DairyCo

Midlands

Meet the team in your area

Introducing the team in your area

Every member of the DairyCo extension team has a passion for farming and enjoys helping dairy farmers get the most from their levy.

Our team all have farming and agricultural experience to help deliver best practice techniques in a clear and practical way, for example the DairyCo Mastitis Control Plan and the DairyCo Mobility Score.

What's been happening?

• The January snow is causing disruption to our Nutrition meeting with James Husband and we have had to cancel the 1^st couple but hopefully the Staffordshire meeting will be going ahead later in the week.  For more information please contact Nicola Fair on 04521 209076 or nicola.fair@dairyco.ahdb.org.uk
• Milkbench+
  The latest meeting of the Prince's Rural Action Plan (PRAP) Peak District group looked at the results from the most recently collected data. DairyCo Milkbench Regional Officer Tina Swainston presented and talked through the findings, allowing group members plenty of opportunities to join in discussion. The group used this information to compile a list of subjects they would like to look at in more detail over the coming year including mastitis, fertility and finance.  For more information please contact Judith Stafford on 07891 556623 or judith.stafford@dairyco.ahdb.org.uk
• Lameness
  At the end of November we held an open meeting in Nottinghamshire to look at lameness in dairy cows as part of DairyCo's five year programme of Research Partnerships. The discussion began with Dr Jon Huxley from the University of Nottingham who gave an overview of why it is so important to identify, prioritise and treat lame cows. Hettie Thomas, a research student also from the University of Nottingham described the research trials funded by DairyCo that she is undertaking to look at different treatments for sole diseases. Later in the day she also demonstrated how she undergoes setting up a treatment on one of her cow subjects. Dr Jenny Gibbons, Research and Development Manager at DairyCo, described the DairyCo mobility scoring system and gave everyone an opportunity to try it out. We are expecting the results from Hettie's first trial next Spring and further open meetings will be held throughout the duration of the research partnerships to keep everyone up to date with the findings. 
  For more information please contact Judith Stafford on 07891 556623 or judith.stafford@dairyco.ahdb.org.uk
• This month Amy Fawcett has attended the British Cattle Breeders Conference, learning about innovative and profitable breeding. Amy has also been liaising with local farmers and will be running a meeting on the 1^st February on the impact of poor weather in 2012, making sure soils and grassland are ready for turn out. /events/open-meetings/february-2013/getting-ready-for-turn-out,-managing-the-effects-of-the-poor-weather-in-2012/
• Wednesday 13^th March sees the return of Sam Leadley to Cheshire.  For those that came to Sam's meeting last year on calf health and nutrition you will want to put this date in your diaries.  For more details please contact James Hague on 04460 056.53 or james.hague@dairyco.ahdb.org.uk