Miles Saunders
Miles Saunders
Miles Saunders farms in
partnership with his parents
on an organic, mixed 370ha
(915-acre) farm in
Oxfordshire. Main enterprises
are 200 milking cows and
followers, 190 Mule ewes, 50
beef cross stores and 70 beef
cross calves. Winter wheat,
barley, oats and beans are
also grown, and sold on the
organic market.
IN THE first half of winter the cows milked exceptionally well, but since Christmas, when we changed silage clamps and were forced to use some third cut at the front of the clamp, the milk has dropped an average of 2 litres a cow.
The third cut in question analysed very well so we didnt anticipate any problems. It was clamped after being on the ground for a week during a wet spell last September.
As I write we have just moved onto the second cut, so hopefully milk yields will not suffer any further. The second cut analysed as follows – dry matter 26%, DCP 18%, ME 10.9 and D value 68.
Retaining high protein level is obviously very important, especially for us, being organic, as buying-in organic protein or approved protein is very expensive. In the past we have never used a silage additive and found we were regularly getting protein levels of around 12%.
For the past two seasons, we have used HM Inoculant from Nutrimix, with very good results, and have ordered it again for the coming season. I have found the cows have milked far better on the silage treated with an inoculant. At the end of the day the cheapest form of milk we can produce is that achieved from forage, so we need to optimise that area as much as possible.
I have lost eight cows under the voluntary cohort scheme. They were cows born in Sep 1989, just before we turned organic. A shame to see good cows go, but the cohorts on an organic farm must leave the herd as soon as possible. I guess this has left us with surplus quota, so I check quota profile figures, and lease out any surplus.
The sheep were scanned just after the new year, with the results equating to a lambing percentage of 193% – 27 singles, 112 twins, 37 triplets and 12 empties. The empty figure is higher than expected.
Last year we had a similar number empty and as they were financially worth very little in the summer and as they all seemed healthy, we kept them, rather than culling them, giving them a second chance. It will be interesting to see if it is the same batch empty again, in which case they will be culled once the retention period is over. It may in fact be a group of the older ewes that needs replacing anyway.
Last autumn our calf girl left to get married and we replaced her with a 17-year-old lad, who needed a work placement whilst doing day release at Lackham College. Although his parents werent farming, his grandparents were, so he knew some of the basics and has proved very capable and very willing to learn. Hopefully he should go a long way. His next major achievement will be to pass his full driving test which comes up soon. *
Using third cut silage saw yields drop by 2 litres a cow, but Miles Saunders reckons moving onto second cut should stop any further drop.