Know How / Breeding and fertility Case studiesSee all DAIRYHow milk solids increased from fine-tuning genetic selectionBuilding up a spring-calving herd that produces a large proportion of its milk from grazed grass was a complete departure from David Homer’s previous way of breeding and farming his… BREEDING AND FERTILITYHow a dairy farm pilot tackled conception and culling ratesGiving repeat breeders a holding injection after service has improved conception rates and reduced forced culls at New Manor Farm in Somerset. Like many dairy farmers, Martin Hawkins was frustrated… LIVESTOCK DISEASESClosed policy yields 1.7 lambs reared for Durham flockA string of flock health setbacks has forced a Durham family to rely on its own breeding to maintain high output in its stratified sheep outdoor lambing system. Several iceberg… LIVESTOCKWhy heat detection collars save time in autumn-block herdTail paint, once the foundation of block-calving fertility, has been replaced by heat detection collars in one 260-cow herd in Somerset. The old go-to for identifying cows on heat proved… SHEEPFour reasons Scottish wool shedders are good fit for NZA trailblazing hill farm’s maternal selection policy and commercial focus on its wool-shedding ewes has attracted the attention of a world-leading sheep stud. The Welsh family of Mossfennan, near Biggar,… GRASSLAND MANAGEMENTHow selection pressure is building a resilient beef herdNew farming entrants Nikki and James Yoxall take a tough line when selecting replacements for their steadily growing herd of beef cattle. Faced with more frequent extremes in weather brought… Practical adviceSee all HEALTH AND WELFAREAdvice on how to maintain a tight calving blockAchieving a tight calving block is key to the success of a block-calving system. Typically, farms will aim for a calving period of nine to 12 weeks, with 75-80% of… DAIRYHow to have a successful dairy transition – vet’s top tipsA tailored dry-cow ration that delivers easy calving, controls milk fever and makes high-quality colostrum is the best start to a successful transition period. Further measures include monitoring body condition… DAIRY4 ways to breed your dairy cows to cut feed billsSoaring costs of milk production and squeezed margins are turning many dairy producers’ attention to cutting input costs. And with feed representing the largest variable cost, this bill is a… PIGS7 tips on maintaining sow body conditionManaging sows so they neither gain nor lose too much body condition between parities should be the ambition of every pig breeder, as this single measure directly impacts on a… BREEDING AND FERTILITY7 tips to manage heifers calving at two yearsCalving beef heifers at 24 months increases the lifetime productivity of the cow and reduces rearing costs, as well as lowering the carbon footprint of the herd. However, careful management,… LIVESTOCKWhy farmers should prepare for growing polled bull choiceBreeding for polled calves is now a practical option, with 12 Holstein sires in the profitable lifetime index (PLI) combining top genetic merit with the polled gene. Using polled dairy… InsightsSee all BREEDING AND FERTILITYWhy genetics are critical for improving dairy cow fertilityDairy cow fertility is at the heart of herd profitability, driving milk yields, cutting interventions and improving cow lifespans. Evidence supporting the role of genetics in improving fertility has accumulated… LIVESTOCK5 must-knows about feed efficiency indexesPaying more attention to feed efficiency indexes when selecting sires for dairy herds will help compensate the escalating costs of feed being witnessed today. With that in mind, dairy farmers… BEEFGamechanging beef initiative gives security to dairy farmersThe rapidly growing success of a fully integrated beef supply chain programme has triggered demand for more dairy farmers and beef rearers and finishers to get in on the game. … LIVESTOCKHigh-yielding herds top efficiency stakesHigh-yielding dairy herds are more feed-efficient than low-yielding herds, but improvements must be made in cow fertility and longevity to lower methane emissions. A study of 21 farms across five… SHEEPWhy "breed snobbery" could challenge liveweight salesA desire to change the system, lower the cost base and move towards self-replacing maternal genetics has left some businesses in the cold when selling liveweight, Farmers Weekly has heard.… LIVESTOCKHow rising costs threaten future of Icelandic sheep farmingTough and resilient – the farmers in Iceland are much like the sheep they have bred to cope with the rugged terrain and sub-Arctic winter conditions. But many, like 44-year-old… DAIRYWhy milking robots are a good fit for Iceland’s dairiesAbout half of all dairy cows in Iceland are now milked through robots, with the fast-paced adoption of technology allowing farmers to enjoy a more laid-back way of life. With… BEEFWhy clear identification of polled genetics is neededDisbudding calves is a challenging and expensive job and, as herds scale up and calving patterns tighten, it can put huge financial and time pressure on beef farmers. But, while… HEALTH AND WELFAREWhy animal health is key to improving sustainabilityAs farm vets working in practice in the UK, we have an essential role in ensuring that farming is part of the solution to the climate crisis. Vets are in… 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… BREEDING AND FERTILITYWhy big cows are inefficient and how to breed smaller stockCows are getting bigger. UK dairy farmers are feeding and managing the equivalent of nearly five extra cows for every 100 in their herds, compared with 30 years ago. And… SHEEPEBV proven rams can add £6 a lamb, project showsSheep farmers could increase ram values by more than £900 by investing in proven estimated breeding values (EBVs). This is according to the six-year results from the RamCompare project, published…
