Around 40 sheep farmers braved the weather to attend a nutrition meeting with Myerscough Farm Vets and Dugdale nutrition last night. Gemma Thorpe from Myerscough Farm Vets began by running through what is happening inside the pregnant ewe. In the...
A successful meeting was held at Seidloom House Farm on the Wirral back in November, looking at slurry separation and robotic milking. A walk around the farm also looked at farm buildings and feeding systems for the cows, where modifications have...
Held at the Rampant Bull, at Mitchells Auction in Cockermouth last December, with invitations sent to dairy farmers in Copeland and Allerdale, the meeting looked at the importance of balancing the diet correctly in both...
Members of the Plain Farmers discussion group were supported by the Livestock Programme in their annual end-of-year benchmarking cost of production exercise. With the help of DairyCo’s Milkbench + system all members submitted their...
We are seeking bids from interested parties to evaluate the RDPE funded North West Livestock Programme. A specification for the work can be found below. The evaluation will be administratively coordinated by Kath Lowe of Myerscough College. ...
A small group of farmers from Lancashire and Greater Manchester recently took the opportunity to visit The Wool Board at Bradford to learn more about the work of the Board and also the process that raw wool goes through following its arrival in...
Over 70 farmers recently attended two evening meetings focusing on farming in extreme weather conditions. The meetings were organised by the Ribble Rivers Trust and funded by Defra’s Catchment Restoration Fund. Unusually wet weather in 2012...
Do you mind your P and Q’s, how about your P's, K’s and pH levels? When did your last have your fields tested? Do you maximise the nutrients available in your slurry and Farm Yard Manure? Do you want to reduce your fertiliser bills or...
The NFU launched the Northwest Dairy BVD Campaign with SAC Consulting just over a month ago and we have already received over 80 applicants. There are 200 spaces on the scheme and with growing interest we expect to fill those places soon. BVD is gaining...
Energy saving must be at the forefront of farmers’ minds at the moment judging by the turn-out at Myerscough College's most recent resource efficiency demo event for the RDPE Northwest Livestock Programme. Thirty farmers came along to The Hill at...
Around thirty members attended the Northern branch meeting of the Zwartble Sheep Association at the Crooklands Hotel at Kendal for a refresher on lambing. After the winners of a recent flock competition were announced, an informative...
Over 40 farmers attended a renewables event at the beginning of Decemeber, organised by the Farmer Network in conjunction with H&H Land and Property and Burnetts solicitors. Anaerobic Digestion The event, which was funded by the...
The Catchment Change Network (CCN), led by Lancaster Environment Centre at Lancaster University, has worked in partnership with Cumbrian farmers and the Eden Rivers Trust to disseminate top tips about how to reduce water pollution from agriculture...
New rules allowing dairy farmers to form producer organisations are being planned in England, following the launch of a new £5m Dairy Fund designed to help farmers form "added value" co-operatives. Defra said the rules would allow producers...
With winter forage stocks under pressure on many farms it is vital to carry out an accurate assessment of silage stocks before buying in more feed, says DairyCo extension officer Tom Goatman. “Calculating the amount of forage you have before...
Many farmers, not just in Cumbria but across the North West, have noticed this year that rushes have established in fields where they have not been a problem in living memory. And in areas where rushes have been established for some time, they have...
Plain Farmers had their annual pre-harvest maize discussion day to assess how things had turned out in what has been a very difficult year. Accompanied by Ian Grandfield, Francis Dunne and Dave Harris – local agronomists and seed suppliers and...
Initial reports have indicated a higher than normal rate of lambing losses and barren ewes in early-lambing flocks, and, consequently, farmers are being urged to scan ewes to allow producers to "act early" on results. Concerns have been raised by...
Last month the Allen family of Barker Knott Farm, Windermere kindly agreed to host a meeting for the Farmer Network on sheep skin diseases with guest speaker Dr Peter Bates, Veterinary Medical Entomology Consultant. An update on the Schmallenberg virus...
The Environment Agency has published advice for farmers on how to manage manures in the coming weeks to minimise the risk of causing pollution. This can be found on their website. Defra and the RPA have also published...
The CSF (Catchment Sensitive Farming) Capital Grants Scheme, run by Natural England, offers up to 50% funding for carrying out practical works to improve water quality and reduce pollution. More than 40 types of project are eligible for funding...
Are you thinking about reseeding or sward lifting to improve grass yields? Many will be after a 2012 season where the wet conditions have reduced yields and compacted soils. But it is important to dig before you think, and think before you...
Course fee subsidies of up to 70 per cent subject to eligibility Land based industries are no different from any other in that there is an on-going need to upgrade skills and to meet ever changing regulations, but they are also increasingly time poor,...
THE Catchment Sensitive Farming initiative is making a record £21.5 million available this year to help farmers carry out improvement works that will improve drinking water quality and enhance local wetland environments. From Northumberland to...
Given this summer’s weather the subject of alternative forages and winter feeding proved to be very popular for the first winter 2012 meeting of the Burnley and Pendle Farmers Group – so popular in fact that it was standing room only for...
