Dairy margins hit record highs before market downturn
Dairy producers enjoyed record margins in the first half of 2025/26 before falling milk prices and surging input costs rapidly eroded the gains. Kingshay’s annual Dairy Costings Focus Report shows a year split sharply in two, with strong milk prices and record production early on followed by weaker returns and rising costs later in the period.
Milk costs report shows record yields in challenging year
Uncertainty is the only certainty, with the weather and geopolitics pushing dairy costs, prices and performance to new limits in the milk year ended March 2026. The Kingshay Dairy Costings Focus Report identifies the main trends and performance indicators, using data from 1,089 conventional herds and 88 organic herds.
Kingshay report reveals dairy margins of £2708 per cow – The Scottish Farmer
“Dairy farmers benefited from record margins during the first half of 2025/26, but falling milk prices and rising input costs have made for a tougher second half of the year.
That is according to Kingshay’s latest Dairy Costings Focus Report…”
Expert advice: How to manage heat stress in livestock
As extreme heat becomes more frequent and unpredictable in the UK, farmers are being urged to act now to protect livestock health and productivity from heat stress.
Well placed brushes offer cows more than the ability to simply scratch an itch. We found out more about why producers should invest in specialist grooming equipment for their herds.
British Dairying & Kingshay have once again joined forces to bring readers independent farmer reviews. Get involved with our next survey centring around cow brushes.
Panellists forecast that high-tech devices and artificial intelligence will help overcome staffing sorhtegs and increase productivity – if designed with farm needs in mind.
As milk price falls, producers are being urged to think carefully before feeding whole milk to calves, despite the apparent short-term financial gain. We Spoke to vet and nutrtionists to find out more.
In the quest for better forage preservation, silage additives can help preserve nutrients during fermentation and reduce spoilage. But which products are should farmers trust? British Dairying and Kingshay unveil the results from the latest Tried & Tested report.
Huge opportunity for lower antibiotic use in dairy herds
Cutting antibiotic use in calves offers dairy farmers one of the biggest opportunities to lower overall antimicrobial usage, according to new industry data highlighting oral antibiotics as an increasing contributor to on-farm use.
Fevara urges soil testing for spring turnout preparations
Soil testing should form a central part of spring turnout preparations, with farmers being urged not to overlook the hidden risk of trace element deficiencies following a wet winter.
Soil testing should be a key part of spring turnout strategy
With spring turnout fast approaching, farmers are preparing to give livestock the best start, yet the hidden risk of trace element deficiencies in soils is often overlooked.
Safer Handling Supports Staff and Herd Productivity
Handling cattle safely starts with calm staff and cows. We spoke to a behavioural specialist for some tips and pointers on how to achieve this and why training is key to success.
Longevity & Herd Health – Sarah Bolt, Technical Knowledge Exchange Manager at Kingshay, discusses the hidden drivers of sustainable farming.
Reducing herd numbers certainly is not the answer, as food security and farm viability are as important as reducing the impact of climate change. Instead, the challenge is finding practical ways to cut emissions while keeping your business strong.
Wearable tech for cows: How do farmers rate the options?
Kingshay’s technical knowledge exchange manager, Sarah Bolt, shared feedback gathered through the dairy consultancy’s Tried and Tested programme from more than 60 farmers using wearable technology on commercial dairy units.
Calf oral antibiotic use doubles as industry targets 10% cut
Oral antibiotic use in calves has more than doubled in a year, putting fresh pressure on dairy farms to cut antimicrobial use and prompting calls to focus on vaccination as a practical solution.
Dairy farmers meet new industry targets for antimicrobial use
The report which is based on data from 967 dairy herds and 136 vet practices across the UK between 2024 and early 2025, showed that the average total antimicrobial usage for the year has fallen to 12.2 mg/kg PCU. This is a reduction from 12.7 mg/kg PCU in 2024 and 15.7 mg/kg PCU in 2020.
Antibiotic use on dairy farms falls as new industry targets already met
The latest Kingshay Antimicrobial Focus Report shows antimicrobial use on dairy farms continuing to fall, with producers already achieving targets set by the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) in November.
Antimicrobials usage falls again in UK dairy herds
A 4% drop in antimicrobials usage on UK dairy farms means industry reduction targets have been met just months after they were set.
Average total antimicrobials usage (AMU) between 2024 and early 2025 was 12.2mg/kg for every population-corrected unit (PCU), down from 12.7mg/kg PCU the previous year, and from 15.7mg/kg PCU in 2020.
Top performers honoured at Dale Farm Herd Efficiency Awards
Delivered in partnership with independent dairy consultants Kingshay, the awards celebrate dairy producers who are driving efficiency on-farm by increasing milk output while carefully managing feed costs. Judging focused on herds achieving strong performance maximising margin over purchased feed per cow over the previous year.
Beyond sick cows: How strategic vet partnerships drive performance
Modern dairy farming is a team effort. Dairying is a complex business where margins are tight and efficiency is everything. To thrive, farmers need a strong team, built on collaboration between everyone involved. Placing a forward thinking vet at the heart of your team means that you have a trained professional when animals are sick.
Choosing the right farming equipment or service is about making choices you can trust. That is why honest, experience-based feedback from fellow farmers is so valuable. British Dairying and Kingshay bring the results from the latest tried and tested report.
The last milk year was a positive one for dairy producers, with continued improvements in cow health and growing momentum in the organic milk sector, according to the latest Kingshay Dairy Costings report.
Well designed and placed concrete grooving can make a significant improvement to cow health, welfare and reproductive performance. So, what should producers consider?
Kingshay launches new farm team skills training service.
UK-based dairy consultancy Kingshay, which is part of VetPartners, has introduced Kingshay Hands On Training, a bespoke training service for farm teams.
When investing in automatic milk feeders, genuine farmer feedback makes all the difference. British Dairying and Kingshay reveal the results from our second ‘Tried and Tested’ review. So, what do they show?
Kingshay launches bespoke, multi-platform training to enhance farm team skills.
Kingshay Hands On Training has been designed to improve essential skills and capabilities of farm teams and can be tailored to meet the needs of diverse farming businesses across the UK.
Growing performance gap within dairy systems, reveals report.
Kingshay’s detailed Dairy Costings Focus 2025 shows that the financial performance gap between the top 25% of producers and the poorest performers continues to grow, both generally and within production systems.
High input dairy with highest margins report Kingshay.
Most dairy farmers have seen increased margins in the last year, Kingshay report. Read Full article here.
Dairy farmers maintain profit despite tough weather in 2025.
Dairy farmers overcame poor weather and patchy forage yields to post strong profits, healthier herds and renewed interest in organic milk, according to Kingshay’s latest Dairy Costings report.
The last milk year was a positive one for dairy producers, with continued improvements in cow health and growing momentum in the organic milk sector, according to the latest Kingshay Dairy Costings report.
Dairy farmers defied poor weather to deliver a strong year of profits, healthier herds, and renewed momentum for organic milk, according to Kingshay’s latest Dairy Costings report.
Reduce antimicrobial use through early mastitis detection this summer.
With summer approaching, Emma Puddy, farm services specialist at Kingshay – part of the VetPartners group – warns about increased mastitis risk during warmer months. Read Full article here.
British Dairying – Farmers’ Verdict: What’s the best cow wearable technology?
