DONT LET IT GET TO YOU
DONT LET IT GET TO YOU
A summer akin to a monsoon followed by a winter to match has made managing cattle – whether dairy or beef – more of a chore than a job done for the love of it.
Couple that with poor profitability and its all to easy to spiral into a mire of despondency.
But there are bright spots on the horizon. For dairy farmers theres the promise of a better milk price, and for beef producers, the chance to break back into export markets.
New developments also promise much. The Profitable Lifetime Index for dairy cattle – known as PLI – is introduced to replace ITEM this month, and should help breed longer lasting cattle, reducing replacement costs. In this supplement, we look at how it can be used, and what benefits it will bring.
For beef producers, investing in technology – such as a computer and appropriate software – could improve business management, allowing decisions to be taken with more confidence. It should also help calculate cost/kg production, a measure advocated by one consultant in this supplement as a way of helping identify areas requiring better cost control.
Like it or not, cost control remains a crucial factor for dairy producers: A new report shows that lameness can cut up to 1.1p/litre off margins – a big, but often hidden cost. But it can be tackled, and thats what the first National Cattle Lameness Conference aims to do. Launched in this supplement, the conference at Stoneleigh on Mar 16 promises a day of practical advice about reducing this welfare concern – and its cost – in your herd.