Livestock top stories YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENTGrazing kale v fodder beet: Which is best for youngstock?To farmers who are unfamiliar with winter grazing fodder crops, kale and fodder beet can appear to provide very similar feeds. In fact, there are many points of difference, from… DAIRYAdvice on calculating cull cow costs accuratelyFluctuating 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… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: The government has given us a tax kickingTime has flown since my last article, and I want to say a massive thanks to everyone who took the time to send messages in support of what I said… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Herd depopulation raises bird questionIt’s been difficult to think about much else than preparations for our herd’s depopulation, clean down, and repopulation, all in a controlled effort to rid us of swine dysentery. A… FEED AND NUTRITIONMaize dry matters fall 3% in varied yearA slow growing season has been blamed for a 3% fall in maize dry matter levels in a nutrition company’s published forage sampling data. Trouw Nutrition GB’s first 750 analyses… YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENTAdvice on minimising disease risks in market-bought calvesCalf rearers buying stock from the mart should accept that the disease risk will be high and plan with their vet to create a farm-specific approach to calf health. There… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Maize safely in after dodging scrap metalEarly November saw the last of the land work finished, with the last 5ha (12 acres) of wheat drilled on 3 November. The rest of the maize came off early… Livestock news YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENTTwo drugs impress in calf cryptosporidiosis trialEarly research evaluating two unnamed drug molecules for controlling cryptosporidiosis in calves has yielded positive results, taking them to the next developmental stage. Calves infected with cryptosporidium got better when… HEALTH AND WELFAREHerd health app pools expertise onlineA web-based herd health planning tool promises to make livestock farming more efficient by drawing farmers, nutritionists, vets and other advisers together in one place. Herdplan was developed by Scotland’s… LIVESTOCKMaize Watch: Marked difference under film near DumfriesHarvesting is halfway at SRUC Crichton Royal Farm, Dumfries, where conventionally grown maize is lagging behind crop germinated under film. While the farm’s maize under film was harvested last week… BUSINESSDanish Crown cuts 500 workers due to pig shortageHigher costs and fewer pigs being finished across the EU have led to redundancies at Europe’s largest pig producer, Danish Crown. The farmer-owned global meat producer will make 500 redundancies,… More articles Explore livestock Know How Business advice Essential guides Practical tips Case studies Dairy Beef Sheep Pigs Other livestock Grassland management Slurry and manure management Explore all topics Latest from livestock Know HowSee all YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENTGrazing kale v fodder beet: Which is best for youngstock?To farmers who are unfamiliar with winter grazing fodder crops, kale and fodder beet can appear to provide very similar feeds. In fact, there are many points of difference, from… DAIRYAdvice on calculating cull cow costs accuratelyFluctuating 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… YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENTAdvice on minimising disease risks in market-bought calvesCalf rearers buying stock from the mart should accept that the disease risk will be high and plan with their vet to create a farm-specific approach to calf health. There… YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT7 ways to lower the risk of 'rumen drinking'How quickly calves consume milk and at what height they drink could be contributing to calf mortality on dairy farms and calf-rearing enterprises, according to Scottish data. Rumen drinking is… LIVESTOCKAdvice on E coli toxic mastitis protocolsPrevention is always more rewarding than cure – and usually cheaper. This is particularly so in the case of an E coli toxic mastitis where (despite early detection and treatment)… LIVESTOCKHow a dry autumn is benefitting grass utilisationBeef and sheep farmer John Ritchie, winner of Farmers Weekly’s Grassland Manager of the Year 2023, replaced set stocking with rotational grazing on his Perthshire hill farm. He is sharing… YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENTHow