Publications

The costs of ammonium nitrate and urea have more than doubled in the last year, taking prices to over £500 and £600 per tonne respectively. Optimising fertiliser use should therefore be at the forefront of every farmer's mind. With grass being the cheapest feed on the farm, paying attention to detail for efficient production is crucial to maximising margins. This DAIRY insight explores what you can do on your farm to ensure soils are working well, organic manures are used efficiently and fertiliser plans are carefully calculated to make the best use of costly fertilisers.

Yeasts have the potential to help rumen health, aid forage digestion and boost yields. However, before reaching for the bag, it's essential diets are balanced and delivered correctly and return on investment is carefully assessed. This DAIRY insight explores the uses of yeasts, when to use them and the key things to consider before feeding them.

Water quality is an important issue in the production and health of dairy cattle. Water can provide both essential and antagonistic constituents for dairy cows and therefore untreated water from boreholes, rainwater collection, etc., should be assessed for mineral composition and/or microbiological analysis when formulating rations or investigating metabolic disorders. This DAIRY insight looks at the analysis on offer through Kingshay and includes details on how to interpret your results.

Mycotoxins are a hidden risk in feeds and forages which can lead to milk suppression, suboptimal fertility and health issues. Once present, they are impossible to remove, so prevention is a must. When issues are suspected, diagnosing the mycotoxins responsible and feeding the correct binder at the right rate is key to success. This dairy insight explores Mycotoxins, how to spot them, prevent them and picking the correct binder when issues are suspected.

Leaving the feeding of your livestock to chance, will only lead to disaster… so what can you do to inform nutritional decisions? This insight publication explores the importance of analysing silage, when and how to analyse, and how to interpret analysis results. Getting the most from silage over winter will allow purchased feed use to be optimised and potentially allow cost savings to be made. Matching the dietary nutrient supply with that of the animals' requirements is crucial in maintaining production. Failure to do this will reduce production efficiency, compromise health and fertility, and profitability. Analysing silage is a crucial factor in this process as silage is the most variable component of the diet.

Some of the UK's most precious and valued habitats such as woodland, peatland, grassland and saltmarshes remove vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it as carbon, having a positive impact on climate change. However, it's not just near-natural habitats that have this ability: improved grassland, arable soils, plantation forestry, hedgerows, agro-forestry, and other managed landscapes hold immense potential to continually remove and store carbon. This business insight explores how these carbon sinks can potentially be a source of income.

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.

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.

Imagine looking at a cow and seeing a box appear over her head with all the information you need about her stage of lactation, fertility and health status. An augmented reality (AR) feasibility study is investigating whether such a tool could become a reality. The smARtview project creates a unique collaboration between vets and computer gaming specialists who are working together in a UK first to see if it's possible to develop an AR management tool for dairy farmers.

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.

Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) has become a bit of a buzz word in the industry. This may have prompted you to investigate the SOC within your own soils, or it may be something that you are considering. After all, if you put aside the current interest in carbon from an environmental angle, farmers ought to be focussed on maintaining or increasing the carbon in their soils, from the standpoint that soils with a high level of carbon are healthy soils – all the more reason to understand the SOC levels in your soils. In this DAIRY insight we look at interpreting your SOC analysis and using the results to benchmark your soil, to help you make informed decisions on how to maintain or improve SOC going forward.