Dairy Matters - Paul Tompkins: "I recognise that the strength of UK dairy farming lies in its diverse production types"
As a dairy farmer I am very familiar with the extreme highs and lows the market throws at us, and the enormous pressures experienced by businesses like my own during downturns
Managing mycoplasma bovis in the dairy herd
Managing the risk factors associated with mycoplasma bovis is key to controlling the disease on-farm and protecting naive youngstock
Protocols key to good heifer rearing on Ceredigion farm
Meticulous planning and attention to detail means all the team involved in calf rearing at Gwarllwyn Farm in Llandysul, Ceredigion, can work to the same protocols and achieve the best possible results
Dairy Farmer - From the Editor: "At times the rainfall was nothing short of biblical"
From Dairy Farmer editor, Katie Jones.
Over-seeding tired pastures
Once conditions dry out, many farmers will start to think about over-seeding their pastures to improve health and productivity of grassland
Business management key to profitability
Dairy farmers are producing in a new era of higher costs, more price volatility and a smaller safety net, but there are still plenty of opportunities
Grazing with milking robots on Yorkshire farm
Despite the increasing prominence of automated milking systems on dairy farms in the UK, some dairy farmers are opposed to housing cows all-year-round
Dairy Talk - Claire Eastham: "I would expect food inflation to hit the headlines again this autumn"
Well it's wet. I can only hope by the time you read this it's dry, or we're all in trouble
Red clover drives grassland productivity
Red clover is often presented as a good option for increasing grassland production, but it can be a difficult crop to establish and grow
Roger Evans: "No farmer would ever dare to pollute on the scale that sewage makes its way into rivers"
This month Roger Evans discusses after dinner speaking, water pollution and tells a tale of how a farmer got the better of the tax man
Dairy Talk - Ben Yates: "Silage pits are getting low from the long winter we have endured"
In Somerset, spring is trying to show its face between the rain showers. The warmer weather that we enjoyed recently gave us good growth rates of 34kg of dry matter/hectare per day
Partner Insight: Group monitoring takes guesswork out o herd management
Monitoring the reproduction and health indexes of individual dairy cows and heifers can tell the herd manager a lot about how each animal is being managed, but monitoring animals on a group-by-group basis can unlock a wealth of additional information which can be used to improve the overall herd’s performance.
Partner Insight: What makes a good silage?
High quality silage is a high energy, palatable and digestible forage which can provide a significant proportion of the nutritional needs of a high yielding dairy cow
Butter prices show first sign of strengthening as others wait for the flush
After weakening through March, commodity prices are showing some tentative signs of improvement with butter jumping from the €5,500 (£4,719) zone to as high as €5,950 (£5,106) for some trades
Wet spring helps to stabilise dairy markets
Farmers and growers are getting increasingly frustrated and concerned over the wet spring, which is on track to be one of the wettest in living memory, and if the situation does not change for the better soon, the inflationary repercussions will surely be felt later this year
Dairy Matters - Phil Latham: "I see no prospect for rolling out badger vaccination across the endemic area"
So my time on Defra's Bovine TB Partnership has unexpectedly come to an end. My three-year term ended and was disappointingly, for me, not extended
Understanding Schmallenberg in the dairy herd
Dairy farmers are encouraged to understand the signs and symptoms of Schmallenburg within dairy herds amid UK outbreak
NZ vet blog: "We're going to have to go all out on the recruitment drive"
In his latest article, New Zealand vet Rory Dean, discusses how his client's herds are performing in terms of fertility, looks at some of the disease risks he is faced with, and also discusses his practices current recruitment drive
World dairying: 12,000-cow dairy farm in Mexico grapples with challenge of cheap food imports
The issue of cheap food imports is one of the major issues facing a large dairy farming business in Mexico
Dairy Talk - Gemma Smale-Rowland: "The winter routine is dragging now"
Let's start with the record-breaking news, although I'm not sure that knowing that February had the highest rainfall in 250 years is the sort of record we want to be hearing about
Managing business change in dairy farming
A turbulent milk market against the backdrop of an ever-changing regulatory landscape has brought managing change into sharp focus for dairy producers
Foliar fertiliser helps cut nitrogen usage in half
With rising fertiliser costs looking set to remain, a dairy farmer from West Wales has successfully halved his nitrogen use
Good Evans: "It's not that I'm anti-tree, but I would just pick and choose where they went"
This month, Roger Evans discusses the situation in rural communities, delves into the world of politics and recounts a tale about rats and chainsaws
How to control the bTB risk factors
Bovine TB continues to affect herds across the country, and with turnout approaching, we look at ways farmers can manage the risk
How to manage lameness during the grazing season
Managing lameness is an all-year-round task, with care needed to ensure problems do not arise when cattle are at grass
Dairy Talk - Ifan Roberts: "A wet but positive start to spring calving"
After a steady start to calving at Houghton Lodge in early February we were fully back on track by the beginning of March and had delivered over 630 calvings in four weeks equating to 59% of the expected 1,070 calvings due by the beginning of May
Market dips as flush concerns increase
With peak milk for the UK now less than two months away the awareness of the spring flush is dominating European trading sentiment
Milk prices increase heading into spring
A good number of milk buyers are increasing their milk prices as we head into spring
Efficiency over expansion approach for Gloucestershire dairy farm
A dairy business is showing that expansion does not always mean more cows and instead the focus is on driving forwards to get the most from the cows through breeding and the use of technology. Ellie Layton reports.
Usk Holstein herd achieves expansion goal
A plan to increase the milking herd size from 270 to 330 head through replacement breeding is well underway at the Morgan family's Graig Olway Farm