Publications

Understanding the value of home produced nutrients and balancing them with bought-in fertiliser as part of a Nutrient Management Plan has never been so important considering rising input costs. 'Making the most of nitrogen for grass – Part 1' looked at the value of nitrogen and when to apply. This Dairy Insight gives an overview of how to design a Nutrition Management Plan using The Nutrient Management Guide (RB209). In doing so, farmers will be able to make efficient use of nitrogen, whilst protecting the environment.

Dramatically reducing nitrogen application rates in an attempt to save costs in light of escalating fertiliser prices could potentially be a false economy compromising forage production and feed costs. Instead, the focus should be on understanding and making the most of home-produced nutrients, together with targeted, early application of nitrogen to achieve the biggest return on investment. This dairy insight explores the benefits of nitrogen for grass and how to apply.

With feed and forage costs increasing substantially in the last few months, it is even more important to have a highly efficient heifer rearing system. Heifer calves are the future of most dairy herds, remember, you don't get a second chance at getting it right! This dairy insight will examine the current cost of calf rearing, best practices and the key to effective management.

Biosecurity is a strategic and integrated approach to managing risk to stop the introduction or spread of harmful organisms on farm. Whilst good farm biosecurity is hard to maintain on working farms where people and machinery are frequently moving on and off, biosecurity protocols should be part of any farm's infectious disease control plan. This DAIRY insight explores simple cost effective measures that when part of the normal farm routine they can vastly reduce the chance of an infectious disease arriving on farm and the associated negative consequences.

With feed costs rising significantly month on month, the instinct is to do something drastic and change feed type or feed rates. However, this may have a negative impact on milk yields. With other variable and overhead costs still needing to be covered, this will negatively impact your costs of production on a pence per litre basis, as costs are spread over fewer litres. This DAIRY insight explores different ways to work with your nutritionist to evaluate and improve feed efficiency.

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.