Publications

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.

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.

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.

The costs of rearing dairy replacements is estimated to be between £1,546 and over £2,170 depending on the age at first calving (see Youngstock Rearing Costs Dairy Insight). This accounts for between 10 to 20% of dairy enterprise costs (according to Kingshay's Profit Manager figures). With these costs ever increasing, it is as important as ever to have a highly efficient rearing system. After all, heifer calves are the future of most dairy herds and you don't get a second chance to get it right. Whilst the impacts of early life nutrition on cow productivity are well understood, the impact of other life experiences is not so well recognised. This Dairy Insight explores the effects of social contact on calves and the lasting effects into adulthood.

Get the ambient environment right in a calf building and you'll be rewarded with healthy, well-grown animals. Get it wrong, and you could be facing an uphill battle. That's why it's essential that all buildings – new or existing – are set up to provide calves with a dry, clean environment with plenty of fresh air, but no draughts. This Dairy Insight explores the ambient environment of calf buildings and how you'll be rewarded with healthy, well-grown animals, setting them up for their life in the dairy herd.

Calf pneumonia is the more commonly used name for Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD). It is estimated to cost the UK cattle industry around £80 million a year. A mild case may only cost c.£30 per animal, however this rises to £80 for more severe cases. Costs will increase to over £500 if the disease results in mortality. Some costs, such as vet and med costs, are highly visible at the time of an outbreak. Others, such as the impact on daily liveweight gain, feed conversion efficiency and labour, are much harder to quantify, but important nonetheless. Moreover, pneumonia can significantly affect lifetime productivity – data shows that heifers treated for pneumonia took on average an additional 30 days to reach age at first calving and those which had multiple pneumonia treatments as calves produced 337 fewer litres in their 1st lactation and 849 fewer in their 2nd.

Restrictions on winter slurry spreading to prevent pollution and the greater need to make more efficient use of farm nutrients because of rising fertiliser costs means all dairy farmers should be thinking about whether their slurry storage is optimised. The fact grants for six months' worth of covered storage should become available later this year also means it's an area well worth considering. This dairy insight is designed to be read alongside Slurry Storage – Covers.

Restrictions on winter slurry spreading to prevent pollution and the greater need to make more efficient use of farm nutrients because of rising fertiliser costs means all dairy farmers should be thinking about whether their slurry storage is optimised. The fact grants for six months' worth of covered storage should become available later this year also means it's an area well worth considering. This dairy insight is designed to be read alongside Slurry Storage – Covers.

Water not only accounts for approximately 87% of milk but will account for between 60 and 70% of a cows' body composition. With this in mind we can understand why water is such an important part of the cow's diet. This DAIRY insight explores why a plentiful, high quality and accessible water supply is fundamental to optimising milk production and animal health.

Having spent time assessing how well the cows use your cubicles (see Cubicles – what do your cows want?) it is vital to adjust them to suit your cows. This DAIRY insight explores how making small adjustments, which cost very little will make a huge difference to how cows use your cubicles, resulting in cleaner and healthier cows. Low -cost solutions to high-cost problems!

Happy cows are productive cows! The key is to ensure every aspect of management and cow environment is set up to make the most of the cow's natural behaviour. Closely monitoring your cows and their behaviour will 'tell' you whether your facilities could be modified to further meet their needs. This DAIRY insight explores what you need to look out for in order to establish what works for your cows and where changes can be made to your cubicle sheds to improve cow comfort, welfare, production and ultimately profitability.

Cameras are no longer just seen as a security tool; they now have multiple uses on farms from monitoring cows during calving to staff training. Nonetheless, there are key legal obligations to abide by when installing such equipment. This DAIRY insight will look at potential uses, price ranges, camera features and legal requirements