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e he alth through breeding and management

ds responsible use the country’s central database show that the national Norwegian Red herd, the breed that accounts for 97% of the country’s cows with all but 3% of herds milk recorded, has reached 8,000kg at 4.2% fat and 3.4% protein in 2014, up from 6,100kg in 1990.

“In the same 25 years, cow health and fertility has also improved markedly and producers have reaped the benefits of more milk from fitter, healthier cows,” adds Mr Sletmoen.

Vet treatments for mastitis, fertility issues and metabolic disorders have fallen. Current data shows that on average a cow is treated 0.5 times a year with an estimated to cost producers of between 0.9ppl and 1.1ppl. In 1990 the figures was 1.4 treatments per cow per year. The average somatic cell count in 2014 was 127,000cell/ml.

Vet treatments on Norway’s dairy farms are typically for mastitis, retained placenta, milk fever or ketosis but the rates are low. Very little dry cow therapy is carried out in Norway “We attribute around 50% of this dramatic improvement to the emphasis placed on health and fertility breeding goals,” says Mr Sletmoen.

Vaccination programmes on dairy units are not the norm in Norway thanks to the eradication of diseases like BVD, although herds are regularly screened for BVD and Johne’s disease to ensure the country’s status is maintained. Dry cow therapy is only used in exceptional cases.

Yellow cards

Lowest user: Norway’s minimal antibiotic use, including dry-cow therapy, is the result of better management and breeding for health

Cows in Norway all have a yellow card – known as the cow health card. Vets are obliged to carry out all prescription treatments – including mastitis – on farm and must log and sign for these on the cow’s health card. This information is then added to a central database.

Introduced in 1974 to build a more accurate picture of disease levels and control, the cattle health card is integrated into the Norwegian Cattle Health Service.

“The health card scheme is fundamental to our industry,” says Anne Guro Larsgard, who is responsible for its operation and for data collation.

“It has helped shape the industry during the past two decades by playing a major part in setting breeding goals and weightings and in providing valuable information for research projects, advisory bodies and the Food Standards Authority.”

Held by Norway’s principal dairy co-op, TINE, that buys and sells the majority of Norway’s milk, the central database is well-coordinated. Major investment a few years ago took it to a new

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importantly, to provide the basis for future reduction strategies.”

The group has been commissioned by the UK’s Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) to determine what data is already available – both on farm and in vet practices – and how this data could then be collected, ‘anonymised’ and aggregated.

“We don’t know the true level of dairy herd use. We do know that 14 tonnes of antibiotics were used in the cattle sector in 2014, for example. But we don’t know what treatments these were and some of it could well have been used on sheep, for example, on mixed farms if the active ingredient was appropriate for multispecies use.

“This is a starting point for discussion – how can the industry present a case to the EU on responsible use of antibiotics, and how the industry plans to reduce and improve use, if we these figures are not available.”

He says that the VMD has looked at models in other countries and decided that, because they often require a high level of veterinary involvement, they are not appropriate for the UK. “So we’re looking for another way that could utilise the data that’s already being collected in herd medicine books. We don’t want to create more paperwork for producers or, indeed, vets. We want to add value to what records are already being maintained.”

Industry-led scheme

Tight controls: only vets can prescribe and administer antibiotics in Norway

operational level and data continues to be highly regarded by the immediate industry and by third parties who pay to access specific information.

So could – and should – a similar scheme be introduced in the UK? Data does, indeed, need to be collected in a central data hub, not least so that the UK dairy industry knows just how much antibiotic it is actually using. So says the Cattle Health & Welfare Group’s secretary Brian Lindsay. “The challenge is to extract that data from producers’ medicine books to provide an accurate picture of what’s going on, on a sectorwide basis. We need to do that in order to have the data in support of any future promotion or defence activities and,

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An on-line data hub, run by an independent industry body, seems to be the most appropriate solution. “It has to be owned and led by the cattle industry,” stresses Mr Lindsay, adding that the group, which is funded by EBLEX and DairyCo, has set the challenge of two years to identify a solution. “In the meantime, I’d like to urge producers to consider using an electronic system to record their herd’s medicine use. This will make data far easier to access and extract in the future.

“The key thing to stress is that this is for the good of the dairy industry – it’s not about pointing the finger of blame or flagging up vets and herds that use more antibiotics than others. We simply want to build an accurate picture of what’s actually going on,” says Mr Lindsay.

“Not only with this allow the UK industry to pre-empt, or even influence, any future EU legislation, by putting a system in place on its own terms, but it will also help to safeguard antibiotic use

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in UK herds and help to reduce costs on farm.”

Shropshire-based vet Dan Humphries, from Lambert Leonard and May, was impressed by the incredibly low disease rate seen in Norwegian dairy herds, during a Geno-organised visit to the country.

Vet’s view “Biosecurity was just the start – we were not allowed to visit any herds before we’d spent 48 hours ‘quarantined’,” he says, adding that low stocking rates, facilitated by an average herd size of around 25 cows, as well as limited cattle movements (there are no live auction marts) and breeding for health traits all combine to keep disease – and antibiotic usage – to a minimum.

“Treatment rates average 0.5 per cow per year – that’s incredibly low compared to UK herds.”

Along with his fellow veterinary colleagues, Mr Humphries couldn’t help but be impressed by the Norwegian government’s commitment to national control programmes during the past three decades, which that has led to the eradication of many diseases such as bTB, BVD, Johne’s and IBR. “These programmes appear to be well supported by the dairy industry, which is happy to contribute financially to national disease control. In the UK many disease control programmes are ‘industry led’, which leads to more fragmented and less robust disease control. The eradication of disease has definitely helped Norway to produce healthier cows compared to other countries.”

What struck Mr Humphries in particular was the use of data. “Decisions on breeding and health are made using extremely robust data and that’s definitely something where I think the UK industry could benefit.

“The health card scheme may not necessarily work on the UK – our herds are much larger and managed on different systems – but there’s definitely an argument for collecting more herd health data.

“UK vets and producers are already generating a considerable amount of data on health and fertility, most of which is recorded.

“But sharing this data, possibly in a national database, and using it in a meaningful way would not only benefit the industry as a whole, but also individual herds and businesses.” l

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O V E R A L L s

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Sotirios Karvountzis Shepton Mallet, Somerset Dairy vet Helicopter pilot

Sotirios Karvountzis: “It’s very much an exercise in co-ordination”

Flying in the stars text Rachael Porter

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‘pleasure’ flight led Somerset-based dairy vet Sotirios Karvountzis to book a helicopter flying lesson. “And I was hooked and began to train to be a fully qualified helicopter pilot.” He’s been flying for 10 years and spends as much of his spare time as possible in the air.

“To keep costs down, I get my air time by piloting helicopters for a local firm that flies people to where ever they want to go,” he explains.

“Owning a helicopter would be stressful – there’s a lot of worry and responsibility that would come with it. And chartering a helicopter, just like any vehicle, can be expensive. So by working as a commercial pilot I get to do what I love, without the red tape.”

Working with a charter firm as, essentially, an air-taxi pilot means that Sotirios has met a few famous faces during the past few years. He’s flown rock stars into the Glastonbury Festival and also chauffeured bands, actors and comedians.

“Many of them are travelling ‘incognito’ and I’m often in the dark about who it is that I’m picking up. Sometimes I don’t see them at all from where I am in the cock pit.

“Others I do see but, and I have to be honest, I don’t always know who they are.”

He does recall one ex boy band member and a lead singer who has recently divorced his Hollywood-actress wife – naming no names, of course.

Sotirios says that being a ‘taxi driver in the air’ is just a way to get some flying time – without the hefty price tag. “I usually fly every week during the summer and at least once a month during the winter.”

One of his most memorable jobs to date was dropping some people off at a ‘mock’ village in Wales, which used to be used by the SAS for training exercises. “They were off for an ‘extreme’ team building exercise. It’s in a remote place and I thought it was very exciting. It was like Vietnam without the shooting, or like being a MI5 spy.”

It’s certainly a varied hobby – no two flights are ever the same.

And it’s very demanding too. Sotirios likens flying a helicopter to patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time but at different speeds.

“The closest thing on the ground that I can compare it to is driving a digger. It’s very much an exercise in co-ordination.

“If you like pushing yourself to the limit, it’s definitely something that I’d recommend.”

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System change reduced labour pressure and unlocked potential

Clive Davies Clive and Pam Davies who shelved retirement plans, due to TB restrictions, installed milking robots and found that some clouds do have a silver lining!

Herd size: Average milk yield: Somatic cell count: Feed efficiency:

Robots renew dairying passion Pembroke

Installing robots has been a life changer for one Pembrokeshirebased dairy partnership and it’s also served to boost milk yields

120 cows 9,583kg 180,000 cells/ml 0.22kg/litre

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live Davies’ Pembrokeshire-based pedigree Brown Swiss herd was second in NMR’s 2014 annual production report rankings – an achievement that’s all the more remarkable because he and his wife, Pam, were set to sell up and

and profitability. We spoke to a top ranking NMR herd to find out more about its automated system text Rachael Porter

retire three years ago. Instead, due to a TB ‘lock down’ that prevented them from selling their 120-cow herd, they decided to install two milking robots.

“And the rest, as they say, is history,” says Clive. “Upgrading to robotic milking

has given us, the herd and the business a new lease of life.”

The robots – two Fullwood Merlins – were installed in 2012 and Clive says that they are integral in helping to realise the production potential of his

Grazing girls: yields will continue to increase as heifers calve and join the milking herd

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pedigree Brown Swiss herd. “Pam and I had just turned 65 and we’d had enough, but now we can enjoy looking after the herd again, without the twice-daily grind of milking.” The six hours spent milking each day through the unit’s 20-year-old 9:18 herringbone parlour are now spent carrying out less physically strenuous day-to-day tasks. That said, there’s been plenty to keep the pair busy, not least a change in management system to a fully-housed set up and taking four cuts of silage each year.

Clive began the switch from Holstein Friesian to Brown Swiss in 1989, predominantly because he wanted to improve milk quality. “I wanted to maximise milk constituents – butterfat and protein – due to quotas and because our milk buyer made cheese. So Brown Swiss seemed to fit the bill. We used Brown Swiss sires on the herd as well as buying in some heifers and cows, from Canada and Austria, and some embryos selected from top US cow families,” he explains.

