Know How / Assessing performance Case studiesSee all ASSESSING PERFORMANCECost-focused Angus herd targets further £8 a cow savingsA processor-led carbon benchmarking initiative has challenged a Cheshire Angus unit to squeeze more cost out of its already lean system. Ian Norbury at Mobberley Angus, near Wilmslow, has already… SHEEPHow a Welsh hill farm is improving lambs' finishing weightsGreater numbers of lambs produced from a Welsh hill flock are hitting finishing weights since performance recording was introduced to improve genetics across the entire flock. The Davies family run… DAIRY4 ways a high-output dairy farm cut vet costs to 0.72p/litreA data-driven approach to herd health has seen a high-output dairy cut its vet and medicine cost in the past six years by nearly 0.5p/litre to 0.72p/litre. Phil Halhead, of… PIGSPig farms making small changes see savings of £250k/yearSmall changes can have a big impact over time, a two-year AHDB Pork project adapting lean management principles on six pig farms has shown. Taking a step back from the… BREEDING AND FERTILITYBreeders step up hunt for wool-shedding geneticsA farmer and a vet are embarking on what they claim is the world’s largest progeny testing scheme of wool-shedding sheep in a quest to breed low-input, low-footprint sheep for… LIVESTOCKProfitability peaks with 55-65kg lowland ewe, study showsCommercial lowland sheep are too big, pushing up maintenance costs and hampering profitability. This is according to Tim Byrne of science and technology consulting firm Abacus Bio, which conducted a… Practical adviceSee all DAIRY4 ways to drill down on mastitis data for your herdIt is common practice to use mastitis and cell count patterns to see which broad area of risk is responsible for a herd’s infections. Various software packages, along with programs… SHEEPWhy and when farmers should weigh sheepThere is a whole heap of reasons to weigh sheep regularly. In fact, the benefits are four-fold: for health, nutrition, management, and genetic purposes, says Peter Stoker, marketing manager from… LIVESTOCKTips for smart savings on dairy input costsEconomies of scale are not the only way to generate savings on input costs. For those smaller businesses prepared to monitor prices, adopting a flexible and smart approach to buying… DAIRYWhy all herds could benefit from increased milk solidsAll dairy farmers, regardless of their system, could benefit from understanding and improving total milk solids produced a cow a year as a means of driving sustainability. That is according… DAIRYBenefits of weighing dairy heifers to improve efficiencyDespite the availability of weighing equipment on the market, plus a growing number of feed companies and vet practices hiring scales or offering a weighing service, many dairy farmers still… DAIRY4 ways to optimise milking robots' efficiencyOptimising the efficiency of each robot box is vital to deliver a good return on investment. This is achieved by maximising outputs while minimising input costs. In practice, inputs for… InsightsSee all DAIRYWearable device for cattle aims to improve dairy healthA new device, which is claimed to be the first integrated health microchip and activity monitor for livestock, could enable early detection of pre-clinical conditions and disease prediction in real… SHEEPHow reducing methane emissions is win-win for flock performanceResults from thousands of methane measurements from sheep flocks across Ireland have confirmed that genetics play a part in enteric fermentation. This means farmers can select for low emitters, reducing… LIVESTOCKThe benefits of investing in a maternal ramAdvances in sheep production systems including flock identification, record-keeping, ultrasound scanning, handling systems and computing power have transformed our ability to use information to identify and breed from sheep with… HEALTH AND WELFAREWhy health gains cut ruminant methane emissions by 10%Three classic livestock benchmarking targets can help sheep and cattle farms raise technical performance and meet obligatory methane goals to battle climate change. Livestock policy leaders are urging farmers to… GRASSLAND MANAGEMENTHow remote sensing tech can help fine-tune grass managementA farm-level study in Wales has shown remote sensors can provide valuable information on how grass responds to inputs. Furthermore, they can do this in greater detail and more rapidly… DAIRYDairy fertility research reveals potential for further gainsThe use of novel traits could be a way to accelerate genetic gain, according to the findings of a research project from New Zealand. In New Zealand, the Breeding Worth… SHEEPDoes the UK have too many sheep breeds?Over the centuries a spectrum of breeds has evolved in Britain, from fast-growing, prolific lowland types to hardier, single-bearing ewes for the uplands. According to the National Sheep Association (NSA),… SHEEPExperiment shows potential for cell-grazing herbal leysCell-grazing promotes greater sward growth and weight of lambs weaned a hectare than continuous grazing. And cell-grazing herbal leys, or multispecies swards, has the potential to outperform less diverse ones.… SHEEPA buyer's guide to sheep management softwareWith the current uncertainty around Brexit’s impact on the sheep sector, who knows what the new year has in store. But one thing that is becoming increasingly apparent is the… BEEFBeef sector lacks incentive for meat quality, farmers sayProcessors and supermarkets are missing out on opportunities to grow the value of beef by failing to pay farmers a premium for meat with good eating quality. That’s the conclusion… ASSESSING PERFORMANCE5 new livestock gadgets for farming in 2020From innovation to slightly improved design, engineers and inventors are constantly striving to produce the next big gadget in livestock farming. Farmers Weekly has looked at the top products that… LIVESTOCKBeef sire worth up to €200 more in dairy-cross calf profitSelecting the right beef bull on terminal traits could benefit Irish beef farm margins by €150-€200 a head in carcass quality and feed efficiency, according to a national initiative. Industry… Advertiser contentSee all LIVESTOCKFarm data: confidence to make the best decisionsFocusing on performance and profitability are key to livestock farming success. It makes sense. After all, the more information we have, the better the chances of making the best decision.… LIVESTOCKThe farm app helping to increase livestock performanceHerdwatch, the number one farm management software, is now used on over 18,000 farms across the UK. The app which allows farmers to manage their farms at their fingertips caters… LIVESTOCKGathering data on your cows: How Tru-Test makes life easyDatamars is a livestock management company that owns a number of trusted, respected brands, including Tru-Test which many farmers will be familiar with from things like weighing scales, stick readers… LIVESTOCKSustainability key to driving success for BFA winnersKate and Kevin Hoare are full time dairy farmers in Tideford in South-East Cornwall and have been running their own farm business since January 2018. Kate told us “We are… LIVESTOCKHow to record and measure your spring calving performanceThe recording and analysis of data as your herd calves may take some time, but it does enable the root causes of any production issues to be spotted quicker, more… LIVESTOCK6 steps to invisibility and improving profitabilityProgressive farms across the globe are using dairy genomics to make far more accurate herd management decisions and the UK is one of the leaders. Genomics testing allows analysis of…
