At Kingshay… 
Devon farms played host to EDF-UK earlier this week. The theme for the two days being “Block calving for success” showcased three progressive dairy farms, each focussed on maintaining an efficient block calved herd. In addition to the farm visits, a Cost of Production (CoP) Workshop was held, reviewing and benchmarking EDF CoP results. If you would like to know more about EDF-UK, please get in touch at contact.us@kingshay.co.uk or call 01458 851555
Enclosed in your mailing:
Labour & Machinery Costs Farming Note
Continued pressure on dairy incomes forces many businesses to look harder at their cost of production. Labour together with power and machinery costs, account for 36% of the total cost of producing a litre of milk (Kingshay Profit Manager). Armed with cost of production information, farm businesses are able to benchmark costs against similar enterprises, potentially allowing for more hard-hitting cost management.
Cross Breeding Farming Note
Cross Breeding, Why Cross Breed? is the first of two Farming Notes exploring the topic. Cross breeding could form part of the solution for those farmers looking to make improvements in herd health, fertility and robustness. Historic selection within the Holstein breed has focused on production traits, largely to the detriment of health and fertility. At the same time, processors are placing greater emphasis on milk solids. Such drivers make cross breeding potentially attractive on some farms, enabling the introduction of desirable traits from another breed.
Kingshay Services
Soil is one of the most important resources on a farm, providing the basis for forage and crop production as well as cow health. Farm management practices can change the chemical, biological and physical balance over time. Regular soil analysis provides an insight into potential soil remedial actions which could improve farm profitability and cow health.
Profit is not a dirty word…. Armed with cost of production information, farm businesses are able to benchmark costs against similar enterprises, potentially allowing for further cost management to target greater profits. Invest in Kingshay’s Profit Manger to monitor your herd's profitability and costs of production to help make improved management decisions.