FARMERFOCUS
FARMERFOCUS
John Glover
John Glover milks 65 Holstein
Friesian cows and rears
replacements on a 40ha
(100-acre) county council
holding near Lutterworth,
Leics, having moved from
another 20ha (51-acre) unit
NOW we are in to our winter routine and wet days mean paper – or computer-work, we have more time to look at reducing production costs and maximising income from milk sales.
We have little influence over milk price but we must make sure that we receive all quality and hygiene bonuses, which we generally do.
Feed costs are relatively easy to compare between companies, so that leaves overhead costs. These are individual to each farm and some cannot be influenced quickly. As margins tighten the main question I ask is do I really need this and can I get it cheaper? Do we all accept too many costs? Do we know how the accountant and other professionals calculate their fees and how we can reduce them?
One area we are looking at is electricity, following a larger than expected bill dropping through the letterbox last spring. This prompted a phone call to the electricity company and we were put on a different tariff. We also put in an extra water heater to use off-peak electricity to heat all the farms water.
Meters were read yesterday and, as it was a wet afternoon, I though Id try and compare them with the same quarter last year (see table). Both bills were reviewed without standing charge. The main saving was using more electricity at off peak rate; a cheaper day tariff also helped. Higher use is simply due to an increase in milk production.
There are two ways in which we can make further savings; firstly, we are using a consultancy service to look at different suppliers and find a cheaper deal, and secondly we are reviewing making more use of off-peak units. With our DX bulk tank we cannot cool milk overnight, but what we can do is have all milk cooled by 7.30am when the cheap rate finishes in winter: This means starting milking about 45 minutes earlier than at present. *
Starting milking 45 minutes earlier could allow John Glover to save more on milk cooling costs.
Electricity cost comparison
Aug-Oct 98 (87 days) Aug-Nov 99 (87 days)
units cost/£ units cost/£
Night 4345 106.45 6301 154.37
Day 6587 457.20 5265 339.59
Total 10932 563.65 11566 493.96
Each day 125.6 6.48 132.9 5.68
John Martin
John Martin farms with his
parents on the Ards Peninsula
south of Belfast. The 65ha
(160-acre) Gordonall Farm
and 16ha (40 acres) of
rented land carry 400
Suffolk x Cheviot ewes, a
small flock of Suffolks and
40 spring calving sucklers.
About 20ha (50 acres) of
barley is grown
RECENTLY I have diversified into coiffure or hairdressing. Unfortunately I cant offer many different styles as everything gets a short back and sides and a belly clip.
On a serious note the preparation of lambs and cattle for slaughter is a dangerous and time consuming exercise, and is an additional cost which doesnt improve stock value.
Lambs have finished off 2.8ha (7 acres) of forage rape, but dry weather since early October and access to a grass run-back has kept them clean, with only a small amount of soil to be removed.
The price has improved recently to about £32/head, but this is still well below the return needed. The end of our financial year will bring rather depressing reading – a quick calculation shows income from lambs down by £10,000.
As I write, 18 of our beef heifers have been moved off slats onto straw bedding to keep them clean until slaughter in a few days.
The price for beef has moved up by 2p/kg deadweight a week through November as pre Christmas demand has an effect. But it is still only 172p/kg deadweight for cattle grading R3 for conformation and fat levels.
Cows and calves have settled since weaning at the end of October, with cows being fed only straw and rationed silage to help dry them off.
A few late calvers remain outside along with our older bull and a couple of cows for the Over Thirty Months Scheme.
The younger bull that was causing concern last month has improved beyond recognition.
Our vet reckons that it was an infection that wasnt cured by the first treatment, but our fear was he had bovine mucosal disease with implications of abortion, so its a big relief to see him improve.
The early lambers have been crutched before housing at the end of November, while the March lambers are all fairly well settled in lamb, having mostly been served over a 14-day period.
We also hired a track machine last month to level off a hump of rock in one field. The soft shale came out easily, and as well as improving the field provided over 500t of material. Some was used to make hard footing around gateways for feeding stock, while the remainder was stockpiled. With the price of stone increasing, its as good as money in the bank. *
Despite the dry weather and lambs finishing off forage rape, John Martin is clipping animals to clean them up for slaughter.
