Pasture to Profit

Centre of Excellence in Farm Business Managment, Facebook & Uruguayan Agricultural Students

2012-02-11T00:59:00.000Z

Hi from Massey University, Palmerston North, & Lincoln University, Christchurch, New Zealand where this blog will now be written & produced on a regular basis. http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/home.cfm
http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/
I have recently moved back to New Zealand after a 30 year period of working overseas as a dairy consultant in Australia, UK & France. The blog has been produced in Europe but will now come from the southern hemisphere.
I’ve joined the new “Centre of Excellence in Farm Business Management” which is currently funded by the NZ dairy industry & both Massey & Lincoln Universities. Hopefully the other agricultural sectors in NZ will also be involved with the Centre shortly. The Centre is a virtual Centre of Excellence (no bricks & mortar) of the Farm Management Staff at both Universities working together (a joint project) to improve the capability in Farm Management within NZ. We aim to be a serious player in Global Best Practice in Farm Management Research & Education.

I will regularly write about progress in these Research Projects & the Professional Development courses we are developing. I won’t be waiting until they are completed but report on progress to date…..why? I believe it is really important firstly that agricultural research is effective in visible change on farms….for that to happen, farmers & rural professionals need to engage all the way through the process to buffer, blunt, reshape & constructively be part of what I call “The Widget Making Team”. Otherwise the research “widget” will be deemed useless by the farmers & sent to the rubbish bin. Farmers need to both voice their opinions & have their expertise recognised & clearly heard.
My role with the Centre (CEFBM) is partly research, some teaching but mainly communication from the Universities to farmers, farming families, staff & the rural professionals that deliver professional services to the farming communities.

Let me divert…..Yesterday I gave my first my very first lecture to a group of agricultural students #BUTyouhavetolearntolaughatyourself. The students were from the University of the Republic of Uruguay. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_the_Republic_(Uruguay)

I sadly don’t speak Spanish nor they much English. You might quite rightly think that was a recipe for disaster (for my first University lecture) but NO because we started to talk about Facebook. Facebook is the social media of the young (& not so young). A quick survey revealed that 100% of the students use facebook. Now we were on the same wavelength & both talking with passion…..we were now understanding each other!

I asked (through Massey University’s International student support team who translated) how many of their parents used facebook (Can you imagine the “what are you for real…..looks). The answer, about 10% of the Uruguayan agricultural students’ parents were on facebook! That clearly illustrates why today we need to use social media to communicate with the young agriculturists & young well educated farmers who are the face of today & tomorrows food through out the world.

The Uruguayan students & I discussed what role Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, blogs, google, wiki spaces might have in communicating global best practice farm management to farmers & the general public.

“IF I CAN TALK TO THE WORLD (by using social media) YOU ALSO CAN TALK TO THE WORLD ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY, YOUR AGRICULTURE, YOUR FARM & YOUR FOOD” In fact not only can you but you must as city separates from country & consumers become removed from farmers & food production.

Judge for yourself…..despite language differences DID we communicate with each other? Sorry Vice Chancellor….yes I did instruct them to turn on their mobile phones, cameras & make a hell of a lot of noise (probably against all the rules of the University) but it was a lot of fun….thank you fellow students! Great!

I have to confess also that when I was an AgSc student at Massey University back in the 1970s I got seriously offside with the then VC Dr Alan Stewart…..for erecting illegal ramps around the campus for disabled students access (in particular a fellow agricultural student who became a quad during his studies & struggled to get to lecture rooms because of poor disabled access (it was the 1970s)). The fact that our ramps looked remarkably similar to materials off the university farms was probably quite obvious to Dr Stewart too. However the good news is that I was allowed to complete my degree & the University erected proper Disabled Access everywhere…..& today would be very proud that they have good access for all students….little does the current admin realise it all started with fence posts knicked off the University farms!

I think it’s great that today, agricultural students get a chance to travel the world & come to NZ to look at our internationally respected farm business management. Both Massey & Lincoln offer postgraduate scholarships in Farm Business Management, so I hope some of my new best friends (NBFs) from Uruguay might consider studying here in NZ. Uruguay & NZ are already working together including AgResearch projects in Uruguay.

http://www.mfat.govt.nz/Countries/Latin-America/Uruguay.php

So getting back to my role at the “Centre of Excellence in Farm Business Management”, it’s essentially communication. I’m the interface & we intend using every social media tool available to us to talk as often as we can with farmers. We will use Facebook, Youtube, Webinars, Wiki Spaces, Twitter….you name it…if it’s effective we will use it. The Centre CEFBM will have a website shortly.

By the way the Vice Chancellor at Massey University Steve Maharey also uses Twitter. @SteveMaharey.

I strongly believe that farmers need to become “advocates” for their own Global Best Practice, their farming industries & the food they produce. We can’t rely on outside PR agencies to promote or defend farmers & excellent farm management practices. We must do it ourselves. I want to help farmers become “Farming Advocates”. If I can talk to the world YOU also can talk to the world…..& you must!

Regenerative Agriculture & Holistic Grazing Management

2011-11-11T14:30:00.001Z

What has Regenerative Agriculture got to do with UK pasture based dairy farmers?

I think regenerative agricultural technologies have a lot to offer experienced pasture farmers who understand grazing management principles. I liken it to the best chefs who after having a classical training can go on and create the most amazing dishes. The same with classically trained singers & musicians, once they have mastered their craft they can go on to produce the most imaginative & creative music. So it is with grazing, soil, & water management….first you master the classical training then you use those skills to be creative. In this case it is to create topsoil & to control water & water flows on your farm.

Regenerative agriculture is an opportunity to move beyond sustainability to become regenerative & to rebuild the biological capital on your farm. During the industrial agricultural revolution food production yields have raised, efficiency of yields has improved but at what cost to the environment & soil in particular soil carbon. Holistic grazing involves mixed pastures with many deep rooting species being grazed at much higher pasture covers. The concept is to feed both the cattle & the soil.
So Who Are the Movers & Shakers?

In this new approach several American names stand out as leaders….Allan Savory, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Savory

http://www.holisticmanagement.org/ Gary Zimmer, Abe Collins & ofcourse the very well known Joel Salatin. http://www.polyfacefarms.com/

Many YouTube clips give a very good idea of how Joel Salatin’s grazing operates & how he thinks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIbXU5iR2P4

Joel has become a writer of many best selling books with intriguing titles like “The Sheer Ecstasy of being a Lunatic Farmer”. How could you resist a book like that?

http://www.amazon.com/Joel-Salatin/e/B000APFOT2

However its not really that new…..nothing is, is it? And it’s closer than I ever imagined. A Pasture to Profit Discussion group member on the Cotswolds is a direct descendant of the Scottish landowner Robert H Elliot, 1898, who created & wrote about his system of farming that involved laying down land to grass, using deep rooting pasture species & grazing cattle to rebuild the topsoil, to better use water & to increase the biodiversity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Henry_Elliot Robert H Elliot’s book “The Clifton Park System of Farming” sets out his key principles.

In Australia, P A Yeomans during the 1930s developed a system of on farm water flow management & regeneration way before his time with a concept called “Keyline management” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._A._Yeomans

http://www.keyline.com.au/

Keyline systems are designed to move water about a farm landscape to get the maximum about of pasture growth. It’s an incredibly clever concept that is amazingly simply but highly effective. The key objective is to control water flow across your farm. The core essence is to enhance the agricultural landscape with trees & pasture being grazed by cattle.

What is central to all of the above agricultural innovators & their systems for enhancing the environment & rebuilding topsoil is that the grazing of pasture with cattle. Many current day environmentalists/climate warming spokespersons quite wrongly think cows & cattle are a problem to the environment NOT the solution.

This is fascinating stuff & quite challenging to much of what is practiced on low input pasture farms…..that’s why you are the most qualified to take up & implement either all of or most of the principles of holistic grazing management. If you are a non believer that’s fine “I’ve never learnt anything from someone who always agrees with me”.

If I have reservations myself it relates to how this thinking can be exploited in high rainfall areas……..as it is being most successful in dry or even arid environments. The principles are however very important & universal. Several P2P group members are already experimenting & as with all pioneers (they are the guys with arrows in their backs in case you dont know how to spot them!) it's not plane sailing but at least they are "having a go Mate!" which is fantastic for all of us. We need to focus on increasing soil carbon.

RegenAG are running courses in the UK with Darren Doherty from Australia & during 2012 there will be holistic grazing management workshops & Joel Salatin is coming over to run a 2 day workshop in either Nov or Dec 2012. You will need to register your interest now for that course.

http://regenag.com/web/

This will be my last UK based blog for three years as I’m returning to NZ to take up a University post with the new “Centre of Excellence in Farm Business Management ” at Massey University. So the next blog will come from Palmerston North, NZ.

Current UK Pasture Measurements
TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)

North Wales, AFC 2111, growth 20 still VG grazing conditions

Shropshire, 1850, growth 30, cover increasing

Shropshire, 2000, 45 day round, 40% dried off

Herefordshire, 2150, gr 18, de 20, soil temps 12, Now OAD pulling plug on 22nd Nov.

Herefordshire, 2219, gr 22, de 16, cows in by night, grazed 65% of farm since 1st Oct.

Dorset, AFC 2003, growth 20

Devon, AFC 2400, growth 30

East Sussex Cows in, pasture still growing in mild temps, Could be a good early turnout Jan/Feb in South East.

Cornwall, AFC 2480, gr 36, de 39, Awesome year!!!

Northern Germany, AFC 1925, growth 7, last 10 days grazing its been a very decent year!

My thoughts are with our friends in the Breton Group in France as Odile is going thru a rough patch. Our best wishes are with Alain & Odile, who are amazing people & wonderful friends!

Grass-fed Rose Veau....What an Exciting Meat Experience!

2011-11-06T14:02:00.003Z

What is Grassfed Rose Veau?

This photo is of young dairy animals that have been reared on pasture & surrogate dairy cows.

I was fortunate this week to be present atthe launch of this exciting new beef product which can be a byproduct from thepasture based dairy farms in the UK. Many influential people whowould have been keen to be present sadly were not able to attend this low keylaunch.

Grassfed Rose Veau (pronounced Vo) is anopportunity for every pasture based dairy farmer in the UK. No farmer likes to dispose ofmale calves at birth. What a shameful waste of protein the world simply can nottolerate. In the UKwe have a fantastic opportunity to take these animals thru to 7-8 months &produce a wonderful “low fat, high Omega 3” high quality meat. http://en.petitchef.com/recipes/british-rose-veal-veau-a-la-creme-fid-782217

People like the Soil Association haveestablished rules that these male calves must be reared. The low input pasturebased dairy farmers have a real opportunity to create a market niche that isclearly grassfed & healthy.

It’s seriously important that it is GRASSFED for a number of reasons. Firstly it clearly distinguishes the meatfrom products like white veal & reassures the customer that it has beenreared on healthy pastures in a very humane rearing system. Secondly thegrassfed ensures a great ROSE colour (bright red pink) which is very importantfor retail presentation. Lastly the grassfed management ensures the high Omega3 content which Bristol University has shownpertains to beef fed on pasture.

The word VEAU means young beef animal inFrench. This is also important as it clearly states that this is a younghealthy animal so the meat will be tender.

So what are the on farm opportunities?Block calving spring or autumn provides a group of male calves all of the sameage. This will simplify the management…we like that! Pasture based dairy farmshave several milk sources…Nurse or Surrogate Cows, milk powder, colostrum orwaste milk (must not have any antibiotics obviously).

East Staffordshire pasture based dairyfarmer Rupert Major this year reared some calves on 600gm/day of milk powderplus some concentrate plus adlib access to fresh healthy pasture.

At 7months these had a carcase weight of 130kgs with an approx saleable meat yieldof 50%. These were Jersey & Friesian cross calves. The Costs of rearing& butchering need to be carefully analysed so that we still aim for a goodprofit margin. This maybe difficult as it’s the milk feeding phase that isexpensive…hence the use of waste milk, colostrum & using surrogate cows.

Other farmers have very successfully reared2-3 calves per Surrogate mother using cows that are calving out of the blockpattern. These cows do a Stirling job &stay on the farm another year. Both autumn & spring calving herds have beenusing Surrogate cows as rearers.

The butchering of this meat needs someexperienced butchers who are aware of some of the French cuts such as Poire& Onglette. . http://www.lowerhurstfarm.co.uk/Homepage.htm

It’s really important thatthis meat is sold with recipes & guides to a successful & tasty dish.Most British people are not used to this type of meat & will need some helpto create great dishes. This is an interesting point as virtually everyone isfamiliar with cooking lamb which is prepared in a very similar way on farm. SomeVEAU dishes can be seared using a very hot pan for a very quick cooking whileothers will be imaginatively prepared using slow cook techniques & mixingcomplex flavours of herbs & spices.

At Cowdray Farm Shop you can see thatGrassfed Rose Veau can be a bright & exciting display in any retail outlet.What a great advertisement both for the farm & the Farm Shop at Cowdray. http://www.cowdrayfarmshop.co.uk/

Chef Jeff Thomas, at the Seasoned CookerySchool run by Clare Tetley in thepicturesque Peak District National Park,Derbyshire, has created a wonderful range of VEAU dishes including an oldStaffordshire sausage recipe which he has found.

Sara a finalist in last years Masterchefprogram in the UKis a great fan of this meat & has created some exciting recipes too. http://www.seasonedcourses.com/

SeasonedCookery School runs excellent stylist one daycourses for both beginners & experienced cooks. These courses includelearning how to cook “Under Utilised Cuts” that include Grassfed Rose Veau.
Clare has gift vouchers on her website….an ideal present for your husband,wife, brother or girlfriend….book now!

The success of GRASSFED ROSE VEAU willdepend on pasture based dairy farmers selling both the product & the newbrand name. We need chefs & butchers to use their skills & imaginationto create easily prepared dishes that discerning consumers will love toexperiment with for their families. Restaurants need to get it onto the menusso customers get excited.

This is an opportunity for farmers to grow, prepare,cook & feast on their own home grown healthy food. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/18/dining/18veal.html?pagewanted=all

We need to use every social mediaopportunity to each market this new brand of healthy meat to as wide anaudience as possible. We need to talk this up as it’s a real opportunity forpasture based dairy farmers.

Get used to the new brand name & use it atevery opportunity with our butchers, family & friends.

Let’s get out there & sell GRASSFEDROSE VEAU.

I'm writing this having just finished a delicious "Grassfed Rose Veau" rolled brisket that was slow cooked as a pot roast.....wow so tender!

Current UK Pasture Measurements

Growth rates dropping with shorter day lengths, soil temps still very good for this time of year.

TheAveragePasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)

North Wales AFC 2013, growth 40, demand 33

Shropshire, 1850, gr 20, de 12, at last some rain, soil temp 11.8

Shropshire, 2150, gr 17, heifers now dry, budget to close 1st Dec 1900

Hereford, 2200, gr 20, de 20, suppl 24, good rain very mild

Gloucestershire, 2394, gr 27, soil temp 13 at midday

SW Wales, 2400, gr 30, de 22, 1st calvers now dry

Somerset org, 2300, gr 25,

Dorset 2160, gr 30 feeding 2kg conc + 4kg silage OAD milking

Dorset 2050, gr 10kgs DM/ha/day

Dorset, 2360, gr 30, started feeding silage

East Sussex, 1900, gr 45, cows in fulltime soil temps 10

Cornwall, soil temp 12.5 at 10am

Cornwall, 2590, gr 45, de 38, getting wet

Devon org 2400, gr 32, cows in by night, 60 day rotation

UK Planning Reform Outrageous! UK Farming Land Not Fully Valued??

2011-10-27T18:19:00.000+01:00

Before theend of October the world will have more than 7 Billion people. Each day thetotal population grows an extra 200,000. Each year an extra 80million! This isa major issue & there are serious questions about whether there will besufficient food available. There is precious little good quality soil availablefor cropping & already energy crops are competing for available land areawith food production. Another really difficult concern is the availability ofgood quality fresh water. Agriculture is already the major user of water &in some countries the water table has fallen dramatically partly due to climatechange & partly due to excessive draw off for crops.

In the UK we areunbelievably blessed with excellent soils & a kind weather pattern that normallydelivers adequate rain most of the year. Compared to the rest of the world the UK is in anamazing position for food production.

Having recently visited Utah& Arizona which are mainly alpine deserts,California which has a very serious shortageof water & Australiawhere the vast area of the Centre Red has neither the soils nor the climate forhighly productive agriculture….you start to realise how fortunate we are herein Britain.

Do theBritish really understand that favoured position or really appreciate our goodluck in having such precious productive soil? Do the British appreciate thevalue & massive wealth we have within the topsoil…..it’s called SoilOrganic Matter. Does the Government or Cabinet in any way indicate policiesthat encourage agriculture? Why isn’t agriculture leading the economic recoverybecause our farmers are certainly capable of an export food driven recovery? Infact if you look at the world we in Britain have a responsibility tohelp feed the world’s population.

Instead ofpositive export driven policies we have ridiculous changes to planning lawsbeing proposed to “boost development & ramp up the housing industry”???? Ihave no qualms with making planning simpler but to have a “presumption ofdevelopment” & to allow further development of Greenfield sites is both absurd &outrageous! Why in a country with incredible food production potential (with aworld population short of food) does any government, not only allow furtherhousing but encourage it beggars belief.

Why is therenot an insistence that the inner cities be built up & not out? Cities likeCardiff & Melbourne, Australia have very successfully revitalised the CBDby bringing high rise apartments back into the central city. Neither UK northe world can allow “extremely productive agricultural land” to be buried underhousing.

Throughoutthe UKthe developers are already sitting on undeveloped land banks. With the currentEuro crisis there is every chance of a house price crash….so why push throughreforms that will create more housing on Greenfieldsites??

TheGovernment says there are adequate safeguards to protect valued sites &sustainable housing. This is absolute rubbish.

In our village a new developmenthas been pushed through planning even though the village was totally againstwhat was being proposed. The local council was terrified of the possible legalcosts if the planning was not approved. So what are the safeguards?

What I cannot understand is that the proposed changes are supported by the NFU. Why on earthwould the National Farmers Union support reforms that will put housing on topof our precious agricultural land. Every pasture based dairy farmer tries tofully utilise his or her farm to its potential for annual pasture growth &grazing by dairy cows.

I think thetopsoil in UKfarm soils is an incredible asset that must be protected. As a country wealready import far too much food & we are one of the biggest net importersof water (most of which is virtual water). I ask you, what do you think?

Current UK Pasture Measurements

Pasture growth Slowing dramatically as soil temps fall & daylight hours reduce. Some long awaited rain in Midlands but too late.

TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth(kgsDM/ha/day)

Hereford AFC 2310, growth 23, demand 25, grazed 46% of farm since 1st Oct

Dorset, AFC 2270, Growth 20

Hereford, Well Done the ABs!

Ireland, Great match. Well Done ABs!

Brittany, France, It's a theft! So Close.

Brittany, France, Un match magnifique!

Taranaki NZ, Exhausted watching...shouldnt have been but good result!

Waikato, NZ, Bit too close for comfort very lucky to win.

My New Hero Kenyan Farmer Kimani Maruge! It's never to late to learn.

2011-10-21T16:13:00.001+01:00

It’s beenan amazing week! What with the Rugby WorldCup. I am very proud to be a New Zealander & to see the fantastic rugby theAll Blacks play. A very interesting week on UK pasture based dairy farms too.

This week Iwatched an amazing DVD called “First Grader” an award winning 2011 film aboutthe Kenyan hero “Kimani Maruge”.

Kimani Maruge (a farmer) was a 1950’s Mau Mauveteran who arrived at a tiny rural primary school as an 84 year old mandetermined to get an education after the Kenyan government offered “freeeducation for all”. Kimani holds the record as the oldest person ever to start primary school. His determination to get an education was trulyinspirational.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimani_Maruge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-eBT7vnTLE

I doubt many people outside of Kenya have ever heard of KimaniMaruge. What a guy, what a hero. What a farmer! I doubt many people have everheard of his Primary School Teacher Jane Obinchu either but what a gutsy lady,what an inspiration!

