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June 10, 2025
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UK - The right system, the right life: Finding the right grazing and calving system
System changes often come with significant costs and do not always deliver clear benefits for herd performance. However, taking the time to reflect on whether your current approach aligns with what matters most to you - whether that is profitability, time with family, environmental stewardship, or reduced stress - can lead to more informed, confident decisions.
Evaluating whether your grazing and calving systems are supporting your lifestyle and priorities can be challenging. With the right planning, it is possible to transition towards systems that not only work for your herd but also for your lifestyle.
At Moorhouse Hall Farm in Cumbria, the Bailey family are reviewing how their systems support both their herd and their personal lives. With parents Kate and John planning for part-retirement, and son Chris juggling veterinary work and a young family, the aim is to create a system that works for everyone without employing additional labour.
Through AHDB's Strategic Dairy Farm programme, the Baileys are working with Dairy Veterinary Consultancy to explore future options. These include moving to an autumn block-calving system, installing robotic milking, or improving current grazing while maintaining their seasonal approach.
While a robotic system could save time and boost yields, the investment required is significant. For now, the family plan to refine their grazing management, keeping future flexibility in mind.
Discover how thoughtful planning can help you strike the right balance - read the full story here.
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UK - How to mitigate the impact of dry weather on forage
After weeks of dry, hot weather, most of the country has experienced some welcome rain, but there are still concerns around a shortage of forage and a deficit in soil moisture. Fortunately, there are some tools that farmers could use to mitigate the effects.
The record dry weather led to reduced grass growth in what should be peak grass growing months. "The expected growth for this year was around 38.1kg dry matter (DM) per hectare per day," explains Bryn Hughes, National Sheep and Beef Specialist at Wynnstay. "But we are only seeing growth rates of around 24.4kg DM/ha per day, leaving a deficit of over 13kg that farmers are having to make up for with additional feed. However, following the rain it is now an excellent time to spread fertiliser."
It is not only peak season for grass growing, but for many livestock farms it is a crucial time for growing lambs, dairy cows reaching peak lactation and beef calves putting on condition. "Making sure all animals have enough to eat is a priority," says Mr Hughes.
"If grass stocks are low, this can lead to unexpected costs. It could be buying in extra hay, feed, or the need to open pastures intended for other use. Additionally, large amounts of land are not available to graze on, due to reseeding of winter forage areas."
Although farmers can't do much to change the weather, they can make plans to mitigate its effects. "The first thing that farmers can do is measure the grass; this will inform how much grass is needed. This can be done by using a plate meter or a sward stick."
From here, a tool like AHDB's feed calculator can be used to calculate how much feed is needed. "Generally milking cows need the most feed, while weaned lambs need the least. Once you have an idea of how much grass is growing and how much feed your animals need, you can then prioritise grazing on pastures for the animals which need it most. If there isn't enough grass, you can supplement with silage or other feed stocks, or rotate animals into other pastures."
It's also important to be aware that parasite loads on pasture can be increased. "If livestock are moving more regularly, they will be exposed to more parasites, so it might be a good time to take a Pasture Larval Count Test and find out exactly what parasites are present."
When it comes to fertiliser applications, there is little point in spreading any nitrogen or urea unless there is sufficient rainfall. "Both urea and nitrogen require water to be taken up by the plant," says Mr Hughes. "If you put these fertilisers on in dry conditions, much of it will be wasted. Revise any fertilisation plans until more rain is on the horizon, or fertilise only in small areas where water is present."
However, it is not all bad news - dry ground and less mud can help to prevent various infections in livestock. "Diseases like footrot and foul-in-the-foot can be exacerbated by muddy ground," says Mr Hughes. "Both rumen fluke and liver fluke - common and economically damaging parasites - require the mud snail Galba truncatula for part of their lifecycle. As this snail thrives in wet and muddy conditions, dry spells can help to keep infections down. Farmers should stay vigilant once rain begins to fall again, however, as the immature fluke can stay dormant for a long time and can easily reinfect a population," he says.
Last year also saw grass growing deficits, so it is possible that this might become the norm. "With that in mind, perhaps now is the best time to start implementing new strategies and management systems to keep animals healthy, even when grass growth is low."
