Archive Article: 2001/01/19
Christian Fox
Christian Fox manages 130
spring-calving cows and
followers, on a 200ha
(500 acre) mixed farm in
West Sussex, with 150ha
(380 acres) of arable crops.
He is aiming for high profits
and low costs by maximising
use of grazed grass
WITH no cows to milk, this month has been a time of preparation. We have made some minor tweaks to the parlour, including a thorough service.
Additional stall work at the cow entrance, creating a V should improve cow flow and draft cows better into one side or the other. I have also removed all the old, useless feeders and upgraded the teat spray, which used to be a dribble.
I was surprised to learn from our highly qualified parlour engineer, Richard Jones, that there is no UK standard for parlour servicing or qualification for an engineer.
Milking plants run for more hours a year than most tractors and are more expensive to replace. I wonder how happy we would be if every time a tractor was serviced the filters might be changed or they might not.
As our forage rape crop looks as though it has been napalmed, I am resorting to feeding an old pit of vintage 1997 silage that was lurking around; it is actually very good dry cow food. Nevertheless, this is the last of the old silage and I cannot afford such a pathetic crop next winter as it will be all we will have to feed the cows. Any ideas on better ways to grow rape or turnips on a postcard please.
My 25 thin cows, or Holsteins as you might call them, are enjoying the luxury of their indoor accommodation and silage/gluten diet. They are starting to gain weight, but at a price. Given that they will cost nearly £50/head to fatten – excluding slurry and labour – I could put them on the OTMS and trade up to an Ayrshire or Jersey heifer for similar money.
I have been asked to give a talk on my farming system to the south-east region Holstein Society. And I was doing so well at not upsetting people this year.
An item of late breaking news before I go, I have just leased out £450 worth of quota. The same volume last year was worth about £6500. I only hope that over the next 12 months we can see quota off altogether, the last bastion of communist farming and a tax on the young and dynamic. *
Christian Fox is looking for advice on growing a good crop of forage rape or turnips, having had to resort to feeding his cows 1997 silage.