Louis Baugh
Louis Baugh
Louis Baugh and his wife farm
186ha (460 acres) at
Neatishead Hall and 91ha
(225 acres) at Beech Farm
near Norwich in Norfolk. About
100 autumn calving Holstein
Friesian cows and followers
are grazed on Broads ESA
marshes with forage from
Italian ryegrass and maize.
I THOUGHT that our problems were arable ones, with forward contracted cereals and potatoes proving difficult to move and surplus French beans to be ploughed in.
This was a stupid assumption on my behalf, no sooner said before we hit a spell of milk fevers in our older cows. This was traced back to the flush of grass following the June rains which meant our management of the dry group was not as tight as usual.
One such case was Jane. Having had her sixth calf, it took her 36 hours to get to her feet, but having done so she settled into the herd and started to milk. One week after calving she was found cast against the straw yard wall with her head trapped, and died 24 hours later. Jane was fourth generation classified Excellent, having won two reserve championships, leaving daughters by Inspiration, Astre and Majic.
Her oldest daughter was due to calve in eight weeks, however she was brought off the marsh when seen bulling and the vet summoned to find a dead calf inside her.
To cap it all I committed the ultimate sin whilst milking on Sunday morning, I dumped the cold rinse water into one of the bulk tanks! The tut-tutting in our yard was loud and lengthy.
On a brighter note we had a cow produce her second calf. As a heifer she damaged her spine post-calving. Unable to walk correctly or raise her tail to dung and in acute pain, our vet suggested he could do no more.
Fran, a keen horsewoman and open-minded about alternate treatment summoned an animal healer. After two treatments using crystals, acupuncture and manipulation the heifer vastly improved and despite her loss of condition went on to record a lactation of 8200 litres and classified GP83. One year on her second calf, a heifer by Maughlin Storm arrived with no problems – all that remains is the inability to raise her tail!
I am thankful to our team for the effort they make at this busy time which allows me to pursue my pastime of rugby refereeing – long distances travelled mean I am absent all day most Saturdays. Friends see this as a masochistic exercise, I point out it is not so dissimilar from my weekday activities! *
Its been a trying time for Louis Baugh on the dairy front, but there is one bright spot: A cow – who damaged her spine as a heifer and recuperated after alternative therapy – has given birth to her second calf.