Watching the film First Grader made me think about severalvery important issues regarding Dairyfarmer education.

We don’t know how lucky we really are in this country…we have all had an opportunity of a good education. I wonder if we really value that opportunity?
Education continues all our life. Adult self directed learning is continuous & under our control. It’s up to us….”If it’s going to be it’s up to me”.
During this past week I watched as pasture based dairy farmers learnt from each other, where information & experience was freely given & willingly accepted. I watched the young & inexperienced learn from the experienced & wise. However I also witnessed the older willingly learn from the young. It was a privilege to watch such an amazing process.

Pasture based dairy farmers inthe UKare incredibly active adult learners & the on farm changes that haveoccurred in the past decade are quite extraordinary. The efficiency gains arepushing biological boundaries of what is physically possible in agriculture.Sadly this green revolution has been largely unnoticed noracknowledged in the UK. However countless pasture based dairy farmers who have embracedchange are now in a really strong position as Sustainable Farming Businesses.

I want to tell you about my weekof learning with farmers.

Monday

I joined the RealfarmersDiscussion Group in Dorset meeting at a farmwhich is “on a journey” or at the beginning of the journey. Currently there areno tracks & the calving blocks are at the early stages of being sorted. Thefirst cross bred cows are entering the herd. Mark & his father were keen tomeet with the group as they are hungry for ideas. Mark played a star role in arecent video about pasture based dairy farming. http://www.pasturepromise.tv/video/read/id/0

I greatly admired Mark’s dadCharlie….he is encouraging & guiding his son into this new system of whichthere are plenty of distracters & “non believers”. That really takescourage & foresight, but there he was this week listening intently to agroup of young herdsman.

Tuesday

Each one of us has an idea ofwhat permanent pasture is & looks like. However I had that (my) conceptseverely tested when I visited one of OxfordUniversity’s farms on the outskirts ofOxford city.FAI is the tenant and we were inspecting the pastures on this farm set up torun as a Sustainable Farming system. http://www.faifarms.co.uk/

FAI Farms has a concept of the3e’s of sustainability. The 3e’s are Environment, Economics, & EthicalStrategies which include animal welfare & social sustainability. All wentwell on our farm walk until I was confronted with permanent pastures that areat least a 1000 yrs old. Alison McDonald the pasture ecologist explained thatthese flood meadows have not ever been ploughed. Oxford Universityhistorical records show no record of ploughing. It was intriguing …in a squaremetre there would have been maybe 30 different “pasture” species none of whichI have ever seen before. http://www.floodplainmeadows.org.uk/content/meadows

The field that is known as "PixeyMead" is cut each year for hay in July then grazed between August & Octoberin an attempt to replicate “Common land” grazing management prior to enclosurein England.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enclosure

We ventured onto “WolvercoteMeadows” which is partly within the city boundaries of Oxford. The last time these “permanentpastures” were cut for hay was in 1642 when King Charles 1 needed feed for hishorses during the English Civil war.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_I_of_England

Alison was very definite aboutthe date of the last hay cut as records show that his men refused to cut thehay the next year because they hadn’t been paid for the first year’s haymaking.Something’s in the rural community don’t change do they??

Thursday

I was very privileged to join aSeasoned Cookery course run by chef Jeff Thomas & Seasoned entrepreneurClare Tetley. The cookery course was about cooking “Under Utilized Cuts ofMeat”. What a brilliant idea! In the UK we waste so much of carcassbecause we simply don’t know how to cook this meat. What a shameful waste ofprotein. Usually it’s a simple matter of doing a slow cook rather than a fastfry up. I’m talking about cuts like pig’s cheek, pork belly, Lamb neck fillets& Onglette or skirt fillets of beef. Wonderful cuts of meat that cookedwell are so tasty. Again at this day there were the young & the slightlyolder teaching each other the skills & enjoyment of cooking good qualitymeat. A great day…close to heaven I’d say!

Clare also runs a grass fed beefday where participants learn about Andrew Sebire’s organic grass fed beef atLower Hurst Farm. http://www.seasonedcourses.com/

One of the dishes we learnt aboutfrom Chef Jeff Thomas was Staffordshire Veal Sausages. This was rose veal thatwas reared on a pasture based dairy farm to utilize the male calves born in aspring block calving system. No dairy farmer likes disposing of these animals& again what a shameful waste of protein. Rose veal is not in any waysimilar to white veal but for quite stupid reasons in the UK veal isreally difficult to purchase. Why? Why do we allow this ignorance to interferewith the production of healthy grass fed beef? Partly responsible is the pressincluding the BBC which won’t allow veal recipes to be used in the variouscooking programs like Master chef. The supermarkets are partly to blame aswell. Whereas the Soil Association & McDonalds should be congratulated ontheir efforts, to get Rose Veal back on our dining tables.

Let’s start a grass fed Rose VealCampaign!

Research shows that farmers arevery active adult learners. Farmers learn from other farmers very effectively.We have two huge advantages over my new hero Kimani Maruge..1. We all had goodbasic educations that included reading & writing. We are so very lucky! 2.The UK pasture based dairy farmers have a wonderful network of pasture baseddairy farmers many of whom farm in different countries around the world &with the internet & smart phones we can not only talk to each other butlearn from each other. What a privilege education really is. We are so verylucky!

What a true hero, Kenyan farmer Kimani Maruge was!

Current UK Pasture Measurements
Pasture growth has slowed dramatically all over the UK due to colder temperatures. Grazing conditions very good.

Rugby on Sunday will be seriously good. Good luck to my French friends I think you will need all the luck to pull this off. C'Mon the All Blacks.
TheAveragePasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)

Cumbria, AFC 2475, growth 20,

North Wales,2400, gr 35 demand 40, excellent autumn conditions, cant believe RWC last Saturday???

Shropshire,1780, gr 15, de 10 no significant rain only 10mm this month

Hereford, 2316, growth 26, demand 25, grazed36% of farm since 1^st Oct

Gloucestershire, AFC 2465, growth50

SW Wales,AFC 2898, growth 28, demand 38.

Pembrokeshire, AFC 2580, gr 45,demand 36,

Devon,2800, growth 40,

Dorset,2689, gr 37, grazing 4200, residuals 1400 not feeding silage.

Dorset, AFC 2400, growth 10,Start feeding silage 2moro. Good luck for RWC.

East Sussex,AFC 1900, growth 15.

Cornwall, AFC 2760, growth 45, demand 38, 200T of Fodder Beet for sale

All Fur Coats & No Knickers

2011-10-14T17:34:00.000+01:00

Pasturebased dairy farms are some of the most profitable farms in Europe.Profitability is a key component to any farming system. A farm has to beprofitable to be sustainable. The low input systems & tight cost controlmakes these farms very sustainable & resilient to downturns in the market.What downturns you may ask? We are enjoying good times at the moment withbuoyant milk prices & a relatively strong international market.
We have to be sure these profits are real & that the profitability measures are meaningful. If its not then its "All Fur Coats & NO Knickers"

I raise theissue about profitability for a number of reasons.

1. Europe faces a very risky economic future with a risk ofa major crash which will inevitably affect dairy farmers.

2. ProposedEU CAP reforms (2014-2020) highlight a possible reduction in Single FarmPayments of 30-50% (compared to the direct payments of today) with some as yetunknown “green” payments also being available to those farms who implementenvironmental schemes.

3. I’m notconvinced Pasture based dairy farm Discussion Groups are comparing the right“Profitability key performance Indicators”.

Europe in Crisis.

For weeksnow we have read & seen on TV, clear indication that the PIIGS are in deeptrouble. The debt of these countries is truly mind bloggling! (Grossunderstatement) & equally frightening is Europe’sapparent inability to deal with the crisis. Logic says that this can’t continue& that all hell is about to breakout. We now have magazines like Money Weekhttp://www.moneyweek.com/blogwarning investors to reduce personal debt, to get out of the housing market, toget out of much of the FTSE & to be very wary of Government Bonds as aninvestment. When these warnings are about its time to take cover & buildresilience into your farm business.

EU CAP Reform (2014-2020).

The UKthrough Defra has been calling for radical changes in the scheduled CAPreforms. http://www.defra.gov.uk/food-farm/farm-manage/cap-reform/ The possible reforms announced thisweek….which will be much debated & maybe watered down still suggest a majorreduction in the direct SFP payment to farmers from 2014 onward.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/11/uk-common-agricultural-policy-inadequate?newsfeed=true

Althoughthe overall reform won’t enhance the competitiveness of EU farmers it does seemto me that the suggested changes will be welcomed by pasture based dairyfarmers. Firstly we are less dependent on the SFP for cashflow….many lessprofitable farms seem to be almost totally dependent. Secondly I believe thatit will increase the opportunities for expansion as other farmers leave theindustry. Thirdly it will hopefully reward the pasture based dairy farmers whoare already taking significant steps to enhance the farm environment. Howeverthere is a very big BUT. You must be profitable & have a strong cashfloweven in uncertain times.

£ Profitper hectare or per litre????(Not enough)

Farmbusiness profitability comes from the “Farm Business” (eg milk) & fromgains in the “Farm Property Business”. http://www.dairyexporter.co.nz/article/17870.html

Theintroduction of the "Business Scoreboard" & the willingness of DiscussionGroups to openly share financial information are major factors leading to morehighly profitable dairy farm businesses. If you don’t measure “it” you canneither control “it” nor improve “it”. By recording & being prepared for openanalysis by fellow Discussion Group members each farm is well on the road tosustained improvement. However we must be comparing the right Business “KeyPerformance Indicators”. The Comparative Farm Profit (CFP) analysis was a giantstep forward from nonsense metrics like Margin over feed costs. However Profitper Hectare or per Litre could be very misleading. Sure the farm businessprofit is a very important driver & yes the profit per hectare is moreimportant than litres per cow, BUT its time to move on & concentrate on 3other more important metrics (KPIs). Especially if we are either expanding ourbusinesses or we are about to face very uncertain times including creditrestrictions.

Prof.Nicola Shadbolt from Massey University & the NZ Dairybase has clearly setthese out a number of times. http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/14232863#/14232863/24

Special care needs to be taken during expansion & when you are trying to increase output not to have excessive capital spending.

The huge risk in a downturn is liquidity ……lack of availablecash or a weak cashflow. Businesses need a strong cashflow. On the “BusinessScoreboard” this is on the dreaded Page 2. FARM CASH SURPLUS is a vital KPIwhich most Discussion Groups ignore to their peril. Some farms have a positiveCFP (Profit/ha or per litre) but a negative Farm Cash Surplus. This is a veryrisky position to be in. Often it is caused by a Profit/ha being inflated bynon cash items like “Inventory Change” i.e. herd expansion. A dairy farmbusiness must be in a strong cash position. As Christchurch based Accountant Peta Alexandermust have told a thousand farmer audiences “Cash is king”.

Secondly we need to monitor very closely our Return onEquity (ROE) & equally the Return on Capital (ROC). Farm Businesses shouldbe trying to maximize equity growth through sustainable profitability.

“A dairy farmer with money in his pockets (it’s always“His”/male) is a very dangerous beast”. The real risk is that as a business expandsexcessive capital is spent which could result in poor profits. The realbreakthrough in the UKwas having a very simple low cost system that had a low capital base. If theROE & the ROC are not monitored & compared annually the risks are hugeespecially in uncertain times. You & your Discussion Group need to trackboth ROE & ROC very closely & learn from the businesses with the bestbusiness performance.

Little will be gained by groups now doing CFPs only!Groups will spend time endless looking for the invisible.

The Group League Tablewill tell us that the same farmers year after year are at the top. Its way overdue that we look deeper into “Farm Cash Surplus”, ROE & ROC………all of whichare seriously affected by the numbers that go into the cfp analysis. Thesecrets lie on PAGE TWO of the Business Scoreboard. To date Discussion Groupshave not ventured to the core issue. If you don't use the best metric (KPIs) then it could be "All Fur Coats & NO Knickers"

Current UK Pasture Measurements

Pasture growth still very different across country based on rain, temperatures & which nation you follow in Rugby.

Huge thank you to those farmers who offered feed to the farmers in drought stricken Midlands where it is still very dry.

http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/05/10/2011/129417/2011-FW-Awards-winner-Dairy-Farmer.htm

Congratulations to Gavin & his family in North Devon on winning FW Dairy Farmer of Year Award. Well done!

I must apologise for the lack of English data this week...apparently they are in hiding......The Welsh farmers have found full voice......surprised I haven't heard from my French mates
TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth(kgsDM/ha/day)
Northern Ireland,AFC 2515, growth 63, demand 40, very warm & wet. Thought rugby ended last weekend!
Nth Wales, 2400, growth 42, demand 40, Can't concentrate on farming. Go Wales! Bring the RWC home.
Gloucestershire, 2590, growth 60
Hereford, 2100, gr 25, Total de 45, grass demand 20, Very dry. Am now claiming to be Welsh!....ex English supporter!
Hereford, 2217, gr 20, de 22, Wales for RWC! Go Wales!
Hereford, 2392, gr 37, de 25, following planner well.
South West Wales, 2992, gr 56, demand 37
Cornwall, 2680, gr 75, de 50 Was supporting Ireland in NZ....ex English supporter!
Ireland, Limerick, AFC 2900, growth 48, demand 42, 2kg feed
Northern Germany organic, AFC 1930, growth 20, demand 25, had 2nd frost growth will slow. Great rugby weekend coming up...Go the ABs!

"Talking".. From County Shows to.... Facebook, Twitter & Mobile Phones

2011-10-07T15:06:00.002+01:00

Steve Jobs death this week is a sad loss to the world.

“Super Inventor &Innovator” Steve Jobs from Apple created massive change which will effecteveryone & led a blistering pace of innovation in communications. What aninspiration.Watch this amazing speech http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die.html

In rural workplaces we are all witness to some amazingchanges in communications between farmers & people in general. It’s happeningfaster than some of us like & it’s relentless. Steve Jobs has played a bighand in that change & I suspect his influence hasn’t yet been fullyrealized.

In the last decade dairy farmer numbers in the UK have morethan halved. Fewer sons or daughters are taking over the family farms. Thenumber of people working in rural UK has dropped dramatically too. Somany of our countryside institutions & annual events are struggling tosurvive e.g. like the livestock markets, the county shows & ploughingmatches. These events rely heavily on a core group of dedicated older people toorganize & they struggle to get both participants & a fee paying crowd.For centuries this is where farmers met & talked to each other, sharinginformation. Should we lament this change or accept that it has changedforever?

Sons used to learn their farming trade & skills fromfathers or grandfathers.

That rarely happens now as young people are encouragedto go off to University or College. Their return often creates tension &communication is difficult between the generations. Young married couples onfarms have new challenges in communications which can be very difficultespecially for young women who don’t have a farming background. http://www.abc.net.au/rural/telegraph/inlaws/episode1.htm

Farming families often have communication issues justbecause the workplace is the home & the living space. http://www.grdc.com.au/uploads/documents/GRDC-CommunicationForFarmingFamilies.pdf?shortcut=1

People say but why cant we just talk to other people??
We need to acknowledge that there are difficulties & ourtalking isn’t always a very effective way of communicating, sometimes verysadly with tragic outcomes. http://www.blokesnsheilas.com.au/FTPzone/Beyond_the_handshake_poem.html

When we speak to one another the actual words account forless than thirty % of the communication message…..our tone, our emphasis, ourbody language convey far more than the words alone. Women are usually farbetter at communication than men. In fact men in general are pretty awfulcommunicators. Ask any woman if you don’t believe me! One of reasons is thatwomen in general are better at talking out issues whereas men retreat to theircaves. Women often use much more flamboyant hand movements to assist in gettingthe message over successfully.

Often in the rural community we don’t have touse words to communicate. Somehow we just know what is meant (see photo above few would not know what that meant).

Now it’s an age of “Steve Jobs driven” technology. In Ireland in 2009there were 10 billion SMS text messages sent, an increase of 180% over 2004. In2004 65% of Irish farmers had internet access by 2010 it was 96%.

The big trends for the next five years are forecasted to bea move to mobiles (from PCs), more social media & an increase in the use ofthe “cloud” (sharing & storing information & data in cyber space).

Increasingly social media is here to stay. Social media is likely to replacemost emails & phone calls. Facebook has currently got 800 million users. Scarystuff…..not really! However we will be faced with ever changing change.This will bechallenging especially to new comers.

400 pasture based dairy farmers &their advisers in the UK (& 6 other countries)are regular users of Facebook. There are a number of online Facebook DiscussionGroups for pasture based dairy farmers. The Facebook technology is very goodfor private online discussions. Will it replace face to face in the paddockDiscussion Groups….probably not but the two work very effectively together.What the internet has allowed is for farmers from different counties &different countries who share a common interest to effectively “talk to eachother regularly”. I suspect as Facebook updates we will soon have regular videodiscussions.

Women are greater users of social media than men. Women arethe early adopters of social media & social networking.

“Twitter” is another amazing internet phenomenon. www.twitter.com

Yet to be used by many farmers but could have a major roleas twitter posts are helping to bridge the urban – rural divide. Each messageis restricted to 140 characters or less.

http://ofbf.org/uploads/social-media-guide.pdf

I think every farmer has a responsibility to become anadvocate for his/her farm, the farm staff, his/her farming industry &his/her food that is produced by the farm. Dairy farmers in the USA seem muchbetter at this than we are but there’s a lot we can learn from them. http://www.causematters.com/

Twitter is also seeing the evolution of online weekly chatsby farmers e.g. http://agchat.org/ & theAustralian version http://twitter.com/#!/AgChatOZ

Phones & social media are connecting eaters to thesources/producers of food. As women make over 90% of the household purchasingdecisions (especially groceries) the way to connect with consumers willincreasingly be via social media. This is a fantastic opportunity that everyfarmer can contribute to in a positive way. We don’t want to hand thisresponsibility to someone else (like DairyUK for example)…..that’s a huge risk!Farm business needs to be on the same channels as trading partners &customers/consumers.

One of Steve Jobs legacy will be the move from office basedcomputers to mobile phones. Mobile phones have become powerful computers thatare carried in handbags, pockets, cars & tractors. Increasingly farmers areusing their phones to access the internet & social media. Twelve months agovirtually 100% of people accessing this blog online were doing so from deskcomputers. Today the readers come from over 60 countries & approx 20% areaccessing the blog from mobile phones. This is a massive change & one thatis likely to accelerate. I want pasture based dairy farmers to be at theforefront & to be early adopters of new technology.

Are pasture based dairy farmers using “cloudtechnology”…..yes they are! Discussion groups are using Agrinet for pasturewedge graphs & sharing this information within their Discussion Groups. www.agrinet.ie
The Irish based company is also utilizingYouTube to help train users of the pasture wedge graphs & pasture budgets. http://www.youtube.com/user/gavmurr

The need for technology will increase around the use ofgrazed grass. Web based tools that allow dairy farmers to communicate with one another;the milk processor, the marts, cattle breeding companies etc. will facilitateincreased efficiency at farm level.

Dairy farm users of www.dropbox.com for file & data sharing areeffectively using “cloud type technology”

Pasture Promise TV

http://www.pasturepromise.tv/video/read/id/0

This week we saw the launch of PasturePromise internet TV. High quality videos on pasture management & grassfed milk. It stars NOT Tom Cruise NOR Tom Jones but our very own Tom Malleson & Mark Read from Dorset. Well done guys!

Steve Jobs sad passing won’t slow the blistering pace ofchange in communications. Pasture based dairy farmers need grab the newtechnologies with both hands. Yes we will have to learn to adapt to constantchange but the opportunities are too great to turn our backs & say it’s alltoo difficult. Keep up or step aside!