For more information, please visit www.wynnstay.co.uk
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UK - Farmers urged to prioritise efficiency over offsetting to cut emissions
Farmers are facing increasing pressure from banks, regulators and supply chains to demonstrate sustainability credentials, but confusion reigns over which tools to use and why carbon audits matter. Speaking during a recent webinar hosted by agri-data specialists Map of Ag, George Badger from Ceres Rural highlighted the growing demand for robust on-farm carbon data - and the challenges this creates for farmers.
"Supply chains, auditors, regulators are all demanding more information (from farmers), and there's a lot of confusion if you're a farmer, as to which tool you should be using if you're looking at carbon auditing. Many are also asking why they should be carrying out a carbon audit," explained Mr Badger.
While some farmers are motivated by financial incentives, such as grants or supply chain requirements, others are introduced to carbon audits through funded support schemes like the Defra Farm Resilience Fund. But for those not directly involved in these routes, uptake remains limited.
The webinar drew on real-life case studies from emissions reviews carried out under the Resilience Fund in collaboration with Map of Ag. These focused on emissions within farmers' control - such as fertiliser use, fuel consumption and livestock fermentation - rather than sequestration. "Too often we see farms getting distracted by sequestration. We would rather help a farm be more efficient in what they are producing than necessarily trying to mask those emissions by increasing their sequestration," said Mr Badger.
The session emphasised the importance of emissions intensity - the carbon footprint per unit of output - as a more effective performance metric, directly linked to both productivity and profitability. Mr Badger highlighted a dairy farm that saw a 5% drop in milk emissions intensity after moving to robotic milking, increasing yields from 9,250L to 10,500L per cow. An arable farm achieved a similar 6% improvement through variable rate fertiliser application using satellite NDVI imagery.
"We are waiting to see how the Sustainable Farming Incentive and other government grants play out. We think they will come back, but in a much smaller capacity. There is potential for farmers to access funding from other sources, be that via their supply chain, or we might start to see perhaps improved rates for borrowing against certain projects that we know and can model."
Map of Ag
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UK - Green shoots of recovery for organic dairy production
According to the latest June 2024 Organic farming statistics from Defra, the number of organic dairy cows has been decreasing since 2019, with a 7% decline from 2023 to 2024. The latest data for 2024 shows that 1.5% of dairy cows in the UK were in an organic system, down from 1.6% in 2023 and 1.8% in 2022, now standing at 48,000 head.
Organic dairy cow numbers in the UK (thousand head)
Source: Defra Organic Farming Statistics
Total dairy cow numbers saw a less steep decline in 2024 compared to the previous year. As of June 2024, the total number of dairy cows in the UK stood at 3,209 thousand head, 1,900 head (-0.6%) less than the same point in the previous year.
GB organic milk deliveries show a more positive picture
Alongside this fall in UK cow numbers, GB organic deliveries (note GB, not UK) for the 2024/25 milk year fell by 5% compared to the previous season. However, this has been followed by year-on-year growth since December 2024. The 2025/26 milk year began with strong year-on-year growth. The poor start to the 2024/25 season was highlighted as 2023/24 volumes were near matching. The latest GB organic delivery estimates showing a 13.8% year-on-year increase in the milk year so far (up to the week ending 24 May), totalling 64.4 million litres.
Although production is estimated for GB only, and productivity per cow has increased, this indicates growth of the organic dairy cow population.
Read about retail demand on the AHDB website
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With 30+ years experience we have studied the behaviour of the cow in the cubicle bed on our own family dairy farm and across hundreds of other farms.. We offer a no obligation site assessment or advice on your project to ensure you have the best possible set up for your cows. Reduce incidents of lameness, mastitis and other issues with Mayo advice and guidance from the onset of your project.
Watch the video. Find out more www.mayofarmsystems.co.uk
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UK - DON'T MISS: Stride mobility workshops this month
. . . A Hog Roast/BBQ lunch will be provided along with time to move around trade stands and meet partners and supporters.
Following the success of their series of farm mobility events last year, Stride is running a series of three events this summer.
