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Potatoes – Management Update July 2020
Blight risk update There have been several Hutton periods over the last week or so due to the damp humid weather. Check with AHDB Potatoes Fight against Blight regularly for…
Read More >Problem Grass Weeds – July 2020
It is still worth keeping an eye out for problem grass weeds to limit any seed return and issues in following crops. Black-grass and brome both shed significant numbers of…
Read More >Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus: forward planning – July 2020
Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) has been seen in several winter and spring cereals this season. Aphids are slowly building up numbers on crops and volunteers. There is a risk…
Read More >Forward Planning for Slugs – July 2020
The wet weather has encouraged slugs to make an appearance and many can be seen feeding on the ears of wheat. The wet weather will improve the survival of slugs…
Read More >Ewes: Looking After The Next Generation
Whether breeding as ewe lambs or as gimmers, looking after these young ewes will positively affect the flock performance for the next year and improve their lifetime productivity. The ewe that lambs down well in her first year will stand a greater chance of lambing down well in future years. The first step is focusing on their nutrition to get them to target mating weights.
Read More >Watch Condition of Autumn Calving Cows
While it is ideal to manage cow condition throughout the year, this is often easier said than done. Cows on good quality grass will put on condition rapidly. Having over fat cows at calving time can cause issues with calving difficulty, fat cows also have a higher risk of metabolic issues around calving time.
Read More >Magnesium For Autumn Calving Herds
When we think about magnesium deficiency, we automatically think about grass staggers. Many suckler herds do not experience problems with staggers in the spring and it tends to be in the autumn that staggers is more common, due to changeable and stormy weather conditions and a high passage rate of lush, wet grass through the digestive tract. For autumn calving cows, the risk of staggers is lower pre-calving compared to lactating cows at this time as they have a lower requirement for magnesium. However low magnesium pre-calving can cause metabolic issues around calving time such as subclinical milk fever or slow calving syndrome.
Read More >Watch Your Water
Both water availability and quality are important considerations for cattle at grass, particularly during periods of hot weather. Although rare, cases of blue-green algae (or cyanobacteria) toxicity have been occasionally diagnosed in cattle by SRUC Veterinary Services and sheep can also be affected. This condition should be considered in cases of otherwise undiagnosed sudden death, particularly in cattle at grass depending on their water supply.
Read More >Potatoes: Blight Risk Update – Late June 2020
Blight risk update There have been no confirmed outbreaks of blight in Scotland so far this season, although there have been Hutton periods over the last week due to the…
Read More >Vegetables & Forage Brassicas Pest Update – Late June 2020
First-generation cabbage root fly egg laying is still ongoing, with the cool wet weather prolonging the egg-laying period and subsequent hatching of grubs. Diamondback moths, silver Y moths and cutworm…
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