Dairy
Business and Policy January 2026 – Milk
2025 review: A tale of two halves Milk volumes increased in the second half of 2025 as there was a relatively attractive milk price to feed cost ratio. Following a dry spell, the grazing season for many was extended in 2025 after a period of rain allowed for both improved grass growth and quality…
Rural Roundup – 2. Unsung Heroes – Temples Farm – Data (Genomics)
Welcome to this special episode of the Rural Roundup, one of a six-part series called “Unsung Heroes”. In this episode Calum Johnston visits James Strang at Temples Farm where they discussed Genomics. Through speaking to James Strang, it was clear that on his dairy farm, their unsung hero is data. Data is allowing them to input into their mating programme – selecting best performing cattle for…
Heat Lamps for Neonate Calves
Rearing strong calves is key to business efficiency and profitability. Neonatal, low birth weight, or sick calves have a reduced capacity for thermoregulation. Heat lamps can be used to mitigate cold stress and increase growth rates and immunity. Calves are the future of a dairy herd and providing them with the best start in life is a…
Business and Policy December 2025 – Milk
Milk production data Domestic milk output is still on the rise as we head into the winter months; with a daily GB production figure of 35.74mlitres for the week ending 15th November. This is 0.1% higher than the previous week and 5.1% more than the same week in 2024 equating to an extra 1.82mlitres daily. …
Return of the Agri-Environmental Climate Scheme
On Tuesday 7th October this year the Scottish Government Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, Jim Fairlie, attended the first Nature Friendly Farming Summit in Edinburgh. The summit was planned and facilitated by the Nature Friendly Farming Network and supported by the RSPB and a host of other organisations to promote knowledge exchange and land management…
Organic Mineral Supplementation
There is good evidence to support the use of organic trace elements in dairy cow nutrition. While mineral supplementation makes up a very small part of a dairy ration (<1%) it is an essential component, and the majority of trace elements are deficient in forages. What is an organic trace element? Organic trace elements are…
Preventing Disease in the Calf Shed
Dairy calves are susceptible to multiple health problems, including scours and pneumonia, which can be fatal or have a significant impact on their growth rates and performance. Additionally, there is the cost factor of treating poorly calves which can reduce the profitability of the herd. Therefore, the health of these replacement heifers is a key…
Combating Falling Milk Prices
Across the board, milk prices are taking a significant hit for November, December and going forward into 2026. A drop of 5-6ppl on 150,000 litre monthly milk sales will have a significant impact on cashflow, losing £7,500 per month. The dairy sector is used to seeing cyclical milk prices and businesses have shown resilience in…
Business and Policy November 2025 – Milk
Milk production data Globally, milk output from the key exporting regions is increasing and outstripping demand, which is negatively impacting on markets and resulting in some dramatic milk price cuts. Domestic milk production is not helping, with rain over the last couple of months benefiting grazing herds and UK production having increased by around 6.2%…
Business and Policy November 2025: Sector Focus – Dairy Technology – Where can it benefit your business?
With reliable, experienced labour on dairy farms costly and difficult to find; what is the alternative? While there are many tasks in dairy farming that require a high level of stockmanship and cannot be replaced by technology; there are technologies available that can offer huge savings in labour, as well as improved efficiency, animal health,…