Mobility continues to be one of the top three cattle health and welfare challenges facing UK producers. impacting herd fertility, productivity, profitability and sustainability. Losses attributed to poor mobility contribute to the environmental impact of livestock farming. It is calculated to cost the UK dairy farming industry £250 million per year in treatment costs and lost production.
Stride is an industry wide not-for-profit initiative, managed by a group of industry partners and supported by many organisations across the industry. It is committed to helping improve dairy cow mobility and energise the industry to act to reduce lameness in the national herd. The partners in Stride are Agsenze/Herdvision, Ceva, Hoofcount, IVC Farm Vets, Neogen, NoBACZ, Teesmore Engineering and Zinpro. The workshops, which are free to attend and run from 10.00-1400, are being held at:
- Wednesday 18th June South West Dairy Development Centre Shepton Mallet BA4 6SS
- Friday 20th June Harper Adams University, Newport TF10 8NB
- Wednesday 25th June Duchy College, Stoke Climsland PL17 8PB
The events will take a fresh look at some of the key areas where improvements can be made in mobility management to help reduce the cost and consequences of compromised foot health, keeping attendees up to date with the latest thinking on the cost-effective reduction of foot health issues.
Book now www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/stride-109368178461
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UK - The trend towards block calving systems continues for GB dairy
According to analysis by AHDB utilising BCMS data, the share of GB farms in 2024 running any type of block calving system has risen to 19.6%, while the number of farms running an all year round (AYR)* system remained fairly steady at around 35%. If we look over a longer time period, there has been a significant trend towards farmers adopting a specific calving system. In 2021 48.4% of farms were categorised as non-defined* in their calving pattern, in 2024 this had fallen to 45.8%.
Source: BCMS, AHDB
Block calving systems have seen the largest uptake, having risen by 3.1 percentage points since 2021. Within this, Autumn* block calving has been the most favourable moving up 1.8 percentage points from 2021 to 7.2% of total farm numbers in 2024. This movement has exaggerated the peaks and troughs in the seasonal birthing profile of the GB dairy herd.
Source: BCMS
Larger dairy farms, in terms of number of births per year, tend to operate on a more defined system. In 2024, just 8.7% of the largest farms (calving over 500 a year) ran a 'non-defined, calving system', favouring an AYR calving pattern (64.1%). In comparison, 61% of the smallest farms (calving less than 200 a year) had a 'non-defined' calving system.
Farms with between 200-500 births per year, see a more mixed approach to operating systems with 47.1% AYR and 28.5% block. However, they do see a larger number in the non-defined group (24.5%).
The number of larger farms (those with over 500 births per year) has been increasing over recent years. Meanwhile, the smallest farms (those with less than 200 births per year) continue to decline, supporting the shift to AYR and block systems.
Continue reading on the AHDB website
Source: BCMS, AHDB
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UK - Unique bolus technology halves Lancashire dairy farm's antibiotic use
Antibiotic use has more than halved on a Lancashire dairy farm since the installation of a rumen bolus-based health management system at the end of 2024.
Blackmoss Farm, located near Preston, has been using the smaXtec system across its 250 predominantly Holstein cows for almost five months. Farm manager, Ed Swindlehurst, reports that in the first four months alone, injectable antibiotic use has decreased by 52%, while antibiotic tubes dropped by 62%. "The boluses were installed to replace an existing collar system and give us a deeper level of insight into cow health," explains Mr Swindlehurst.
"The fact they provide accurate data on inner body temperature, water intake and drinking cycles, rumination, and activity made the decision a no-brainer. It aligns perfectly with our preventative approach to herd health." He adds that the use of AHV boluses and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has also reduced by 50% since the system was installed.
Alongside the significant reduction in medicine use, the farm has seen notable improvements in herd performance. "Cow numbers have increased from 278 to 288, average milk yield has risen from 10,700 to 10,988 litres, and our rolling heat detection rate has improved noticeably from 69.75% to 74.5% already," says Mr Swindlehurst.