High yields Today the herd comprises pure imported lines and it’s been 25 years since blackand-white sires have been used on the herd. And not only has Clive realised the high fat and proteins he desired, but milk yields are also extremely good.

Cows are currently averaging 38 litres a day, with 4.3% butterfat and 3.4% protein. Milk is sold to Dansco for mozzarella cheese production and in June 2015 the herd’s rolling average yield stood at 9,583kg at 3.95% butterfat and 3.55% protein.

“And we’re not done there. They should continue to rise and eventually – in a year or two – we’ll be looking at an average yield of between 11,000 and 12,000kg,” says Clive.

He has heifers coming into the herd that are producing impressive yields.

One gave 10,500kg in her first 305-day lactation, followed by 13,500kg in her second, and she’s currently giving 70kg a day, after calving in March. Clive says she’s on target to produce close to 15,000kg in 305 days.

The breed also offers good type. Clive says that they have great feet and legs: “But it’s their calving ease that really impresses me – the calves just seem to pop out and we have very few ‘downer’ cows due to milk fever – and this makes for a very smooth transition. We aim to have cows producing 45 litres within two weeks of calving and we’re regularly

Robotic system: cows are milked an average of 2.8 times a day – some as often as four

achieving that – most are closer to 50 litres a day.”

Some of this is down to breed, but Clive says that good dry cow management plays a role too – he feeds a carefully formulated ration of processed straw combined with a dry-cow blend and silage and minerals.

The mastitis rate for Brown Swiss is also typically low. In fact NMR data shows that the breed has the lowest average recorded cell count of all the breeds.

Clive sees just two or three cases of mastitis per year in the herd, with an average cell count of around 180,000 cells/ml.

Surplus stock With all these traits it’s little wonder that the breed is in demand and Clive sells some surplus stock, including at least six bulls, each year. “We used to do quite a lot of showing, but we’re cutting back on that now. That said, we are selling good quality heifers to other producers who are interested in showing. So our stock is still making an appearance in the show ring.”

He says that Brown Swiss have a tremendous will to milk. “They have really taken to the robotic milk system.

They are strong-willed animals and have good temperaments, but if you got in the way when they’re heading for the robot, they’d flatten you! So robotic milking suits them.”

His robots are programmed to milk individual cows no more than four times a day and the average number of milkings across the herd is 2.8 per day.

“We have heifers that are producing 40

litres a day through the robot, so the system is definitely helping to push up yields.”

And Clive is also feeding for more milk, working closely with his nutritionist Dorian Griffiths. Just 0.22kg of concentrate is fed per litre of milk produced. “I think that housing the cows all year round helps us to achieve that – it’s easier to feed a consistent ration and keep control of the cows’ diet,” he says.

Up to 12kg/day of an 18% crude protein concentrate is fed through the robots and the herd is also fed a semi-mixed ration comprising lucerne, caustic wheat, a blend, molasses and grass silage. “We feed different cuts of silage at different times to help produce a consistent diet. Cows crave consistency – so that’s exactly what we try to give them,” says Clive.

He adds that they have held a few farm walks since installing the robots. “People come, predominantly, to look at them in action. But they tend to go home talking about our cows – they’re always very impressed with the quality of our cattle and the yields that we’re achieving.

That’s testament to the fact that we now have time to focus on the cows – and the details. We can sort out any little niggles before they become big problems.

“It’s a pleasure looking after the herd again,” says Clive. “We’re excited about the future – there’s a lot to look forward to. And I can also spend some time extolling the virtues of Brown Swiss cattle to UK producers. When you’re as passionate about cows as I am, that’s the best job in the world.” l

COW MAN AG E ME N T

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OPEN DAY–FARM VISIT You are invited to visit Strandhead Farm in Tarbolton, Scotland on July 18th 2015.

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TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

Top team (from left to right): Martin Hornby, Richard Butler and Richard Stonehouse

Scheme helps to develop vital dairying skills and management confidence

Support for dairy wannabes In the second article in our series on training and development, we feature a producer and former Dairy Management Academy student. He tells us how he benefited from the two-year scheme and why he considers it a must for any young dairy enthusiast. text Rachael Porter

A

t just 31 years old, Richard Butler is exactly where he wants to be – at least for the foreseeable future. He’s a unit manager on a 350-cow organic unit, near Bideford in North Devon, and says that job satisfaction is at an all-time high for both him and the two full-time staff that help him to run the spring-calving New Zealand-style system.

So much responsibility and, indeed, success as such a young age is testament to Richard’s determination to ‘get his foot in the door’ in his mid 20s and to work hard to develop both his herd and business management skills and experience. His achievement is all the more remarkable because he’s not, strictly, from a farming background. His grandparents and uncle were dairy producers, but not his parents.

“And I didn’t study agriculture either – I left school and went into boat building for a while,” he says. “Then I went to Australia, and then subsequently New Zealand, and that’s where I caught the dairying bug.”

Within three months of taking a job

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on a 1,200-cow Kiwi unit, at Reporoa, he decided that he wanted a career in dairying. “After just six months I was assistant herd manager and I really enjoyed the responsibility and the satisfaction of ‘a job well done’ – and being rewarded for it.”

By this time Richard had also met his future wife, Karen, and for a while the couple toyed with the idea of staying in

Management skills: Richard measures grass cover regularly at the Bideford-based unit

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New Zealand. “I was offered sponsorship to stay out there. And there are so many opportunities for young would-be producers to get on the dairying ladder, including share-farming schemes, which are more limited in the UK. It’s possible to own a herd and, eventually, your own farm in New Zealand. That’s much more difficult to do in the UK.” But they decided to come back to the UK and ‘give it a shot’ here first. And that’s when he first heard about the Dairy Management Academy – a joint venture between LKL Services, Promar International and Genus. “Not only would it help me to develop some skills that I hadn’t picked up in New Zealand, but I also liked the idea of having LKL supporting me – its backing – while I looked for a position on a good dairy unit in the UK. I didn’t know anyone in the industry in the UK and sometimes it’s very much a case of ‘who’ you know as well as ‘what’ you know.”

Dairy Management Academy LKL Services, in partnership with Promar and Genus, launched the Dairy Management Academy in 2009 in response to dairy clients’ concerns about where the next generation of herd managers was going to come from.

Its remit is to take bright, young, British people, working on dairy units, and to turn them into the managers

of the future. The scheme has been such a success that there are now two intakes a year. Running at 60-head a year, student numbers are now four times what they were in 2009.

To find out more about the DMA, contact Henry Hare at henry.hare@lkl-services. co.uk or call 07531 335294 or Ian Lindsay at ian.lindsay@lkl-services.co.uk or call 07802596869.

Training scheme With the company’s help, he lined up a job on a Shropshire-based unit and also began the two-year training scheme.

“Within three months he’d been promoted to assistant herdsman and he stayed there for another three months, before taking a position on a unit that was just a stones throw from where he grew up near Bournemouth.

“My wife and I wanted to be closer to family and the 550-cow herd was also run using a spring-calving New Zealandstyle system. I was familiar with this set up and it’s also the way I prefer to manage cows.”

Again, within six months, Richard was promoted to herd manager, under dairy manager Clyde Jones. “All the time I continued with the DMA too, which not only focused on practical aspects of herd management, such as fertility, AI, foot trimming and nutrition, but also looks at the paperwork and red tape involved when running a business. It’s all encompassing and ranges across all types of dairy systems too,” explains Richard.

“That was important for me as I’ve always worked on more extensive, springcalving units. As was meeting other UK producers – be they fellow students also participating in the DMA or their wider circle of dairying peers.

“I really loved working there. I liked the way things were managed and I was able to make changes to improve things. But then I saw a position in Bideford, close to an area where I could pursue my other

passion of surfing, and I decided to put in an application.”

Richard stresses that without the going through the DMA he would have lacked the confidence to go for the job of farm manager.

“I was confident when it came to things like cow husbandry and grazing management, but the DMA gave me the additional skills I needed to have for a more senior role, such as staff management.”

Strong support He also chose to stay on an LKL Services contract. “I did have the option to go self employed or to be employed direct by the Bideford-based business. But, again, staying with LKL gives me a support network to fall back on. I know I can call them, or Promar or Genus, at anytime for help or advice. It’s worked very well for me so far, so why would I change it?”

So, where does Richard see himself in five years? “I can see myself staying here for a while. It’s a great unit with

a good team of people, including head herdsman Martin Hornby and assistant herdsman Richard Stonehouse. And there’s certainly enough of a challenge here to keep me motivated. I get a lot of job satisfaction.

“I have a young family now too, so it’s good to be settled. And lifestyle is also important. We’ve worked extremely long days for the past couple of months, with no time off, to get plans and protocols into place so that I can step back a little for a while – Karen is expecting our second baby in July. And you never know I may even get some time to go surfing. That was, after all, one of the reasons why we moved here.

“We certainly have no plans to go back to New Zealand – why would we when we have achieved so much more in the UK than we ever hoped we would. It seems that there are more opportunities here than we originally thought, particularly now there are schemes, like the DMA, to help young people to get a firm foothold on the dairying ladder.” l

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F E W

W O R D S

F R O M

R O G E R

E VA N S

Award-winning columnist and Shropshire-based producer Roger Evans tells us why he believes that if something’s worth doing then it’s worth doing well – or not at all.

Is this the low?

I

’m still worrying about volatility. Everyone is assuming that this is the low point of the cycle, but it could very easily be the high. The omens I see are not good. The end of quotas and lots of cows for sale (and lots of people buying them) – it’s not looking good at all. I can’t see what will happen to make things any better, anytime soon.

I used to think that I had a plan. I would try to cut my costs so that when things were really bad, we would break even. We’d make a bit of money when things were on the way up and we’d make a bit when things were on the way down. And we’d make a lot of money when things were good and put some of it aside to see us through the hard times. It’s hardly an original concept – squirrels do it every year. But we are all trying to cut costs now and it’s not easy, so how would we cope if things got even worse?

I once knew a man who probably had the answer to keeping costs low.

