DairyCo
Welcome to DairyCo
South West
Introducing the Extension Team in your area
Our job is to link levy payers to DairyCo by taking your views
back to the Board. We organise events (both on and off farm)
demonstrating best practice. The results of DairyCo research and development go
back out to farmers.
One of our main roles is to establish and run DairyCo Business Groups in the
region. The discussion groups consist of 10-12 like minded farmers
meeting regularly. They look at subjects including electricity and
water costs, optimising fertiliser efficiency, cow fertility,
heifer rearing costs, benchmarking,
time management and cost effective building improvement.
However, any subject leading to profit improvement can be covered,
with group confidentiality being paramount.
What's coming up?
The Day: Discussion group meeting - Heifer
Rearing
Purpose: A meeting to look at the DairyCo Heifer
wastage data and how farmers can improve the health of calves and
heifers to maximise their potential of longevity in the herd.
Date: December 2011
Venue: Bedfordshire.
To get involved with a discussion group in your area call DairyCo
Extension Officer Andy Dodd on 07759 586321 or email andrew.dodd@dairyco.ahdb.org.uk
To book your place please contact DairyCo Extension Officer Rachael Grigg on 07976 980759 or email rachael.grigg@dairyco.ahdb.org.uk
What's been happening?
Debate on purchase of inputs from electricity, using a broker, to substantial savings through buying concentrate through a buying group, to life assurance, critical illness insurance and sickness insurance for farm owner and employees, to contractors and strategies to be first in the contractors queue - paying as jobs completed and on time and negotiating discount for such. Also discussing putting banking business out to tender to receive the best interest rates and service, backed by good budgets and benchmarked accounts.
Wyke farms group met to discuss calf and heifer rearing. Being on-farm, alongside a good attendance, a thorough discussion during a 'walk and talk' around the hosts system took place. There was particular interest in milk feeding and different strategies that group members employ to get the most from this important stage of growth turned out to be a key topic for the day. Higher volumes and concentrations of powders to enable good dry matter intake equivalent became a common theme. Feedback after the meeting highlighted that many went away to consider attention to colostrum feeding, measuring performance during milk feeding and setting some growth targets to monitor overall performance.
Over the past month the discussion groups have been busy looking at topics including, building design and cow flow, robotic milkers, breeding, selecting bulls to breed your ideal cow and MilkBench+ figures. There have also been meetings on calf rearing with Sam Leadley from the USA and several ventilation meetings with Jamie Robertson paying particular attention to calf housing and the creation of micro climates within the calf house to prevent stress from wind chill factors.