Robert Kirk, UK Country Sales Manager at smaXtec, says the results at Blackmoss Farm clearly demonstrate the value of automated health management systems - particularly those that provide continuous, real-time internal monitoring, integrated health and fertility insights, and user-friendly digital alerts. "Not only is the farm supporting good antimicrobial stewardship, it's also achieving improvements in fertility and productivity.
"The results the team has seen in just four months speak for themselves, and we're excited to see how the system continues to support their business in the months ahead," says Mr Kirk.
With grant funding now available, through Defra's Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) 2025, more farmers can take advantage of this technology to improve herd health, reduce medicine use, and enhance productivity. Farmers in England looking to adopt automatic animal health and welfare remote monitoring systems can benefit from 50% grant funding under the FETF 2025.
Mr Kirk points out that while many dairy farms already use some form of automated monitoring system, cost remains a barrier for some. "The new round of funding presents a real opportunity to make these technologies more accessible across the sector," he says. The smaXtec system is eligible under FETF item reference FETF315SH (automatic health and welfare remote monitoring system). The application window is open until midday on 10 July 2025, and this will be the only window for applications in this round.
To apply or find out more, visit the government website here.
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UK - SNP delivering for Scotland's climate and communities
The SNP is delivering record levels of environmental progress, with the Scottish Government announcing that over 14,800 hectares of degraded peatland have been restored in the last year, putting Scotland on track to hit its ambitious interim climate targets.
This announcement comes as the SNP marked World Peatlands Day and thanked partners including NatureScot and Forestry and Land Scotland who have been instrumental in delivery. This restoration effort, led by the SNP Government's Peatland ACTION programme, is the largest annual total on record, a clear sign that Scotland is making real, measurable progress in tackling the climate and nature emergencies.
Peatlands are one of Scotland's natural climate allies, locking in carbon, supporting wildlife, protecting water quality, and reducing flood risk. With around two-thirds of the UK's peatlands, Scotland has a leading role to play.
Under the SNP: 14,860 hectares were restored in 2024-25 - a 42% increase from the previous year. Over 90,000 hectares have been restored since 1990; Scotland is on track to meet 2026 target of 110,000 hectares; £250 million has been committed to restore 250,000 hectares by 2030
Commenting, Emma Roddick MSP said: "This is world leading work that's cutting emissions, protecting nature, and creating skilled green jobs across rural Scotland. And going further than that, peatland restoration offers huge opportunities for rural prosperity, supporting local jobs and businesses while working hand-in-hand with existing land uses like farming and food production.
SNPmedia
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Global - Waiting to Exhale: The Science of Exhalomics
There's an innovative new way to potentially monitor the digestive activity, environmental impact, and health of dairy cows - and it's as simple as breathing.
Dairy nutrition researcher Dr. Mutian Niu, Assistant Professor of Animal Nutrition at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, explained the science of "exhalomics" on a recent edition of the Dairy Nutrition Blackbelt podcast. Niu said exhalomics is the study of metabolites and compounds found in exhaled breath.
Exhalomics have already been studied in humans and mice. One example of an application is the early detection of lung cancer in humans. In ruminant species, Niu said the technology is especially exciting because the rumen releases gases that are exhaled in the breath, providing a proxy for rumen fermentation activity by measuring rumen volatile fatty acids.
That opens up a world of investigative possibilities for ruminant nutrition research and solves a critical challenge for Niu and his colleagues. When he studied in the US at Penn State University and the University of California-Davis, he had ready access to rumen-cannulated cows from which rumen fluid samples could be collected. In all of Switzerland, there are only 6, and 4 of them are in his research facility at Zurich. Studying exhaled breath provides a non-invasive alternative to access a window into rumen fermentation activity. So far, Niu's team has been using exhalomics to measure methane emissions based on different diets. They use a GreenFeed sampling device to collect the exhalation samples, and have concurrently evaluated other compounds in those samples.
They initially assessed whether exhalomics could accurately measure volatile fatty acids (VFA) when compared to more traditional rumen sampling methods. They found a reasonable correlation between the two when assessing fluctuating acetate, propionate, and butyrate levels relative to feed intake. The correlation between results also was strong when they measured the VFAs in a 16% dry-matter starch ration versus a 6% starch ration. Monitoring changes in rumen dynamics can be predictive of digestive efficiency and balance. For example, Niu said it can predict changes in rumen pH and provide an early warning for the development of subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA).
