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.

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

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