Livestock News

Farmers should take extra care when transitioning between different silage cuts this winter to ensure milk yield and fertility aren’t compromised.  

With British farms continually squeezed by high input costs and low prices, selling ready-pasteurised milk straight to the consumer can substantially increase farm profits, according to Batchpasteuriser.com.

Efra Committee MPs have written to environment secretary Thérèse Coffey calling for ‘urgent action’ to address the immediate and longer term needs of the poultry sector.

The UK’s top regenerative farming event for livestock producers is back with two events next year, following unprecedented demand from the inaugural 2022 event held this summer. 

Investing in long-troughs to feed outdoor sows can significantly reduce costs, cut feed waste and help counter excessive nutrient leeching in soils. It’s also more hygienic and can reduce the bird and vermin populations visiting and colonising a pig unit in search of food, according to Con-Tented Products.

The 75th British Cattle Breeding conference is being held from the 23rd to 25th January 2023 at Telford Hotel and Golf Resort, Shropshire, and will bring together expert knowledge, experience and opinion from across the industry in the UK and beyond.

A change in grazing management has helped an Oxfordshire farm successfully outwinter cattle and save almost £25,000 in annual winter housing costs.

The demand for pedigree Simmental females saw prices soar with Brandane Lu Lu setting a breed centre record price, while heifers commanded an average price of £5,202, up by £806 on the previous year.

The level of liver fluke is forecast to be relatively low for much of the UK, but the risk to grazing livestock on individual farms is becoming less predictable, say industry experts.

Defra has opened applications for the Slurry Infrastructure grant, with farmers in England able to apply for grants of £25-250K towards the cost of slurry stores, covers and supporting equipment.

Feeding for optimum rumen function is a way farmers can help to maximise productivity from their herd and potentially improve sustainability, listeners on the latest Mole Valley Farmers’ Podcast heard. 

After a challenging summer, limited grass in some areas may have affected ewe condition, so forage analysis is critical for rationing heavily pregnant ewes.