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This month, we feature a new youngstock management app, a feed and forage calculator from Herdwatch, plus a new calving detection system which aims to improve general welfare and reduce the time and labour needed to monitor cows.
New seed varieties added to 2022/23 Recommended List
Five new varieties from Germinal are among those added to the recently published 2022/23 Recommended Grass and Clover List. is year’s additions include: rAber ames – ideal for longterm performance and persistency, giving exceptional early spring grazing for early turnout, as well as excellent conservation yields in later years. rAberDon – with the highest grazing energy yield (in MJ of metabolisable energy per hectare), this is the best option for those seeking outstanding animal performance through milk yield or liveweight gain. rAberOpal – a high-yielding hybrid variety with a late heading date, making it useful for those who start mowing in the second half of May. rAberSirius – a high-performing medium- to large-leaf white clover, important for farmers keen to capture the production and environmental bene ts of including clovers in their grass leys. rJaccar – an Italian ryegrass with good all-round performance; bred in Europe, but available in the UK exclusively from Germinal.
Got a new product?
JNew products are featured in each issue of Dairy Farmer.
Please send details and pictures to Hannah Park at hannah.park@agriconnect.com, or call 01772 799 450. rMore information at ahdb. org.uk/recommended-grassand-clover-lists
Farmer-developed calving detection system
JA new calving detection system has been launched with a view to improving general welfare and reducing the time and labour needed to monitor cows during calving.
The BoviAid Calving Detection System, which won the ‘what’s next’ award for innovation at the Great Yorkshire Show this year, has been developed by Edward and Catriona Penty, of Aldborough, over the last eight years. It incorporates sensors in a patch which is attached with animal-approved glue to a cow’s back. The patch communicates via a ceiling hub to alert farmers, via an app on a smart phone, when cows go into labour.
The sensors can be fitted up to three weeks before the due date and work by detecting when a cow’s movements change to suggest she is in labour. After receiving the alert, the farmer can choose whether to watch, intervene or call the vet, or prepare the area for calving. After calving, the patch is removed, the sensor recharged and then reused. For large herds, upt to 1,000 sensors can run off a single ceiling hub. rMore information at boviaid.com
Feed and forage calculator
JFarm management software company Herdwatch has created a free tool for farmers to calculate the amount of forage they will need in winter, based on parameters including herd size and ages of animals.
Users of the tool can enter their winter feed to date, such as pit silage, silage bales, hay bales, straw bales, maize silage, wholecrop cereal and forage crops, which is then converted to its equivalent value in tonnes of silage, with the aim of highlighting whether it is enough or not. rThe calculator is free to use and can be found at info.herdwatch.com/ forage-calculator
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Youngstock management app
JAgritech company Smartbell is launching a new app for easy recording and usage of youngstock data.
Free to use, it is designed to allow quick and easy entry of information such as treatments, weights and assessments on smartphone or tablet.
Reminders for future events, such as vaccinations, can be set, while multi-day treatments automatically generate a reminder in the app.
Batch treatments can be entered for multiple animals simultaneously and the calendar view illustrates how treatments vary within a particular month. The app can also be used as a medicine book by recording medicine purchases and using the app fields to link these to treatments. No purchase or commitment is required and the app is free to use. rDownload the app from wellcalf.com/ sb-lite-download
Guiding Theme 2022
TRANSFORMING ANIMAL FARMING
2022 | 15 – 18 NOVEMBER | HANOVER, GERMANY
THE WORLD’S LEADING TRADE FAIR
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