On the estuary of the river Taw in Barnstaple, North Devon is Woolmers Farm, home to second-generation farmer Paul Tucker and his wife, Anita. With sons Jack and Thomas the 850-acre family farm has 400 suckler cross cattle and 1200 breeding ewes. Taken on as a tenancy in the 1960s by Paul’s father, the farm was purchased in 2009 by Paul and Anita and has been extensively expanded ever since. Woolmers’ farm also grows 120 acres of grain, 60 acres of maize and 30 acres of fodder beet each year. Adopting an intensive rearing operation, the family purchase 250 beef calves each year to rear. The y ..read more

When high-quality grass is readily available, research has shown supplementary or buffer feeding will directly substitute grazing, therefore reducing grass intake. In general, forage has a high substitution rate, resulting in poor milk yield response if high-quality grass is replaced. The reduction in grass intake when silage is offered has shown to be almost 0.9kg DM for every 1.0kg DM fed. Although concentrates will also displace grazed grass, they do at a lesser rate. When a compound is fed, an increase of around 30-50% in daily DM intake can be observed. Concentrate supplements can improve ..read more

Fourth generation farmer, Jeff Harris & family run Nymphayes Farm in the rolling hills of Mid-Devon. Designed and operated on a ‘Low-Input’ style system, the 135 British Holstein/Friesian cross herd are milked twice a day in a 12/24 Herringbone Parlour, averaging 7,500 litres across a 12-month pattern. The herd is rotationally grazed from mid-Spring to late Autumn across the 280 acre farm, predominately sown with NWF’s Champion with clover grass ley, chosen for its proven long-term dual purpose; offering high-quality forage production whether cut or grazed. Fourth generation farmer, Jeff H ..read more

Did you know that we as humans experience temperatures very differently from cows? Humans do not really feel the impact of heat until temperatures reach 31°C, yet at the typical UK relative humidity of 60%, cows start to become physically uncomfortable from temperatures as low as 20°C. With summer just around the corner, the combination of warmer temperatures and our naturally humid climate leaves cows vulnerable to thermal stress. This causes many changes in both cow behaviour and biological responses, which in turn leads to reduced fertility and production. Signs of thermal stress can occur ..read more

The high rainfall throughout the Summer and Autumn of 2023, continued over the winter months, resulting in large acreages of grassland and crops sitting under water throughout the country, with soils being left waterlogged. Cattle were brought in earlier than normal putting high demand on forage stock. Whilst everyone is hoping for a kind spring and an early turnout to relieve some of the work and feeding pressures, grazing and silage fields may need some attention to manage them back to their full potential. While the condition of some fields may look disastrous, they may not be as bad as the ..read more

With cows being turned out across the UK, it is essential to forward plan to maximise grass dry matter intakes. With forage stocks, straw and by-products expensive, along with rising feed markets, more farmers are looking at maximising milk from grass this year. At turnout milk yields may rise or fall for a few days, this is expected as the cows are changing a substantial proportion of their dry matter intake from conserved forage to fresh forage. A gradual transition to grazing over a short period will minimise fluctuations in milk output. To minimise the effect on milk output, ensure that gr ..read more

When beginning to rear calves there are many elements to consider, however, supplying the correct nutrition is arguably one of the most important. This is due to the influence that pre-weaning growth has on heifers as they enter dairy herds. Correct nutrition at a time when the feed conversion ratio is at the highest in her lifetime is critical to long-term success. When beginning to rear calves there are many elements to consider, however, supplying the correct nutrition is arguably one of the most important. This is due to the influence that pre-weaning growth has on heifers as they enter da ..read more

The NWF Agriculture Dairy Bulletin Edition 7, provides up-to-date information, advice and more to UK farmers. In this edition, we talk about pre-weaning management, turnout, maize sowing, buffer feeding, supplementation, spring grazing & more. VIEW NWF Dairy Bulletin Edition 7 on ISSUU The post NWF Dairy Bulletin Edition 7 appeared first on NWF Agriculture ..read more

With more farmers seeing variable forage samples, there is a growing opportunity to include protected soya in sheep diets. Research and practical application of making the most from forage and providing protected protein sources can have positive impacts on flock health and survivability. Anecdotal feedback and work done by John Vipond, and others, have shown that over the last month before lambing, ewes fed on an adlib mineralised silage with either 100g of soya (per lamb) or 50g of Ultra-Soy can reduce labour and feed costs. This was noted due to smaller amounts of supplementary feeding and ..read more

In sheep production, where margins are incredibly tight, high-quality grass can be the key to profitability – so keeping a constant supply in front of livestock makes sound financial sense. Perfecting grazing pressure Throughout the growing season it is important to carefully manage grazing pressure to ensure both good grass quality and high forage yield. Naturally, there will need to be some adjustments throughout the grass-growing season, depending on weather and other external factors but, get your grazing pressure and your residuals right, and fields will be fit to regrow leafy, high-quali ..read more