Farmer Focus: Rubber mats and prize-winning dairy cows
Brian Yates © Jim Varney Good news at East Logan – the cows are in their new accommodation and they seem to be enjoying the rubber mats.
And with that, we are on to the next project.
We have started digging out the passages in the original cow shed and putting them on to slats to reduce cubicles and give the cows more space.
The cows couldn’t wait to get in to their new passage – much to the builders’ delight as they watched them walk all over their newly laid concrete.
Fourth cut silage is in and that is all of our harvest in for the year.
Now we have 200 wintering lambs on the silage fields to eat up the grass.
See also: Serious grass growth with humid weather
We were delighted to be placed first with our four-year-old Logan Sid Edie at UK Dairy Day.
I was very impressed with the standard of Holsteins at the show. I’ll look forward to attending next year.
We have just had the Scottish calf show qualifier. Luckily, it was only three miles away but we still managed to arrive there last with our nine calves.
We were really pleased that Michael’s fiancée Emma came away with champion calf and champion showman with her home-bred Showgirl Doorman Sara.
She was like the cat that got the cream because she beat Michael.
With Michael taking home the reserve champion showman title, they are now looking forward to battling it out against each other at the All Breeds All Britain Calf Show.
See also: Works continue despite further milk price drop
We have had another rise in milk price for the second consecutive month, which is promising.
After attending an Arla meeting recently, it is clear there are still a lot of farmers disappointed with the slow rise in milk price.
By the time this comes out, I will have had another full week of extra work as Michael is off to America.
He won his trip with Semex after receiving the Holstein UK’s President’s Medal.
He is off to visit some American farms before heading to watch the Holstein show at Madison, which we are sure he will enjoy.
Brian Yates milks 250 pedigree Holsteins at Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire, in partnership with his wife Sheila, son Michael and daughter Anna. Surplus heifers are sold for breeding.