Current UK Pasture Measurements

Cold change no good for pasture growth. Rainfall very hit & miss
TheAveragePasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)

South Ayreshire, Scotland, AFC 2337, growth 15, demand 18kgs DM

Cumbria, AFC 2575, growth27, demand 22
Cheshire organic, 1750, gr 15, demand 27 grazing rotation 50 days

Shropshire, 2318, gr26, cows drinking alot but no limitation

Herefordshire, 2322, gr 24, de 25, following autumn planner 60% in 30 days

Oxfordshire, 2100, gr 20, de 20

Gloucestershire, 2640, gr 84, de 50, Peak growth rate of year.
Somerset, 2750, gr 65 quality not so good with high covers, growth will fall cos of low temps

Dorset, 2678, gr 50,

Dorset, 2700, gr 35, de 38, See you in RWC Semi finals

East Sussex, 2000, gr 20, RWC easier to watch now as only 49 cows to calve

North Devon, 2900, gr 50, rotation 50 days

Cornwall, AFC 2650, gr 53, de 39, cut 10% of milking platform last week, 3200 covers, 1800 residuals

NO RAIN = NO PASTURE. Situation now critical in Midlands

2011-09-30T18:37:00.002+01:00

NO RAIN = NO PASTURE
The verydry conditions in the UK Midlands, is currently very serious for pasture baseddairy farmers. Little or no rain has fallen in Shropshire, Staffordshire,Herefordshire, Derbyshire or Nottingham formonths. On farm pasture is critical & farmers are heavily feeding. Winterfeed supply is critical. A look at the monthly rainfall patterns in the UK each monthis very revealing.

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/anomacts/

Not only is rainfall scarce but ground water supplies onsome farms are very low. Some on farm water bores are drawing less than 20% ofnormal supply. Daily water demand is more than twice normal due to the drydiets being fed….concentrates, silage & minimal high DM% pasture. Normaldaily water used for dairy cows is approx 2x daily milk production. Some farmsusing electro pulse meters (LMS systems) have recorded daily use as high as100litres per cow per day. Water tables are very low throughout the Midlands. If the autumn winter rainfall in these areas islow this will be very serious next summer not only for pastures but forlivestock water supply too.

Phil Evans from LMS http://www.liquidminerals.co.uk/tells me that the normal pattern of daily water consumption is 40% after ammilking & 60% after pm milking. Water use is seasonal & dependent onthe diet (DM%)

UK WATER

UK is nowhere near self sufficient inwater. Only 38% of total water use is from the UK. A staggering 62% of total wateruse is actually imported from other countries. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/aug/20/water.food1So we are very dependent onother countries to successfully manage their fresh water resources. Throughoutthe world 70% of existing available fresh water is used for irrigation &agricultural/food. The UKis the 6^th largest net importer of virtual water in the world.

http://www.waterfootprint.org/Reports/Orr%20and%20Chapagain%202008%20UK%20waterfootprint-vol1.pdf

The water demand of a country is usually expressed as thetotal water withdrawn from rivers, lakes & aquifers in that country fordifferent sectors of its economy. However this doesn’t equate to the totaldemand for water as a country as many products including food are imported. The“Water Footprint” of a country or a product like milk is calculated to includeboth the direct water used & the virtual water associated with thatproduct’s production. Unlike carbon footprints of which there are hundreds ofdifferent versions (total shambles!) there is only one agreed water footprintmethod of calculation.

http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/home
ON FARM WATER

On farms there are three types of water available…Greenwater = rainfall (not including runoff which is lost). Blue water = surface& groundwater. Grey water = recycled water including effluent & dirtywater.

Globally animal production takes a very big proportion ofthe total water used. 19% of total livestock water is used by dairycattle….mainly for feed (drinking water is only a small proportion of thetotal). The less cereals in the cow diet usually results in less water use. Theless imported feed also results in less water being used. It looks as though atotal grazing system uses approx 60% of the water of a high input fully housedsystem of dairying. A massive plus for pasture based dairying.

Globally the Water Footprint for milk is 1000 litres of waterused to produce 1 litre of Milk.

On farm nothing crashes milk production more than beingshort of water. Drinking water is NOT just about water troughs. Rather it’s thecombined impact of the water supply, pumps, water pipe diameter & troughsize. The biggest on farm problems relate to the circulation/delivery waterpipes not being large enough.

The most efficient & lowest cost installation is a ringmain system with minimal laterals to the water troughs.
In the UK we tend to take water for granted. In Australia water is gold! Now we find that we are very short of water in some areas.....its very serious! Its very stressful too.
Current UK Pasture Measurements

Situation now critical in Midlands. Can you help with feed?

Contact me if you can help especially if you have organic feed that could be transported into the Midlands. Ring me.

TheAveragePasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)

Cumbria AFC 2568, growth 44, Summer here at last

West Cheshire, 1774, growth13, hot windy & dry, feeding anything I can get my hands on.

East Cheshire, AFC 2600,growth 60+

Staffordshire, 1800, growth well below demand, feeding 4kgsconc + 7 kgs silage, Cows drinking 55litres/day

Staffordshire, 2370, gr down from 40 to 24, pastures waterstressed. Bores okay but both farm streams dry

Shropshire org, bone dry,1365, gr 16, demand 30 Grandparents never seen it as dry

Shropshire org, 1850, nogrowth, no rain since June, Can anyone sell organic feed to me. Desperate!

Shropshire, 2050, gr 28, norain, Sold empties, lame ones etc cover reducing HELP!
Shropshire, 1750, gr 16, de 10 feel like high input farmer 6kg in parlour + 12kg DM TMR Water now requires the Mains

Herefordshire, 2346, gr 35, de 18, 3mm rain

Herefordshire, 2275, gr 30 de 52, still very dry

Oxfordshire, 2150, gr 30, de 20

Gloucestershire, 2505, gr 50, demand 50,

North Wales, 2303, growth58, demand 43

South West Wales, 2601, growth 63, demand 44, Heifers AFC3245, gr 65, de 27

Dorset AFC 2204, growth 62, demand 30

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/anomacts/

Herbal Clover Pastures Challenge Our Concept of What a Dairy Pasture Looks Like

2011-09-23T16:13:00.000+01:00

The dawning of a new age OR a Storm of Innovation?
A group of very innovative pasture based dairyfarmers in the UK are challenging our concept of what a pasture looks like. Farmers are experimenting with Herbal Clover pastures. Lots of different mixes of herbs with white clover to provide the nitrogen. Over the past two weeks I've been very lucky to work with 2 french groups (one farmer group from Brittany & an Organic Dairy Advisers group from Normandy) visiting SW England. We were on both conventional & organic pasture based dairy farms.
On one Dorset farm new herbal leys that contain either Choice Chicory plus Clover or Tonic Plantain plus clover looked very impressive.
These were direct drilled into an old poor grass pasture during the dry spring. To date they are growing twice the average pasture growth rates of the rest of the farm & more than 3x the dry matter has been harvested off these fields over summer compared to the old pasture. There is a massive difference in the quality of the pastures....the chicory is averaging 20% crude protein & 13 ME. The milking cows are grazing it every 20 days compared to every 60 days last year. We believe the cows are harvesting approx 1500kgs DM/ha at each grazing. The Chicory is slightly outperforming the Plantain but there is little difference in the milk response when the cows are grazing these herbal pastures.
The Breton group debated if the grazing rotation could even have been quicker i.e. put the cows in on shorter Chicory.

The grazing utilization has been excellent.

The Tonic Plantain plus White Clover (Photo below...is pre grazing)

What I'm not convinced works is adding chicory to a grass pasture mix. I think every grazing is a compromise. You are either grazing too early or too late for one of the species. I would NOT advise a grass/ chicory mix. I know many farmers have been advised to do this but I disagree with this approach.

However on two different organic pasture dairy farms we saw Mixed Herbal Pastures with either Red Cover or White Clover. Both were very impressive. At one farm the Herbal/Clover Pasture was being grazed by the milking cows. The milkers were fully utilizing the herbal pasture & milk increased every time they grazed it.

At the second organic farm we saw a Mixed Herbal Pasture that had been left to mature & flower which was being block grazed by dry cows about to calve this autumn. This stored Autumn Herbal Pasture was quite a sight....in full flower & waist high. The Chicory & red Clover were dominant but there was a real mix of other herbs too.

We were impressed how the dry cows were grazing it right out. There was also an astonishing number of birds flying & feeding off the insects above the Herbal Pasture.

The cows were in terrific condition & there were no metabolic problems at calving. Although the protein & energy must be quite high there was plenty of fibre in the tall stalks which the cows were grazing to 5 cm.
We also saw Chicory being used to reseed areas of damaged pasture where there was bare ground. The Chicory established quickly & the clover filled the gaps.

Many areas of England have been very dry this year..................its time to re think what pasture is on a dairy farm. I think we need to move on from just ryegrass & clover. There maybe better options. Many of these herbal pastures can be sown at different times of the year.
I think as innovative farmers experiment we will learn that these Herbal Pastures can be very productive NOT just for COWS BUT for the SOIL & the ENVIRONMENT too.
Current UK Pasture Measurements
Still dry in the Midlands of England with decreasing day length & night temperatures. Extreme wet causing problems in other areas with track problems & pasture damage.
It seems "Life wasn't meant to be easy!"
Roll on 2012
The Average Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth Rates (kgsDM/ha/day)
South Ayrshire, Scotland, AFC 2378, growth 24, demand 19, suppl 38kg DM/ha, Gone onto OAD cos of track conditions, white line problems
Cumbria, 2467, gr30, Soil temp 13.2 degrees, V wet tracks a challenge, monitoring BCS
Northern Ireland, 2359,(target 2500), gr 53, de 38 have fed heavily,Dept plot shows soil moisture deficit reducing now feeding 3kg conc & grass only
Nth Wales, 2261, growth 45, demand 43
Shropshire, 2405, gr 50, 35mm rain......10miles away only 10mm, 0 growth,
Shropshire, 1700, gr 20, demand 9, still very dry, going to be an expensive winter
Hereford, 2282, gr 30, de 18, 11mm rain, cover increasing slowly, growth better further down wedge
Hereford, 2100, gr 23 (total demand 52), suppl 30, grass allocation 22, still V dry no chance of building covers.
Pembrokeshire organic, 2311, gr 46, de 26, milk taken a dive to 11 litres need to stop decrease
Pembrokeshire, Milking area 2515, gr 69, de 47. Heifer area...3113, gr 47, de 27 still wet & mild
Dorset, 2745, gr 61, de 43, some rust in paddocks now
Hampshire, AFC 2878, growth 78, demand 38
East Sussex, 2200, gr 40, 70% calved in 3 weeks getting easier to watch rugby!!
Cornwall, AFC 2700, gr 53, de 40, heifers coming home early to sort out
Limerick, Ireland, 2900, gr 46, de 40, feeding 2kg conc Still celebrating! Getting up early Sunday!
South Kilkenny, Ireland, 2207, gr 42, de 30, Scan cows 4% empty after 11 weeks Great result!
Nth Germany organic, 1835, decreasing growth 25, demand 27, wet making life difficult pasture damage impossible to build covers. Disappointed with USA result but C'Mon ABs!!

Cow Condition Score Your Herd Now Don't Wait until Winter

2011-09-16T18:15:00.001+01:00

Outwintering on forage crops has become a popular low cost wintering option for dry cows & young stock in the UK. However practical lessons are being learnt from the leading exponents…..For example to get the best results you need to carefully select the best cows. Cows that are dried off thin are not suitable. Outwintering will show up poor management decisions made in the late lactation period back in the summer/autumn.

Regular monitoring of cow condition scores (BCS) on 4 spring calving herds in the UK has shown that very few dry cows put on condition when outwintered on forage crops. So one of the lessons from this on farm research was that you need to manage cow condition scores from mid lactation onward. Identify thinner cows now & start doing something about it. Our experience is that putting condition on high genetic quality NZ Bred cows in late lactation is very difficult. As you add feed the cows tend to milk better rather than put on extra condition. In our experimental herds the only cows to increase the BCS in late lactation were those milked OAD. This typically was about 10-15% of the herd.
To put on extra condition these cows need to be well fed…..perhaps residuals need to be at least 1650kgsDM/ha. Don’t wait until drying off to try to put on extra BCS if you are outwintering.
All dry cows have a very limited window where it is possible to put on extra condition. At best you could gain one NZ BCS but it must be done early in the first month of the dry period. To gain this extra BCS requires virtually a milker ration of full feeding of high quality ME feeds. Drying thin cows off early must help.
Cow Condition of pasture based dairy cows is closely linked to fertility & profitability. So it is seriously important to measure & monitor BCS now.

Dry cows outwintered on forage crops cope very well with the winter wet, cold air temperatures & often saturated or frozen soils. This is because of the “onboard heating” ruminants have as part of their metabolism (unlike humans). However we need to carefully calculate daily maintenance requirements taking into account the weather & soil conditions. If the forage crops are frozen, then this will add to the daily dry cow maintenance requirements too, as cows need to defrost & warm up the feed first & this takes energy. Conditions like last winter could mean that you need to feed 50% more just to maintain dry cows each day. Cows lying on cold wet soil will have higher maintenance requirements compared to dry soils. Research calculates cow maintenance figures from indoor fed trials so you need to judge temperature, wind chill factors & soil conditions & make changes to the daily feeding.

Dr David Stevens from Agresearch NZ visited the UK Midlands this week. He spoke about his outwintering trials in the lower half of the South Island which has a winter climate similar to much of the UK. His trial was with FJ XBred cows on Swedes plus baleage. “The intake of swedes by non-lactating dairy cows in late pregnancy, estimated by crop disappearance, was not significantly affected by allowance (6 or 8kgsDM Swedes) at one hour after allocation, being approximately 4 kg DM. However, the intake of the cows on the Low allowance was then limited by the availability of the forage having eaten approximately 80% of their daily allowance. The intake of cows offered the high allowance did not achieve 80% utilisation of the swedes until approximately 5 hours after allocation. The consumption of the supplements was similar on both allowances until 5 hours post allocation, irrespective of swede intake, indicating that the harvestibility of the crop may have influenced the rate of intake. The cows continued to consume forage as baleage and hay with intake diverging with time.

Metabolisable energy intakes were calculated as 103 and 149 MJME/cow/d (470kg LWT XBred cows) for the Low and High allowances respectively, demonstrating the significant requirements for dairy cows wintered outdoors, grazing crops in situ.”
The NZ Grasslands Society has a new website where it is possible to look up the conference proceedings from the past 75 years. It is easy to search papers that refer to out wintering & forage crops. http://www.grassland.org.nz/index.php

Current UK Pasture Measurements
On farm conditions in parts of the Midlands is now serious. Some farms in Shropshire have only received 100-150ml of rain all of this year. Pasture covers & growth are very low & feed reserves almost non existent. In Australia dairy farmers regularly invoke "Cow Parking Arrangements" when crisis occur like fire or floods. Some farmers in Wales(who have had an unbelievable year) might be able to offer Cow Parking options????
I was in Dorset this week where conditions have recovered after a very dry early summer. Farms are on target to hit their autumn pasture targets. On a farm with Chicory & Plantain plus clover pastures.....growth rates on the Chicory & the Plantain have been double the pasture growth rates. Those "herb pastures" were sown onto poor performance old pastures. Three times the DM has been harvested by the herd & its 20%CP & 13ME!! Fantastic result Gary & Will.
TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)
Cumbria, AFC 2600, growth 50, demand 48, clean grazing V difficult past 6 weeks, Mega wet August & Sept, pasture DM v low
Dumfries, Scotland, AFC 2360, growth 47, Growth & covers down cos wet & lower temps
Cheshire Organic, 1850, gr 15, de 29, feeding heavily rotation 48 days 18 litres/cow
Nth Wales, 2275, gr 45, de 43
Nth Wales 2400, gr 70, de 45
Staffordshire, 2300, gr 40, de 20, heavy feeding still very dry
Shropshire, 1600, gr 9, de 9, desparate for rain fully feeding herd. Only 150ml rain this year so far
Derbyshire, 2374, gr 49, de 52, PD cows 11% empty in 12 wks not as good as last yr
Herefordshire, 2000, gr 26, de 55, supplements 30, desparate for rain. Too busy feeding silage to watch rugby...its serious!
Herefordshire, 2240, gr 29, de 17 missed most of the rain but got 2mm
Pembrokeshire organic, 2250, gr 50, de 30 covers increasing no feeding yet
South West Wales 2460, gr 50, demand 40
Somerset Organic, 2500, gr 40, de 35
Hampshire 2726, gr 65, de 44
East Sussex, 2150, gr 35, 60% calved in 19 days Autumn calving
North Germany, AFC 1865, gr30 (500ml rain since start of August) very wet soils
Gloucestershire, 2550, gr 73, back on target

"Small No Glam".....I like it!

2011-09-09T10:35:00.002+01:00

This week I passed an unhappy milestone.
In slightly under 10 years I have driven 600,000 miles in the UK.
This doesn’t include Ireland, Northern Ireland, Germany or France where I have used a rental car for farm consultancy business. It’s a long way by any measure!
As I pound along the M5 the stats play on my mind….... 600, 000 miles (or just short of a Million Kilometres) that’s approx 10,909 hours driving or the equivalent of 273 working weeks. (Nearly half of each year over the last 10 years I have spent driving on UK roads to & between dairy farms). At 40 MPG that’s 68,200 litres of petrol. OMG!

The Carbon foot print of that mileage is horrific. At approx 168gm CO2/km then the mileage over the last 9 years & 9 months is 168 Tonnes of CO2.
To this end I’ve tried to offset these emissions by establishing a tree planting on a nearby farm.
To those of you who are concerned about my mental state (after driving on average nearly 4 hours every working day for the past 9.75 years) don’t worry…..I believe they are coming to get me……Don’t Worry Be Happy (Bob Marley song)…..I’m in a very happy place with Tangerine sky…..Say goodbye to a tangerine sky say hello say hello to tomorrow(lyrics)……..oh dear!
“dont worry, be happy
dont worry, be happy
dont worry, be happy
dont worry, be happy
dont worry
dont worry be happy
don't worry, don't worry, don't do it,
be happy,put a smile on your face,
don't bring everybody down like this
don't worry, it will soon pass whatever it is,
don't worry, be happy,
i'm not worried”

On a slightly more serious note………..did you notice at the Dairy Event……maybe I got it wrong (Yeah Right!). I thought there was a direct relationship between the size & apparent glamour of the Site architecture (read expense) & the number of farmers on the site. The greater the expense the less people visiting the site!
As I say I may have got it wrong but I don’t think so.

I was so pleased to see (on the small no glam sites) our commercial friends were unbelievably busy. Take for example our friends at Kiwikit whose site was constantly crowded with lots of buzz & discussion.
Other examples of “Small No Glam” included our friends John Stones at Nuffield, Richard Capper & Steve Corkill at CSL-Varivac, Phil Evans & LMS, Barry at Agrinet, Wendy at Datag Kingswood, Bertie & his small team at Grasstec.
Long live “Small No Glam”
www.agrinet.ie, http://www.datag.co.uk/, http://www.kiwikit.co.uk/, http://www.liquidminerals.co.uk/, http://www.nuffieldscolar.org/, http://www.grasstec.ie/, http://www.rcapperdairy.co.uk/,
Now that the Dairy Event is over we can concentrate on really serious things like Rugby!
Lets give cows a break!

May I wish all my friends in Argentina, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Australia, South Africa, England, Wales & Scotland……the very best for the Rugby World Cup cos I think you’ll need it! To my close rugby following friends in France I love you guys but I just can’t bring myself to say……anyway to my French friends …have a good few matches, may your team Les Bleus enjoy their brief visit to New Zealand.
"Ka Mate: Ka mate! Ka mate! Ka ora! Ka ora! I die! I die! I live! I live!