lung washing slashed antibiotics use in calf shedA Welsh dairy farm has reduced its antibiotics use in calves by 90% and seen a big uplift in calf health since using “lung washing” to identify the pathogen responsible… GRASSLAND MANAGEMENTMoving cattle four times a day keeps cost under £350 a cowMaximising grassland periods by moving cattle up to four times a day has reduced winter housing from five months to as little as seven weeks on a heavy clay Kent… LIVESTOCKClimate change moves the grass growth curve in CornwallCornish dairy farmer and experienced grazing manager Chris Knowles is sharing updates about his 2024 grazing season with Farmers Weekly. In this fourth and final instalment of the series, Chris reports… SHEEPFarmer imports breed to lift wool cheque up to five-foldA large-scale, low-input Romney breeder has added low-micron fleece to his breeding goals, with the aim of turning a loss-making wool enterprise into a profitable one. Frank Langrish, of Langrish… BEEFHow a Sutherland suckler herd achieved a compact calvingScottish farmers Vic and Jason Ballantyne have condensed their calving period of 10 weeks in recent years, to seven weeks over the past two seasons. This is contributing to a… SLURRY AND MANURE MANAGEMENTBenefits of bokashi for Welsh beef producerFarmyard manure is a valuable resource in any grassland system. For an organic farm whose only other input sources are magnesium lime and granular calcium lime, it is even more… SLURRY AND MANURE MANAGEMENTAdvice on assessing the nutritional value of manure on cropsUsed properly on crops, muck is a valuable by-product that offers the opportunity to reduce artificial fertiliser inputs and improve soil health. However, measuring its nutrient value and the associated… DAIRYWays to build resilience into high-yielding dairy herdsSustainable dairy farming is not just about reducing emissions – it is about creating a balanced, resilient system that supports the farm, the animals and the environment for future generations.… DAIRYHow three dairy farmers maintain high-yielding herdsWhat 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… DAIRYHow a 12,000-litre herd balances efficiency and cow welfareA focus on optimising milking efficiency through 12 robots has created a setup that also maximises cow comfort and welfare for a large Wiltshire herd. The result is a herd… Silage advice Guidance on analysing and targeting forage quality this year Tips on improving silage quality in a wet season How self-feed silage allowed autumn-block herd to expand 5 steps to covering silage pits for an airtight seal Meat markets and pricesSee all MEAT MARKETS AND PRICESLamb trade lifts further above £6/kg carried by tight supplyFestive demand has taken off for the lamb sector, with processors appearing keen to stock up ahead of Christmas. Some abattoirs have been quoted at up to 650p/kg in the… MEAT MARKETS AND PRICESTighter margins for pig producers as prices drop to 208p/kgThe tide has turned following a summer of support for domestic pig markets, with sluggish EU demand and ample pork supplies currently weighing on domestic pig markets. Average finished pig… MEAT MARKETS AND PRICESCalf slaughter figures fall 17% as beef price hits 524p/kgEasing costs and a surging beef price has turned profit fortunes around for marginal calves this year, helping to cut calf slaughter figures by 17% from its 2021 peak. Defra’s… MEAT MARKETS AND PRICESFalling stock numbers in Scotland raise fears for farmersDeclining cattle, sheep, and pig numbers in the latest Scottish Agricultural Census, have highlighted a frightening longer-term trend of contraction for livestock in Scotland. Census figures for June 2024 show… MEAT MARKETS AND PRICESExceptional beef demand holds finished cattle above £5/kgFinished beef prices surged to new all-time highs during October, driven by thriving domestic and export markets. Figures from market analysts Kantar showed total spend on British beef at retail… MEAT MARKETS AND PRICESDefra mandates abattoir price reporting for sheep sectorLarge abattoirs will be required to report lamb prices, use standardised dressing specifications, and weigh carcasses to the nearest 0.1kg, under new government measures. The announcement by Defra has been… Livestock communitySee all FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: The government has given us a tax kickingTime has flown since my last article, and I want to say a massive thanks to everyone who took the time to send messages in support of what I said… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Herd