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Know How / Dairy / Assessing performance

Dairying is a demanding business and it’s important to know the technical and economic key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess whether you are realising a good enough margin for the labour units, land, and working capital used by the business.

We look at a range of criteria suggested by advisers and working for progressive farmers to evaluate herd fertility, health, milk production and profit.

Key parameters are explored, from pregnancy rate to milk solids yield and cost per litre, providing relevant insights no matter what system you run.

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GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Benefits of embracing NZ grazing techniques – 30 years on

An influx of New Zealand consultants – led by the late Jerry Ryder, Wiltshire dairy farmer and the-then president of the British Grassland Society – set off a rotational grazing…

DAIRY

How stocking rate is hitting the sweet spot for a dairy farm

The “sweet spot” for a Staffordshire dairy farm is a stocking rate of 2.2 cows a hectare, allowing a spring block-calving herd to become self-sufficient in forage, while maintaining milk…

DAIRY

How three dairy farmers maintain high-yielding herds

What is the secret to achieving high yields of more than 10,000 litres a cow a year? Asked how they maintain high levels of production in their dairy enterprises, three…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

How a dairy is using data to identify paddocks for reseeding

Analysing data from grass growth measurements to select the poorest yielding paddocks for reseeding in August will help Lydney Park Farm improve output across the whole grazing platform. The goal…

LIVESTOCK

New rotary parlour improves milking efficiency

Investing in a new rotary parlour has almost halved milking times and improved milk quality at a Staffordshire dairy. Third-generation farmer Dave Eardley, who milks 520 cows at Upper House…

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

How a new entrant got backing to set up in dairy

A simple, once-a-day system, relying on grazed grass and spring-block calving, was the step into dairy farming for new entrant Nick Cavill. The first cups went on in 2018 and…

Practical advice

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DAIRY

Advice on calculating cull cow costs accurately

Fluctuating cull cow prices across the year can result in an average cull value for a herd that may be below expectation. The result can give a false impression of…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

Why refreshing cattle insemination technique matters

All-year-round calving herds carrying out their own inseminations need to ensure operators attend a refresher course at least every two years. For block-calving herds, it should be an annual event,…

LIVESTOCK

Why it is important to do a staff learning review

Treating staff training as a tick-box exercise will still cost a farm money and time, but will not necessarily make a difference to the business. Seeing it as a priority…

DAIRY

Advice for managing a split-block calving herd

Historically, savings made from efficient block-calving outweighed seasonality penalties. Yet many contracts have tempted farms into going split block.  Herds that move to split-block calving to satisfy milk buyer requirements…

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

Ultra-high or low frequency EID tags: Which is best?

A debate is raging about what tag technology should be used in the UK’s national cattle traceability scheme when it eventually arrives. The stand-off is between the low frequency (LF)…

LIVESTOCK

Valuable business skills courses for dairy farmers

Many dairy farmers tend not to be driven by profit: satisfaction comes from a herd of fine cows, full clamps or milk in the tank. But being good at milking…

Insights

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LIVESTOCK

Feed efficiency research reveals importance of cow grouping

Breeding dairy herds for feed efficiency can be negatively impacted on-farm by managing lactating cows in mixed parity groups. This is because of competition at the feed bunk and a…

LIVESTOCK

Data drives business decisions on US dairy

A data-driven culture operates at High Plains Ponderosa Dairy in Kansas, with all business decisions and performance goals based on data. This is according to chief executive and managing partner…

DAIRY

Revised methane method pegs dairy emissions 20% lower

Net carbon emissions from a sample of livestock farms fell significantly when analysed by a carbon methodology that accounts for biogenic methane. Distinguishing between biogenic (methane from ruminants) and fossil…

LIVESTOCK

6 livestock tech developments to look out for

From driverless tractors to cameras for identifying diseases, several high-tech innovations are coming down the track. Farmers Weekly looks at six highlights. See also: NI farm transforms slurry and food…

DAIRY

Wearable device for cattle aims to improve dairy health

A new device, which is claimed to be the first integrated health microchip and activity monitor for livestock, could enable early detection of pre-clinical conditions and disease prediction in real…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Why health gains cut ruminant methane emissions by 10%

Three classic livestock benchmarking targets can help sheep and cattle farms raise technical performance and meet obligatory methane goals to battle climate change. Livestock policy leaders are urging farmers to…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

How remote sensing tech can help fine-tune grass management

A farm-level study in Wales has shown remote sensors can provide valuable information on how grass responds to inputs. Furthermore, they can do this in greater detail and more rapidly…

DAIRY

Dairy fertility research reveals potential for further gains

The use of novel traits could be a way to accelerate genetic gain, according to the findings of a research project from New Zealand. In New Zealand, the Breeding Worth…

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

5 new livestock gadgets for farming in 2020

From innovation to slightly improved design, engineers and inventors are constantly striving to produce the next big gadget in livestock farming.  Farmers Weekly has looked at the top products that…

LIVESTOCK

6 key factors influencing dairy herd profitability

The importance of maintaining a long-lived herd by keeping cows healthy and reducing deaths are key to profitability during periods of milk price volatility. Referencing benchmarking data from 65 US…

DAIRY

How top dairy herds cut operating costs in 2016

The best-performing dairy business that made a profit in the low payout year of 2016 managed to reduce their operating expenses by 4p/litre on average, with feed costs being hammered…

DAIRY

How to increase grazed grass without incurring extra costs

As we approach turnout and grazing opportunities for more profit, it is essential we all understand why there is so much value and profit in planning and using grazed grass. News…

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