Richard Thompson
Richard Thompson farms a
325ha (800-acre) mixed
arable and dairy unit near
Kings Lynn, Norfolk. The
200 dairy cows average
6500 litres on a simple, high
forage system. They are
allocated 40ha (100 acres)
of permanent pasture and
44ha (110 acres) of short
term leys and maize grown
in the arable rotation
DURING October high yielders were turned out to graze grass for four hours in the middle of the day. This system worked really well this year in warm, dry October weather.
The success is explained by a series of grass analyses that we carried out. The grass analysis was 15-18%DM, 25-30% protein and 11.6ME. This goes to show there is goodness in October grass given the right conditions.
The beginning of November brought cold and wet weather so high yielders were brought in full time – the grazed grass being replaced by one big bale of silage a day. Cows are now being fed their ration of 12kg of potatoes a day. With an abundance of cheap stock feed potatoes around in this part of the country, spuds are something cows are going to have to get used to this year.
Preliminary analysis of our maize silage results this year looks promising – as I believe do many others in our area. Our maize analysed at 35%DM, 77 D-value, 12.6ME and 30% starch. The dry matter is slightly higher than ideal due to the delayed harvest, however, energy levels are superb and should allow us to increase our milk from forage this year.
A little bombshell appeared through the post the other day. Every three months we do a bulk milk test for BVD. The latest result revealed the presence of BVD in our herd. We have never had BVD before and have always been described as a BVD naive herd. This has always been a worry in the back of my mind when buying cattle to replace BSE cohorts.
This latest result set off a witch-hunt to find any persistent infectors. We blood tested 30 suspect animals, which were all negative, so we are now pondering what to do next. The more I learn about BVD, the more I come to the conclusion that the disease isnt truly understood.
Advice has ranged from vaccinating the entire herd, to just vaccinating the heifers, to doing absolutely nothing. Our hand has been forced with the autumn herd, as there isnt time to vaccinate before we start serving. However, we still have a few more months to decide what to do with the spring calving herd. *
Richard Thompsons maize silage analysis looks promising despite a delayed harvest increasing dry matter.
Kevin Daniel
Kevin Daniel has a mixed
lowland holding near
Launceston, Cornwall. The
65ha (160 acres) farm and
20ha (50 acres) of rented
ground supports 70
Simmental cross suckler
cows, 380 Border Leicester
cross Suffolk ewes and has
28ha (70 acres) of arable
OCTOBERS dry mild weather has continued into November and, at the time of writing, we still have some in-calf heifers and dry cows outside which will help shorten winter feeding.
Calves were housed and weaned in early November – I have been pleased with growth rates this year, with overall weaning weights up by 20kg. Bull calves ranged between 330kg – 470kg, with an average of 380kg and heifers ranged between 260kg – 380kg, averaging 320kg.
In the last three years calving we have been lucky to have a higher percentage of bull calves born – alas, this year for every bull calf born we have had two heifer calves. Not an ideal situation when bull calves leave a margin three times bigger than heifers.
But as Agenda 2000 seems to favour heifer production from suckler herds with up to 20% of their claim coming from heifers, I am considering reducing cow numbers, so I can claim suckler cow subsidy on heifers.
As far as I can understand this is the only good part of Agenda 2000 – a 4% cut in suckler cow quota, tightening of stocking densities and the inclusion of heifers in stocking rate calculations, all conspire to restrict farm output.
Over the past few years, to keep under the maximum stocking rates, we have had to take more grass keep to expand forage area. But the need to include more hectares on IACS forms every May is fuelling demand for rented keep and keeping the price higher than is economically viable.
Under Agenda 2000 this trend seems set to continue. Would it be wise to reduce stock and avoid renting extra land? Some serious head scratching is called for over the winter months.
After nearly three years of writing a monthly contribution for farmers weekly, it is time to let someone else take up the challenge. I have enjoyed the experience immensely.
During my stint I have always tried to write an honest report, telling both the successes and failures of farming at Trebursye. Thanks to everyone who has contacted me with comments and criticisms, it is certainly good to know that someone has taken the trouble to read my notes. *
Kevin Daniel is pleased with growth rates of calves this autumn, but wishes he had a few more bulls.