Publications

As the biggest agricultural contributor to UK ammonia emissions, dairy farmers are under increasing pressure to improve air quality. At present we are not on track to meet targets set, which led to the release of the Draft Clean Air Strategy in May 2018. The strategy gives every indication that farmers will face regulation for ammonia emissions. At the same time, there are also clear signs that post-Brexit financial support will be focused on delivering improvements to the environment, including air quality. This DAIRY insight looks at why ammonia is a problem, what we can learn from Denmark and The Netherlands and how to reduce ammonia emissions.

This is the third issue of our new publication, research insight. The aim of the publication is to translate relevant scientific research into useful information for your farm. This issue looks at Cow and Calf Behaviour. Providing an environment where dairy cows and calves can exhibit natural behaviour is considered to contribute to a high […]

Expanding dairy export markets and increasing consumer interest means processors are tightening up on milk quality standards, which means an effective parlour circulation cleaning routine is more important than ever. This dairy insight looks at getting the most from your parlour chemicals: Why is a circulation clean so important? Achieving the optimum CIP How to […]

to the public is something that both industry organisations and individual farmers can – and many say, should – be doing. This insight publication looks at what initiatives are under way, and how producers can get involved. About Kingshay insight publications insight publications replace the Farming Notes which have been produced by Kingshay […]

Freezing Point Depression (FPD) is a test used to measure extraneous water in milk. The freezing point of milk is usually in the range of -0.512oC to -0.550oC with an average of -0.522oC. FPD is usually reported as a whole number, hence -0.522oC would be reported as 522moC. This insight publication looks at the factors […]

This is the second issue of our new publication, RESEARCH insight. The aim of the publication is to translate relevant scientific research into useful information for your farm. This issue looks at the impact of heat stress on UK milk production and greenhouse gas emissions.

Cow brushes not only help to fulfil the cow's natural desire to scratch, but could also lead to a 1-litre a cow a day uplift in milk yield, along with less disease and reduced damage to farm buildings. Such enrichment is already part of some farm assurance requirements, but is likely to become increasingly important […]

Replacement heifers account for almost 10% of on-farm costs, yet the Kingshay 2012 Youngstock Survey found that 15.5% of first-calving heifers fail to calve into the milking herd for a second time. It is vital to manage youngstock in a way that will produce excellent growth rates and set up an animal for a long, […]

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, […]

Harvesting maize at the correct time is crucial to get that all important balance between starch and digestibility. At the same time, top notch management at ensiling is a must to minimise losses, promote intakes and drive cost effective production from forage. In this Note we look at assessing dry matter, setting up the forager […]

A diet feeder needs to suit your system and perform well for many years. With a wide range of manufacturers and models to choose from, it is a good idea to demo machines to assess how they fit your farm requirement. This 'Tried and Tested' report provides a useful guide to the main points to […]

Tracks play a key role in enabling early turnout and allowing effective use of grazing right through the season. This Farming Note assesses the key practical aspects of a good track infrastructure and includes feedback on track demonstrations at Bridge Farm and Gelli Aur in South Wales. Issued February 2017. About Kingshay Farming Notes Since […]