It felt slightly surreal to be discussing silage time when there was snow on the ground, but the take-home message from Lancashire’s demonstration event in April was that preparation is the key to making good quality silage. By thinking ahead...
Upwards of 30 farmers attended this event at Wellington Farm, Cockermouth by kind permission of the Stamper family. Speakers included David Long from Barenbrug UK and Hannah Studholme from Carrs Billington and there were demonstrations of...
Dairy farmers close to Citheroe in Lancashire are being offered tailored business support and advice that could increase the efficiency of their businesses - as The Prince’s Dairy Initiative begins its search for farmers most likely to...
The Prince’s Countryside Fund is launching an urgent appeal to the public to donate funds to help farmers in financial crisis throughout the UK. The charity has reported an increasing need for financial help from farmers, many of whom have...
With calving and lambing time looming (and with some farmers having started already) it seemed like a good time for a reminder of the practical things that can be done at this busy time to maximise young stock survival. So the Burnley and Pendle...
This was the take-home message from Lancashire’s most recent slurry demonstration event which focussed on appreciating and increasing the value of your slurry. The fine dry weather on the day meant that most farmers were out actually spreading...
Improving the management of transition cows can go a long way to improving herd fertility and in most cases it is possible to improve on what is currently being done. The decline in dairy cow fertility seen over the last 30 plus years is due to both...
Nicola Fair (DairyCo) and Bridget Taylor (Wright & Morten Vet Group) discussed the current situation with BVD, the hidden costs and how simple testing can bring things under control. The objectives of the meeting were to look at: What BVD...
Lameness and cow ‘wastage’ with DairyCo Healthy Feet Project discussion followed with an on farm walk to discuss culls. The meeting started with an introduction to the farm by Ian Speed, group member, with a breakdown of the culls he has had...
Dawn Meats (formerly Duerdens), kindly hosted this event in February for the Livestock Programme in partnership with Eblex's Better Returns Programme at the request of local farmers. Steve Powdrill from Eblex gave an informative...
As a very welcome spring draws nearer and attention turns towards getting the cows out, it seemed like a good time to get the grazing group together to discuss a variety of topics. So to keep the meeting fresh and fast-paced we invited three...
Rick Browne from Browne and McKinney vet practice in Broughton gave a presentation on Liver Fluke at Ulverston Auction in February. He discussed: The life cycle of the fluke Risk factors Acute, sub-acute and chronic fluke Prevention and...
Plain Farmers group member Richard Ratcliffe talked to the group on the effectiveness of Dairy Cow Breeds. A considerable amount of work has been undertaken recently on cross-breeding which is providing hybrid vigour on his...
Greater Manchester beef farmer Bill Mellor has been appointed as the new chair for the BVD stakeholder group. Mr Mellor, who is also the NFU livestock board vice chairman, will chair the BVD group funded by the RDPE and being managed and implemented...
Andrew Nicholas, Consultant with Harvey Hughes Limited, presented a paper on the “Benefits of Agisted Sheep” to the group. Andrew highlighted the following as benefits:- Pros To supply organic manure in the grazed method which will...
Plain Farmers had an excellent joint meeting with visiting group the Coo-operators from South West Scotland. This involved the Scottish group of dairy farmers visiting three of the Plain group members' farms and having a joint group meeting to share cost...
From north Northumberland to south Cornwall and from East Anglia to west Cumbria, farmers in England will be able to apply for grants of up to £10,000 when the Catchment Sensitive Farming capital grant fund opens for applications on Friday 1st...
Access to land, money for equipment and advice can seem like huge barriers to starting out on a farming career. FarmStart Manchester could be the answer! The Kindling Trust has established, what they believe to be the UK’s first FarmStart...
Saut – or Sowt – is a disease that affects young lambs giving symptoms like severe sunburn. It occurs on the head and ears and along the back. Ears become hot and drop, followed by itching and pain. Oozing fluid leads to infections and ears...
DairyCo’s latest Milkbench+ report reaffirms last year’s findings that 60% of the difference in margin between top and bottom performers is down to the management of four key cost areas. Management of costs for feed and forage, herd...
The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) aims to improve competitiveness in the agriculture and forestry sector; safeguard and enhance the rural environment; foster competitive and sustainable rural businesses and thriving rural...
DairyCo is holding two live webinars with renowned expert Professor Nina Von Keyserlingk of the University of British Columbia, Canada. Prof. Von Keyserlingk is recognised internationally for her research on care and housing for dairy cows and calves.
A DairyCo funded study of 50 farms carried out by Harper Adams University, has found that many dairy farms may be over feeding copper along with several other minerals during the winter, while some farms were underfeeding certain minerals. Thirty...
Only use aerators or sward lifters when there are clear signs of soil compaction and at the appropriate time. This is the advice from EBLEX following nearly a year of difficult conditions for soils. "Before taking any action producers need to carry out...
The Burnley and Pendle Farmers group recently welcomed independent sheep specialist Lesley Stubbings along to speak about effective strategies to control worms, the increasing resistance issues with anthelmintics and what we as farmers can do to help...
