Publications

What do management guru, Peter Drucker and Kingshay have in common? The answer is, "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it." – coined by the renowned expert and repeated on numerous occasions by Kingshay. This is considered one of the most important business management quotes of all time, appropriate to your business, as much as any other. This DAIRY insight is aimed at understanding how you can use this philosophy to increase business profits through maximising value and minimising waste.

Huge volumes of business and performance data are stored on farm, leaving farms open to the risk of accidental record loss or online identity theft. In fact, with more-and-more management systems hosted online and personal details shared on social media and other online platforms, the risk of identity theft has never been higher. This business insight provides some tips to maximise IT data security and avoid the stresses associated with things going wrong.

With feed and forage costs increasing substantially in the last few months, it is even more important to have a highly efficient heifer rearing system. Heifer calves are the future of most dairy herds, remember, you don't get a second chance at getting it right! This dairy insight will examine the current cost of calf rearing, best practices and the key to effective management.

With feed costs rising significantly month on month, the instinct is to do something drastic and change feed type or feed rates. However, this may have a negative impact on milk yields. With other variable and overhead costs still needing to be covered, this will negatively impact your costs of production on a pence per litre basis, as costs are spread over fewer litres. This DAIRY insight explores different ways to work with your nutritionist to evaluate and improve feed efficiency.

Biosecurity is a strategic and integrated approach to managing risk to stop the introduction or spread of harmful organisms on farm. Whilst good farm biosecurity is hard to maintain on working farms where people and machinery are frequently moving on and off, biosecurity protocols should be part of any farm's infectious disease control plan. This DAIRY insight explores simple cost effective measures that when part of the normal farm routine they can vastly reduce the chance of an infectious disease arriving on farm and the associated negative consequences.

Frictions within farm teams can lead to an unhappy environment, poor performance and a greater chance of people leaving. That's why it's essential to tackle any problems early, or better still, avoid having the problem in the first place. This BUSINESS insight will guide you through the challenges of dealing with conflict on your farm.

Labour is often one of the biggest sources of complaint on dairy farms. However, having a motivated team that works hard to achieve high levels of business performance ultimately comes down to making them feel valued and empowered. That means listening to their individual motivators, investing in their skills and creating a positive working environment. Do that, and people will work hard and stay working for you. It will also set you apart as a good employer and attract the right people in the future. This DAIRY insight looks at the opportunities to empower and motivate staff on your farm and explores different ways to reward good performance.

Navigating succession can be difficult and even more so if you do not have anyone to take over the business. When it comes to farmers without an immediate successor, few options exist – the farm can be sold, let as a farm or letting land on cropping or grazing licences. However, many producers still want to play an active part in the farm whilst taking a step back. So, what options are there? Two routes in particular are becoming increasingly common: Contract farming and share farming. This DAIRY insight publication explores the options and how it may work for you and your business.

In twenty-century Britain, all professional businesses are expected to have a web presence and farming should be no exception. Creating a website can help with the recruitment process on the farm by attracting staff, but also spread positive messages about farming. Online platforms like WordPress can be used when designing a website yourself, but it's worth using a website designer to help with technical aspects of web design and upkeep. Social media is another great way to spread positive messages about dairy farming but remember when using photos on social media and on websites, think about the context and consumer perception behind the photos. This BUSINESS insight explores how you can improve your farm profile by having a suitable online presence.

Adding value to milk and selling direct to consumers through a milk vending machine is increasing in popularity, with the trend for buying local gaining impetus during the coronavirus pandemic. Selling direct creates the opportunity for added income, whilst helping promote the dairy industry. However, it's not something to venture into lightly. Location, marketing and legislation are all areas worth considering before investing. This DAIRY insight explores these topics to help you decide whether this may be an opportunity for your business.

As the world accustoms to living with the threat of Covid-19, it becomes apparent we will all be adjusting what we do for some time to come. Lockdown may be easing, but changes to everyday life and within everyone's working environments will have been modified, in some instances forever. The use of technology for video meetings or conference calls in the dairy industry until now, has been rare. This DAIRY insight: explores the opportunities for video meetings and how to get the most from them

A growing number of milk processors are testing milk for thermoduric bacteria and penalising for counts above >500 cfu/ml. With high counts associated with milk quality and shelf-life issues, it is likely that thermodurics could join somatic cell counts (SCC) and bactoscans on the list of routinely monitored parameters in the not too distant future. Understanding your farm's levels and adopting good cow and milking plant cleanliness is a must to keep counts under control. This DAIRY insight looks at where thermoduric bacteria are found and how to prevent them getting into your milk.