Genomic testing, together with targeted use of sexed semen on cows and heifers is part of a strategy to maximise the output from every cow space at Slough Court, Somerset.
Fraser Jones thinks it is no coincidence cows are milking well, while calf immunoglobulin levels are the highest they have ever been.
Genomic testing, together with targeted use of sexed semen on cows and heifers is part of a strategy to maximise the output from every cow space at Slough Court, Somerset.
Unlike previous pandemics or plagues, Covid-19 has happened at a time when the ability to monitor the spread of the disease has been far more advanced than any previous era.
The Red Tractor farm assurance scheme is something which often crops up in conversation in my day-to-day work, in much the same way the Rural Payments Agency does; usually in a way where the farmer vents to me about the organisation and its staff.
Victoria and William Newsham took responsibility for their father’s Lancashire dairy herd after he died in September 2019. Since then they have made impressive changes to management, improving productivity and efficiency to secure the farm’s future.
Although a relatively uncommon disease on-farm, malignant catarrhal fever must not be mistaken for other more complex diseases. Hannah Noble reports.
With the primary aim of providing a break crop between reseeding of grass leys, for one Carmarthenshire dairy farm, root crops also provided a much-needed source of extra feed for cows and helped extend dwindling forage reserves.
When a cow gets mastitis in the first month post-calving, the chances are she picked up the infection during the dry period.
An animal welfare workshop at this year’s online ICAR conference covered topics such as tail damage and identifying reliable biomarkers for stress. Hannah Noble reports.