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

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!

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

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

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!

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?

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

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

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!