Livestock Farmer Focus FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Turnip fields drying out to finish store lambsSpring has arrived, and after such a prolonged wet winter, it couldn’t be more welcome. I even managed to apply 125kg/ha of polysulphate to the oilseed rape before the end… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Anti-inflammatories prove their worth in herdThe cows had a real wobble at the beginning of February. We’ve put it down to a winter dysentery but can’t be really sure. We typically have three or four… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Could easier local tip access cut fly-tipping?We have finished scanning our ewes and we are pretty happy with the results. We never expect terribly high scanning percentages as we are pretty low input and run majority… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Relief as spring calving draws to a closeI look back over February with some relief, as we have calved 225 cows – 50% of them in 12 days – and a total of 325 have calved to… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Frustration as on-farm butchery plans refusedI hope everyone is well. I was hoping I could share some positive news, but it hasn’t worked out that way. The biggest frustration for me is that the factors… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Grazing group course clarifies business goalsIt is fair to say that we have all had enough of this awful weather. Thankfully, the days are gradually lengthening and spring is just about poking its head around… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Milk fever spike remains mystery despite testsWe might as well start with this month’s disasters. Make yourself a cuppa, as it’s a long list. I once spoke to someone not long after I started writing this… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Basic on-farm innovation holds key to progressSitting down to write my last Farmer Focus is surprisingly challenging, not least because when it all began back in February 2019, I thought at best I could be making… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: No answer to milk yield drop as rain continuesAs farmers, one of the main things we seem to talk about is the weather: too hot; too cold; too wet; too dry. At Newlands, we have a very high… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Scan result good but straw tight for lambingEvery year l look forward to scanning day. This year, the earlies were a little disappointing, while the main flock is a little over the top. With 10% ewe lambs… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: New baby and new bull lift winter gloomIt's been very, very wet. Since my last article, we have had the worst six weeks of winter weather I can remember for a long time. The first days of… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Repeat of 2025 ‘ideal’ lambing season unlikelyWe are preparing for lambing: cleaning, pressure washing and disinfecting areas of the cattle sheds to bring in the ewes. The cattle will have to be moved up to the… More articles