Ka mate! Ka mate! Ka ora! Ka ora! I die! I die! I live! I live!
Tenei te tangata puhuru huru This is the hairy man
Nana nei i tiki mai Who fetched the Sun Whakawhiti te ra And caused it to shine again A upa ... ne! ka upa ... ne! One upward step! Another upward step!
A upane kaupane whiti te ra! An upward step, another.. the Sun shines!!
Hi !!! "
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeYphXmGwa8
Enjoy everyone!
Current UK Pasture Measurements
TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)
Cumbria AFC 2543, Growth 49 adding 3kgs DM Very wet here.
Shropshire organic, 1358, growth 14, only had 208mm rain this year in total??????
Lincolnshire growth Very Good av 54 in really good shape cows doing well
Hereford, 2201, gr 24, de23, had 12 mm rain
Gloucestershire, 2387, gr 47, alot of rust have now had good rain
Dorset 2800, gr 82, de 43, chicory & Plantain growth 120-175kgsDM/ha/day
Dorset, 2550, gr 70 should hit 1st Week of Oct targets of 2700-2800

If You Want to Fly with the Eagles, Dont Mess around with the Turkeys!

2011-09-03T20:28:00.009+01:00

I’ve just been re reading “Manhood” by Steve Biddulph. Every man & every Dad should read it.

"It’s a book that can have a profound influence on the reader be it man or woman. I started to think of the influence that some very special individual older men have had on my own career & life. On reflection I doubt that many if any, of these men realise what influence their “positivity” has had on me as a father, a life partner, as a pasture based dairy consultant & as a man working in agriculture. The true impact of being my mentor has been profound & so important to the attitudes I have not only about agriculture but about life it self.
I am very lucky..... I had what I thought was an idyllic childhood & a really positive relationship (but not fantasy land perfect) with my father & as a child all I wanted to be was to be like him….a farmer! As a young teenager my parents encouraged me to go onto University but never actually forcing me into agriculture. I think my Dad at one stage tried to talk me out of farming, this only served to make me reconsider, then to think about what I really wanted to do in agriculture & in dairying specifically. (My Dad was not a dairy farmer)"
However my thoughts today have been about the individual older men who I was to meet as a young man over the next 20-30yrs who were to have a profound influence on my thinking & my career.
Who were these men? They were not superman but some of them were outstanding in their professions or their words of wisdom were indelibly written into my head…they changed how I viewed my world, they sent me off asking questions or they simply set an outstanding example that I not only wanted to match but I decided I could do better.
Some of them have been (& continue to be) dairy farmers.....they drew me into the dairy industry
There was admiration & most importantly trust.
They willingly gave of their time.
They thought clearly & decisively they spoke abruptly & to the point.
They sent me looking in new directions & asking Why not?
They gave me an "I can do" ATTITUDE
I owe them my MENTORS a great deal.

“It takes many men to turn a boy into a man” Steve Biddulph. http://web.me.com/stevebiddulph/Site_1/Home.html
If we look back into history, in nomadic peoples all of the men cared for all of the boys & young men collectively. In years not so long ago when most farming families depended heavily on the labour provided by the family & families were large…skills were learnt off Dad & Granddad, they were passed from eldest to youngest. Rural people often lived either near to or in the villages where they were either related to or well known to just about everyone.

Today farming has become an isolated profession. But for the pasture based dairy farming community to create a socially sustainable society (especially for our talented young people both male & female) we need to create an environment where Mentors thrive!
Probably the best known international mentoring system is “Big Brothers Big Sisters”.
http://www.bbbsi.org/about/ BBBS aims to help young people make positive decisions about their life choices. There are few examples in agriculture if any.
http://www.mumsnet.com/onlinechats/steve-biddulph
We need to start with our farming Dads. Being a parent is an incredibly challenging task. Being a Dad on a pasture based dairy farm has huge responsibilities. If you genuinely are happy in your job you will want to convey that enthusiasm & sense of fun to your children. Your children mainly want you as a Dad…..they want your time. They are going to take a dim view of absent Dads & Dads who can’t come to the sports day or can’t come away on holidays. They will have different attitudes to life from you….are you surprised….they were born into different times.
If farming doesn’t turn them on they will leave & who can blame them. Forcing them straight home from school might scar them for life.
Encouraging them into education & travel might give them wings to fly.
For goodness sake let’s not be negative about farming we have a lot we can be very positive about in pasture based dairying & we can do even more to create bright futures for our young people. Lets attract the most talented young women into agriculture too!
In Australia I ran & organised the Large Herds Conference…I would seek out the farmers at the top of their game to be speakers. After nine years a NZ farmer speaker pointed out to me that he was the 8th speaker to be mentored by one particular older farmer at Te Puke. Amazing that one individual had positively influenced so many high profile & successful farmers.
Testimony to the important power of great individual Farming Mentors.

If you are a Pasture based Dairy Farm Employer you have huge responsibilities regarding the young people you work with on your farm. Especially if your farm is the first farm job they have ever had or the first job after university or college. This could be a make or break relationship. I’m not too worried about you. I’m more concerned about losing another talented young person from pasture based dairying.
Some of my mentors were not family nor were they employers. In hindsight we somehow bumped into each other or our pathways crossed. I think what I’m really saying is that you never quite know when you might be a mentor or that some comments you make might have a much more profound influence than you meant at the time.
There’s a saying in radio….”You’re never alone with a microphone” the same is true of mentoring in agriculture.
Mentoring is Serious Men’s & Women’s business.

My advice to the talented young people entering our industry…..is “C’mon on down we need you!” You need to seek out the very best people in the industry & make sure you work with the very best people. You need to keep asking questions, join a top discussion group & mix with the best. You need to aim to be the best. You need to be in the top 5% in whatever you chose to do in agriculture. You can’t afford to be average. In 5 years time the average won’t still be farming. You need to find your heart in agriculture & love your chosen profession. Mix with positive people who will advance your career in the positive sector of UK Dairying!
“If you want to Fly with the Eagles don’t mess around with the Turkeys”
Current UK Pasture Measurements
There are two worlds in the land of grass....serious struggle in some counties. Heavy feeding & high risk of not meeting 1st Week in October Targets.
TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)
South Ayrshire, Scotland, AFC 2208kgs DM/ha, Pasture growth 22kgs DM/ha/day
Cumbria, AFC 2500, growth 54
Shropshire, 1562, gr 9 over 3weeks, demand 10, feeding 12kgDM, rotation 45days
Nottingham, 1870, gr 15, de 70, heavily feeding including winter forage????? Serious!
Staffordshire, Now green some growth still feeding alot
Herefordshire, 2170, gr 31, de 27, v Dry need rain feeding half demand
Hereford org 1900, gr 20, de 25 supplements 30kgs DM/ha V Dry will miss Oct Targets
Oxfordshire, 2150, gr 60, de 25 had some rain, seen 3 leaves 1st time for months
Hampshire, AFC 2730, growth 103, feeding covers of 3700, plenty of silage
Dorset, 2880, gr 46, lots clover rust in older leys, about to apply salt to pastures
Sussex organic, 1300, really struggling growth zero, silage clamp wide open
Brittany, France growth 48kgs struggling to control residuals VG summer after dry spring
SW Wales 2450, growth 51 lower than expected
Pembrokeshire organic, AFC 2117, growth 66, demand 30, silage paddocks back in round.

Can GB Dairy Farmers do well during the London Olympics? I'm Not Sure!

2011-08-29T17:23:00.002+01:00

A blunt question….Do you think the UK dairy industry is going to benefit from the London Olympics 2012???????????

http://www.london2012.com/

I’m not sure I have a feeling the Games will come & go. We’ll be asking, why didn’t we get our share in the benefits that the London Olympics might have brought to British farmers. If you disagree, where are the dairy products that will be boosted by the world’s top athletes being in the UK in less than 12 months time? We have less than a year to ask the question of our Milk Processors. Lets hope too that our dreary milk cartons get an Olympic make over. Go to most dairy nations in the world & you will find bright modern milk cartons with lots of creative zing!

The only evidence I could find that we are aligning UK dairy farmers with top GB athletes was on the Dairy Council website. http://www.milk.co.uk/default.aspx Actually its not specifically about the London Olympics but it does feature Beth Tweddle & Liam Phillips both GB Olympic athletes.
This is despite MDC funded research work at Loughborough University regarding the possible benefits of low fat chocolate milk to replenish lost body fluids after exercise.
I was flabbergasted once I read the blog on the http://www.dairyuk.org/media-area-mainmenu-270/dgs-blog-mainmenu-343 dated the 19th August 2011….. why it might be that the dairy industry isn’t shouting from podium about the “possible” benefits of milk to athletes……the EU regulators again! To quote directly from the blog….
“The study is really good news for the industry particularly, in the run up to the Olympics. What isn’t such good news is that while our counterparts in the States, Canada and Australia can talk about the study to consumers, in Europe we’re prevented from doing so because there is no approved European health claim for milk and rehydration. Whilst some of the British public might read a few lines on the study in their newspaper, as an industry we can’t openly talk about the results in our consumer communications. For now, we are confined to taking the message to health and fitness professionals. “
One only needs to do a quick search of YouTube to quickly find other countries (read other dairy industries & farmers) not only benefitting from the Loughborough University research (funded by you guys) but also openly quoting it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tetruq-XuKI&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFBX7xoIAjw
The research has also been printed in the UK press http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7801188/Chocolate-milk-can-help-athletes-recover.html
http://www.dairyreporter.com/Regulation-Safety/Study-plays-up-skimmed-milk-sports-hydration-boost
A search of “chocolate milk” on the British Journal of Sports Medicine quickly shows the research work that has been completed in the UK http://bjsm.bmj.com/search?fulltext=chocolate+milk&submit=yes&x=10&y=8
This seems to me to be a farcical situation where farmers will be the losers.
Maybe the controversy created by Jamie Oliver in the USA regarding chocolate milk is part of the issue. However his emphasis was really on low fat & low sugar, fresh food & home cooking. No one would argue with less sugar in flavoured milk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIwrV5e6fMY
http://www.raiseyourhand4milk.com/
If you do an internet search sport & for colostrum & whey protein you would find similar research data that would suggest the dairy farmers from the UK should have a whole range of new & exciting dairy products ready for the London Olympics. Grass based block calving farms are the only farmers who could supply high quality colostrum in sufficient quantities to meet the demand from athletes.

Other countries don’t seem to have a problem associating milk with sport & a healthy lifestyle. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRcG13Jy2sA
Let’s hope our UK grass based Ice Cream & Cheese makers do well because they have seriously good products that are world class.

I think the London Olympics could be hugely important to British grass based dairy farmers……but what are you going to do about it?
Current UK Pasture Measurements
Extra ordinary growth on the west coast areas that continue to get good rain. Really tough in the Midlands where little rain has fallen. Some farms that have had recent rain now getting bloat. This is a real kick in the guts after struggling for growth earlier.
TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)
Herefordshire, 2114, growth 30, demand 26 slow growth & very dry
South West Wales, 2516, gr 75, de 64, 24mm rain still warm & wet in Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire organic, AFC 2150, growth 85, demand 44, never seen such good growth have cut 3rd cut silage for the first time.

Once a Day Milking or Milking only Once a Day?

2011-08-22T14:06:00.003+01:00

If we want pasture based dairy farms to stay in front & to maintain a “People Sustainable” status the challenge is to create a work environment that the Y Generation will embrace

Can pasture based dairy farming create an exciting career for the X & Y Generations? I am absolutely convinced that the answer is a definite YES.
I’m regularly told by young people that the work is exciting & the variety of tasks creates fun which they enjoy. Working on a pasture based dairy farm has kept them in farming & agriculture. Milking on high yield farms where cows are fully housed had every chance of sending out of farming & into non agricultural careers.
Most farm employers are either “Baby Boomers” (those people born during WW2 & up until 1961) or “X Generation”, those born between 1961 & 1976. The vast majority of employees are what’s known as the “Y Generation”. The “20- Something’s” were born between late 1970s & up to 1994. The Y Generation are the children of the Baby Boomers. See p.12 of Bernard Salts article http://www.bernardsalt.com.au/pdf/Beyond_the_Baby_Boomers.pdf

http://www.bernardsalt.com.au/ Bernard Salt’s Man Drought is an amusing new book now available about the different generations.
The “Y Generation” is the generation whose anthem is “I want it & I want it now”. They are highly educated, generally entrepreneurial & global in their thinking. They usually commit to marriage, mortgages, to children & careers in their late 20s. http://www.thinkenergygroup.com/think.nsf/InfoNFR/HowtoHireandManageGenXandGenYEmployees?Opendocument

So if we want pasture based dairy farms to stay in front & to maintain a “People Sustainable” status the challenge is to create a work environment that the Y Generation will embrace. http://www.careersingovernment.com/index.cfm?page=custom&pageid=86
We need to understand as much about the Y Gen as possible then adapt our workplaces to match expectations. So although I think we currently score quite high I think we will have to move fast to be creative with the work week & work responsibilities. Otherwise we will be faced with a high turnover of staff & disgruntled highly capable young people moving on.
The Y Generation want a work environment where there are technical challenges, where responsibilities are offered early, where communication is open & where one can enjoy being part of a team. If they don’t find that with you, they will quickly move on. They “live then work” rather than work to live or “live to work” like their Baby Boomer parents. Expectations are very different so the work environment needs to be very different too. They have a thirst for knowledge, are team players with a strong sense of fairness & ethics. They respond to humour & direct language but easily get bored. http://www.grdc.com.au/uploads/documents/GRDC-CommunicationForFarmingFamilies.pdf

Young men & women who want to be in agriculture want to be part of a vibrant brand. Pasture based dairy farming can be that vibrant brand with an exciting image that fits the "live then work" ethic. Discussion groups for farm staff & herd managers can provide that problem solving, thirst for knowledge desire & the willingness to be part of a team. Are your staff part of a Discussion Group? If not whose fault is that?

Once a Day Milking or Milking Once a Day?

Both OAD milking and Milking OAD might provide employers with viable options to take on the best & brightest young people. OAD milking can potentially be a very profitable dairy farm option for pasture based low input businesses. Milking only OAD is a staff management/rota option to keep people fresh & engaged but enables task variety & responsibility. In modern well designed milking parlours with good stock flow & people friendly features….relatively large numbers of cows can be successfully milked by relatively few people. Young people like to take on that responsibility, be well rewarded for it being done successfully but as they “live then work” need a really good life balance. Staff Milking only OAD is being successfully established on many farms in the Pasture to Profit network of Discussion Groups. Capable young managers prefer to milk only once a day & to be rewarded. Rewards include more family time, more reasonable work hours & more flexible time off provisions. Note I’m not talking of necessarily less work. These young people are on a mission.
I am convinced we can meet the challenge & provide an exciting environment to Y Generation people with talent & enthusiasm.
We want them & we want them now!
Current UK Pasture Measurements
The country is still split between those who have had good rain & those who have missed out. Now with the 1st week of October targets in mind for AFC before the start of the last grazing rotation. Silage feeding changes the dynamics of grazing completely. Some farms very short of winter supplements.
TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)
South Ayrshire, Scotland, Average Farm Cover 2300, Pasture growth 70 Kgs DM/ha/day
Cumbria, 2850, growth 80, farm looks fantastic for August
North Wales, 2125, growth 54, demand 43
Shropshire, 1960, gr 23, need rain asap
Staffordshire, 1800, no growth, feeding 10kg DM silage + corn
Staffordshire, 1885, gr 11 very dry, feeding silage, corn & brewers grain
Oxford 2000, growth 6 cows only getting 5kg grass/day since mid June
Gloucestershire, 1850, growth 20 VV Dry, feeding silage only 4kgs grass/day
Somerset organic, 2490, growth 47, Best August ever!
South Wales, 2469, gr 76, demand 67 Rain 30mm, trying to control quality
East Sussex, 2050, growth 30 started calving had to cut short holidays
Cornwall, 2550, gr 58, going into 3400, record production!
Rotorua NZ, AFC 1947, growth 17 demand 45 feeding lots pke to hold round 80% calved after 6 weeks

You Too!...... Should Be a Nuffield Scholar

2011-08-12T16:37:00.003+01:00

How “People Sustainable is your Farm Business”?

One very important component of a Sustainable pasture based dairy farm is how sustainable is it for the people within the farm business? I want to look at a number of different aspects of this question related to people sustainability within a dairy farm business & how you might manage this better in your business.
The first aspect I want to consider is the ongoing self education & training required by the owners & key players of the business. Most full time farmers have limited opportunities for organised or formal tertiary training, although there are some courses out there that are very useful. Most of the adult learning & business training that happens on farms has to be “self directed learning”. You organise it. You manage it yourself. This shouldn’t come as a surprise nor should it concern anyone within the “Pasture to Profit” network of pasture based dairy farmers in the UK & France. After all the farm Discussion Groups are self organised to meet self directed learning needs.
However the groups effective as they are (if they are well run using well trained professional facilitators….I’m horrified to hear that some groups that have tried going it alone are crashing), it’s only the beginning of what needs to be ongoing self learning. If you don’t & if not enough British & French farmers get off the farm & go to see what is happening overseas we will rapidly get isolated & left behind.
Have you considered a Nuffield Scholarship?
Within the Pasture to Profit network there are about 30 current or recent Nuffields (including several from NZ & Australia). Nuffield scholarships provide a fantastic opportunity to “get away” from the farm, to travel & to study an area of personal interest. Nuffield is open for business as applications for 2012 close on the 15th November 2011. Nuffield needs farmers with passion & drive, both men & women (Fiona Hillman was a very successful Nuffield from the Wyegraze DG) Nuffield is also available in France. Apply now online......
http://www.nuffieldscholar.org/index.php
Most Nuffield Scholars describe it as a life changing experience. Often the farm business changes significantly & people look at new opportunities. When you get away you have a unique opportunity to look back at your business like you’ve never done before.
One very important aspect of doing a Nuffield is the life long networking with passionate effective farmers from all round the world. We are very fortunate to have so many recent Nuffields in our network. Here is an opportunity to talk to them about Nuffield either on the phone or Facebook. There are 25 Nuffields in the online Facebook group.
Recent Nuffield Scholars

Tim Downes, Shropshire

Tim Wall, Devon.

Roly Tavernor, Shropshire

Will Edwards, Monmouthshire

Fiona Hillman, Monmouthshire,

Robert Richmond, Gloucestershire (currently travelling in Australia)

This week I met John Stones up in North Wales. I explained how I viewed the importance of Nuffield to the pasture based dairy farmers. Firstly it’s really important to the ongoing development of our best people. Secondly, we as a group have virtually no research being conducted in the UK for our sector. The returning Nuffield scholars bring back the latest information & research implications & how the new information might be applied on farm here. Thirdly, they challenge the Discussion Groups thinking with the new ideas. Lastly it extends & enhances our network worldwide.

Another travel scholarship available to UK farmers is the Churchill Travel Fellowships. http://www.wcmt.org.uk/
These Fellowships have no upper age limit but are only available for 4-8 weeks of travelling study. Applications for 2012 close on the 4th October 2011.
Many county shows also offer travel awards mainly for young farmers & ofcourse YFC encourage overseas travel & exchange.
All good Discussion Groups in the UK need to travel overseas much more than in the past & to many more countries.
You have to be in to win. Talk to recent scholars about their experiences & we’ll back you. I will give you as much help as you need & plenty of needle to apply too.
Pasture Growth Update.
Current Pasture Covers & Growth Rates this week.
South Ayrshire, Scotland, AFC 2300kgs DM/ha, Pasture Growth 53kgsDM/ha/day
Dumfries, Scotland, 2190, growth 90, demand 37.
North Wales, 2178, growth 58, demand 56 excellent rain (Tom got soaked this week)
Hereford organic, 2154, gr34, de38, 2nd week of slow growth
Gloucestershire, 2100, gr 38, cover now 200kgs behind budget.
Oxfordshire, 2000, gr 25, had 25mm rain but growth slow to respond
Dorset Organic, 2605, gr 54, fields vary from 24 to 100kgs growth
Dorset, 2455, gr 64, demand 40, clover VG this year
East Sussex, 2010, gr 20, grazing 4500kgs stored grass with dries "Life is Good"...obviously watching cricket this week!
Pembrokeshire, SW Wales, 2344, gr 72, de 63 good rain expect good result Saturday at Cardiff
South Kilkenny, Ireland, AFC 2146, growth 54, demand 51, 25 day rotation

Rhys Williams, North Wales a Nuffield last year with visiting group

Caring Pasture Based Dairy Farmers Encourage Biodiversity

2011-08-06T13:15:00.000+01:00

Biodiversity on pasture based dairy farms is seriously important. If dairyfarmers are seen by the public to be caring for the environment & making a special effort to protect the biodiversity, this too is a major PR with our consumers. There are very strong arguments for farmers to protect biodiversity as well as enjoying it for its own sake. The farms are both our homes & our work places.