He farmed about 200 hectares, with beef and sheep and wheat, but he reckoned he could get everything he bought in one year onto one lorry (and lorries weren’t so big in those days). That would include feed, fertiliser, string, and just about anything you can think of. It wasn’t a strategic position he took, but a result of an inherent means that pervaded his whole life and character.

His only weakness was smoking. The man who kept the village shop used to split a packet of Woodbines for him and sell them one at a time, up to a maximum of three a day. There was a high cost to pay for his frugality. He could have a field of beautiful hay ready to bale, but if his baler broke down, and it usually did, he wouldn’t phone his dealer and pay his prices. Instead he would stand on the side of the road for hours, hoping to catch local mechanics on their way home. The hay would invariably spoil, but he seemed to be able to live with that.

It was easy to spot his two tractors because the exhausts were rusting and hanging on at an angle, as if they needed Viagra. If he called the vet out more than three times a year it would be a disaster. If you were an animal and had the misfortune to live there, you had a terrible life.

He always had two or three working dogs but never bought any dog food. His dogs lived on dead lambs and dead calves and, if there were none available, they would roam the village at night hoping someone would feed them. Which people mostly did. I don’t want to make you feel too sad reading this sorry tale.

To those of us who watched all this going on, it was a life of extreme hardship for both man and beast. I don’t think the man saw it like that, for him it was his way of life. The irony (there’s always an irony) was that when he died he left a lot of money. But what was the point of all that?

I know that I’ve quoted an extreme example, but if low milk prices dictate that we can’t farm and look after our animals properly then there would be no point in that either. Slowly, but surely, we would walk away, or be pushed away by our banks. The man in my example would survive volatility if he had been a dairy farmer, but do you want to live like that?

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C OWMANAGEMENT

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COMPETITION

Win two tickets to see England vs. Wales on September 26, 2015 CowManagement has pulled out all the stops to offer two lucky readers the chance to watch this great sporting event.

TIC

ENGLANKET vs.WATILCKEETD S D N A L G EN S vs.WALE

To enter visit the CowManagement stand (BM191) at the Livestock Event on July 8 and 9, at the NEC in Birmingham.

Just have your photo taken with one of our mascots and fill in an entry card.

You can also hand in your entry card at NMR’s stand at the following events: Royal Welsh Show: July 20 to 23, Llanelwedd, Powys UK Dairy Day: September 16, Telford, Shropshire

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BREEDING INFORMATION

Give InSire bulls a chance Many daughters of InSire bulls (genomically selected sires) are now starting to produce milk and it is

becoming clear that they live up to their promise. Their PLIs are considerably higher than those of daughter-proven sires, and they have been selected for the current breeding goals and are better geared to the requirements of today’s producers.

These sires may realise figures that are higher or lower than expected, but even when they disappoint, they will still be better than the average daughter-proven sire.

CRV believes that you will put your business at a disadvantage in future by not using InSire bulls.

Apina Norman (Uno x Ramos), £610 PLI, Better Life Health 5%, Efficiency 9% Bouw Rocky (Shamrock x Goli), £544 PLI, Better Life Health 6%, Efficiency 6%

MS Riverboy (Aikman x Planet), £535 PLI, Better Life Health 5%, Efficiency 11%

TalentScan CRV TalentScan reveals a lifetime of information, early in a calf’s life, by testing for its genetic ‘talents’. Using an advanced marker test, where a 10,000 chip is used, the scan shows results in the fields of production, conformation, feed efficiency, longevity, health and fertility, for both young stock and dairy cows.

These breeding values have the same reliability as third calver’s and means that the highest and lowest genetic merit animals can easily be identified. This helps producers to make the best breeding decisions, for the use of sexed semen for example, resulting in fewer ‘disappointing’ heifers and speeding up genetic progress. It’s possible to better manage the ‘talents’ inherent in your young stock or dairy cows.

For full details call CRV Avoncroft for free on 0800 7831880.

Optimal cows for robotic milking systems CRV has developed unique breeding values for Automatic Milking Systems (AMS) collated from data collected during a 13-year period from more than 55,000 cows in more than 700 herds in The Netherlands and Flanders.

The optimal cows for a robotic system: • are heifers that adjust quickly to the milking system • are active, frequent visitors to the robot • consistently achieve a successful milking • have an optimal milking speed • have good udder health.

AMS breeding values are: • AMS Efficiency (estimated heritability 0.23), which is the kilogrammes of milk produced per robot visit in minutes and can increase the number of cows milked per robot unit.

• AMS Interval (estimated heritability 0.08), which is the time between two consecutive successful milkings in minutes and can increase the number of milkings per cow.

• AMS Heifer Habituation (estimated heritability 0.07), which is how quickly heifers adapt to AMS. This means that producers spend less time handling heifers for milking.

Table 1: Current CRV Avoncroft sires that are suitable for AMS milking

milk efficiency Windstar Fidelity Enigma Hunter Kodak

108 104 104 102 102

milk interval Fidelity Cherokee Enigma Jeroen Kodak

116 115 113 113 111

heifer habituation Franklin Wanted Atlantic Banker Jeroen

106 104 102 101 100

COW MAN AG E ME N T

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G O L D

C U P

Six herds line up for a chance to shine in national competition final

Britain’s got dairy talent Six dairy units have made it into the final of this year’s NMR/ RABDF Gold Cup competition. They will be judged by a panel that will visit each of the herds ahead of the winner announcement at the Livestock Event in July. text Karen Wright

T

he NMR/RABDF Gold Cup competition judges – RABDF chairman, former Gold Cup winner and Lancashire-based producer Ian Macalpine; NMR board member and Isle of Anglesey-based producer Trevor Lloyd; and 2012 Gold Cup winner from Worcestershire, Mike Miller – are busy reviewing this year’s line up of impressive finalists. They’ll be looking at each dairy business as

a whole, with a particular focus on their commitment to the industry and resource management as milk price volatility continues.

The winner of the 2015 NMR/RABDF Gold Cup and the runner-up, who receives the NMR Silver Salver, will be announced at 4.30pm on the NMR stand at the Livestock Event, at the NEC in Birmingham on Wednesday July 8.

Want to find out more about each of this year’s finalists? Read a full report on NMR’s website, at www.nmr.co.uk, and see who you think should win the coveted title in 2015.

Brian Yates & family, East Logan, Castle Douglas This is the second time that Brian Yates has entered his 277-cow herd, which he manages with help from wife Sheila, son

Michael and daughter Anna, as well as herdsman Trevor Hough and Leslie Craik. The pedigree Logan herd also

Michael and Brian Yates

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qualified in 2014. It is attention to detail that has paved the herd’s way to success.

Housed all year round and fed a TMR, the herd’s average production, for the year ending September 2014, was 11,707kg at 3.97% fat and 3.13% protein, with 109,000 cells/ml on three-times-a-day milking.

Impressive yields are fuelled by the Yates’ use of the Keenan Pace system, which Brian says produces a consistent ration and also allows him to benchmark the performance of his herd. “It is monitored on a daily basis and changes can be implemented on farm and, if required, remotely,” he explains. Feed conversion efficiency stands at 1.63 litres per kilogramme of feed – the Scottish average stands at 1.34.

The herd calves all year round and the in-calf rate 100 days post calving stands at an impressive 65%, with just 3.6% of cows not in calf by 200 days.

“It’s the little tweaks, here and there, that make the difference. There’s rarely one thing that good health or fertility hinges on,” he says, adding that he is a great believer that things can always be improved.

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Fergus McDowall, Kirkcudbright, Galloway This is the first time that Fergus McDowall has entered his 850-cow herd, which is based at Rerrick Park and managed with help from a team of 16 staff.

Creating a sustainable farming future for his family is at the heart of everything that Fergus does. The original family unit was ‘standing still’ with 180 cows and no space for expansion. So, in 2010,

Fergus McDowall

the McDowall’s took a huge step and invested in a new greenfield site. “The plan was to expand to 400 cows, but the business went from strength to strength, which gave us the confidence to grow to the size we are today,” explains Fergus.

And he’s not finished there. Plans are in place to expand the herd further, with the construction of a 200-place cow house set to begin later this year, which will swell herd size to 1,050 milkers.

“The 24:48 swing-over parlour will be running for 20 hours a day – just about taking us up to full capacity,” he says.

“We’re going to mirror the facilities that we already have – they suit our herd and system really well,” he adds.

Mastitis incidence is low – just 7.5% in 2014, which was only 56 cases in the herd. And this is, in part, due to the sand-bedded cubicles and the comprehensive parlour routine, which includes pre-washing with a brush.

Production stands at 10,445kg of milk at 3.9% fat and 3.29% protein on threetimes-a-day milking.

Arthur Palmer, Norbury, Staffordshire Arthur Palmer runs his herd with what he describes as a simple and uncomplicated dairy system. His aim for the 400-cow herd is to maximise yields and milk from forage above the current 4,000 litres.

The block calving system makes use Arthur Palmer and Sally Lea

of extensive grazing to achieve average yields of more than 10,000kg.

“We want a simple system to help keep costs to a minimum. Block calving allows us to focus our management efforts and make full use of grazing and labour. We run an intensive system in

the winter and a New Zealand-style system in the spring.”

Up until 2006 this herd was 100% Holstein, but Arthur wanted cows better suited to his simple, grazing-based system. So now the herd is 30% crossbred and increasing to 100%, using Norwegian Red sires followed by Fleckviehs.

Calf rearing is a priority and is managed

by Sally Lea. She looks for good growth rates so the young heifers can be turned out at five or six months old. They are not housed again until they join the milking herd.

Arthur has invested in more than two miles of sleeper tracks so cows can get to the grazing easily. “We measure the grass weekly with a plate meter to calculate a grazing wedge. And we’re also committed to regular reseeding with modern high sugar grass mixtures.

New reseeds typically produce an extra two litres per cow per day compared to old leys.”

The system is delivering the goods. In the year to September 2014, this twice-aday milked herd averaged 10,063kg of milk at 4.02% fat and 3.26% protein, with a SCC of 171,000cells/ml.

