Publications

We explore how dairy farms can capture, store and utilise rainfall, covering everything from legislation and water quality considerations to system design, storage requirements and practical on-farm applications.

Pathogens causing disease in calves are ever-present in the environment, so while eradication is impossible, reducing exposure is essential. Ultimately, whether a calf thrives or succumbs to illness depends on the balance between immunity and challenge. The aim should be to boost a calf's immunity (ability to resist disease), whilst also lowering the disease challenge in the environment.

This Dairy Insight explores the critical role of the dry period and how managing it effectively can significantly impact herd health. Consider when and where to use medicines and vaccines to reduce associated risks of mastitis, in consultation with your vet.

Flooring in and around cattle housing, collecting yards and parlours needs to be durable, hygienic and cost effective. Providing ease of cleaning, good slip resistance, and encourage good locomotion. Concrete is the most common material, meaning that cows spend much of their time standing and walking on concrete surfaces. In this Dairy Insight we explore the issues with concrete flooring and take a closer look at the benefits of good concrete grooving to improve claw health and cow behaviour.

Regardless of system type or grazing aims, with the right mentality it is possible to graze cows whilst milking through robots. In doing so, farmers could realise the benefits of a high-tech system, lower costs by getting more from grazed grass, and benefit cow performance and welfare. The key is to put the right infrastructure in place and focus on grass quality to drive robot visits. This Dairy Insight explores the potential benefits of rethinking your perspective on robots. We discuss the steps involved in adapting your farming system to accommodate grazing alongside an automatic milking system (AMS), outline some possible grazing systems suitable for AMS, and highlight key considerations before initiating your transition to grazing with robots.

Each year, the UK generates 83 million tonnes of livestock waste, with cattle accounting for 80% of this total. Of that, 47% is slurry – meaning farmers must manage over 32 million tonnes of cattle slurry annually. It's important to recognise that slurry is not a naturally occurring product. At grazing, cattle produce separate manure and urine, and it is only when these mix, they contribute to significant environmental challenges, including methane, ammonia, and hydrogen sulphide emissions.

Producing good quality forage is key to the profitability of livestock production systems. Preserving forage for later use is expensive and losses can occur at every stage, from field to the time that it is fed. Some are unavoidable, whist others can be reduced by good management. Minimising the losses in nutritional value through good silage making practice will not only save money and produce cheaper milk but also help to maintain the health of your livestock. This is the fifth publication in the 'Milk from Forage' Dairy Insight series, focusing on producing the highest quality grass silage.

Maize can be a very valuable and productive crop, however, are you creating unnecessary environmental risks at maize harvest or consistently not hitting yield targets? If so, it's time to make some changes. Take the time to review and improve your growing strategy or question whether alternative crops may be better suited to your farm.

When evaluating milk production from forage for housed cows, several cow-related factors come into play. Understanding these factors is crucial for optimising forage-based feeding strategies, improving milk yields, and ensuring sustainable dairy farming practices in housed systems or during the housing period. This Dairy Insight is the fourth in the series of publications exploring milk from forage. It is dedicated to the cow aspects of maximising milk from forage whilst housed.

Increased milking frequency, whether through a parlour or robots, is often considered as a means of maximising herd genetic potential and income. However, before making any changes it's essential to weigh up the pros and cons of different milking systems and calculate the impact on the milk cheque, staffing and long-term sustainability.

This is the third publication in our 'Achieving Milk from Forage Series'. It is designed in a workbook format, so that it can be used as a quick guide to highlight any opportunities for change to increase your milk from forage. It looks at how it is not essential to change system completely to increase your milk from grazing and how changing one thing could increase your net profit.

The rumen is a complex fermentation vat which, through muscular contractions and a careful balance of microorganisms, breaks down the plant cell walls into volatile fatty acids and then passes the semi-digested feed on to the rest of the digestive tract. This Dairy Insight explores the importance of monitoring rumen function with particular reference to acidosis and highlights how and early corrective treatment can improve overall herd performance.