Ben & Jerry the ice cream makers have established the “Caring Dairy” Program with Sustainable Indicators. Most pasture based dairyfarmers would embrace this program & agree fully with the targets.
Sustainability Indicators: measuring sustainability performance

“Caring Dairy” has developed 11 sustainability indicators. For each indicator, measurement points or parameters have been defined that enable actual performance measurement. Each Caring Dairy farmer determines the focus of his improvement plan based on the farm situation – such as soil type, land division situation, farm strategy – and personal priorities. http://www.benjerry.co.uk/caringdairy/11indicators.php
Biodiversity
Agriculture has shaped most ecosystems in the world, and biodiversity can be improved or reduced by agricultural practices. Some biodiversity is highly beneficial for agriculture. Sustainable practices can improve biodiversity - by `greening the edges' of the field.
Examples of parameters:
1) Level of biodiversity on site: number of species (e.g., birds, butterflies) and varieties (e.g. grass); farm landscape; habitat for natural predator systems (e.g., hedgerows, ponds, non-cropped areas)
2) Level of biodiversity off-site: cross-boundary effects.

Apart from its intrinsic value, biodiversity has a function in a number of ecological processes highly relevant for food production. These `life support functions' of biodiversity include the soil nutrient cycles & regulation of pests by means of biological control. Agrotechnology has broadly increased the independence of these functions at the cost of high inputs of fossil fuel, artificial fertilisers and pesticides. The concept of `sustainable' agriculture aims to re-establish equilibrium: life support functions and technology should be farm attributes of equal importance. Here, the integration of farming and nature comes into play.
Australian studies in Gippsland, Victoria have shown that: - Sheltered pastures lose 12 mm of water less than open pastures during the spring growing season. Sheltered areas have increases up to 17% (estimated) in dairy milk production and 20% (estimated) in average annual pasture growth for meat producers.

http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/dpi/vro/wgregn.nsf/pages/wg_lwm_biodiversity_farms
As well as having a high-tech context, pasture based dairy farming needs to embrace a keen understanding and use of ecological patterns and processes and a tolerant attitude towards nature elements on the farm: managing biodiversity is the starting point for ecologising agriculture. The dairy farm at Wageningen University in The Netherlands has been a leader in this field of dairying being a holistic approach. http://www.carmelacanzonieri.com/6321/readings/agriculture/Smediing-landsc%20ecol%20farm%20planning.pdf

Sustainable dairy farming is protecting and improving the natural environment, animal welfare, and conditions of the local communities, while at the same time being productive and efficient.
http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/24234/1/cp05va03.pdf
• Producing milk with a high nutritional quality to meet existing and future needs, while keeping resource inputs as low as possible.
• Ensuring that any adverse effects on soil fertility, water and air quality, landscape and
biodiversity from dairy farming activities are minimised and positive contributions are made
where possible.
• Optimising the use of renewable resources while minimising the use of non-renewable
resources.
• Sustainable dairy farming should enable local communities to protect and improve
their well-being and environments.
• Sustainable dairy farming should ensure an optimal well-being of the animals (cows).

Profitable pasture based dairyfarmers need to show the world that they care for their environment & that they want to encourage biodiversity.
Unprofitable dairyfarmers are not in that position. Quote:- "If you are in the Red its very hard to be Green"
Current UK Pasture Measurements
Pasture growth still very variable dependant on rain. You have either had it or still waiting for it!
TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)
Scotland, South Ayrshire, Average Farm Cover 2420, Pasture growth rates this week 91kgsDM/ha/day
North Wales, 2220, gr 70.
North Wales, 2070, gr 70, just enough rain at right time
Cheshire org, 2000, gr 25, 42 day rotation, no rain, feeding silage & cake
Staffordshire, 2220, gr 10
Staffordshire, 2100, gr25 burning up fast need lots of rain
East Staffordshire, 2000, zero growth NO RAIN
Shropshire, AFC 1947, growth 15
Derbyshire, 2157, gr16 feeding cake & wholecrop, 5mm rain
Nottingham, 1800, zero growth, demand 69, going backwards soils very dry
Herefordshire org, 2000, gr 20 very dry missing rain
Herefordshire org, 2213, gr 37 demand 33, getting dry
Herefordshire org, 2090, gr39 demand 40
Gloucestershire, gr 42 down 25kgs on week very dry until 16mm rain
Oxfordshire, 2100, gr 29, de 25 15mm rain expecting lift in growth
Somerset org, 2470, growth 51 great growth plenty of rain
Dorset, 2000, gr 30, plenty of rain yesterday
SW Wales, 2170, growth 75
East Sussex, 2100, gr 30, cows dry, 25mm rain yesterday
Cornwall, 2610, gr58, taking silage out to lower AFC 2450
Northern Germany organic, AFC 2130, growth 49, 23 day rotation Wet & Warm!

Fascinating New Pastures For Dairy Cows.....Thanks to Innovative Farmers

2011-07-29T16:40:00.001+01:00

Many pasture based dairy farmers in both France & the UK are experimenting with mixed pasture swards. These “New Pastures” always include an abundance of clovers & increasingly include Herbs such as Chicory & Plantain. The inclusion of the deep rooting herbs adds a completely new dimension to pastures for grazing dairy cows.

These pastures are very different from conventional pastures in many ways. Nitrogen fed pastures tend to be monocultures of ryegrasses. Well managed ryegrass clover pastures are highly productive. The clover content is related to the grazing intensity & the amount of nitrogen used. The mixed pastures offer considerable biodiversity, interesting possible changes to the cows diet, generally higher protein levels but more complex grazing properties. In mixed species pastures some plants are grazed out & its difficult to graze according to every plant’s requirements. However these new pastures might well enhance the health benefits of grass fed milk.

The advantages of grass fed over grain fed have been well documented in relation to possible health benefits to humans http://www.eatwild.com/healthbenefits.htm
French research on the effect of mixed pasture swards on cheese quality is interesting http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21338779
French butter has shown seasonal differences in Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) levels with the highest being in summer. This suggests more pasture being fed & possible changes within the pasture composition.. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889157504000079
Danish research comparing Danish milk with UK grass fed milk found that the UK pasture based milk had higher levels of antioxidants & lower levels of saturated fatty acids in the milk. http://www.fibl.org/fileadmin/documents/en/publications/slots-etal-feeding-strategies.pdf

Last week in Dorset with the Realfarmers Discussion Group, we viewed new Plantain plus clover pastures that were sown this spring. Its early days but it looks very impressive so far given that it’s been a very dry period of weather. These pastures were first grazed at the six leaf stage.

In Brittany, France on a recent study tour we saw a mix of new mixed sward pastures including some very productive organic Lucerne pastures that included grasses & clovers.

This farm’s pasture consumption per hectare was over 10 Tonnes DM/ha which is exceptional for an organic farm in a dry area.

There was also a range of mixed pastures that included Chicory.

These included Chicory plus Kale + grasses. This is an interesting on farm experiment. On the same farm there was Oats under sown with Chicory.

Many of these experiments are occurring on dry soils where ryegrass may not be the best option…..or rather there might be much better options.

The true value of these mixed sward pastures isn’t fully understood & there is an element of “Suck & See” trialling by innovative pasture based dairy farmers.

One thing for sure is that the “traditional view of what a dairy pasture looks like” is being severely tested. We look forward to seeing the outcomes especially as the climate warming predictions for the UK include drier summers & more variation in climatic patterns.

Current UK Pasture Measurements

Pasture growths have slowed dramatically in the drier areas of the Midlands. However in the higher rainfall areas growth rates are still excellent.

TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)

Dumfries, Scotland, Average Farm Cover 2085, Growth 87kgsDM/day, Demand 37
South Ayrshire,Scotland, 2322, growth 137, will cut out supplement this week

Staffordshire, 2420, growth down to 35, feeding turnips 4kgs/day/cow, Body CS good

Shropshire Organic, 1683, gr 25, grazing very tight, still due 2 feet of rain, Dry & Dusty

Nottingham, 2150, gr68 last week but 35 this week, dem 69, feeding maize, outwintering crops good start after wholecrop

Oxfordshire, 2000, gr 40, dem 25, expecting growth to slow in dry

Gloucestershire, 2186, gr 60, dem 55, looking dry again,

Pembrokeshire, 2243, growth 77, demand 64

Devon 2345, growth 55

Devon Hills, 2446, gr92, dem 73 will be feeding turnips in 10 days

Dorset, 2440, gr 55, demand 44

Dorset, very dry, gr 20, demand 40, 40 day round, about to feed silage

Sussex organic, 1800, growth 30, dry cows on 3 groups, nearly have required silage

Cidre Trees, Windbreaks & Landcare. We Need to Get Involved & Rethink

2011-07-23T13:04:00.001+01:00

I don't think UK farmers are planting enough new trees on their farms. On a recent UK “Pasture to Profit” discussion group study tour of Brittany with a group of pasture based dairy farmers I could help but be impressed with the relatively new Tree rows or farm hedges that some of the pasture based dairy farmers in Brittany were planting. They are quite different from what is commonly seen on English farms. The hedges consist of a number of different trees but also included both flowering scrubs & even fruit trees. These new & very attractive farm hedges/windbreaks were taller & more open than most hedges in the UK.

They were more effective windbreaks, less annual work to manage & aesthetically very attractive.

Do we have enough trees on our UK pasture based dairy farms? Are our hedges very effective? Is there an opportunity here to add to the biodiversity on our farms?

The answer I think is NO, NO & YES.

I’m not suggesting the traditional hedges be ripped out as they are an important part of the UK agricultural landscape & this working industrial landscape is hugely important to our heritage & the tourism industry.

However compared to other agricultural nations the present farmers are planting very few new trees. I think this is both a problem & a lost opportunity. Take the Landcare movement in Australia for example. Most Australian farmers belong to their local Landcare group & most Australian farmers are actively planting thousands of trees. We should be doing this here in the UK. Why don’t we start a Landcare UK group in every rural district in the country? Pasture based dairy farmers could lead these groups to make sure they were effective & productive groups. http://www.landcareonline.com.au/

On of the on farm features in Brittany are the trees & scrubs planted into an earthen wall called a "Talus".
The planted talus--a steep earth berm (an earthen mound often between a road/track & a drain), planted with beeches, oaks, or hornbeam--was traditionally created to delimit the boundaries of farms in both Brittany & Normandy.
http://www.frenchgardening.com/aujardin.html?pid=1213276841541215
That's why, if you drive the country roads of the region, you often find your path "sunken" between two steep berms crowned with magnificent beech trees and flanked with a thick tapestry of ferns, vines, and wildflowers. The durability and beauty of this peculiar landscape feature has prompted me to reflect on its use in the UK as a farm shelter hedge. In many ways it is very similar to the hedge rows of Devon & Cornwall that are built on top of an earth mound between the road/tracks & a drain on the farm side of the hedge. These farm hedges in Devon & Cornwall are not recent structures but have been built generations ago.
The talus consists of a packed earth berm say a 1-1.5metres high, half a metre wide at the top, and with sides sloping at a steep angle of 60 degrees. The top of the talus is planted with closely spaced trees in a single row or--more frequently--in an offset double row. The trees are set on approximately 4-foot centres. I know this may seem like impossibly close spacing, but such close planting is integral to the success of the talus, ensuring that a dense network of roots retains the soil of the berm. And believe me, it works. Many examples of talus hundreds of years old, crowned with magnificent towering beeches, bear testament to the validity of these living architectural farm structures & why there has been a recent surge in their use on dairy farms in Brittany. A new generation of pasture based dairy farmers who are not only very conscious of the beauty of their environment but who are keen to increase the biodiversity of their farms, are leading the charge.

The advantages of a talus are that it alone provides shelter for live stock especially calves, there is very good drainage for the trees & scrubs & the bulk of the talus is top soil so it’s an ideal medium to establish trees & a farm hedge.
Effectiveness of Windbreaks & Hedges.

Windbreaks are designed to break up the wind energy/power to provide a more pleasant environment for pastures & livestock on dairy farms. Historically hedges determined farm & field boundaries but today they provide shelter of a sort to livestock especially young calves & milking cows. Are they very effective at providing shelter….probably NOT. There are two major limitations, firstly height & secondly they tend to be near solid structures (density greater than 80%) so they change the dynamics of the wind but do little to provide shelter. In fact they probably increase the wind speed over and around the hedge.

As wind blows against a windbreak, air pressure builds up on the windward side (the side towards the wind), and large quantities of air move up and over the top or around the ends of the windbreak. Windbreak structure -- height, density, number of rows, species composition, length, orientation, and continuity -- determines the effectiveness of a windbreak in reducing wind speed and altering the microclimate. Windbreak structure -- height, density, number of rows, species composition, length, orientation, and continuity -- determines the effectiveness of a windbreak in reducing wind speed and altering the microclimate. Height is a very important factor in the effectiveness of a windbreak/hedge. On the windward side of a windbreak, wind speed reductions are measurable upwind for a distance of 2 to 5 times the height of the windbreak (2H to 5H). On the leeward side (the side away from the wind), wind speed reductions occur up to 30H downwind of the barrier. However this is influenced by the density. So a density of 40-60% is the most effective at providing downwind area of protection. A density under 20% is ineffective & as already discussed over 80% is a problem. The link between effective windbreaks & pasture growth is well established as it influences temperature. The calves do much better in a well protected environment.
If you want to read an excellent guide to windbreak effectiveness I suggest you read this article from Penn State University http://extension.psu.edu/plasticulture/production-details/windbreaks

The more species of trees & scrubs in a hedge/windbreak the better as it influences the height & the density. This allows you to add biodiversity to your farm & include flowering species to help our friends the honey bees. I was impressed in Brittany to see flowering scrubs like Hypericum (the yellow flowering scrub in the photos), Buddleja, Rhododendron, Ferns as well as Heritage apple trees. Why not add apple trees for example that have flowers & fruit that can be harvested….cider is a very nice drop on a hot day & very traditional.

So our traditional hedges in the UK may not be very effective at either providing shelter, windbreaks or adding greatly to the biodiversity on our pasture based dairy farms. This in my view creates an opportunity & the French examples are excellent. Tree rows with many different species of both local trees & flowering scrubs. There is an opportunity begging to grow more cider apple trees as well.

I think the existing pasture groups should be initiating Landcare groups in their local community & taking a positive lead which could have massive genuine PR value in the rural & city population of the UK.
My thanks to my Breton friends Andre, Alain, Yvon & Jean Herve
Current UK Pasture Measurements
Pasture growth across the UK has generally improved if you have had rain but in the Midlands growth still very slow & soils still very dry. Experience suggests that growth takes sometime to get going after long dry spell but once soils are wet it all happens quickly!
TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)
Northern Ireland, Portaferry, AFC 2150, Growth 78, demand 53, cutting silage bales to improve quality. Lots of showers
Cumbria, 2650, growth 77, demand 50, still silage to cut
North Wales, 1963, gr 64, demand 53,
Cheshire organic, 2100, gr 25, dem 25, round 35 days, feeding to hold covers
Shropshire, 2150, gr 35 but expecting growth after rain this week
Shropshire, 1984, gr 32, dem 33, feeding to build covers
Staffordshire, 2232, growth 35
East Staffordshire, 2100, gr 50 demand 35, light rain but not enough yet
Oxfordshire, 1950, gr 20, rain 15mm so optimistic
Dorset organic, 2550, gr 70, cutting wholecrop today
Cornwall Average Farm Pasture Cover 2450, growth 85, demand 58, more silage not enough cows

Bee Roads & Wild Flowers can help save the bees in the UK...Pasture Farmers are Key Players

2011-07-15T14:59:00.004+01:00

Do you know what a “Bee Road” is? It’s a wild flower planting on farms to attract & protect Bees. I’ve started my own “Bee Road” sowing a wild flower strip of about 40metres x 10m along a roadside on a pasture based dairy farm. https://www.cotswoldseeds.com/seedmix/wild-flowers-1 It was sown this spring & is now in glorious techno colour. The bees & insects love it but there have been some problems like the dry weather & weed infestation. I am justly proud of my efforts but there are frustrations.

I’m however really angry at the moment East Staffordshire Council has just mown part of the roadside where I planted some of my roadside wild flowers or “Bee Road”. Of course the ability of those flowers to seed has been lost due to the vandalism of the council who have a May & June mowing routine. The roadside mowing routine shows that local authorities have no understanding, nor any real commitment to protecting the English biodiversity & specifically the humble but incredible important honey bees. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/8306970/Einstein-was-right-honey-bee-collapse-threatens-global-food-security.html
Almost a third of global farm output depends on animal pollination, largely by honey bees. These foods provide 35pc of our calories, most of our minerals, vitamins, and anti-oxidants, and the foundations of gastronomy. Yet the bees are dying – or being killed – at a disturbing pace.
Bees are incredibly important to agriculture including pasture based dairy farms. Yet as I walk pastures day after day in the UK I see virtually no Honey bees & relatively few Bumble bees. Honestly when did you last see Honey Bees on your pastures?

I can proudly say that pasture based dairy farmers in the UK do have pastures that contain a lot of white clover, some red clover & some herbs like Chicory which all feed the bee population. Excessive use of Nitrogen fertilizer creates a monoculture of ryegrass with no flowering species for the Honey Bees. Grass based milk producers depend on the pollinators to reseed pastures with lush clover. Thats why grass fed milk is so much healthier.
http://www.liberation.fr/terre/0101614579-des-fleurs-le-long-des-routes-pour-sauver-les-abeilles

In France, Dominque Bussereau, Secretary of State for Transport announced in January 2011 an ambitious plan to plant 250km of roadside in France with wild flowers to attract & protect the bees. This is likely to be extended over much of France with perhaps 12,000km of roadside being planted to help the Honey Bees. What an amazing plan!

"The Cooperative" Supermarket Group in the UK has taken a number of initiatives to save bees to the UK. This includes donating £750,000 for “Bee Roads”…wild flower plantings on roadsides in the UK. Good positive assistance by a supermarket retailer.

http://www.co-operative.coop/corporate/ethicsinaction/takeaction/planbee/ways-to-get-involved/help-pollinators-in-your-garden/
http://www.co-operative.coop/corporate/ethicsinaction/takeaction/planbee/news/bee-roads/
The Telegraph newspaper is to be congratulated on its “Save the Bees” campaign.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/countryside/8455754/Wild-flower-planting-will-boost-bumblebee-numbers.html
The evidence is that sadly the biodiversity in the English countryside is not what it used to be…. & this is affecting the bee population on which agriculture & food production is so reliant. You only need to look at the roadside hedges in the English countryside…they are lovely & green but often without flowers…especially if the Council has mown it. (Why don’t they put their efforts & man power into fixing the pot holes instead of vandalising the bee habitats with a tractor mower?)
See briefings 1295 about the National Ecosystems Assessment for the UK.
http://www.arthurrankcentre.org.uk/publications_and_resources/rusource_briefings/
Pasture based Dairy farmers need to take a public stand & be vocal about their support for saving the bees & for increasing the biodiversity on farms. We are already leading the way but we need to speak up & be heard. We have plenty of opportunities to plant either roadside “Bee Roads”, keep bee hives on the farms or help stop local authority vandals from mowing the wild flowers when it is totally unnecessary.

http://www.buzzaboutbees.net/save-the-bees.html

Join my campaign to stop the Local Authority vandals & to plant your own wild flower Bee Road to help save the Honey Bees in the UK.

Current UK Pasture Measurements Pasture growth still very variable dependant on rain. Excellent summer growth in some areas but very little growth in the drier counties of Derbyshire, East Staffordshire & Oxfordshire.

TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)

Scotland, South Ayrshire, AFC 2154, Pasture growth this week 100 kgsDM/ha/day

Shropshire, 2475, growth 46, cumulative YTD 5177kgsDM/ha same as last year.