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Metcalfe family, Leyburn, North Yorkshire Metcalfe Farms is a family partnership, run by brothers David, Brian and Philip, with retired parents John and Thora and

help from a team of 20 staff. The 900cow herd is milked three times a day through the unit’s 32:32 rapid-exit parlour, which runs for 20 hours each day.

The herd has been expanding for the past four years, almost doubling from 550 head using a mixture of bought-in and home-bred replacements. Housed all year round and fed a TMR, the herd’s average production, for the year ending September 2014, was 10,926kg of milk at 3.58% fat and 3.14% protein, with a Philip Metcalfe

somatic cell count of 196,000cells/ml.

The next big step for the business, according to Philip, is installing a new rotary parlour – a 72-point Boumatic.

“This will allow us to increase numbers by 300 or 400 cows.”

The business has also invested in training and developing staff.

“We’re building a skilled team using local people,” explains Philip. “Fulltime staff members are allocated key responsibilities, such as ‘calf feeding’ or ‘fertility’.

“After considerable expansion, we’re now looking at a period of fine tuning.”

Neil Baker, Haselbury Plucknett, Somerset Having been a finalist an impressive three times, it’s possible to follow Neil Baker’s business progression in detail. In 2014 he said he was planning to increase herd size, boost milk yields and improve herd health, mastitis and fertility.

And today the family-owned Rushywood

Farm now extends to 692 hectares, with herd size growing by 520 head during the past year to 1,800 cows. With 55% of the herd being heifers, yields are currently running at more than 11,000 litres sold.

“Our business strategy is to broadly follow what our family has been doing for the past four generations,” says Mr Baker.

“This is to care for our animals in the very best way so they produce high yields at low costs, and so that we can invest in people, facilities and further expansion.”

Milking three times a day and with a qualifying average production of 11,772kg Neil Baker

at 3.62% fat and 3.25% protein, Neil monitors mastitis case rates monthly. He uses cell count data to identify problem cows and cluster dips after those cows have been milked. “Any cow with two cases in a lactation is culled.”

Priority is placed on staff training and coaching.

Neil says that he sees a bright future for forward-thinking businesses ready to take on the world market. “That is why we joined Arla in 2014, to take advantage of the future global demand. I strongly believe that our industry needs to cooperate more, and Arla’s access to international markets is unique among UK milk buyers.”

Messrs Harvey, Beeswing, Dumfries For the second year running the Harvey family are through to the final. Brothers John and Stuart, with their mother Margaret, run the 208-hectare unit that supports a pedigree Holstein herd of 322 cows and 340 youngstock. A ‘hands-on’

family, one of them is always part of the three-times-a-day milking team. Other responsibilities are allocated to each family member, assisted by a team of five general farm workers.

Herd size has remained static for the past two years after a period of rapid expansion. In the year ending January 2015, 3.7 million litres of milk were sold to local buyer Lactalis from the all-yearround calving herd.

The Harveys pay particular attention to cow health with a policy of minimising risk. This starts with breeding strong cows with good width and sound feet Stuart, Margaret and John Harvey

26

that are suited to the high production system. High yields placed them at the top of NMR’s annual production report for the year ending September 2014, logging 12,252kg of milk and a recordbreaking 903kg of fat and protein.

“We aim to minimise the risk of disease,” says John, who follows a careful vaccination programme for BVD, IBR and leptospirosis and incorporates blood testing and strict calving and colostrum protocols into a Johne’s control plan.

Calves are vaccinated against coccidiosis and pneumonia.

“It’s vital that we get them off to the very best possible start and protect our investment,” he adds.

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EXPERTS IN BARN TECHNOLOGY AND DAIRY COW COMFORT

Etscheid Milk Pasteurizer By the pasteurization of the milk over 95% of the pathogenic germs are killed.

Dangerous pathogens such as E coli, staphylococci, enterococci, etc. are reliably killed with this method. The milk protein is denatured only slightly, the vitamins are preserved almost completely.

Pasteurizing the milk is thus an effective method to utilize the milk of cows with udder problems in calf breeding, without causing an increased risk from diarrhoea. This also allows the use of non-marketable milk as a valuable feed for calves. Features: • Agitator permanently mounted on the lid • Thermostatically controlled heater 8,4 kW • Outlet disc valve NW 50 • Control board with electronic thermostat • Controls with pasteurizer program and keeping warm program • Delayed start of the program possible • Sensor sits in the milk • Digital display of the milk temperature • Heating and cooling possible

Cal Drench Plus • Prevents calcium deficiency during calving • Contains vitamin B complex, which stimulates the appetite • Quick and secure application with the drench method • No irritation of the oral cavity or the esophagus Cal Drench Plus contains food grade calcium, propylene glycol, and B-vitamins.

The calcium replenishes blood calcium that is lost at calving, propylene glycol provides an energy boost, and B-vitamins stimulate the appetite.

Vicky Huelin, Freedom Farms, Jersey “It’s literally been a life saver for us. So much quicker and less damaging than an injectable, and has the B12, and other goodies. We use it at any time of stress or illness as a support to the cow as well as peace of mind for us. Our breed society want some to give to cattle who are being exported, as a safeguard for the ferry and road journey.”

Vicky Huelin

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L I V E S T O C K

E V E N T

S P E C I A L

Robotic exhibit: popular milking system is compatible with grazing herds. Page 30 What’s new? We preview some of the product and service launches at this year’s show. Page 32

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L I V E S T O C K

E V E N T

S P E C I A L

Is automatic milking suitable for ‘grazed’ herds?

Can robotic systems fit all?

The award-winning live robotic milking and feeding demonstration is returning to the Livestock Event and one of the most common questions asked by visitors to the exhibit in 2014 was: can I still graze my herd? The answer is ‘yes’. text Rachael Porter

F

reeing up time to improve other areas of herd management and reducing labour costs are the obvious benefits of installing an automated milking system. But some producers are put off because they believe that installing robots inevitably means that cows have to be housed all year round. But that’s simply not true, according to Lely’s Bas van Santen.

“Grazing and robots can, and do,

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go together. In fact 95% of the robotic installations in Ireland are on springcalving, grazing-based units.”

In 2014 more than 50% of visitors to the two-day show came to view the demonstration and robotic systems now account for more than a third of new parlour installations. The market share is set to increase, as business struggle to find time and labour to manage and milk increasingly larger herds.

JULY 8 & 9 That said some producers still believe that an automatic milking system (AMS) and grazing just don’t go together.

“It was a common misconception that came across at the 2014 event, when we spoke to producers who visited the exhibit. Many said that they’d dismissed the idea of robotic milking because they didn’t want to house their cows all year round,” says Mr van Santen.

He says that key to successful grazing with an AMS is good cow tracks.

“Providing you’re not asking the cow to walk more than 1,500 metres to grazing and back and you have hoof-friendly walk ways, she will come to the robot at least twice a day to be milked – usually more frequently.”

Mr van Santen refers to one unit where cows walk 1.8km between grazing and

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Charlie Hughes

the automatic milking set up. “It does require some additional investment in tracks but they should be there anyway, even with a conventional parlour, to allow the cows to travel to and from grazing easily and with minimal stress on their feet.

“And ideally the robotic milking system should be located at the centre of the unit, with access to grazing areas all around it. But even when this is not possible, the system works well if it’s designed to suit the farm’s shape and topography.”

Grazing success Producer Charlie Hughes, based at South View Farm near Pulborough in Sussex, uses two Lely A4 robots to milk his 90cow herd. The cows are strip grazed during the summer and are currently averaging around 10,000kg of milk – a yield that’s up from 8,500kg before the switch to an automated milking system.

“The cows visit the robots 3.6 times a day, on average. That’s both during the summer, when they’re outside, and during the winter,” he says.

He installed the robots in 2013 and admits that he was concerned about whether they’d suit his conventional summer-grazing system – his target is 3,000 litres from forage. “So I visited some units where grazing cows were being milked successfully with robots.

That was enough to convince me to give it a go and I haven’t looked back since.”

Installing the robots did require some cow house alterations and he also invested in a new cow track that leads from the end of the cowshed, through a Grazeway ‘grazing gate’, and down to the unit’s strip grazed pasture.

“It does require a little extra attention at the beginning of the grazing season, while the cows adjust to the new routine, but they soon get the hang of it,” he explains.

Fresh grazing is offered twice a day. At 7.00 am all the cows are brought inside

Popular exhibit: More than half of all visitors in 2014 came to view the Lely demonstration

and the fencing is moved. The ‘gate’ is then opened to cows, once they’ve been through the robot. “It sounds complicated, but the routing system is easy to manage – the robot does it for us.

It’s all pre programmed.”

In the evening, only cows that are pregnant or are in mid-to-late lactation can go back out to grazing over night.

Early lactation cows and heifers remain inside and are fed a buffer ration. “They do try their luck, but the routing system is excellent. They go through the robot and it diverts them back into the cow house and not through the grazing gate.”

Charlie says that he works closely with his nutritionist and Lely’s Jon Eldridge for guidance on feeding and managing the herd through the system.

He adds that the cost savings – and not just in time and labour – have been significant. “The herd can be run as one group, I’m not stuck in the parlour for upwards of six hours a day, and everything is computerised. And I still get to maximise milk yield from grazed grass.”

Continuing research Robots provide 30 extra working hours per week and now, Charlie says, he has also has time for life outside the farm: “Not only does this system free up time to focus on other aspects of herd management, such as health and fertility and the ice-cream making and milk bottling side of my business, but I also have time to take my daughter for her weekly swimming lesson. I really do feel as if I have the best of all worlds,” he adds.

Research into using robots with grazing systems is on going in the Netherlands.

“We’re constantly looking at fine-tuning this aspect of robotic milking and designing protocols on how to best set up these systems on grazing units,” says Bas van Santen.

“We’re looking at, among other things, at the optimum time to change the gates over to allow access to fresh pasture, for example.”

More than 50% of robots in the Netherlands are on unit’s that manage their herd on a grazing-based system. “It works because many milking set ups are located pretty centrally, to allow access to the grazing around the robots. Anwd, again, good tracks are integral to their success,” explains Mr van Santen.

The company has also developed a tool to calculate the payback period for a robotic milking system. This was driven by the number of producers who came to the stand in 2014 and asked how long it would take to recoup their investment.

