Articles
Supporting Poultry Welfare During Housing Orders
Poultry are intelligent animals and need to be able to exhibit natural behaviours, otherwise they can express undesirable behaviours. During recent housing orders, in which the Government mandated that all…
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Body Condition Scoring Suckler Cows
What are the benefits of body condition scoring? Ensuring that cows are at the right body condition means: Efficient use of feed and supplemental feed is not given to cows that don’t need it. Reduced risk of calving difficulties associated with very lean or over-weight cows. Better calf vigour at birth and improved growth until weaning. Improved fertility, making it easier to get the cow pregnant again. How to body condition score Cows…
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MMN November 2024 – Waterbeds – the Ultimate in Cow Comfort?
Ensuring good cow comfort is critical to welfare and productivity and a new type of lying surface is gaining momentum – waterbeds! First developed in Europe over 15 years ago,…
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MMN November 2024 – The Benefits of Good Ventilation
Many businesses have housed dairy cattle earlier this winter due to extended periods of wet weather, poached fields, limited grazing and variable (but often mild) temperatures. Protecting the herd…
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Winter Slurry Storage Contingency Planning
Updated 31st March 2026 The Environmental Authorisation (Scotland) Regulations (EASR), which replaced the Controlled Activities Regulations (CAR) in November 2025 incorporate the Control of Pollution (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel…
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MMN November 2024 – A Recap on Winter Lameness Management: Prevention is Better than Cure
The estimated average cost of a case of lameness in dairy cows is £180. Whilst we are all aware of the risks and costs of cattle lameness, it can sometimes…
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MMN November 2024 – Should You Feed Silage to Weaned Calves?
There is a lot of debate around whether weaned dairy calves can be fed on a grass silage-based ration. Standard industry guidance for years has been to feed weaned calves…
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MMN November 2024 – Milk Market Update
Dairy Commodity Markets Fonterra’s latest on-line GDT auction (5th November) resulted in a 4.8% increase in the weighted average price across all products, reaching US $3,997/t. This follows a 0.3%…
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MMN November 2024 – Cereals Update
UK Cereals Market Update and Global Impacts AHDB have published the 2024/25 Early Balance Sheets for wheat and barley for the UK. Wheat production at 11.05Mt is down 21% on…
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Sustainable Sheep Systems – Clynelish Case Study
Jason and Vic Ballantyne farm 125 ha (309 acres) on a secure tenancy at Clynelish Farm in Brora, alongside a further 50 ha (123 acres) on a contract farming agreement…
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