East Staffordshire, 2100, gr 28, dem 35 little or no growth very dry
Derbyshire, 2142, gr 20, dem 59, V Dry, 2leaf PRG 40% DM of paddocks
Nottingham, gr 28, demand 59, 30 day round feeding maize

Oxfordshire, 1950, gr 15, dem 30 still V dry, topping was a bad idea

Gloucestershire, 2135, gr 66
Herefordshire, AFC 2100, growth 70, Demand 60

Pembrokeshire, AFC 2216, gr 74, steady growth for last 3 weeks

Dorset, 2500, gr43, dem 45 grazing chicory & Plantain milk yields up but MFat % down

East Sussex 2400, gr 85, cows all dry Holiday Time!!

Northern Germany organic, 2110, gr 65, growth increased after recent rain, 23 day round, 16 hr milkings Going really well!

Dairy Cow Fertility..UK Pasture Dairy Farmers Thrash Kiwi Counterparts

2011-07-08T17:04:00.000+01:00

Pasture based dairy farmers in the Pasture to Profit network of Discussion Groups in the UK can now proudly claim “World Best Practice” in herd fertility. Most of the credit must go to the very good herdsmen & farm staff who understand the goals, whose observations are spot on & their determination to succeed & do better each year.

The block calving herds (both spring & autumn calving herds) in a survey of 2010-11 calving seasons indicate incredibly good herd fertility levels & extremely good on farm management. The data was collected & analysed using the Australian InCalf Analysis which NZ has finally adopted too. http://www.incalf.com.au/

The data collected from 35 herds (10548 cows) shows that on average 81% of the herd calved in the first 6 weeks of calving. 56% of the herd successfully calved in the 1st 3 weeks so that the av. Number of days until half the herd had calved was 18 days (Days to mid point after PSD (Planned Start Date)). The empty rate across these 35 herds was 11% after 12 weeks of mating. The average farm herd size was 365 cows & the actual replacement rate (2yr old heifers entering the herd) was 24%. These farmers can rightfully claim “World Best practice” as this incredibly good herd fertility has been achieved with no induction & minimal veterinary treatment (30% of these herds are now organic).The vast majority of dairy cows in these herds are now NZ bred (LIC genetics) & all herds have a very high % of crossbred cows e.g. NZ Friesian, NZ Jersey, Kiwi Cross genetics.

The data I have collected suggests that the OAD herds have higher herd fertility as measured by the number of cows in calf in the first 6 weeks. The OAD herds are over 90% with a lower empty rate.

The Discussion Group target performance in the UK for herd fertility/Calving pattern analysis is 80% to calve in the 1st 6 weeks & the target for heifers calving at 22 months is for 75% to calve in the 1st 3 weeks of the calving.
Why are the Kiwis falling behind? New Zealand seasonal dairy herds are falling well short of the UK pasture based dairy farmers & are failing to meet their own dairy industry targets. How can this be when we are using the same semen & farming in a very similar way using a low input pasture based system. In the June edition of the NZ Dairy Exporter (Page 102) http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/dc3fc6ea#/dc3fc6ea/ 1 highly respected NZ Vet Chris Burke wrote of the herd fertility in NZ & in particular at the well known Lincoln University Dairy Farm. His best estimate of the current NZ dairy herd fertility was that 64-65% of cows calve in the 1st 6 weeks (predominantly spring calving) which is below the industry’s target of 78%. LUDF had 67% calving in the 1st 6 weeks. In a survey of 16 herds the average empty rate was 13%.
You might well ask “what an earth is going on in NZ?” Why is the on farm performance so poor?

It pays to measure & monitor your progress! While NZ performance is now both below par & declining the UK farmers are rapidly improving. Pasture to Profit Discussion Group members (approx 300) will be rightly proud of the astonishing progress made over the past decade in the UK.

In 2002 I conducted a similar survey shortly after my arrival in the UK. At that time fertility in the pasture based dairy farms was not good. Many herds had a high percentage of Holsteins in the herds & farmers were in transition from spread calving patterns to tighter block calving. Discussion group members will now be horrified to realise that the analysis I conducted in 2002 was based on a 21 week calving block. The results of that 2002 survey were that on average 49% of the cows calved in the 1st 6 weeks. Days from PSD to Mid Point was 71 days (wow!). The NIC rate after 21 weeks was 13%. Only 31% of heifers calved in the 1st 3 weeks but interestingly the empty rate was 11.4% (but after 21 weeks of mating).

So how have the UK pasture based dairy farmers achieved such amazing results in an incredibly short period of time (considering the starting point was with poor fertility Holsteins)? Apart from the obvious care & attention to the basics of dairy cow fertility which must be the focus of every dairy farmer. I think the key issues have been, firstly, that herd fertility has been a focus of farm management & Discussion Group attention & analysis. This is one area of farm management that has benefitted hugely by the regular analysis & Discussion Group competitiveness. Secondly the cross breeding with highly fertile NZ bulls & LIC semen (although this doesn’t explain the NZ decline). The intense culling of infertile cows, that fall outside of the 12 week block. Another factor is the care & attention given to Cow Body Condition (CCS) pre & post calving. And lastly the front end loading of the calving pattern with the heifers. This last issue is a “could do much better” as we still are only achieving 67% calving in the 1st 3 weeks when our target is 75%. However the best herds now have over 90% of heifers calving in the 1st 3 weeks….very good calf & heifer rearing (weighing heifers regularly).

Although the 2002 study was sent to the MDC (read DairyCo) it appears to have been ignored as overall dairy cow fertility levels in the UK continue to decline.

Congratulations pasture based dairy farmers on achieving “World Best Practice” I’m very proud of what we have achieved together. As for the Kiwis….”catch up as you are being left behind your UK counterparts who are now much more efficient”.

Current UK Pasture Measurements
Pasture growth still very variable dependant on rain. If you've had rain you've got very good growth if not pasture growth is still slow. Organic farms struggling with poor clover growth due to colder soils than normal.
TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)
Belfast, Northern Ireland, AFC 2150, pasture growth 75kgs/ha/day
Northern Ireland coastal, AFC 2300, Growth 74, demand 54 pregrazing 2800 cut & bale longer pasture
Dumfries, 2160, growth 90, dem 48 just right rain, quality improving
Cumbria, 2419, growth 88
North Wales, 2044, growth 47, demand 50
Cheshire organic 2050, gr 27, V Dry feeding 2.8kgs 35 day round
Shropshire organic, 1805, gr 29 no significant rain but when it comes clover will take off big time!
Staffordshire, 2488, gr62 now made more silage than last yr grazing stubble turnips
East Staffordshire, 2100, gr 30 raining now pre mowing some paddocks
Nottingham, gr 20, dem 60, feeding maize 30 day rotation V Dry
Somerset Organic, 2300, gr 35, 30 mm rain today
Oxford, 2085, gr 40, dem 40, had drop of rain
Dorset 2345, gr 35 but rain last 2 days grazing forage rape
Pembrokeshire organic, 2170, gr 58, demand 48, clover kicking in
Pembrokeshire, 2030, gr 63 had rain this week expect growth to increase
East Sussex, 2300, gr 70, grass getting out of control about to dry cows off
Cornwall, 2450, gr 65, cows on OAD feeding turnips more silage to cut
Cornwall, AFC 2200, growth 102 (this is not England surely!)
Limerick Ireland, AFC 2600, growth 90, taking out silage bales.

Stop Trashing Our UK Countryside & Our Farms

2011-06-24T14:21:00.024+01:00

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?????

THE RAGWORT IS TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL IN THE UK.

TIME TO COMPLAIN....WHO IS NOT DOING THEIR JOB???

I spend hundreds of hours driving through this pleasant & green land. One can’t help but see & feel the beauty of this Agricultural (industrial) landscape that is rural Great Britain.
However over summer this beautiful landscape is ruined by the disgusting sight of “out of control” Ragwort on the Motorways, public roads, the rail network & even in the towns & cities.
It makes me feel sick inside. It seems nobody gives a damn!
Ragwort is a noxious weed. Who is responsible?????
Common Ragwort used to be rarely seen because farmers would not tolerate it. Even the Daily Telegraph reported
“The change from rarity to infestation (….of Ragwort) reflects a fundamental change in Britain: from a society with a strong rural culture and understanding to a country dominated by urban values”
Ragwort can be highly dangerous to grazing animals including cattle. Every Ragwort plant has up to 150,000 seeds which can remain viable for up to 20 years. Seeds can be blown in the wind up to 100 m.

Natural England is responsible for enforcing the Weeds Act 1959 http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/regulation/wildlife/enforcement/injuriousweeds.aspx & the Ragwort Control Act 2003. http://archive.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/wildlife/management/weeds/pdf/cop_ragwort.pdf
Why are they doing absolutely nothing about this outrage?
There is an army of bureaucrats snooping in the name of GB’s farming’s red tape, so why aren’t they waging war on those public authorities allowing ragwort to grow out of control. Ragwort is a serious threat to pasture based grazing farms.
Who's responsible for roadside weeds? The control of roadside vegetation, including common ragwort, is the responsibility of the Highways Agency in the case of motorways and other trunk roads, and the local highway authority, e.g. County Councils, in respect of all other public roads.

The Weeds Act 1959 provides for the serving of a notice on the occupier of land when ragwort is present and is deemed to be a nuisance — the offence occurs when there is a failure to comply with such a notice.
The presence of ragwort, however dense, is not a problem in itself unless it is in danger of causing a nuisance by spreading to neighbouring land. (I think this is an appalling weakness in the regulations)
The Ragwort Control Act 2003 defines an infestation as being of high risk when it is present and flowering or seeding within 50m of land used for grazing by horses and other animals or land used for feed or forage production. At 50-100m distance the infestation would be classed as of medium risk, and of low risk when at a distance greater than 100m.
I suggest you complain
Telephone: 0845 6003078 or 0114 2418920 Website: www.naturalengland.org.uk
Telephone: 08457 50 40 30 website: www.highways.gov.uk DON’T TRASH OUR FARMS
Why in England do people regularly trash the landscape with litter? I don’t understand the mentality of the litterer! Day after day near my village (& probably your village & your farm) litter is dropped from passing cars & vans.
Do these people realise that not only do they trash my (& their) living environments but they put at risk farm animals & farmers. Dairy cows are curious creatures that will play with trash not realising that plastic can endanger their lives. Farm machinery will change a beer can into dangerous metal for farm staff & dairy cows. By walking regularly sadly you see the local area trashed daily…by whom? Well does the fact that a very high percentage of the rubbish includes: - beer & coke cans, McDonalds, cigarettes & the Sun Newspaper give us any hints??????? The countryside & the landscape is one issue but farms are OUR OFFICE, OUR WORKPLACE & OUR HOMES……STOP littering OUR FARMS.
Current UK Pasture Measurements

Pasture growth still very variable dependant on rain. Some spring like growth in Northern Ireland & the south of England. Eastern counties struggling still. However big improvement generally with pasture growth & average Farm Cover. The grass based organic farms have slow growth rates & relatively low covers. Some organic farms have NOT yet cut any silage off the grazing platform.Keep grazing rotations long as we are now entering summer with soil that is still dry for this time of year.

TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)
Portaferry,Nth Ireland,AFC 2130, growth 71kgs/ha/day, after 2 weeks of rain
South Ayrshire, Scotland, 2324, gr72, soil temps 15.3 degrees

Dumfries, Scotland, AFC 2080, growth 64

North Wales, AFC 1950, gr 44, demand 55

North Wales, AFC 1970, gr 67kgs

Cheshire organic, 2100, growth 30

Shropshire organic, 1764,gr 33 (ouch) cutting lots but growth now

Shropshire, 2100, gr 65, so magic day is here again!!!!

Derbyshire, AFC 2231, growth 58, demand 61

Staffordshire, 2415, gr 64, de 49, reasonable rain last 10 days

East Staffordshire, 2160, growth 50, cutting 9% of farm today

Nottingham, growth 40, demand 60 feeding maize rain showers okay til mid July

Oxford, 2350, gr 40, 30 day round,grass Q not good, still cracks in dry soil

Gloucestershire, 2137, gr87, demand 63, 20% of platform taken out for silage

Dorset AFC 2300, growth 122

Dorset organic, 2100, growth 39, topping

Dorset, 2427, gr61, 45 day grazing rotation

Dorset, 2350, gr 75, milk, M/solids & cow condition all improving since rain

East Sussex, 2004, growth 65, grass in some order now

Devon, 2250, gr67, demand 50

Devon, 2250, growth 64

Cornwall, AFC 2100, growth 85

Flensburg, Northern Germany,organic, AFC 1890, growth 49, 32 day grazing rotation, some rain & improvement in situation

At Last it has Rained on Pasture Based Dairyfarms in the UK

2011-06-17T19:09:00.020+01:00

It has rained! Photo I know this either doesnt look like a drought or I am putting mouth watering images on the blog..actually it was taken on the Somerset levels which is very heavy low lying country...but it does look seriously good doesnt it! Many of the pasture based dairy farms this week received 20-30mm of rain. It is a huge relief for everyone that it has rained. Hopefully we will get much needed follow up rain.
Most parts of the UK & many areas within the EU have had a long prolonged period of very dry conditions with very little rain. Look at the Spring 2011 graph for rainfall on the Metoffice site below.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/anomacts/
It is very important that pastures get time to recover.
There are three important points to make now about grazing management:- Grazing rotations need to stay long until pasture plants have had time to let the parched root systems to recover. Photosynthesis needs water. Photosynthesis is the chemical process driven by light that converts CO2 to plant sugars & carbohydrates. However this process requires water. During the dry months the pasture plant root reserves (read carbohydrates) have been run down. Once water is again available the pasture plants are able to regain strength & build up root reserves. Once the roots have recovered energy reserves fresh leaf growth follows. If you don’t allow the pasture sward this “recovery time” or as Alan Lauder calls “Strategic rest” after rain you will impact severely on total pasture production. This is a timing issue. Carbon Grazing is an Australian concept from a very low rainfall area of Queensland but the basic principles are applicable here after a long unusual dry period. http://www.carbongrazing.com.au/
The second point is another really important grazing principle….when growth is slow grazing rotations need to be long. This is a feed budget issue associated with ryegrass plant growth to the 3 leaf stage. To keep the pasture grazing wedge intact you must keep the grazing rotation long until we are back to a normal season.
The last point to make is that after rain the dry matter % of pasture will fall. Pretty obvious perhaps but this will alter pasture plate meter readings. Photo-Brent Stirling from Cropmark NZ checking heading on a Matrix field in England. In fact the DM% changes daily dependant on sunshine, cloud cover, wind & rain.
Andre Voisin was a French born intensive pasture grazing researcher. He pioneered the concept of the S growth curve which is well known to all pasture based dairy farmers.
http://grassbasedhealth.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html
Today there are farmers like Abe Collins in the USA who are now pushing this concept even further with Holistic Grazing concepts. http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/2006/0606/grazingtall/collins.shtml http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ix3JO2yo7s&feature=related Joel Salatin has many videos on YouTube that promote a similar approach to grazing & grass fed food. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT8y6T9wxuo&feature=related
Regardless of who you follow of these new pasture grazing gurus they are all working on the same basic principles of pasture growth & pasture resting…..its the timing that is being debated worldwide…..long may the debate continue!!
Chicory & Plantain Herbal Pastures Talking of timing………….the timing for grazing of chicory & plantain pastures is critical to the success of those pastures. The first grazing must NOT occur until there are fully 6 leaves per plant (again this is about the plant building root reserves/energy storage). Now that we are in the growth season for these herbal pastures you must keep on top of them to stop flowering & stem elongation. Target pre grazing covers should be 25-35cm & post grazing residuals should be 5-10cm. Cows will readily graze lower than 5cm but this must not be allowed to happen.At pre grazing heights of 25cm assume total yields of 3000kgDM/ha. A post grazing residue of 5cm will mean the cows have harvested 1500kgsDM/ha. To stop the chicory bolting pre grazing heights of 50cm should not be exceeded. Current UK Pasture Measurements
Pasture growth still very variable dependant on rain. The dissappointing thing is the cold air temperatures & lack of sunshine. Average Farm Covers increased slightly this week post rainfall.
TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)
South Ayrshire, Scotland, AFC 2380 & pasture growth 85
Dumfries, Scotland, AFC 1900, gr 40, demand 45 constant rain but very cold
Cumbria, 2225, growth 62
Derbyshire, 2151, gr35, demand 65, 17mm rain
Herefordshire organic, 2214, gr45, demand 40 rain during week 36mm
Somerset organic, 1900, gr 25, demand 33 rotation 35 days
Dorset 2450, gr80 & demand 45 good rain but grumpy cows???
Dorset organic, 2100, growth 39, Silage fields now back in rotation,reygrass heading
East Sussex Organic, 1508 cover, growth 23 up on last week, lots of rain
Devon, 2220, gr55 feeding silage
South Kilkenny, Ireland, AFC 2039, gr55, demand 49 cover increased this week
Fish Creek, Gippsland Victoria,Australia AFC 2700, growth 32 approaching calving

My NBF (New Best Friend) Charles Darwin

2011-06-10T15:48:00.018+01:00

I have a NBF & I've discovered Charles Darwin had a fascination with earthworms. What an extraordinary man & to my surprise what a relatively easy read. I found his words drew me into what is really a story of today about climate change, importance of soils to humanity, importance of pasture based farming. A great read & its online.....free! Charles Darwin was absolutely besotted & totally absorbed intellectually by earthworms. http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=F1357&viewtype=side&pageseq=1
“It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world as these lowly organised creatures “ & “Without the work of this humble creature, who knows nothing of the benefits he confers upon mankind, agriculture, as we know it, would be very difficult, if not wholly impossible”(Charles Darwin 1881)
Not only did Charles Darwin intensely study earthworms at Maer Hall in Staffordshire (home of his Uncle Josiah Wedgewood) & at his home in Down House in Downe Kent but his sons Francis & Horace were roped into counting & observing worms (for at least 15 years) ....imagine that today!http://www.maerestateholidaycottages.co.uk/cms.php?holiday=History http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/home-of-charles-darwin-down-house/garden/ I urge you to read some of this amazing (but easy to read) book….I suggest you try pages 129-137 for starters. http://darwin-online.org.uk/content/frameset?itemID=F1357&viewtype=side&pageseq=1
Darwin outlines his trial where he spreads quick lime & then coal cinders onto the pasture at Maer Hall. He then observes for an amazing 21 years how earthworms cover up & eventually bury the two layers, which are to become his measuring markers. “The average annual increase of thickness for the whole period is 1·9 of an inch” (4.8cm/year). He was in effect growing top soil! Year on year the earthworms are growing the topsoil....in the book there is a diagram illustrating the new depth of topsoil after 21 yrs. This is incredible but so important to every pasture based dairy farmer....this is the engine room of your business.

