Dairy & Beef News

Salisbury farmer Mark Hoskins is one of six dairy businesses in the running for the 2020 NMR/RABDF Gold Cup. Farmers Guide finds out more.

As the first frosts arrive, preparing for winter becomes a priority. Just as cars need preparing for harsher driving conditions, so calves need extra energy and an immune system booster if they are to thrive through the colder months.

Farmers are being urged to monitor for the early signs of scour in calves as part of a campaign to help save the industry £60 million a year.

The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) has taken the decision to alter the format of Dairy-Tech 2021, due to ongoing Covid-19 concerns, by instead hosting a series of online events over a fortnight from 3rd to 17th February.

Dairy farmers are being urged to pay attention to transition diets this autumn by including a live yeast supplement to maximise productivity, achieve calving success and increase the longevity of the cow within the herd.

Covid-19 has placed dairy ‘front and centre’ in the daily lives of UK consumers – with most products seeing an uplift in retail sales during lockdown, according to the AHDB.

Dairy farmers will get the opportunity to hear about future farming policy and quiz Government Minsters and experts in a free series of webinars organised by the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF).  

The government has rejected last-ditch attempts to get dairy workers included on the Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) Shortage Occupation List (SOL), after a four-month consultation.

Dairy farmer Karen Halton from Cheshire has scooped this year’s prestigious Dairy Industry Woman of the Year award at the virtual Women in Dairy (WID) conference held yesterday (30 September).

A new parasite tracker suggests there has been an increase in exposure to the gutworm Ostertagia ostertagi in cattle over the 2020 grazing season, across England, Wales, and Scotland.

Gavin Rodda of Rosemorran Farm says: “At first we used a contractor to chop our straw but this became a costly and time consuming process. So, we contacted Teagle; they recommended the New Tomahawk 8555 Dual Chop with a removable screen which we can use for both feeding and bedding.

The National Beef Association (NBA) has asked Tesco-owned wholesaler Booker to explain why an original source label for imported Uruguayan beef had been over-labelled with one from Booker’s own corporation.