Did you see Jimmy and The Giant Supermarket on Channel 4 last night? In a new series, Jimmy Doherty is attempting to increase the uptake of welfare friendly meat by large retailers (Tescos) and, once again, the plight of male dairy calves has been raised. Viewers witnessed three male Jersey calves being shot within 24…
Rural accountants Old Mill have revealed that some of their clients in the south west lost 11p / litre last year and they warn things could get worse following recent milk price cuts. The average cost of production amongst farming clients was 35.04p / litre in 2011/12. Without single farm payment, Old Mill say that…
ITV West news recently featured an unusual dairy farming enterprise, in which the cows are milked through a mobile milking parlour. The parlour, which has been put together by two enterprising guys in Dorset, is moved around the fields with the cows. At a time when food production is becoming an increasingly complex business, it…
Please take a look at the short video of cows going out to grass on our farm this spring. We don’t often have the opportunity to get in front of the public and explain how we manage our cows. Short films such as this can help to convey simple messages about what we do and…
In the past few weeks the major milk buyers in the UK – Dairy Crest, Wisemans, Arla, Milk Link and First Milk have all announced a significant cut in the price they will pay British Dairy farmers for their milk, leading to renewed calls for a fairer deal for farmers. It seems that our hopes…
DairyCo’s Farmer Intentions Survey for 2012 shows British dairy farmers giving a vote of confidence for the medium to long term outlook for both the industry and their own farm businesses. 36% of farmers in Britain said they intend to expand milk production over the next two years, whilst the number intending to leave the…
I’m in danger of appearing negative and critical here. But, is it just me who doesn’t really understand how Dairy 2020 is actually going to be implemented at farm level. I have just read an article by Ben Bouckley on the Dairy Reporter website – www.dairyreporter.com – called “Fine words and cartoon cows”. Ben says…
After having let our cows out to graze exactly a month ago, we have had to bring some of them back indoors today. In an attempt to address the impending drought, Mother Nature has decided to send rain by the bucket full and our heavy clay soils are struggling to drain themselves between the storms.…
The first Free Range Dairy regional meeting took place at Duchy College, in Cornwall, on 22nd March and it provided a valuable opportunity to share some thoughts and ideas on free range milk production. Thanks to all those who attended! As I have said before, I am not trying to carve out a niche market…
Moving milk into a new field in 2012 Come along and be part of Free Range Dairy Meeting date and time: 22nd March 7.30pm Venue: Duchy College, Stoke Climsland, Callington, Cornwall PL17 8PB For more information: Refreshments will be provided. Free Range dairy is a farmer-led initiative to reclaim the value of milk…
As part of a government plan to tackle increasing levels of obesity in the UK population, the Department of Health has outlined a ‘Call to Action’, through which it is seeking slash 5 billion calories from the nation’s daily diet by 2020. However, UK trade body Dairy UK has warned that a preoccupation with simply…
DairyCo’s Chris Duller says make the most of early season grass or risk losing it. We have one of those wet farms where we can see grass in the fields but the ground just won’t carry the cows yet. I have no fixed idea about when we turn the cows out here and I will…
Producers who are really focussed on getting the most they can from grazing will have already planned for turnout and some may already have cows out at grass. However, if you are one of those who is just planning to make more from grazed grass this year, a good place to start might be the…
It is not hard to find examples of milk producers who are looking long and hard at the costs of producing milk at this time and who are seeking to generate profit from a simpler system. Ian Sharman is one such farmer and he has made the switch from chasing higher and higher milk yields to…
The Agricultural & Horticultural Development Board (AHDB), in association with FACE (Farming and Countryside Education), recently commissioned research into current perceptions of children aged 7-15 on food, farming and the countryside, which has been used in the development of the AHDB Education Strategy 2012-17. The report produced by CHILDWISE in the summer of 2011, provides…
A huge thank you to all those who returned survey forms or completed them online – a total of nearly 600 in all. We are overwhelmed by the response, particularly the number who have provided contact details and expressed an interest in hearing more about Free Range Dairy or attending a regional meeting. Although the…
Irish farmers have some really sound advice at their fingertips thanks to the work of researchers at Moorepark Farm. The work done here is funded by Teagasc, The Agriculture and Food Development Authority and it’s well worth a look at their website if your making plans for the grazing season ahead. Researchers have recently come…
I can’t find much information on the websites of major retailers about the farms they source their milk from. Most of what is available makes reference to high welfare standards but lacks any real detail. Similarly, when it comes to how the cows are managed and, in particular the contribution from grazing, there is little…
The French public research institute, Institut Nationale de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) has produced some interesting findings on healthy fats in milk. Researchers in the INRA-INSERM-University Aix-Marseilles Joint Research Unit for Human Nutrition and Lipids: Bioavailability, Metabolism and Regulation, wished to compare the effects on the cardiovascular risk of two types of dairy fats: those…
An article on TheDairySite.com reveals that Nestle is to invest in developing its largest milk district in China, to help the country deliver high quality and fresh milk. The mayor of Shuangcheng has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Nestle to jointly develop modern milk production to ensure the region becomes a leading milk…