Darwin estimated that a healthy English acre ought to have about 2,500,000 worms, turning out 18 tons of casts a year.There should as a rule of thumb be at least 25 earthworms per square spade full of top soil under pasture

In a pasture based dairyfarm is it accepted that the quantity of “livestock” under ground in the soil needs to be the same as the kgs livestock above the ground.So if you want to increase the number of cows the implication is that you must increase the "soil livestock" too, otherwise it wont be in balance eg you wont produce the extra pasture either as a result of not looking after the soil. This is of massive importance. Fiona Hillman (Wyegraze DG) in her very good Nuffield study 2007 on earthworms emphasizes the need to provide this "soil livestock" with food, water & air in a healthy soil environment. http://www.nuffieldinternational.org/reports/report.php?y=2007 Fiona writes in her Nuffield report that :- “It has been estimated that with a healthy population of endogeic and anecic earthworms, 1100 miles of burrows could exist per acre, if undisturbed”

Hence her Darwin quote that :-“The plough is one of the most ancient and most valuable of man’s inventions; but long before he existed the land was ploughed, and still continues to be ploughed, by earthworms”.We've got to stop ploughing & look to alternative technology!
Pasture based dairyfarmers are really “carbon” farmers. The pastures capture the sun’s energy through photosynthesis. The target annual pasture production is in excess of 10TDM per hectare in the UK. Dairy cows efficiently harvest the pasture to produce high quality milk, but that’s only half the story. Approximately 30-40% of the plant energy (carbohydrates) is fed through to the massive root system (a huge store for carbon). Much of this root material eventually ends up feeding a diverse soil biology including our friends the earthworms. The term “Carbon Grazing” is a concept of a very observant farmer in Queensland Alan Lauder. www.carbongrazing.com.au. Alan in his book “Carbon Grazing” says that “Rural producers have to manage their pastures so that all life in the soil is fed”. This is a really interesting comment but directly associated with carbon & soil organic matter. Fundamentally we need to shift our focus from cows & pastures to our soil & once we get there we need to zoom in on carbon. We cant forget cows or pastures but our profits & long term sustainability will depend on how successfully we as pasture based dairy farmers manage carbon & the carbon cycle on our farms. In his conclusion Alan writes that “Changes in the way we farm must be linked to changes in the way we think”
Current UK Pasture Measurements Pasture growth still very variable dependant on rain. Becoming quite serious in souther England, Germany & Brittany France
Keep grazing rotations long....a NZ visitor this week said hang in there as NZ had a very similar spring early summer then it turned & they had a brilliant autumn.

TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)

Northern Ireland, AFC 1987, Growth 65kgs, lots of rain & hail but cold

South Ayrshire, Scotland, 2269, gr 39 & demand 77, soil temp 14.3, expecting better growth

Cheshire organic, 2000, gr 20, demand30,feeding 3.6kg conc, mowing silage fields

Oxford, 2250, gr42, demand 38, rotation 32 days still very dry & grass heading

Gloucestershire, 2063, gr48, 12mm rain over week milk holding well

Somerset Organic, 1900, gr 25 currently raining heavily so growth should increase
Dorset, 2223, gr27, rotation 50 days pasture quality poor

Sussex organic, 1486, gr16. good rain this week....excitement!

Cornwall, 1930, gr43, demand 60, may go OAD early if no rain

South Kilkenny Ireland, 1969, gr35, demand 46

Northern Germany organic, 1970, gr45, demand 47, cows on OAD

Brittany, Finistere, France, AFC 1700, virtually NO growth, Looks like an Australian farm....what do you mean Erwan?

Summer of 2005 a distant memory in Brittany...did it really look like this????

"The Nation That Destroys It's Soils Destroys Itself" Roosevelt 1937

2011-06-04T14:59:00.016+01:00

2.2 Million Tonnes of top soil are lost each year from UK agricultural soils.PASTURE FARMING HAS THE ANSWER. President Roosevelt 1937 made his statement about soils after the 1930s & the Mid West Dust Bowl, but have we learnt the lesson....Topsoil loss is a serious issue in the UK TODAY.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/24/topsoil-farming-defra
The Governments response (now archived by Defra) was a Soil Strategy Plan http://archive.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/land/soil/documents/soil-strategy.pdf
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/24/topsoil-farming-defra
The key issues identified in the degradation of UK soils are topsoil loss, compaction & the loss of Soil Organic Matter. Under good dairy pastures & sound grazing management is usually a healthy soil environment. Permanent pastures encourage build ups of Soil Organic Matter & healthy soil life. However all that happens on UK low input dairy farms does not favour a healthy soil. E.g. excessive use of Nitrogen, poor drainage, poor use of manures or cultivation/ploughing.
In this new carbon environment we need to change our ways.” We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” Albert Einstein.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/farming/6828878/Britain-facing-food-crisis-as-worlds-soil-vanishes-in-60-years.html During & post WW2, Winston Churchill ordered as much of the UK that could be ploughed should be so that arable crops could be grown to feed the nation. The response & the efforts of farmers fed the nation, the right call at the time. Ploughing & cultivation however increases the potential loss of topsoil & destroys the soil structure & certainly speeds up the loss of soil organic matter. These are serious issues to be addressed by the arable industries but pasture farmers need to take heed too. http://archive.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/land/soil/documents/soil-strategy.pdf
One aspect of soil management the pasture based dairy farmers can modify is cultivation & ploughing. With increasingly intensive farming there has been a tendency for topsoil structure to weaken as organic matter is used up and not returned to the soil. Weakly aggregated soils disintegrate under the influence of heavy rainfall and soil particles become mobilised. In recent years cultivation has been extended more and more to sloping fields. The combination of weakly structured soils and sloping fields provide ideal conditions for soil runoff.
http://www.soil-net.com/dev/page.cfm?pageid=about&loginas=anon_about
The loss of precious Soil Organic Matter is likely to be more serious. When soils are cultivated they are exposed to the air & the oxidization of SOM increases. The dry soil surface & lack of plant cover makes this worse. We have to find ways of direct drilling pastures & winter crops so we can leave the soil intact. In Australia some innovators have developed the concept of “Pasture Cropping” for wheat. Have a look at these YouTube videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khNprFGW0N8&feature=related
How can we in the UK adapt to ideas of young Darren Doherty out in Victoria, Australia? http://regenag.com/web/about-us.html
We need to STOP PLOUGHING MR CHURCHILL. We have direct drilling technology (not new) & we can subsoil to deal effectively with compaction.
Properties of healthy soils
We need to see ourselves as CARBON FARMERS everything we do should consider the impact on carbon. Soil health is a relatively new concept because we have tended to do soil tests only to measure the available minerals for plant nutrition. We still have a situation in the UK where few “Standard Pasture” soil tests include Soil Organic Matter %. Why?
Soil characteristics that contribute to a healthy soil include
• protected soil surface and low erosion rates
• high soil organic matter
• high biological activity and biological diversity
• high available moisture storage capacity
• favourable soil pH
• deep root zone
• balanced stores of available nutrients
• resilient and stable soil structure
• adequate internal drainage
• favourable soil strength and aeration
• favourable soil temperature
• low levels of soil born pathogens
• low levels of toxic substances.
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/166897/soil-health-proceedings-2001.pdf
Direct drilling of winter crops does work we need to work on the technologies & timings to be successful. See the winter crop below that was successfully direct drilled (actually into very dry soils). Why is SOIL ORGANIC MATTER % tests NOT part of the standard soil test in the UK?
A very good question WHY NOT? If you are getting a pasture soil test done PLEASE INSIST that the Soil Organic Matter % is included…..Start monitoring SOM%.
Current UK Pasture Measurements
A mixed bag this week as some areas have responded to recent rain while others have not. Growth in Scotland looks very good as does North Wales & Lincolnshire but southern areas struggling. Several indications of pasture quality slipping with the onset of ryegrass heading. Several NZ varieties of ryegrass which are classified as late heading in NZ become mid range heading in UK.
The weekly task of texting me the current pasture information has brought out the comedians....thanks guys for your weekly help. Please text me your humour & your pasture data.
TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)
South Ayrshire, AFC 2524, Growth 93 soil temp 15degrees C
Dumfries, 2105, Gr 63, Demand 49, rain on & off, wet knees when measuring pasture (only kidding!)
Nth Wales, 2076, gr66 still dry despite rain OAD doing very well
Shropshire organic, 1892, gr 19, no rain, too hard to dig spear thistles
Shropshire, 2000, gr 8
East Staffordshire, 1900, gr 37
Lincolnshire, growth up to 96kgs compared to 40 last week, good rain & warmth.
Herefordshire org, 2263, gr44, demand 48, pastures heading
Gloucestershire, 2115, gr 47, difficult to text as mid rain dance!
Somerset org, 1850, gr 27, de 36, rain needed
Pembrokeshire, 2108, gr59, premowing silage ground
Pembrokeshire, 1932, gr 50 just cut silage
Devon, 2250, gr 45, grazing silage & feeding silage
Cornwall, 2030, gr 43 feeding 5kgsdm silage, rain please
South Kilkenny, Ireland, 1981, gr50, demand 46
Winton, South Island NZ, AFC 1900, growth 20kgs, outwintering on foddercrops

Dairyfarmers can produce a Green Dairy Industry

2011-05-27T12:44:00.023+01:00

The Dairy Industry has the potential to produce its own electricity & be clear of the National Grid. What a PR victory that will be for the first UK dairy company & their suppliers. What a wonderful image that will be for milk, cheese & butter! Every dairy farmer must get involved to “kick this goal” for the dairy industry. We have a fantastic opportunity right now with interest free loans & massive incentives thru the Feed in Tariffs for on farm generation. Each dairy farm has the potential to generate more than they consume in the milking parlour plus the surplus could effectively be claimed by the milk processor for the good of milk (even though in reality the producer gets paid for surplus sales into the grid). Let’s look at wind! Gavin in North Devon has installed two 11Kw Gaia wind turbines – i.e. they will produce 11Kw per hour in ideal wind. http://www.gaia-wind.com/ His farm site has an average wind speed of 5.7metres per second – not very windy but he does get a little wind on most days – it is also clean wind from all directions. The Gaia turbine is designed to start at low wind speeds ( 3 m/s – most others need 5 before they start producing ) and has a fixed rotor speed making it fairly quiet – which is why he chose that type of turbine. The Turbines were predicted (at av. 5.7m/sec) to produce 32,000 Kilowatts each in the year. In 10 months the average daily production has been 90 Kw per turbine giving a predicted yield of 32,850 – as long as the wind blows for the next two months. With a production of 65,000 (current annual consumption is approx 55,000kwh)the income should be £17,000 from the Feed in Tariffs and the sale of electricity (paid for half of what I produce). With a saving of not buying 30,000 units at 8p gives a saving of £2,400. So £19,400 annual gain (the Feed in Tariffs are also index linked and guaranteed for 20 years for wind) from a £100,000 total cost gives a very healthy return on investment.Pay back period is close to 5 years & the turbines are generating 120% of farm consumption. Behind the new Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) is the drive to reduce UK carbon emissions in order to bring them into line with European standards. The Government aim to eliminate all carbon emissions by 2050 and the current projection is that by 2020 almost half of the electricity used in the UK will be from low carbon sources. In order to reach these targets the Government is relying on residential & small business owners to switch to renewable energy and help eliminate the carbon footprint. At the heart of the scheme is a tariff of 26.7p/unit for all renewable electricity generated from small wind turbines in the 1.5-15kW range. This incentive replaces the carbon credit (ROC) scheme for small wind turbines. If you install a small wind turbine will now benefit from the feed in tariff in three ways: lower energy bills, payments from electricity you feed back into the grid, & further payment from the FIT for all the energy you generate & either use yourself or feed back to the grid. http://www.gaia-wind.com/
The challenge on all dairy farms is not about “can the farm generate more energy than is consumed” but rather “how to deal with the peak loadings of the twice daily milking”. There are several options- first is to store the energy generated either in batteries or in say hot water or ice. The technology for batteries is not yet efficient enough but it’s an area of intense worldwide research. http://www.therenewableenergycentre.co.uk/ http://www.decc.gov.uk/
The obvious solution is to reduce peak demand. First you should be installing a Smart meter to monitor existing power consumption. Ask your electricity supplier http://www.electricityprices.org.uk/free-smart-meters/
Next you need to investigate the technologies that are already being used successfully by other dairy farmers eg Varivac systems. http://www.corkillsystems.co.nz/ Every parlour is different but generally with the oil vane type pumps that are predominant in the UK, savings are around 75% of power usage on the pumps themselves, generally the savings are around 40% over the whole parlour electricity cost. Varivac have single phase models to cover the whole range so really any parlour can have a Varivac now. http://www.rcapperdairy.co.uk/about-us.asp
Heat Recovery technology is being used successfully in many pasture based dairyfarms in the UK. Gavin in North Devon has installed Varivac & Heat Recovery units & reduced total farm demand by approx 20%. The next challenge is to install "smart technology" that allows the switching on & off of equipment when he can make full use of the wind. Tim in Shropshire has installed a heat recovery unit, solar water heating & Varivac systems. He has seen on his smart meter similar total farm saving. The Smart meter graph shows when the energy saving devices were installed.You can see the impact of the very cold weather last December when heating & hot water effectively doubled demand during milking. So it's up to you which generation option you chose but you also need to deal with reducing peak demand. See the blog I wrote on the 15th October 2010.Seek out the interest free loans

. Current UK Pasture Measurements

Mixed rainfall, most areas in the UK still dry, Wales coast good rain & growth. Cold temperatures & drying winds depressing effect of recent rain. SE England very dry & struggling for pasture.

TheAverage Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)

South Ayrshire, AFC 2349,Growth =Demand 68kgs, soil temp 9.9degrees C

Derbyshire, 2365, growth 80kgsDM/ha/day, Demand 64

Herefordshire, 2150, growth 55, Demand 60

Gloucestershire, 2073, growth 51, demand 50 Getting very dry

Pembrokeshire, 2041, growth 61, wedge has hole will feed silage

Sussex Organic, AFC 1481,growth 11kgs, Drying off early really need rain

East Sussex, 1900, growth 30, desparate for rain

North Devon, AFC 2350, 65kgs, some rain some recovery from dry

Limerick, Ireland, 2250, growth 70kgs

Fish Creek, Gippsland Victoria Australia (autumn) AFC 2550, growth 38, AFC increasing, unusually wet last of spring calvers being dried off.

It maybe of interest to you that this blog has been read by people in 58 different countries this month ...a truely international audience!

Photovoltaic Energy Neutral Grass Based Dairy Farms

2011-05-21T12:57:00.014+01:00

Two grass based dairy farmers in the Pasture to Profit Network(one in Herefordshire & the other in Brittany, France) have or are about to achieve “Energy Neutral” status (with regard to electricity use on farm). Both have installed solar panels on their farm shed roofs. http://www.solon.com/global/
Energy neutral status is where 100% of the energy that is consumed is actually generated by the farmer user.
http://www.dairy-sustainability-initiative.org/Public/ListSet.php?ID=230&parentID=109 To become self sufficient or completely clear of the National Grid should be the goal of every farmer. Ideally the dairy industry should be able to produce its own electricity. Now the goal changes to “Energy Neutral chain of production with 100% of the energy that is consumed by the different links in the chain must be generated within the chain itself.” Dairy farmers will become the key players as they have the ability to generate energy from solar & wind turbines. In the Netherlands there is a National goal of 20% of the energy use being sustainable energy by 2020. Currently it is approx 3.5%. The farmers in the Netherlands are at about 8% sustainable energy.
Matthew in Herefordshire & his landlord have recently installed (2nd May) Photovoltaic panels capable of 48Kw peak system. There are 230 panels each of 212w. These are on south facing roofs. The photovoltaic system has an expected 25 yr life with a small reduction in efficiency over that time. To date he has generated more electricity than he has consumed at the milking parlour. (2534kwh produced & 2304kwh consumed).There is a long term guaranteed contract for the feed in tariff currently approx 32p/kwh which is inflation indexed. His current cost of National grid electricity is 10.86/day & 6.22/night. There is an approx 10 year payback on current prices but rapid inflation of energy prices should substantially reduce the payback period. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/business-news/inflation-rockets-to-30month-high-16001453.html
However I think the key component of Matthew’s system is the Smart Meter which measures & allows monitoring of power consumption. This was installed 3 yrs ago by his power provider. http://www.first-utility.com/about-us
By checking his electricity consumption online he can view his daily, weekly, monthly use patterns. “Merely measuring something has an uncanny tendency to improve it” Paul Graham. What Matthew has discovered is that although he is generating more than he is consuming he is NOT completely clear of the grid. The reason is that dairy farms have two peak consumption periods each day. These peaks are currently beyond the generating capacity of the solar panels. The next obvious step is to look at reducing peak demand.

Alain & Odile, pasture based dairy farmers in Brittany have also installed a photovoltaic system. Their system is calculated to annually generate approx 56,010kwh whereas the annual consumption is approx 30,000kwh. Current charges are 8.4cEuro/day & 5.45cEuro/night with a Feed in Tariff of 60cEuro for 20 years. In France interest is chargeable on the loans for these systems whereas in the UK there are interest free options. The calculations for Alain & Odile’s installation suggest that during the summer months the photovoltaics will generate far more electricity than is consumed but that could be reversed during winter. The payback period is calculated at 12 years on current prices not counting the saved National grid costs. It looks a very good investment for a dairy farmer to make.
The challenge on both farms will be to reduce peak daily demand during each milking.

I urge every dairy farmer to install a Smart Meter so that you can come to grips with your energy useage patterns.
The onfarm initiatives & innovation of both these farmers is very exciting & I congratulate you both.

Current UK Pasture Measurements
The Welcome Rain of last week now seems a distant memory as this week has seen no rain but drying winds. Most grass based dairy farms are drying out at an alarming rate. However the current pasture covers remain under control with longer than normal grazing rotations. There is serious concern about crops sown for outwintering & spring sown pastures.
Average Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)

South Ayrshire, AFC 2347, pasture growth rate 88kgs/ha/day

Derbyshire, 2220, growth 65, demand 64

Shropshire, 2269, growth 44, slowed this week cold winds no rain

Shropshire, 2300, 44, 26 day grazing comfortable despite dryness

Herefordshire, Growth 52, demand 47, Farm very dry again

Dorset, 2321, growth 56, demand 36

Devon, 2200, growth 40, 30day rotation feeding silage

"Preparer Les Terrains de L'Avenir"...Prepare the Earth for the Future

2011-05-14T09:38:00.022+01:00

“Preparer Les Terrains de L’Avenir”. My French friends will be amazed with my command of the french language but this is a very appropriate title for this week's blog.
“Prepare the earth for the future” is the core element of a Sustainable Farming system.

My very good friends Erwan & Laurence Le Roux, who farm in Brittany, France have recently won the “Trophee de l’agriculture durable 2011” award for the most sustainable farm in France. This is a most prestigious award & I am absolutely thrilled that these innovative & forward thinking pasture based dairy farmers have won.

You can read (using Google translate) & view a video......

http://agriculture.gouv.fr/bien-vivre-en-production-laitiere
& photos of the Le Roux family & their farm this spring http://photo.agriculture.gouv.fr/galeries/TAD2011_Leroux/

The UK is somewhat behind France in encouraging “Sustainable Farming” practices & to their credit the EU Integrated Farming Initiative or EISA have thought this issue thru very well
http://www.sustainable-agriculture.org/stuff/EISA-Framework-english-040810.pdf
If you search the internet you do find other countries & organisations now working toward more sustainable farming practises, all taking a slightly different approach.
http://www.soilassociation.org/Whyorganic/Climatefriendlyfoodandfarming/Strategiesforchange/tabid/565/Default.aspx http://www.icrofs.org/ http://www.sluri.org.nz/

I think we need to interpret the EU’s EISA framework & work toward our pasture based dairy farms becoming recognised as being sustainable farm businesses using many of the benchmarking tools already developed.
The 8 main points of Sustainable Farming are:-
To have a profitable farm business not dependant on subsidies.
To manage soils for the future with less dependence on fertilizers & to build Soil Organic Matter (SOM) so increase soil carbon storage.
To reduce Energy consumption by reducing demand & generating on farm energy. To lower the Carbon Footprint of milk.
To better manage Water (conserve & reduce use), reduce pollutant losses.
To improve Dairy cow welfare, fertility & animal health.
To have a sustainable people practices.
To increase the bio diversity on the farm.
To develop long term business communication strategies not only with buyers, but with the professional support teams & the local community.
“Prepare the earth for the future” (Point 2) I think we need to rethink how we manage soils with our pasture based dairy farms. I don’t know of a single farm in the UK that has shown me a detailed soil map of the farm.
In NZ we met Shane Carroll & Nicola Shadbolt who farm in the Pohangina Valley near Palmerston North.

Shane had a very clear long term environmental plan to improve the sustainability of their farm business based on having a soil capability map. This was in our view the most forward thinking "Sustainable Farming" management practice we saw in NZ. There are many aspects of soil capability that need to be considered. However some soils are dry free draining while others are wet with poor drainage & maybe even subject to erosion. These soils should not be managed the same way especially if our goal is to increase the SOM & carbon stored within the soil.
In the UK some soils are perfect for ryegrass & white clover but others are not. Dry soils may well be better off in herbal pastures ie Chicory + clover or Plantain + White Clover without grasses. We need to move away from thinking that ryegrass/clover is our only option especially on dry soils. It may not be our best option to increase soil organic matter (SOM) either so we need to start looking outside the box.

