Publications

To maximise the health and performance of any dairy herd, it's essential that all dairy farms work hand-in-hand with their vet to proactively prevent disease. No modern-day farmer or vet can afford to view veterinary intervention as something to consider only when an animal is sick. Instead, taking a team approach to set farm specific […]

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, […]

Retaining and developing staff is a significant challenge on dairy farms, and with an increasing shortage of labour across all levels it's more important than ever to get it right. A key part of that is holding regular staff appraisals, to encourage open feedback, identify training requirements, and improve staff productivity and morale. This Staff […]

In recent months, there have been numerous high-profile farm thefts in the press, including several cases of livestock rustling. According to the NFU Mutual Rural Crime Report, rural theft cost an estimated £42.5m in the UK during 2015 – an increase on the previous year's figures. A range of measures can be taken to mitigate […]

What is most commonly targeted by rural crime? How do you reduce your insurance premiums?

This Farming Note explains how to minimise the risk of farm data loss and identity theft.

Most herds produce milk containing two types of beta casein, A1 and A2, however there is a small minority who are intolerant to the A1 protein. A2 milk is produced by cows genetically selected to only produce the A2 milk protein and this niche product has become popular in New Zealand and increasingly Australia, where it currently accounts for 6% […]