Farmers help raise funds for testicular cancer charity
© Breedr Beef and dairy farmers have raised more than £1,000 for testicular cancer research as part of Breedr’s “Bulls Out for Cancer” campaign.
The campaign aims to make £5,000 for the OddBalls Foundation, which raises awareness about testicular cancer, at the same time as helping farmers to improve their breeding and performance.
Suzy Wheal, co-founder of Breedr, said: “We’re encouraging farmers to log when they turn their bulls out with the cows, and when females are bulling, so that the app can generate alerts for returning cows and calving dates.
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“By inputting simple data like that, as well as the sires, dams, calving ease and weaning weights, the app can automatically generate reports showing which bloodlines produce the best calves, whether that’s as replacements or for finishing.”
For every bull logged in the app in May, June and July, Breedr is donating £10 to the OddBalls Foundation, with an extra 10p added for each bulling activity or artificial insemination added.
Farmers who share their photos or video on Twitter with the hashtag #BullsOutForCancer will earn another £1 for the charity.
Tom Ellis from the OddBalls Foundation said: “The money raised will go into helping us raise awareness of testicular cancer and get more men and boys talking about and checking their balls.”
The foundation says that for males over the age of 14, a monthly self-examination of the testicles is an effective way of becoming familiar with this area of the body, which enables the detection of testicular cancer at an early, and very curable, stage.
Ford tractor parts wanted for charity
A charity auction for Ford tractor parts will be held in September to help raise money for research into motor neurone disease (MND) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Farmers are being urged to dig out any old parts, big or small, and the rarer the better.
The auction has been organised by former Silsoe and McCormick test engineer James Bacon, who was diagnosed with MND in 2018.
Mr Bacon’s father, Alastair, and a group of friends are helping to track down as many parts as possible for the auction.
James told Classic Tractor Magazine that he wanted to help when the four-year-old son of a family friend was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
“I felt I needed to help raise awareness of these relatively unknown diseases and attempt to raise money for research so they can be better understood by doctors.
“MND in particular seems to be becoming more prevalent in younger people, yet still very little is known about it,” James said.
To donate any Ford tractor parts, contact James on part2play@hotmail.com.
Cash donations can also be made on the Part2Play fundraising page.