“It’s a tough question to answer. Every unit is different and it’s about more than just the extra yield that robotic milking can produce – the typical increase is around 17% on a 12-month rolling average.”

Reduced labour and vet costs, improved udder health and milk quality, and greater feed efficiency are just some of the other benefits that have to be costed out and factored into the calculation.

“So if producers want to know more about the economic benefits and return on investment of automated milking, they should come and talk it through with us at the event,” adds Mr van Santen. l

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L I V E S T O C K

E V E N T

S P E C I A L

More than 450 companies will be showcasing their latest inventions and innovations

What’s new?

With the Livestock Event, organised by the RABDF, just weeks away, companies are preparing to launch new products and services. Huge crowds are expected, so we look at some of the exhibits that are worth seeking out at the two-day show.

Free tickets When: July 8 and 9, 2015 Where: NEC, Birmingham Free tickets: To help attract producers who have been hit by huge price drops in recent months, a free ticket to the show has been sent to every dairy farm in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Get your tickets online at www.livestockevent.co.uk

JULY 8 & 9

text Ben Pike

Designed to maximise cow comfort Wilson Agri says it has designed a cubicle system that reduces injuries caused by cows leaning and rubbing against steel when lying down.

It is either post or floor mounted while supports and brackets are all made from galvanized steel. But the difference with the Cowcoon is that the bottom of the stall loop is replaced by a polyethylene tube.

It has been designed to maximise cow

comfort and to increases cow lying times, which in turn should boost milk yields.

The absence of steel will also reduce swellings and injuries and lameness, according to the company. It has trialled the product for the past two years and has now installed them on 11 farms in the UK. It retails at between £59 and £83 per cubicle, depending on specification.

Simple SCC solution Simplicity is the basis for the most successful products and Dairy Quality Technology’s RT10 has it in spades.

The gadget clips on to an iPhone or iPod and uses the Apple camera to read a small bulk milk sample, in order to identify the somatic cell count (SCC) and the principle

pathogen – all within 40 seconds. This task would usually take 48 hours.

The robust piece of technology can sample individual cows and the results can be recorded to build up a history of infection in that animal, which can then be downloaded.

It costs £1,400 (plus VAT) for the RT10, 72 sample cards, carry case and delivery.

Cost-effective milk feeding Why spend thousands of pounds on a warm-milk calf feeder when you can get the same thing for less than £400?

That’s the message from producers Gill and Alan Dickson, and their son James, who have developed the Heatwave Milkwarmer, which costs just £385. Multiple feeds per day deliver strong, robust and healthy calves. “Feeding between 900g and

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1,000g of milk solids per day during the first 70 days of life also programmes the calf to become more efficient for the rest of its productive life,” says Alan.

The feeder allows producers to prepare a bulk reservoir of cold milk once a day.

This is heated just before being delivered to the teat, offering the calf access warm milk several times a day. Each system feeds 30 calves.

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New technology – at a glance Hoofcount Excel is being exhibited by its designer Antony Marsh. The automated footbath builds on the success of its predecessor, which was launched three years ago but offers producers a longer, 3.7m, length to ensure each hoof enters the footbath at least twice.

Rosensteiner is launching its Red 5 vertical crush and Red Q hoof-trimming crush. The Red 5 has electrical front and rear leg-lifting winches while the Red Q

is aimed at professional hoof trimmers on the move.

Ecohoof says that its preventative Blue Clay Shoes product could reduce Formalin use on farms.

The paint-on clay applied after trimming acts as a barrier to infection by forming a poultice, which dries in around 10 minutes.

It naturally flakes off within 12 hours, but the company says that it continues

to protect delicate areas of the hoof.

Another alternative to formalin has been produced by G Shepherd Animal Health. Targeting digital dermatitis, TK Everyday contains a blend of organic acids as powerful disinfectants and a surfactant, which helps to increase the cleansing effect of footbathing. With 200 litres costing £500 and 1,000 litres costing £1,950, it has a cost-per-cow similar to formalin.

be used in the final month of the dry period.

The company says that the product contains a full range of essential amino acid representing a similar profile to microbial protein, feeding the cow, and the growing calf. It also claims to regenerate udder tissue and the digestive tract.

Early calf management is also being targeted by Trouw with its Lifestart best practice concept.

The company says that only the correct combination of management skills and milk replacer will achieve the programme’s objectives of enhanced growth and healthier calves, and that it will only be branding products with the Lifestart logo if they have proven to meet set criteria.

The company’s ruminant specialist Georgina Thomas said: “The concept is about more than growth. It is about making the full use of the potential the calf has, but nurturing them so they

achieve higher growth rates in a healthy way.”

The programme focuses on the preweaning period and is based on five key areas of cleanliness, colostrum, comfort, calorie intake and feeding consistency.

Focus on calf nutrition Some of the world’s leading animal nutrition companies are targeting youngstock in their next wave of product launches.

A calf and heifer-rearing programme, which sets targets based on an accurate assessment of individual units, is being launched by Cargill.

The Nurture Calf and Heifer Programme is designed to help producers rear young dairy stock to calve at 24 months old – a target recognised as the most costefficient for most dairy units.

The programme focuses on colostrum feeding, pre weaning, post weaning, grower, puberty, pregnancy and ‘close to calving’.

Each of these phases sets out feeding and management guidelines and possible targets to promote a consistent growth rate from birth to 24 months old.

Alltech’s Rumagen protein is designed to provide balanced nutrition and improvement in fibre digestion and can

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F E E D I N G

The ability to adapt quickly to change is a must for modern dairying systems

Four ‘reasons’ in one day Managing cows that yield 40 litres on a grass-based system may seem like a thing of the past, but a herd in County Antrim is showing how grazing high yielding cows is possible and allows costs to be controlled – essential with milk prices so low. text Allison Matthews

T

he nutritional value of grass is often beyond producers’ control and with the current average growth at 65kg dry matter per hectare, the seasonal averages are not being met.

At Cafre (Greenmount Campus), where theory is put into practice, dairy technologist Alastair Boyle explains that there is no blueprint to follow this year.

“In May the Greenmount Future herd would usually achieve maintenance plus 25 litres. But, unfortunately, this year is proving to be a challenge and currently cows are in two groups; full- and a parttime grazing.

“At the moment a total of 94 autumn calving cows are at grass full time, producing a daily average of 27 litres per cow. The high yielding portion of this group has settled at 41 litres after being turned out for half days on April 9. Both batches are grazed together and the high yielding cows are automatically drafted out after evening milking and given access to a TMR. Daily dry matter intakes for this group can reach 25kg per cow per day,” explains Dr Boyle.

Realistic feeding With an estimated value of £60 per tonne, when conditions are suitable, grass can provide the cheapest form of utilisable dry matter. With the current poor milk price there is a great temptation to recoup margins during the summer months and Thompsons’ dairy specialist Mary-Jane Robinson explains how this can be achieved.

“Calculating potential milk supply from

36

Mary-Jane Robinson: “Intakes must be managed or cow health and condition will not be maintained”

grass needs to be adjusted accordingly given grazing conditions. Overestimating milk from grass will lead to a depletion of body reserves and result in a drop in body condition. Realistic feeding according to the stage of lactation and grass capabilities will be vital if longterm profits are to be made.”

Flexible forage Alastair Boyle says that adapting to daily – and sometimes hourly – changes in the suitability of the grazing conditions is what gives the herd the opportunity to make the most of the season. “Flexibility in grazing management has been crucial, both in terms of good field access to minimise poaching and in using additional temporary fences.

Adaptability has also been important in terms of taking decisions based on ground and weather conditions, which include when to house and whether to

C V CO EOEW W TM EMEA ALN N TA AJG GAEENM MUEEAN NRTTI SJ1 U E/ PN 2 TE2 E/ M 0J 0 UB9LE YR 22 00 10 59

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Full-time grazing: it can be difficult, but it’s achievable

The CAFRE team (from left to right): Alastair Boyle, dairying technologist; Jim Fulton, assistant farm manager; and Philip Higginson, dairy herdsman

feed additional blend or silage. “All cows are fed to yield in the milking parlour using herd management software. Cows and heifers grazing full time are fed for maintenance plus 20 litres and 17 litres respectively. This reflects the current weather and grazing conditions.

Normally in good conditions during May and June these figures would be higher to maximise milk from grass. The supplementation rate is set at 0.45kg of concentrate per litre of milk above maintenance,” adds Dr Boyle.

Grass rotation Across the country heavy rainfall has altered turn-out plans as stocking rates have been reduced from five to four cows per hectare to avoid poaching and minimise sward damage. Mary-Jane Robinson explains that using the ‘three-leaf system’ to assess grass cover can be an effective way of maximising milk production and quality during the summer months. “This system uses the emergence of ryegrass leaves to estimate both plant productivity and maturity.

Before grazing, the ryegrass should ideally have at least two and a half fresh leaves, which would indicate an availability of 2,800kg of dry matter per Table 1: Future Herd 12-month rolling average performance data

average performance data milk yield (litres/cow) milk from forage (litres/cow) milk solids (kg/cow) concentrates (kg/cow) concentrates/litre (kg/litre) butterfat (%) protein (%)

8,986 3,026 672 2,682 0.30 4.17 3.30

hectare with an optimum residual cover of 1,500kg of dry matter – up to 5cm high.

“This should give a rotation time frame of no more than 20 days in early spring and up to 25 days as the season progresses. If the opening cover exceeds 3000kg/ha wastage can be increased and it might prove more beneficial to take that ground out of rotation and round bale it to maintain an ideal grazing wedge. Analysed grass is showing a dry matter level of 14.7%, which has a significant impact on the physical amount of grass the cow has to consume.

When dry matter falls to lower than expected levels – below 18% reduces intakes by 0.34kg per 1% drop in dry matter – the situation must be managed to ensure that cow health and condition is not affected,” warns Miss Robinson.

Greenmount is aiming for a target of 4,000 litres from forage and monitors grass cover weekly to ensure this is achieved. “By walking all the paddocks across the grazing platform every week we have the data available to enter into our grazing management programme.

