Archive Article: 2001/02/02

2 February 2001




Kevin Green

Kevin Green farms 128ha

(320 acres) near Carmarthen

in west Wales, in partnership

with his wife Lynwen. They

currently run 200 spring

calving cows and 200

followers, with the aim of

calving 300 animals next

spring. As chairman of the

local Grazing Dragons

discussion group, he is

focusing on maximising

output from grass

Calving should be well under way shortly as we started serving on Apr 20. Our breeding policy last spring was to serve all Holstein type cows with a Livestock Improvement Company (LIC) Jersey to produce a hardier animal. The main group were served with LIC Friesians to maintain type. Most of our maiden heifers were also served with a Jersey. This will give an easy calving, producing hybrid vigour in the offspring.

All AI semen used was from bulls proven on grass systems. After four weeks nine bulls were used, with four running with cows at any time. They were swapped daily with the dogs help. But without good drafting facilities, its a job with potential danger.

We ended up with 8% of cows empty, when they were scanned in November and three cows aborted around the same time. Empty cows were nearly all extreme Holstein ones which endorses my feelings that different systems need different cows. The Holstein does not thrive on grass based diets.

I returned from my Nuffield Scholarship for Christmas with my family. Cold weather here was a bit of a shock after the hot summer in Australia and New Zealand. Then I set off travelling again for a month in US on Dec 30.

A fellow Scholar told me: "You wont grow your coalmine if you keep working on the coalface."

Ive been managing my "coalmine" from as far away as possible, so we will have to wait and see if he was right. Two things that have already grown in the short term are my personal drawings and knowledge. &#42

THE whole farm is being soil tested because we have been trying to lift phosphate. It will be interesting to see if indexes have increased. We had some 2+ readings last year, but I would be very happy if all were at five in a couple of years.

Higher soil fertility and some early nitrogen will hopefully boost grass covers for turnout with fresh calvers, which start calving at the end of Janaury.

Calving should be well under way shortly as we started serving on Apr 20. Our breeding policy last spring was to serve all Holstein type cows with a Livestock Improvement Company (LIC) Jersey to produce a hardier animal. The main group were served with LIC Friesians to maintain type. Most of our maiden heifers were also served with a Jersey. This will give an easy calving, producing hybrid vigour in the offspring.

All AI semen used was from bulls proven on grass systems. After four weeks nine bulls were used, with four running with cows at any time. They were swapped daily with the dogs help. But without good drafting facilities, its a job with potential danger.

We ended up with 8% of cows empty, when they were scanned in November and three cows aborted around the same time. Empty cows were nearly all extreme Holstein ones which endorses my feelings that different systems need different cows. The Holstein does not thrive on grass based diets.

I returned from my Nuffield Scholarship for Christmas with my family. Cold weather here was a bit of a shock after the hot summer in Australia and New Zealand. Then I set off travelling again for a month in US on Dec 30.

A fellow Scholar told me: "You wont grow your coalmine if you keep working on the coalface."

Ive been managing my "coalmine" from as far away as possible, so we will have to wait and see if he was right. Two things that have already grown in the short term are my personal drawings and knowledge. &#42

Better soil fertility should help Kevin Green boost grass cover.


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