depopulation raises bird questionIt’s been difficult to think about much else than preparations for our herd’s depopulation, clean down, and repopulation, all in a controlled effort to rid us of swine dysentery. A… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: Maize safely in after dodging scrap metalEarly November saw the last of the land work finished, with the last 5ha (12 acres) of wheat drilled on 3 November. The rest of the maize came off early… FARMER FOCUSFarmer Focus: You can tell which calves have lost nose flapsWeaning is under way. More than half of our calf crop is already done. It is always a satisfying job, getting the calves through the yards and over the scales.… Dairy DAIRYAdvice on calculating cull cow costs accuratelyFluctuating 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… FEED AND NUTRITIONMaize dry matters fall 3% in varied yearA slow growing season has been blamed for a 3% fall in maize dry matter levels in a nutrition company’s published forage sampling data. Trouw Nutrition GB’s first 750 analyses… DAIRYAmazon boss injects £7.3m into cattle methane vaccine projectAmazon founder Jeff Bezos has invested millions of pounds into a pioneering project aimed at developing a vaccine that would reduce methane emissions from cattle. Researchers at the Pirbright Institute… YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENT7 ways to lower the risk of 'rumen drinking'How quickly calves consume milk and at what height they drink could be contributing to calf mortality on dairy farms and calf-rearing enterprises, according to Scottish data. Rumen drinking is… LIVESTOCKAdvice on E coli toxic mastitis protocolsPrevention is always more rewarding than cure – and usually cheaper. This is particularly so in the case of an E coli toxic mastitis where (despite early detection and treatment)… YOUNGSTOCK MANAGEMENTHow lung washing slashed antibiotics use in calf shedA Welsh dairy farm has reduced its antibiotics use in calves by 90% and seen a big uplift in calf health since using “lung washing” to identify the pathogen responsible… LIVESTOCKClimate change moves the grass growth curve in CornwallCornish dairy farmer and experienced grazing manager Chris Knowles is sharing updates about his 2024 grazing season with Farmers Weekly. In this fourth and final instalment of the series, Chris reports… LIVESTOCKDairy farmer 'disrupter' turns to crowdfunding to expandA former engineer says he is aiming to “disrupt” what he refers to as “Big Dairy” on his family farm in Ayrshire, using crowdfunding cash to more than double cow… LIVESTOCKAnalyse crude protein of bought-in straights, farmers advisedFarmers buying straight protein for cattle rations are advised to get it independently analysed. For about £25 a test, it will confirm actual crude protein content (CP) delivered on farm,… DAIRYWays to build resilience into high-yielding dairy herdsSustainable dairy farming is not just about reducing emissions – it is about creating a balanced, resilient system that supports the farm, the animals and the environment for future generations.… DAIRYHow three dairy farmers maintain high-yielding herdsWhat 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… DAIRYHow a 12,000-litre herd balances efficiency and cow welfareA focus on optimising milking efficiency through 12 robots has created a setup that also maximises cow comfort and welfare for a large Wiltshire herd. The result is a herd… Advertisements Livestock machinerySee all TRACTORSBluewhite driverless retrofit transforms sub-100hp tractorsAn Israeli-American start-up has developed a retrofit kit that allows small tractors to work entirely autonomously, principally for spraying permanent crops such as vines and orchards. Given Bluewhite's focus is… FORAGERSClaas Jaguar forager to offer rapid analysis of maize cropsIn-field analysis of maize crop processing in a matter of minutes is a new feature that enables forage harvesting contractors operating Claas Jaguar choppers to consistently and accurately meet customer… BALERS AND WRAPPERSKuhn and Kubota add automation features to round balersNew automation and data collection features for round balers are among the technical innovations set to be revealed at the EIMA agricultural machinery show in Bologna, Italy. Kuhn proposes a… BALERS AND WRAPPERSUltimate guide to buying a big square baler 2025Having forged a partnership with Kuhn for a range of big square balers launched in Britain in 2013, John Deere has now quietly withdrawn from this market sector to concentrate… Most popular this week