We want to ensure that cows graze high quality grass, so this routine aids our herd management decisions.

“With pre-grazing covers up to 3,000kg of dry matter per hectare, maintenanceplus settings are assessed and adjusted accordingly, based on sward quality, grazing conditions and cow body condition score,” adds Dr Boyle.

The management of cows at grass is difficult but achievable. By monitoring body condition scores and fertility producers can ensure that there is not a negative knock on effect to winter performance,” concludes Miss Robinson. l

CCOOWWMMAANNAAGGEEMMEENNTT SJ EUPNT EE /MJ B U EL R Y 22 00 01 95

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DAIRY MANAGEMENT NEWS

Rewarding good Johne’s practice A new competition will name its first winner in July – a producer who has, during the past 12 months, shown a particularly proactive approach to best practice Johne’s management in their herd.

Run by NMR, the annual Herdwise Competition is open to all NMR customers who use the CHeCS accredited quarterly milk screening service HerdWise. “We use the sample collected through milk recording to identify any infected cows,” says the company’s development manager Nicola Hares. “The results are an essential first stage for producers and their vets in their Johne’s management programme. The Herdwise award highlights herds that have adopted a comprehensive management strategy specific to its requirements.”

“Demonstrating good practice through these award winners and finalists will raise awareness of Johne’s disease and show that, with producer commitment and good veterinary support, Johne’s can be managed practically and effectively on farm,” adds NMR vet Karen Bond, who judged the four finalists selected from 55 strong entries along with Chairman of the National

AYR Event

Johne’s Action Group, Lyndon Edwards.

The finalists are Tom & Karen Halton from Cheshire, Tim & Louise Downes from Shropshire, Robert & Bryony Symms from Dorset and Adams and Dunford LLP from Somerset.

“Narrowing the field down to four was very challenging, but it was also encouraging to see a lot of producers proactively tackling Johne’s and being prepared to demonstrate their efforts.”

The winner, who will receive a trophy and £500 worth of Herdwise vouchers plus a luxury hamper, will be announced at the Livestock Event on Wednesday July 8, at 12 noon on the NMR stand.

NMR hosts European partners European milk recording organisations and researchers involved in the OptiMIR project have recently had an insight into the recording system here in the UK, courtesy of NMR. “The OptiMIR project aims to generate new management tools for dairy producers based on information gathered from the milk recording samples,” says Vicky Hicks, who coordinates NMR’s involvement in the OptiMIR.

“We can learn from services and systems in other key milk production countries and bring developments that will help our producers here in the UK.” So far, the project has enabled the prediction of individual cow fatty acids. It is also researching methods of detecting ketosis, pregnancy, Beta Hydroxybutyrates (BHBs) and methane emissions – all using mid-infrared technology.

“For years we’ve been using midinfrared data to measure butterfat and protein. But using the method to calculate other useful health and performance outputs is a really exciting development for our dairy industry,” she adds.

Delegates also visited NMR Chairman Philip Kirkham’s dairy unit, based near Solihull.

Newton Stewart-based producer Andrew McKay is hosting a farm walk, on behalf of NMR, on Friday July 3 starting at 10.30am.

Producers are invited to find out how Andrew uses mySilent Herdsman Health Alert to avert cow or herd problems in the early stages and before they have an effect on performance.

Please contact Alana Couser on acousar@silentherdsman.com or call 0141 255 2930 to register.

Spring high flyers The top three NMR-recorded 100-tonne production cows for March and April ranked on lifetime daily yield are: 1. Chalclyffe Shottle C Golden VG86 with an LDY of 36.74kg/ day. She has yielded 116,663kg in seven lactations. From JF Cobb and Sons, Dorset.

2. Boyesland Shottle Sonia with an LDY of 32.68kg/day. She has yielded 102,585kg of milk in six lactations and is from IJ & JM Deacon, Lancs.

3. Mansfield Posh Deborah, with an LDY of 29.53kg/day. She has yielded 104,798kg of milk in seven lactations and is from DRR & ME Strang, Dorset.

Gold Cup 2015 The winner and runner up of the NMR RABDF Gold Cup 2015 and the Chris May Memorial award will be announced at the Livestock Event, NEC, on Wednesday July 8, at 4.30pm on the NMR stand. This will be followed by NMR’s annual drinks reception.

For more information on NMR products and services contact customer services, 03330 043 043, NMR web address: www.nmr.co.uk, NMR email address: customerservices@nmr.co.uk COW MA NAG E ME N T

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S E R I E S

Sound type is key to pedigree herd’s high output

LON GE V Insight

in performance and genetic capacity

Balanced breeding boosts milk yield

HERD

MANAGEMENT Improve by applying solutions

Plan

progress in performance and genetic capacity

HEAL TH

IENCY FIC EF

ION CT DU

Y IT

PR O

BREEDING WITH A PURPOSE

F E RTILIT Y

We continue our look at CRV’s Result Navigator and the second Every producer sets goals for his farm. These goals may differ, but the herd is always at the heart of the business. In this six-part series we set out to help you to improve your herd. Our second article focuses on breeding to maximise total milk production.

Part 1: Introduction Part 2: Production Part 3: Efficiency Part 4: Fertility Part 5: Longevity Part 6: Health

article in our series focuses on the importance of production.

We spoke to a leading pedigree producer to find out more about his breeding goals and how he achieves them. text Rachael Porter

H

igh production is key to the success of Fred and Mark Houseman’s North Yorkshire-based 350-cow herd. And they have been using CRV sires for the past 20 years to help them achieve their goal of breeding heifers and cows that produce plenty of milk across several lactations.

“There’s a pre-conception that high production herds are only interested in milk – not type. But the two very much come hand in hand,” says Mark. “You can’t have a cow that achieves good yields, and a high lifetime daily yield, if she’s not built to last. So type is also important.

“I think the Dutch were among the first to recognise this and their sires produce daughters that are well suited to our management system, set up and breeding and production goals,” he adds.

The Senterprise pedigree herd, which he runs with his father, Fred, at Burton

Top Farm near Harrogate, is a mixture of black-and-white and red-and-white Holsteins. The cows are housed all year round and fed a TMR to provide maintenance plus 35 litres: “Although we have eased back a bit at the moment, due to the low milk price. When things pick up, however, we will be set to ‘fly’ again.”

Yield potential Mark explains that any extra milk that’s produced above his contracted litreage is classed as ‘B’ quota by his milk buyer – Payne’s Dairies – and he only receives 11.5ppl for that. “So we’re not really pushing them to maximise their yield potential at the moment, it’s not worth putting health and fertility under pressure for that price.”

The herd is currently averaging 31 litres per cow per day – that’s a herd average of 9,850 litres at 4.20% butterfat and 3.46% protein, with a SCC of 114,000 cells/ml and a Bactoscan on 19.

“That’s an impressive yield and we’re

not pushing them hard to produce it.

Genetics plays a huge role here.”

Dutch sires suit Mark’s system because they produce ‘balanced’ daughters that last for several lactations and also milk well. The herd average is currently four lactations and rising, but there are many cows that are now milking having calved eight times. “The cows and heifers that we have bred during the past two decades are, in my view, well suited Mark Houseman: “I want to see rows of balanced and uniform cows”

Table 1: CRV’s Result Navigator production sires

42

name

InSire/proven

sire x mat. grandsire

milk

fat kg

prot kg

fat%

protein%

PLI

Apina Norman Bouw Rocky MS Riverboy RF Texel Beauty Debutant-Red Vero Anchorman Vekis Chevrolet Delta Jonas Delta G-Force Vero Startrek D’n Driehoek Nilson Vero Pianoman

InSire InSire InSire InSire InSire InSire InSire proven bull InSire InSire InSire

Uno x Ramos Shamrock x Goli Aikman x Planet Dakker x Super Hunter x Goli Freddie x Planet Chevrolet x Niagra Man-O-Man x Jordan Snowfever x Planet G-Force x Boxer Mogul x Planet

+389 +542 +543 +570 +574 +782 +286 +314 +515 +244 +586

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Eye-catching heifers: Mark is extremely pleased with his latest batch of Atlantic, Cricket and Fidelity daughters

to the housed system,” he says. “They’re not too big, they have good health and fertility traits and they’re not ‘extreme’ in any way.

I want to look down a row of cows and heifers and see uniformity – I don’t want any ‘stand out’ cows.”

That’s not to say that Mark’s cows don’t catch the eye. They have good feet and legs and udders and plenty of body capacity, without too much height.

“And they also offer plenty of milk. We know that, when we want them to, we can put our foot on the gas and the cows will milk and not just put on body condition.”

Sexed semen The herd moved to a new unit, built on a greenfield site, in 2009 and is fed a TMR that comprises both maize and grass silage, soya, rape, pot ale syrup and sugarbeet pulp.

Mark began using CRV’s Sirematch programme 20 years ago. “Back then it was all about corrective mating, but today I just pick the middle-of-the-road

cows and breed replacements from just those cattle.”

He uses SiryX sexed semen on all heifers and the top cows in the milking herd – about 15 a month for this all-year-round calving herd. And Belgian Blue semen is used to AI the lower genetic merit animals.

“I use Silent Herdsman to aid heat detection and, to maintain a level milk supply to fulfil my buyer’s contract, I also try to calve at least 10 heifers a month.”

The herd has expanded during the seven years, from 180 head to today’s 350, using home-bred replacements.

During that time they have also sold a lot of heifers. The average age at first insemination for heifers is 15 months and the average age at first calving is between 26 and 27 months When selecting sexed semen to use on his herd, Mark looks first at PLI and also keeps a close eye on fertility scores.

Mark tends to avoid anything below £450PLI. Fertility must be, ideally, at least +3. As for kilogrammes of milk, he

looks for between +200 and +300, with good fat and protein. “I have selected for more milk than that, but I don’t do it too often because, like I said, I really want to avoid any sires that are too extreme.”

Uniform daughters Bulls currently in his AI flask include: Vero Pianoman and Vero Crown for use on cows. And he’s been using Apina Norman on his heifers.

“They are all good, solid ‘all rounders’ that will produce the balanced and uniform daughters – with plenty of milk – that I’m looking for. I like to look along a line of my cows and for them all to look the same.

