Know How / Assessing performance

Case studies

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BEEF

How efficiencies are cutting beef unit’s carbon footprint

Less reliance on bought-in cereals and greater use of home-grown forage in cattle rations, as well as a sharper focus on herd health, are driving down greenhouse gas emissions from…

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

How data management drives decision making for Romney flock

A pocket data management system combined with automated handling has improved workflow and decision making for sheep farmer Tom Hadley. With a flock of Romneys, together with shearing and other…

PIGS

How collecting weight data helps improve pig unit efficiency

Routinely weighing a batch of pigs helps improve farm efficiency and creates a business that is attractive to staff, ultimately leading to better pig welfare and more profit. Northants pig…

YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT

How passive transfer testing gives calves a good start

On-farm blood testing to check dairy calves for successful passive transfer from colostrum has helped a 780-cow herd validate its protocols. Within six months, correlating the outcomes with calf health,…

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

Sheep and cattle new entrant shares 4 key lessons

A small grassland farm is turning profits from sheep, sucklers and dairy heifer rearing for a dairy breeding consultant cum part-time farmer. Tom Sellers runs a 25ha (62-acre) Powys County…

DAIRY

How milking robots have driven upland dairy’s expansion

Bromfield Farm, near Wigton in Cumbria, has embraced cutting-edge technology with the installation of seven robotic milking systems and two robotic feed pushers. This has eased workloads and improved cow…

Practical advice

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ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

How milk recording revival is identifying most efficient cows

Thirty years ago, milk recording was dropped from spring-calving herds intent on cutting out superfluous cost. Breeding replacements became a simple strategy that focused only on the most fertile cows…

DAIRY

Advice on measuring milk from forage in grass-based herds

Farmers Weekly’s recent dairy sustainability survey revealed the average herd is producing 3,258 litres from forage. But is this metric still a reliable measure of efficiency in a grass-based business?…

DAIRY

How to use herd data to create effective change on farm

We have access to more herd data than ever, but how can we ensure we are using these data effectively to improve the areas that are important to us? The…

DAIRY

How to replace concentrates and get more milk from forage

Dairy farms clamping grass silage with digestibility of more than 70% should have the courage to challenge their production of milk from forage. Substituting 1kg of concentrates with 1kg of…

LIVESTOCK

How to influence good people to help your farm business

Winning friends and influencing people is not just a job description for an individual who earns a living from persuading others to follow their lifestyle choices on social media. Dairy…

DAIRY

Advice on flexible milking as a management tool

Building flexibility into milking frequency could boost production, alleviate staff shortages, or create a better work-life balance at certain times of the year. There is scope for farm owners to…

Insights

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ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

Are smaller dairy cows a concern for the beef supply chain?

The drive for smaller dairy cows has gained momentum over recent years as more milk producers appreciate the efficiencies of a lower cow maintenance cost. But while this trend has…

DAIRY

Why efficiency is the route to dairy farm sustainability

Every time dairy farmers think about sustainability, they should be thinking instead about efficiency. This was the conclusion of a roundtable of farmers, independent experts and industry representatives who gathered…

DAIRY

Data collection for dairy herds: What to consider

Developing cow technology in response to the trend for fewer dairy farms milking more cows, and ongoing labour shortages, has to be more than just a data generating system. Capturing…

BEEF

Suckler cow depreciation: Why it matters

Suckler producers looking to improve profitability should consider calculating cow depreciation and creating strategies to manage value loss in their herd. This is the advice of rancher and consultant Dallas…

LIVESTOCK

Feed efficiency research reveals importance of cow grouping

Breeding dairy herds for feed efficiency can be negatively impacted on-farm by managing lactating cows in mixed parity groups. This is because of competition at the feed bunk and a…

LIVESTOCK

Data drives business decisions on US dairy

A data-driven culture operates at High Plains Ponderosa Dairy in Kansas, with all business decisions and performance goals based on data. This is according to chief executive and managing partner…

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

Carbon study shows scope for beef and sheep efficiency gains

First-year results of a major carbon footprinting study have shown a huge variation in greenhouse gas emissions from beef and sheep farms across the UK. The average carbon footprint of…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Why cell grazing beat set stocking in Devon trial

Cell grazing is a more sustainable and productive grazing method than set stocking, results from a four-year grazing trial have shown. Cell grazing consistently outperformed set stocking plots at Rothamsted…

BEEF

How beef units could improve efficiency with camera tech

A camera and electronic identification system that has been successfully used in the dairy sector to measure body condition scores and mobility of cows is now being trialled in the…

BEEF

Why radical change is needed for sustainable beef industry

Planning ahead to face upcoming issues and working to improve efficiency and build beef businesses with resilience were among the key conclusions from a round table discussion held at Rothamsted…

BEEF

Struggle for survival revealed in wide-ranging beef survey

Some 66% of beef producers will have difficulty in surviving without the farm subsidy – and only 33% reckon their beef enterprise makes a profit every year. This is according…

DAIRY

Revised methane method pegs dairy emissions 20% lower

Net carbon emissions from a sample of livestock farms fell significantly when analysed by a carbon methodology that accounts for biogenic methane. Distinguishing between biogenic (methane from ruminants) and fossil…

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