10.30am Profiting from grass whatever the yield

Adam Clay, DairyCo extension officer

Good grazing management can help improve profitability whatever the yield level of the herd, explains Mr Clay. The key for both low-input and high-yielding herds is maximising palatability and feed quality.

11am NVZs – coping with the rules

Martin Yeates, Kingshay technical manager and David Pettit, Kingshay Farm consultant

It’s important to fully understand the new rules to help you farm within them and minimise the chances of a cross compliance failure,” says Dr Yeates. He and Mr Pettit will explain livestock manure N farm limits, organic manure limits, how, where and when you can spread manures, muck storage rules and nutrient planning.

11.30am Strategies for slurry storage

Chris Coxon, DairyCo extension officer

Slurry storage capacity is something to be addressed and some solutions will be presented by Mr Coxon. There are many storage options and regulations on planning and locating stores, as well as needing to satisfy the Environment Agency, which Mr Coxon will address.

12pm Beating fertiliser price rises

Chris Duller, IBERS Grassland Development Centre

Cutting down on nutrients may not be a bad idea, says Mr Duller, but just spreading a little less everywhere is not the best option. He will give tips on maximising the efficiency of fertiliser use from things like soil testing and introducing clover.

1pm Achieving good health and fertility at grass

Paddy Gordon, Shepton Vet Group

Making the most of grazing means avoiding potential pitfalls in animal health and fertility, says Mr Gordon. He will look at health risks for freshly calved cows, practical ways to improve heat detection at grass, avoiding lameness in grazing cows, worming requirements for adult cows and the importance of trace elements for youngstock.

1.30pm Field to clamp: Keeping the quality in forage

Adam Clay, DairyCo extension officer

The quality of silage made is vital, says Mr Clay. He will explain how to keep as much of the feed value in the clamp, through appropriate chop length, time of cutting, wilting, minimising clamp losses and managing feeding out.

2pm Exploiting the value in farm manures

David Munday, Creedy Associates

David Munday lays out how best to use manures on grazing, grass silage ground and maize, including assessing manure nutrient value and application methods. A farmer as well as working for Creedy Associates, he explains how he has gone from viewing slurry as something to be got rid of to realising it was actually worth a lot of money.