“I get a lot of satisfaction from that and it also makes management easier if the cows are all very similar, in both type and production.”

He adds that he has 42 Delta Atlantic heifers on the ground that he’s particularly pleased with, as well as 21 Cricket daughters and 34 by Fidelity: “Now those really have to be seen to be believed – they’re great heifers.” l

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BUSINESS UPDATE MILK

Low demand and increasing supply reduces milk cheques

Price squeeze continues Milk price has continued to fall – despite hopes and predictions that by this point in 2015 things would be on the up. So what are the factors that are keeping farm-gate prices low?

text Rachael Porter

O

ver supply – that’s the big factor behind the continued milk price ‘depression’ and the current eight-year low. So says the Farm Consultancy Group’s Charles Holt. Both stocks and production of milk are high in all the major milk producing and dairy consuming areas of the world.

“Stocks in China, in particular, are higher than speculators thought there were a few weeks ago. So China’s demand for dairy produce hasn’t increased, as the market hoped it would. In this quota-free market, producers really are at the mercy of volatility.”

The end of quota may have played a role in over supply – some producers have taken the brakes of production, particularly in Ireland where we know that producers have been gearing up to switch on milk production for some time.

“And UK herds – and those across Europe – have also milked well over the winter,” adds Mr Holt.

Supply has increased by 667 million litres during the past year. Of that increase, 49% has gone into milk powder, 22% to cheese and 20% to liquid. “And with milk powder the weakest performer in the market, any growth in supply only serves to dilute market returns,” says The Dairy Group’s Nick Holt-Martyn.

He adds that UK supplies were up 1.54% in April, with Ireland up 14.5% and the Netherlands increasing production by around 4%. “Much of that will be going into powders, leaving markets weakened around the world.

“Until supply stabilises there can be little, if any, recovery in market returns without an unlikely significant shift in demand.

Milk pricing for the rest of 2015 awaits the new season reports in New Zealand for any signs of reduced supply, combined with a response in the EU showing supply

easing off through late summer and autumn,” he adds.

The farm gate milk price for April dropped to 24.6ppl – the lowest since August 2010.

Organic producers and those selling milk to a dedicated supplier are still realising a decent price of between 30ppl and 35ppl.

“But many are seeing a milk price of around 20ppl – some even lower,” says Charles Holt, adding that what really stands out is the huge variation in milk price across UK businesses. “There’s a massive difference, from those selling milk on the spot market who are seeing as little as 10ppl, through to organic producers selling direct at 35ppl. First Milk producers and some others are seeing less than 20ppl – typically between 17 and 18ppl, whereas the top end contracts, with other buyers, are seeing between 30 and 31ppl. That’s a difference of almost 100%. Interestingly, the price gap in Ireland varies by a few euro cents.”

Looking ahead, Mr Holt says that producers must learn to live with the fact that they are now ‘price takers’ and accept that volatility is here to stay. For some this low milk price will make their business unsustainable and there will, inevitably, be a flurry of producers leaving the industry. “Some producers are selling up and many are also struggling to get a good price – there’s little demand for cows and a lot of supply.”

There is a glimmer of hope that Russia could lift its ban on EU dairy imports in August. And there is talk that El Niño weather conditions could limit milk production in some parts of the world, possibly Australia and New Zealand, later this year and into 2016. “The key is to keep focused on efficiency to build a business that can cope with extremely lean times and maximise profitability when prices are higher.”

COW MAN AG E ME N T

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M A N A G E M E N T

Milk records are not just about maximising a cow’s yield – her records are also invaluable for improving other areas of herd management

Milking the records to yield their full value Efficiency is the buzz word. And in the dairy sector that means squeezing more out of herd data. NMR’s south and east business manager Nicci Chamberlin believes many producers could make their milk records work a lot harder. text Karen Wright

P

roducers could ‘cash in’ on their NMR data and take advantage of extended – and free – ‘add-ons’. So says NMR’s south and east business manager Nicci Chamberlin.

Aware that the pressure on milk prices is forcing many producers to look carefully at inputs, she is keen to point out that there are NMR service options that could really have an impact on herd efficiency, and on profitability. ”A key example is text messaging that is used by 50% of

48

NMR customers. And it could be used by many more too. They would see great benefits in their routine daily management almost immediately.”

Text alert A simple registration gives producers access to a text as soon as the herd’s records are processed – usually 24 hours after recording. “It’s the nod to let producers know their results can be viewed either in full on the NMR Herd

Nicci Chamberlin : “Producers can ‘cash in’ on their data and see great benefits”

Companion website or see the key highlights on Pocket Companion, using their smart phone or tablet.

“Producers can also see their recent NML payment testing results and any disease monitoring data on Herd Companion or Pocket Companion. And for those more technology minded users, the NMR ‘app’ can be installed as a short cut route into these details.

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Essex unit opts for value-added data Andrew Mallinson’s pedigree Holstein herd celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. The Harwich-based Roydonwich herd was established by his father in 1945 as part of the 142-hectare mixed dairy and arable unit at Roydon Hall, Ramsey. He’s a firm supporter of management services that can save time – and preferably money – and improve herd efficiency.

“Total Herd Recording is an example, and it works well for us,” says Andrew, who uses 100% dairy sires and registers all his female youngstock. “It is cost-effective and it certainly helps to even out the cash flow. Although we calve cows all year round, we have a definite peak in spring to late summer. Without THR I’d have bigger bills at this time of year.”

Andrew gets an invoice for registrations from HUK based on milking cow numbers from his NMR data.

“I appreciate this collaboration between the organisations, particularly when it

benefits the producer. At the same time, I am still able to take advantage of the wide range of NMR options.”

And Andrew certainly does this – as well as Johne’s disease testing through NMR, he now takes advantage of text messaging and Pocket Companion to access the latest milk records.

Andrew finds himself either ‘hands-on’ with the cows or, increasingly, involved in representing his region on the Dairy Crest Direct Forum as it evolves into the UK’s first DPO (dairy producer organisation).

“I can find myself travelling quite a bit, but whether I’m on the farm or 150 miles away I have access to my latest NMR records, NML bulk milk data and disease test results on my mobile phone, through Pocket Companion,” he adds.

“And if I see a cow bulling, I can immediately access her records to see if she’s due for service. There are many other uses of the data too –

“There’s little doubt that the immediate access to current herd and cow data brings management benefits,” adds Nicci Chamberlin. “Even those waiting for paper records can expect a 48-hour turnaround so they have the information available as soon as possible post recording. It means the vet or nutritionist

can work with current data – be it for forward planning or for problem solving.”

User-friendly reports And taking this a step forward, Ms Chamberlin encourages producers to use NMR iReports. “Once producers start using iReports, which are all available via the internet on the Herd Companion web site, there’s no turning back. They bring massive benefits to producers – partly because they are so user-friendly and also because they can sort, filter and group information in numerous ways.

They are incredibly flexible.”

And for those who prefer to work electronically and use a paperless system, there’s an option to switch off the paper reports and save around £85 a year.

Appreciating that this might seem, at first, a step too far for some producers, NMR runs workshops on iReports.

“It’s an eye-opener for most – just how easy they are to use and the ‘arrangement’ of information,” says NMR trainer Cath Smith. “Producers are always impressed with the flexibility – they can look at animals by age, by sire and even an individual animal’s lactation progress can be scrutinised.

“A quick date change to the previous year will show the data for the same parameters giving a speedy year on year comparison.

It’s an electronic – and well-organised – filing cabinet. And if the producer ‘makes

Andrew Mallinson

I keep finding new rankings and options.” He often ranks cows by age, calving date and stage of lactation using the Pocket Companion. “I can do this anywhere – it’s really useful ahead of the four-weekly vet visit.”

Not put off by technology, but eager to progress the herd, Andrew is now using iReports. “This gives us current data, presented in a way that meets our needs at specific times and for specific herd management activities.”

a mess’ the report returns to standard when it’s next opened.”

NMR continues to develop its iReports and most recently it has added a farm assurance report that is automatically populated from the NMR records. “This is a huge timesaver and it’s free.”

Perhaps an additional service that pedigree breeders may not be aware of is Total Herd Recording (THR). Available to Holstein UK and the Jersey Cattle Society members, and soon to be introduced for Ayrshire Cattle Society members, THR streamlines calf registrations.

Management advantages NMR automatically sends a data file containing the total number of cows in the milking herd to the breed society, who in turn will charge the producer a monthly fee based on this, rather than charge per registration.

The producer and the breed society have more even cash flows – it’s a win-win for all parties. Prices are around 25p or 26p per cow per month, depending on whether or not a paper registration document is required.

“These additional services require no further input, but offer great management advantages,” adds Ms Chamberlin. “It’s a very tangible means of producers making their records work harder and it can save time and money while improving herd efficiency.” l

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NUTRITIONAL NEWS

Tackling milk fever Milk fever is the most significant production disease of the transition cow in the UK and is now believed to affect up to 10% of animals.

This in itself is a major problem without accounting for secondary effects, such as sub-clinical milk fever, retained foetal membranes, displaced abomasums and metritis. The newly formulated Thompsons’ pre-calver and X-Zelit can remove the stress of using calcium bottles and boluses by reducing the incidence of milk fever in freshly calved cows. It is easy to use and will not require cows to be grouped for feeding.

This product has been designed to be fed for the entire dry period (a minimum of six weeks pre-calving) at a rate of 2kg per head per day. It is

a complete dry cow package, which contains Zinpros’ Availa 4 mineral pack.

This has been scientifically proven to improve hoof health, reproductive performance, udder health and boost immunity.

Rumitech 365 has also been added to maintain rumen health around parturition and aid the transition to a milking-cow ration.

Supplementation with pre-calver +X-Zelit should be stopped immediately after calving so normal calcium balance in the cow can be resumed.

For more information please contact your local sales representative, or a member of the Thompsons’ technical team, to have a dry-cow feeding programme tailored to suit your herd.

Balmoral Show 2015 In its third year at the new location of Balmoral Park, Lisburn, the Thompsons’ stand had its usual position beside the cattle lawn at this year’s Balmoral Show.

