Dairy
Multispecies or herbal leys – what are the advantages?
The use of multispecies or herbal leys has come more into focus over the last few years. These are swards with a mixture of grasses, herbs and legumes that confer many benefits. Although there have been concerns that there is some yield loss compared to a monocrop of ryegrass, the benefits of the different species…
Business and Policy May 2025 – Milk
Milk production data Milk production continues to soar as we approach the peak of the spring flush, which is normally around the first week in May. Recent rains have benefited grass growth and therefore milk from grass. The latest data from AHDB estimates the GB milk volume for March at 1,116 million litres, 31 mlitres…
Feeding the Milking Herd at Grass – What to Consider?
With many cows now turned out to grass, the science of balancing buffer feeding is tricky when often grass intake and quality is unknown. If you want to know if you are feeding to cow requirements, analysing fresh grass samples throughout the season is useful for your nutritionist to advise on feeding cost-effectively, as well…
Agribusiness News April 2025 – Milk
Milk production data Milk production is increasing at a greater rate than this time last year, with the drier spring allowing earlier turnout in some areas. The latest data from AHDB estimates GB volume for February at 954 million litres. Daily production is currently 35.75 million litres for the week ending 15th March, 1.4% more…
Milk Manager News March 2025
Welcome to the March edition of Milk Manager News. If you prefer to download this document click the download button. Along with the regular articles on milk and cereal market updates, this month we also have articles on turning out heifers, milk replacer, fodder beet in milking rations, husbandry of dairy calves and the multiple…
MMN March 2025 – How Much is Enough When it Comes to Milk Replacer?
Your calf rearing policy should, from birth, ensure that you are giving heifer replacements the best opportunity to express their genetic potential as a productive animal when they enter the milking herd and that they remain productive over several lactations. Assuming all key colostrum protocols are being adhered to, the next key element of the…
MMN March 2025 – Milk Market Update
Dairy Commodity Markets Fonterra’s latest on-line GDT auction (4th March) resulted in a 0.5% decrease in the weighted average price across all products, reaching US $4,209/t. This follows a 0.6% drop at the previous auction on 18th The biggest decline was seen in whole milk powder, down 2.2% to $4,061/t. The biggest increases at the…
MMN March 2025 – Turning Out Heifers, Fed not Forgotten
Highly nutritious spring grass can be an effective tool for promoting growth in youngstock and can support growth rates of up to 1kg/day. Turning heifers out to grass can reduce rearing costs and ease the pressure on forage and straw stocks. Ensuring heifers reach the desired growth rate at grass is dependent on effective grassland…
MMN March 2025 – Fodder Beet in Milking Rations
Fodder beet has surged in popularity for outwintering livestock, providing one of the highest yielding energy crops (65-90T of bulb and leaf yield/ha). While the crop may only be around 18-20% dry matter, fodder beet has an energy content of around 12 to 13.5MJ/kg DM depending on variety, making it comparable with cereals and other…
MMN March 2025 – Husbandry of Dairy Calves
When rearing calves there is a lot to think about from to the day of birth right through to getting that calf to enter the milking herd. Husbandry is important throughout the calf’s life. Pre-weaning is a crucial time to socialise the calves. Calves who are grouped together learn their daily routine quickly and this…