Strawberry Clover is better suited to wet Soils

You need to start with a Farm Soil Map indicating the different soil capabilities. then develop a plan using a different approach.

Talk to me about Sustainable Farming.

Buy a Farm Soil Map.....start with http://www.landis.org.uk/soilscapes/ & http://www.landis.org.uk/services/sitereporter.cfm

Current UK Pasture Measurements

Welcome Rain in most areas 20-40mm, immediate increase in growth. However soils are still very dry & many farms have not harvested any surplus spring growth. Grazing rotations still long 30-40 days.

Average Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)

South Ayrshire AFC 2155, growth 62, demand 56kgs/ha/day

Dumfries, 2194, 66 growth, demand 57, cutting silage bales

Shropshire, 2300, 60 some rain this week

East Staffordshire, 1970, 39 approx 20mm rain now some growth 60-70

Hereford organic, 2114, 48, rain 46mm growth up 10kgs/day since rain

Hereford 2100, 70 growth, demand 65

Gloucestershire, 2160, 62, 22mm rain on Saturday

Gloucestershire, 2180, 85 growth

West Somerset, 2100, 50, 33mm rain but drying out again

Cornwall, 2300, 105, 32mm rain, record production STD,AI 80% in 1st 17days

Cornwall, 2398, 118

South Kilkenny, Ireland, 2075, growth 71, demand 66

Members of Wyegraze Discussion Group are all linked into Agrinet to very effectively share pasture information.....Every group should be doing this as it will help all groups https://www.agrinet.ie/Default.aspx

"The Foundation & Future of Every Farm is the Education of it's Youth" borrowed from Diogenes

2011-05-06T11:29:00.042+01:00

We need to actively involve young people in our exciting industry. Young people with bright minds wont buy into our pasture based dairy farming system if we dont invite them to participate & to contribute. We need bright young people on our farms.
I also believe passionately that our top farmers have a huge wealth of experience to offer young people. These top farmers have often been to university themselves so they understand whats required by students doing dissertations.
You just need to put these people together to create "the magic" & creative thinking goes wild, to everyones advantage.
Over the past 6 months Harper Adams University, BSc (Honours) Degree in
Agriculture, Land and Farm Management student Lucy Williams has worked with 3 Pasture to Profit dairy farmers....Tom Malleson, John Millington & Rupert Major, on a project to see how Body Condition Score (BCS) affected dairy cow fertility in spring block calving herds. We used the NZ dairy cow condition scoring system where 1 BCS is equal to approx 35 kgs LWT. The target BCS at calving is 5.0. A cow that has a BCS of BCS 3 is considered to be very thin & below target.

The data indicated an important relationship between the BCS at calving & the BCS at Planned Start of Mating (PSM). The better the BCS at calving the better the BCS at PSM. This confirms the NZ studies by John Roche et al www.dairynz.co.nz & the Irish studies by Frank Buckley http://www.teagasc.ie/publications/2001/ndc/ndc-buckley.asp

In this on farm study the cows lost a little over the 1 BCS post calving then regained condition (not quite calving condition) by PSM.

There were 847 cows data from the 4 farms included in the study. 80% of these cows calved in the first 6 week block indicating exceptional dairy cow fertility(heifers were not included in these figures).

In fact these cows had a 368 day calving interval (compared to the UK average of approx 425 days). Only 9% of the cows monitored were sold empty.

All 4 herds had a conception rate to first AI service of over 60% & the average number of AI services for a pregnancy was 1.5. Again this is exceptional.

Lucy talking to John & Herdsman Simon in Staffordshire.

Cows calving in the first 6 weeks & cows calving in the second 6 weeks were all very similar in the BCS at calving (average approx BCS 4.8) & the BCS 6 weeks post calving, approx BCS 3.65. So the loss of condition post calving was also very similar. There were interesting differences however between the two 6 week groups as to the average number of days from calving to conception. The cows in the first 6 week calving block took on average 79 days to conception whereas the cows in the second 6 week block took 108 days. This is effectively an extra cycle. This is interesting but we are unsure of the reasons. The cows calving in the first 6 weeks are a reflection of the success of the first 2 cycles of AI whereas the second 6 week block is likely to be partly related to the onfarm management of bulls.

"The study has reinforced the important fact that BCS at calving is the most influential factor on BCS loss between calving and pre mating (PSM)." Said Lucy in her summary.

It was brilliant to have Lucy as part of our team & she is to be congratulated on doing a great job of pulling the data from over 800 cows together as part of her study requirements. Lucy is one of 4 students who have been working with the P2P network this year from Harper Adams. (Kate looked at Lameness, Rob examined sharefarming & Ben did a survey about outwintering....well done guys) I would also like to thank Dr Liam Sinclair from Harper Adams University for his assistance & cooperation. It has been a pleasure to involve the University with our pasture based dairy farmers.

To the many international researchers from NZ, Australia, Ireland & USA your inputs & advice has been extremely helpful.

We look forward to John Alawneh's PhD study results from Massey University, NZ. John has used Walk Over Cattle Scales (along with BCS) in a similar trial.

http://www.largeherds.co.nz/young-dairy-scientist-communication-award/

To obtain research funding for pasture based dairying in the UK seems near impossible. However with persistence, hard work & the willingness of top farmers to "get involved" on farm research can be achieved & we can learn a great deal from our efforts. I would like to thank the P2P farmers & their On farm teams who have freely given of their time & expertise to make this project happen.

There has been many insights gained from this BCS monitoring project over the past 2 years.....only some have been mentioned here. A very useful decision making spreadsheet (especially related to Drying off decisions & timing) has been developed by Tom, John & Rupert as well.

If you are interested contact me.

The NZ Large Herds Conference for years has had a "Young Scientist Communication Award"....we need to take the next step in that direction too.

Current UK Pasture Measurements
Still no rain over most of the UK. Pasture covers have decreased & much silage ground has been grazed instead. Demand generally greater than growth this week. General increase in concs to lengthen grazing rotations. Some rain in the lucky areas!

Average Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)

South Ayrshire Scotland, AFC 2157, growth 57

Nth Ireland, 1900, 30 Brown patches in fields, silage crop V poor

Cumbria, 1995, 68 need rain

Cumbria, 2330, 50 need rain

Cheshire organic 2100, 40 dry not cut silage as insurance

Nth Wales, 2000, 48 Demand 56 V dry, feeding PK to slow round

Nth Wales, 2020, 63 good rains over past 2 days, grazing conditions fantastic!

Derbyshire, 2218, growth 48 demand 59, No rain for a month, 16.5mm over past 10wks.

Shropshire, 2650, 64 Demand 68 raining now!!

Shropshire, 2280, 45 demand 47, increasing concs to 5kgs

Shropshire, 2283, 58 demand 54, bit dry

Staffordshire, 2160, 39 very dry

Staffordshire, 2400, 34 feeding higher than plating

Staffordshire, 2000, growth = demand 46, rotation 30 days

Herefordshire, 2100, 48 AFC decreasing, 5mm rain

Herefordshire org, 1964, 35 down from 54, lower covers stressed

Pembrokeshire, 2053, 48 last week 79

Pembrokeshire, 2130, 53 demand 70, "drought" got scarey but rain yesterday

West Somerset, 1950, 35 grazing silage ground increased concs

Dorset, 2358, 54 urine patches very obvious now

Dorset, 2145, growth 48, made 18ha silage hoping for rain

East Sussex, 2115, 51 No rain, cows on OAD milking yesterday

Devon, 2250, 46

I didnt ask Cornwall too depressing! Thanks guys!

"In Charge of the Impossible" that's a cow man's lot.

2011-04-26T14:37:00.025+01:00

As we surveyed the new "Pasture Grazing Wedge" after the farm walk this week, the Herdsman said "In Charge of the Impossible....thats a cow man's lot"

It seems to sum up the current difficult seasonal conditions in most areas of the UK.

Faced with the unusual most people need to share ideas & an onfarm discussion is a really good idea right now!

If you need help ask....phone me!

A check of the long range forecasts confirm this frustration on the farm.

http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=forecast;type=monthly;sess=

http://www.wiseweather.co.uk/id18.html

http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=longrange;sess=

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_forecast_alltext.html

http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/cgi-app/reports?MENU=Month-ahead

http://www.greatweather.co.uk/index.html#fore

It's important to slow the grazing rotation when the pasture growth slows. Most pasture grazing wedges are very flat or they have a gaping hole indicating a shortfall. It's the short grass post grazing that has slowed down the most.

Act immediately...you are lucky your pasture measurements have given you at least 10 days notice of changes...this is when pasture monitoring pays huge dividends.

The risk is that the average pasture cover will fall & you lose control of your wedge. You may need to graze silage crops!

Check for 3 leaves before grazing it only takes a minute each day. Write down your management decisions.

Pastures are showing early signs of moisture stress. Even if N has been applied there is not a uniform response over the whole paddock. Urine patches are very clearly visible....high nitrogen application plus a large bucket of water = lush green growth. Insufficient rain leaves most of the grass struggling after grazing = pale green low growth some plant stress.
This is exceptional spring weather on top of a very dry past 12 months over most of the UK. On most farms there will be a spectacular response when it rains but this might be short lived as sub soil moisture is very low.....plan on it being a dry summer & take risk management decisions now....otherwise it could be a very expensive year.

Most herds report that cows are cycling normally. Milk solids YTD is up on most farms so the unusually weather has not yet affected milk production.The soils are cracking on many farms....never a good sign... often poor soil structure but currently due to the exceptional dry period with above average temperatures.

Cows appear to be in very good condition on most farms but most herds have 10% at the tail end.....Check the Body Condition Scores.....most group members have put these thinner cows on OAD milking. They often cycle within a week on OAD. "Vets seem to be very good at getting cows to cycle but not so good at getting them in calf" a comment from this weeks group meeting.

This is NOT the time to underfeed cows premating.

I understand the quote this week from a Herdsman " In Charge of the Impossible" neither he nor I can make it rain.

Current UK Pasture Measurements

No rain over most of the UK plus above average temperatures has decreased pasture growth on many pasture based dairy farms this week. Some farms are going back into silage crops & virtually all farms are being forced to lengthen the grazing rotations some out as far as 40 days to maintain the grazing wedge.

Many farms reporting that it is the recently grazed pasture that is under the most moisture stress & growth rates have slowed to about 20kgs/ha/day on those paddocks.

Average Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)

Cumbria 2150, growth 80kgs, covers well up on last week

Nth Wales 2052, 67 some showers this week

Staffordshire 2040, 41 (demand 54) very dry

Staffordshire 2067, 49

East Staffordshire 1800 (2250 whole farm), 31 growth, will cut 3 for silage, 40 day

Derbyshire growth 62 same cover

Nottingham 2100, 80, demand = 70 Very dry

Shropshire 2157,38 (growth dropped), demand = 44

Oxfordshire 2090, 70 surprised at growth as very dry

Herefordshire organic, 2123, 49

Gloucestershire, growth dropped 20 to 78, covers down slightly

Gloucestershire, 2000, 70 compared to 77 last week, Very dry

Dorset, covers same, growth 70, pregrazing 3400 residuals 1600

East Sussex, 2002, 56

Devon, 2500, 70, 20% of farm shut for silage

Cornwall, 2400, 90

North Germany, growth slow, very dry no rain, staying on OAD milking

Brittany, France, Very dry & warm

An Unprovoked, Unnecessary & Ill Informed Attack on Pasture Based Dairy Farmers

2011-04-15T18:30:00.036+01:00

"Farmer bashing" sadly happens far too often. You would think today with the "Perfect Storm" looming (likely worldwide food shortages) that a well informed society would be encouraging & supporting their local farmers who produce high quality food. Sir John Beddington the Chief Scientific Officer has clearly set out the risks to food security of climate change & population growth. http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/bispartners/goscience/docs/p/perfect-storm-paper.pdf Yet this week the unnecessary but very public attack on pasture based dairy farmers came not from someone who belongs to an extreme lobby group but from within. This ill informed attack was made by a UK University scientist (who should know better) & an Agricultural newspaper. Why did the Farmers Weekly allow this to happen I ask?

http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2011/04/08/126284/Housed-cows-may-be-key-for-food-security.htm

The UK dairy industry is rapidly dividing naturally into the high & low input systems. Each to their own preferred system. But why would a University & an Agricultural newspaper seek to pit one sector against the other group of farmers.

Our Dr Mike Wilkinson from Nottingham University clearly knows nothing about the efficiency nor the high calibre of pasture based dairy farmers in the UK or elsewhere in the world.

Has he ever been on a low input pasture based dairy farm in the UK? I doubt it as he spoke at the recent British Society of Animal Science conference in Nottingham clearly not understanding the outstanding technical efficiencies of the pasture based system. Nor has he fully considered the numerous inefficiencies of the high input systems of milk production.

The average milk production per cow in the UK is approx 7000litres/year times 2.5 lactations. This equals a lifetime production of approx 17500litres per cow. The low input pasture based dairy cow that Dr Wilkinson was so critical of only produces 5500litres per cow per year but over 5.2 lactations = 28600 lifetime production.

Which high yield cows would you prefer Dr Wilkinson?

Add to the lifetime production the ability to calve every 365 days for more than 5 lactations & we have a very scientifically efficient system. These are genetically very sophisticated dairy cows that are fed simply & naturally on pasture. The high breeding efficiency of the crossbred cows & the clover fed pasture means a very low carbon footprint. Pasture based dairying doesn't rely on protein from South America.

Pasture based dairying in the UK is for smart thinking professionals. It attracts smart young entrants to the dairy industry....it's a pity the UK Universities are not playing a greater part of this sector.

Pasture based dairying is at the forefront of science & technology. Don't be fooled by the apparent simplicity.

Grazing management is simple but sophisticated. It requires real management skill..

Dr John Beddington called for sustainability in agriculture...times have moved on..we no longer wish to destroy the very environment we depend on for food.

The pasture based dairying has a long term sustainability. Under pasture there is a healthy soil with high soil organic matter (soil carbon). Although UK soils are decreasing in carbon stocks those soils under low input pasture systems are increasing the soil organic matter & contributing to the UKs Soil carbon stocks.

Sustainability is clearly something Mike Wilkinson hasnt considered with his high input milk production that relies on cereals, protein from South America, depleting soil carbon, tractors & fuel. Not to mention poor herd fertility & a low number of lactations & lifetime production.

Lastly Dr Wilkinson.....you need the public support for healthy locally produced food. Today the public is well informed & with social media can rally support or opposition to farmers & farming practices eg. notinmycuppa. http://notinmycuppa.com/ High input systems do not have public support.

Pasture based dairy farmers are proud of the public support they get & will fight back to protect that support.

Current UK Pasture Measurements

Few areas of the UK have had either any rain or enough rain to significantly influence pasture growth on UK dairy farms. The long dry spell is of increasing concern as it follows a relatively dry 12 months.

Pasture growth has hit "Magic Day" on many pasture based dairy farms as soil temperatures increase. Cornwall (not really part of England!) is having an amazing spring with some farms having already cut silage.

Average Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)

South Ayrshire Scotland AFC 1962, Growth 64 rotation 18 days

Dumfries 1910, 36

North Wales 1950, 44

Cheshire Organic 2000, 39

Lincolnshire 2350, 115

Nottingham 2000, 60 (no rain for 2 months)

Nottingham 2064, growth 69, demand 65 (no rain.. silage?????)

East Staffordshire 2080, 56

Staffordshire 2004, 60

Herefordshire 2080, 50 (no rain 6 weeks)

Herefordshire 2099, Growth 59 demand 32

Gloucestershire 2230, 77

Oxfordshire 1940, 50 (demand 48) no rain

Pembrokeshire 1970, 61

Pembrokeshire 3085 (complete farm), 105 growth

Somerset organic 2300, 45 (paddocks shut for hay)

East Sussex 1947, 47 (no rain since early March relying on Chicory fields)

Dorset 2600, 87 (third farm shut for silage) perfect grazing conditions

Dorset 2443, 91

Dorset 2462, 79 (planted 15ha Chicory & Plantain for summer)

Devon 2500, 75

Devon 2180 , 65 (demand 51)

Cornwall 2100, 105 (third farm shut for silage)

Cornwall 2498, 94 (silage already cut).....Cornwall is not in England????(Ed comment)

Southern Ireland 2100, 68 Lots of bloat around

Less N Leaching. Lower Emissions & More Grass with EcoN

2011-04-08T14:36:00.030+01:00

Eco-N Every so often Agricultural Research hits the jackpot with a really significant finding. I suspect the work on N Inhibitors by Profs'. Hong Di & Keith Cameron at Lincoln University, NZ in conjunction with Ravensdown will prove to be very significant. The end product of this research is the N Inhibitor Eco-N (now a Ravensdown product for use on pasture based dairyfarms. The Eco-N is applied as a fine spray onto the soil/pasture during the autumn & again in the late winter early spring. Here is a photo of Prof Hong Di & Prof Keith Cameron at the LUDF demonstration soil pit. http://www.ravensdown.co.nz/Products/Eco-n/Default.htm

http://www.siddc.org.nz/lincolnuniversitydairyfarm/ludf.html

Urine is the main source of nitrate leaching & nitrous oxide emissions in grazed dairy pasture.

Dairy cow urine deposits the equivalent of 800-1000kg N/ha in each urine patch. Eco-N holds the nitrogen N that is normally leached or emitted, in the root zone so the plant can use it. It does this by slowing the activity of the nitrifying bacteria in the soil that convert ammoniun to nitrate. This boosts the N supply to pasture for plant growth during the growing season.

This was explained at the International Farm Management Conference held in NZ.

http://www.ifma18.org/

Watch a video of Prof Keith Cameron explain how Eco-N works

http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2011/03/28/126114/VIDEO-Value-of-nitrogen-inhibitor-for-dairy-farms.htm

Eco-N is a Ravensdown product that could very very exciting & a huge break thru for the environmental management by pasture based dairy farmers. There are no incentives for reducing nitrate leaching or nitrous oxide emissions other than knowing you have contributed positively to the environment. So in the short term the usage will depend on whether the nitrogen savings (caused by the use of Eco-N) are more valuable (give an economic return to the dairy farmer)as measured by the additional pasture grown. The current cost in NZ of Eco-N is approx $170/ha/yr.

Work needs to be done urgently in the UK & France to see if we can get an economic return by using Eco-N & be credited with the environmental savings. Eco-N will need to be licensed for use in the EU. At the Lincoln University Dairy Farm 60 lysimeters (encased columnns of soil the same as exist in the paddock) have been placed on the farm to measure ground water nutrients. Further lysimeters have been set up at the University to see whats happening under clover pastures. Eco-N is applied before the major drainage off the farm soils...in most areas before winter. A second application is done pre spring rains. This also indicates that it is either Urine or applied N fertilizers that are applied during the autumn which might create the worst nitrate leaching problems. "Eco-N has the potential to be a valuable nitrogen management tool, together with best management practices, to support environmentally sustainable production of grazed pasture systems."

Current UK Pasture Measurements

On farm conditions remain very dry over most of the UK. Grazing conditions are ideal with very good quality pasture for milkers & young stock. Pasture growth rates have accelerated since last week. Magic Day is not too far away.

The very dry soils are a concern as we edge closer to summer without substantial rain. Dry summer planning eg Planting Chicory or Plantain & Clover leys, needs to start now.

Average Pasture Cover (kgsDM/ha) & Pasture Growth (kgsDM/ha/day)

Belfast, 2150kgs Av Cover & 66kgs DM daily growth (double last week)

North Wales, 1860 & 45

Oxford, 2100 & 70 excellent grazing

Sussex, 1902 & 55 (demand 50 & grazing rotation 21 days)

South West Wales, 1912 & 69 (Demand 52)

Dorset, 2048 & 64

Devon, 2500 & 94kgs (shutting for silage)