Dairy

Water Security in Scottish Dairying

In recent years, Scotland’s weather has grown more unpredictable, and even the famously wet Scottish climate is beginning to show signs of strain with shifting weather patterns. For farmers, one…

Is Subclinical Ketosis Draining Your Profits?

Clinical ketosis is easily identifiable, with affected cows showing rapid condition loss, a significant drop in milk yield and reduced appetite. These cows will also have an acetone odour in…

A Guide to Pre-Weaning Nutrition of Dairy Beef Calves

Dairy beef calves are typically purchased anywhere from 10 days to three weeks of age and so will need to be reared on calf milk replacer (CMR) until weaning at…

Forage Budgeting Guide for the Dairy Herd

Introduction Forage budgeting is a useful management tool to plan feed stocks ahead for the coming year. It should be carried out six to eight weeks after all forages have…

BVD Eradication – Important Changes & Phase 6

Scotland’s BVD eradication scheme has been in place since 2010. Phase 6 of the eradication scheme is starting on 1 July. Changes from July 2025 From 1 July 2025 Persistently…

Be on the Lookout for Summer Mastitis

With the exceptional weather so far this spring and early summer, we need to be vigilant for cases of summer mastitis. This disease is normally seen in the warmer summer…

Feeding the Milking Herd at Grass – What to Consider?

With many cows now turned out to grass, the science of balancing buffer feeding is tricky when often grass intake and quality is unknown. If you want to know if…

Grassland Roadshow Ayrshire: Managing Grass for Dairy

Please use the above map for an exact meeting location. Google Maps Location: Low Holehouse Farm Managing Grass in a Changing Climate. This on-farm event will focus on maximising the…

MMN March 2025 – How Much is Enough When it Comes to Milk Replacer?

Your calf rearing policy should, from birth, ensure that you are giving heifer replacements the best opportunity to express their genetic potential as a productive animal when they enter the…

MMN March 2025 – Turning Out Heifers, Fed not Forgotten

Highly nutritious spring grass can be an effective tool for promoting growth in youngstock and can support growth rates of up to 1kg/day. Turning heifers out to grass can reduce…

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