With glass sides overlooking all the show-ring action, the Thompsons’ marquee provided tea, coffee, scones and a chance to catch up with the sales team in a more informal atmosphere.

During a busy three days, Thompsons presented prizes to many different breeds of beef and dairy cattle and, for

the first year, had a presence in the main arena with the Pegus Young Event Horse Championship.

Many Thompsons’ customers enjoyed the show with their families, but there were also successes on the cattle lawn, such as the Champion Holstein Cow, owned by Adrian and Conor McAufield from Co. Down.

The exhibitors all put in a huge amount of work before and during the show, so it is extra special when they are a prize winner that is fed on Thompsons feed!

Thompsons’ Jonathan McCaughan (right) presents the Silcock Trophy to Conor McAufield (left) and Steve McLaughlin (centre)

Everything for over-seeding With first-cut silage nearly finished, now is a good time for producers to consider what grasses are in their fields. Fixed silage costs remain the same, even if the sward is of poor quality, pushing the cost per tonne of silage up unnecessarily. Immediately after first cut or a vigorous spring grazing is an ideal time to overseed existing swards without losing production.

If only one or two fields are being overseeded, producers must be careful to avoid mixtures that contain grasses that will head earlier than the existing swards. Overseeding mixtures traditionally contain hybrid and Italian ryegrasses to allow rapid establishment.

These grasses will mature faster than traditional swards and could have the potential to produce stem and seed heads if they are cut in the same regime as a perennial ryegrass based sward.

One consideration to make when overseeding is to use a similar mix to what is already in the field and to cut back the sowing rate.

Top-class performance Thompsons has a range of seed mixtures to suit every requirement, from grazing to cutting, on both light or heavy soils. Containing the latest varieties produced at the AFBI Plant Breeding station in Loughgall, Thompsons’ mixtures are designed for easy management and top-class performance under any system.

Now containing most recent varieties like Glenariff and Clanrye, both selected for their yield and quality and persistence, these mixtures are an ideal choice for either a complete re-seed or for overseeding.

To maintain your sward and produce the best yields, contact your local sales representative or phone Belfast on 028 9035 1321.

For more information on products and services of John Thompson & Sons Ltd: Tel 028 9035 1321/Fax 028 9035 1420. www.thompson.co.uk COW MAN AG E ME N T

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H E R D

R E P O RT

One feeding system has reduced waste by 2% and halved the margin of error when formulating rations

Herd size means managing people – not cows

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C OWMANAGEMENT

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De Saegher Dairy In 15 years Bart and Els De Saegher expanded their dairy unit to 10,000 cows. Today they focus on even the smallest detail to ensure that their herd produces milk as efficiently as possible.

Good staff working conditions are key to the success of Bart and Els De Saegher’s dairy unit. So preparing rations and calf feeding are both carried out under one roof. text Jaap van der Knaap

Middleton

T

here is a striking square building at Bart and Els De Saegher’s unit, based at Middleton in the US. It is not exactly picturesque with the white sheet piling on all sides and the flat roof. But it is an example of how dairy producers work down to the last detail to achieve extremely efficient milk production.

“This building is a feed barn where we bring all the raw materials for the rations together and then load them into the mixer wagons. After we started using the barn in 2009, feed waste fell by 2%. We spend $12 million on feed every year, so in just two years we had recovered the cost of the new building.”

Mixer wagon Bart explains what led him to invest in this building. “In 2009, feed prices in the US were extremely high and it irritated me that when staff went with their shovels from the silage pit to the feed mixer wagon they spilt so much of that expensive feed.

“Things had to change and become more efficient and I also had to ensure that the staff enjoyed their work and were able to work easily and as quickly as possible.”

So Bart had low and side-tipping trailers built, allowing maize and alfalfa silage to be quickly loaded and unloaded. Every day staff drive a number of these trailers, filled with maize and alfalfa silage, from the bunker silos to the feed barn, after which the exact quantities of feed are loaded into the mixer wagons. In the feed barn the various types of feed concentrate are stored in large silos, so that all the feed is close together.

Bart points out that the mixer wagon is 60cm lower than the working platform.

“Due to this position, the drivers have a better view of what they are doing and the margin of error when loading has been halved from 2% to 1%. By providing a good working environment for the staff, I have also noticed that they perform better.”

Working conditions The creation of good working conditions is a common thread running through Bart’s story – it’s one that started in Flanders, where until 2000 he milked 60 cows on 25 hectares. But there was not much room left for expansion there.

Together with his wife, Els, he exchanged Leffinge for Middleton, in the US, where, on a 50-hectare site with a few livestock buildings, there was room for 200 cows.

“We chose the state of Michigan because this is a real arable farming area. I am a cow man and I saw opportunities to make agreements here with other people to grow the feed for me.” Bart started with 30 cows and after a few months the number had increased to more than 200.

The money earned was immediately invested in cows and cow housing, so that in 2004 as many as 1,500 cows were going through the milking parlour.

“We have always grown in small but deliberate steps. Back then I wanted to be able to retain close control of all the processes of running a dairy unit myself,” says Bart.

During the past few years it doesn’t seem to be a matter of taking small steps any more. The law changed in the county and producers are now permitted to keep a maximum of 3,500 cows and this meant that other dairy sites were purchased that were then expanded.

US

Herd size: Average yield (litres): Unit size: Employees:

10,000 head 10,800 3.65% fat 3.10% prot.

1,800 hectares 130

“Thanks to the high milk price we grew considerably in 2014. We were able to expand the unit in Elsie from 700 to 3,500 cows and the unit was further optimised with space for 1,500 dry cows.

We were also able to buy a working unit in South Michigan that we expanded to 2,000 cows, so we are now milking a total of around 10,000 cows.”

People manager It is impressive to see just how much attention Bart pays to detail when managing such a large number of cows.

He has had 100 metres of fencing installed around the large silos because badgers were making holes in the plastic. “We invest a lot in growing and harvesting good feed and so you don’t then want it to be ruined by overheating.”

And also take the process of unloading feed from the silo: “When unloading all the loose corn must be scooped up, so the cutting edge must be tightly machined and we operate a minimum feed-out rate per day of 30cm in order to avoid over-heating.”

On a walk through the barns he picks up a piece of plastic that he finds on the feed alley. “Every day I walk two or three times through all the barns, I talk to the staff and point out a sick cow or a cow in heat.

“Some people might consider that to be

From left to right: – There’s less waste thanks to a new feeding system – The youngest calves are no longer housed in outdoor igloos – The seven calf houses each comprise 120 calf places – Bart and Els De Saeger emigrated to the US 15 years ago

COW MAN AG E ME N T

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The mixer wagon is 60cm lower than the working platform

interfering, but I have noticed that it motivates the staff when they see that I also take a close interest in what’s going on and I am keeping an eye on things.

Doing a good job starts with motivation.

In my heart I am still a dairy producer but, with 130 staff, I have become more of a people manager.”

Working environment In autumn 2014 seven new calf houses for the youngest calves were erected.

“Before that we worked with igloos in the open air. But that was not very nice for the staff, either in cold weather or in the heat. Now we provide a better living and working environment for calves and people.”

The seven barns each comprise 120 calf places. Every week a barn is filled with new-born calves. After seven weeks the calves are weaned. They move to group housing and the barn is cleaned again for the next batch of new-born calves.

The number of 120 calves per barn is not chosen by chance. “Calves from four to 21 months of age are reared on our young stock unit in Kansas, which is 1,800km away. Exactly 120 calves will fit in the truck that we use to transport them.”

Every year, in addition to breeding around 8,000 of his own calves, Bart also rears some 17,000 calves for other dairy producers. “In Kansas we work with feed lots. There is a healthy, dry climate for the cattle and no expensive barns are required,” he says, explaining the advantages. “Furthermore, the feed is cheap and the manure handling from the feed lots is not a problem. The distance may seem quite far, but rearing young stock costs money and in the end it is just a matter of doing the maths.”

Back on the unit in Middleton, Bart and his team focus on getting all cows back in calf. He recounts a few key facts and figures: “We calve heifers at 23 months old, 8% of the cows are culled 30 days after calving and the percentage of calf deaths in the first few months is fewer than 1%.”

Stocking rate The cow houses look full, but that is also Bart’s choice. “We operate with a stocking rate that’s 25% above capacity as standard practice. That can make a difference of one litre of milk per cow, but it is very efficient to keep more animals in the same space,” he says,

100 metres of fencing around the large silos because of badgers

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Side-tipping trailers allow maize and alfalfa to be quickly loaded

pragmatically. Milk production does not seem to suffer too much. The 365-day production currently stands at 10,800kg of milk, with 3.65% fat and 3.10% protein.

Bart is, indeed, very closely guided by cost price but is reluctant to build guarantees from the perspective of yield. He doesn’t fix the milk price on the market, which is something that happens a lot in the US. “You really have to immerse yourself in this world. In any case, it’s not my fault, I have learnt by bitter experience in that regard. During the past few years I have just milked for the free market again.”

This choice was certainly a good move in 2014, with the sky-high milk price. “We made a lot of money with which we were able to invest a lot. I still have so many opportunities here, we’re in no way finished just yet.”

Bart points to several of his staff, who are milking in the unit’s 2:40 side-byside rapid-exit milking parlour. “During the 15 years I have been here, I have been able to realise my American dream.

Now my challenge is to make the achievement of my dream their dream as well.” l

Exactly 120 calves will fit in the truck that is used to transport them

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C O N TA C T S

SHOWS AND EVENTS July 8-9: July 14-16: July 20-23: September 16: Sept 29-Oct 3: October 7: October 20: November 6-15: November 11: November 18:

Livestock Event, NEC, Birmingham Great Yorkshire Show, Harrogate, North Yorkshire Royal Welsh Show, Builth Wells, Powys UK Dairy Day, Telford International Centre, Shropshire World Dairy Expo, Madison (United States) The Dairy Show, Shepton Mallet, Somerset Welsh Dairy Show, Nantyci Showground, Carmarthen Royal Winter Fair, Toronto (Canada) British Mastitis Conference, Sixways Stadium, Warriors Way, Worcester Agriscot, Edinburgh, Scotland

Summer grazing: contented cows are busy turning grass into milk Picture: Mark Pasveer

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