"By directly looking at the metabolic profile via exhalomics, eventually I hope we can get a real-time, more frequent and non-invasive aspect to reflect rumen fermentation," Niu stated.
And the potential for exhalomics in dairy cattle spans beyond the rumen. Researchers also are working to pinpoint biomarkers in exhaled breath to promote early detection of respiratory disease, ketosis, mastitis, metritis, and displaced abomasum in real time.
DairyHerdManagement
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Nigeria - Nigeria imports Danish cows in bid to slash USD1.5 billion milk import bill
The country is importing dairy cattle from Denmark as it aims to double its milk output within five years, part of a plan to cut dairy imports that cost the country USD1.5 billion a year, Livestock Minister Idi Maiha said recently.
Despite boasting one of Africa's largest cattle populations, Nigeria's milk output of 700,000 tonnes a year lags its annual consumption of 1.6 million tonnes.
This shortfall means the country imports around 60% of its milk. "Our goal is ambitious but achievable; to double Nigeria's milk production from 700,000 tonnes to 1.4 million tonnes annually in the next five years," he said.
Maiha said Nigeria's cattle population, exceeding 20 million, consists largely of low-yield pastoralist breeds. A Nigerian farm has already imported over 200 heifers from Denmark, building its herd through intensive breeding, Maiha said. So far, eight new pasture species have been registered, the first in 48 years, and a national strategy for animal genetic resources with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization has been launched.
"With over 20.9 million cattle, 60 million sheep, and 1.4 million goats already, we are not starting from zero, we are building from strength," Maiha said.
Reuters
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UK - Semex UK becomes official ColoQuick Distributor
Semex UK and ColoQuick have announced a new partnership in the UK with Semex UK becoming a distributor for the ColoQuick colostrum system in the UK.
Invented in Denmark, ColoQuick is the world's leading colostrum management system. It is a unique, science-based system designed to optimize the way colostrum is handled. Following simple protocols, the ColoQuick colostrum system ensures each calf receives high quality colostrum straight after birth, strengthening calf immunity, reducing early-life diseases, and boosting future milk yields.
Owain Harries, General Manager, Semex UK says, "The ColoQuick system aligns perfectly with our Immunity+ strategy and our mission to help farmers unlock the full genetic potential of their herds. We are excited to add ColoQuick to our customer offering, equipping the modern dairy farmer with the right tools to breed healthy, trouble-free profitable cows".
As an official partner, Semex customers can gain local access to the technology, support and knowledge of ColoQuick.
Semex
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UK - Pint of Manx milk to increase by 5p from July
A pint of milk on the Isle of Man will increase in price by 5p to 90p from 1 July, the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture has confirmed.
Under the Milk Prices (Amendment) Order 2025, a litre will increase by 5p to £1.50, but a 1,750ml container's price will not change. Most milk produced on island is processed by the Isle of Man Creamery, which is a farmer-owned co-operative.
The order confirmed the uplift was recommended to "secure the future of the Manx dairy industry, ensuring a continuing supply of fresh Manx milk" for the island's residents.
Retail prices for milk on the Isle of Man are set by the Milk Marketing Committee, which is chaired by the environment minister and includes representatives from the Office of Fair Trading and the National Farmers' Union.
The last increase was seen in January 2023, when a litre rose by 10p to £1.45 due to rising costs in the dairy industry. The order, which does not need to be voted on by MHKs, will go before Tynwald - the Isle of Mann Parliament, later this month.
BBC
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UK - Slack-ma-Girdle, Best Soft Cheese at Artisan Cheese Awards
Gloucestershire-based cheesemaker and distiller, Charles Martell & Son has taken the Best Soft Cheese trophy at the Artisan Cheese Awards 2025, with its full fat pasteurised cow's milk cheese, Slack-ma-Girdle. Made at the Martell's family-run farm in the picturesque village of Broom's Green, Slack-ma-Girdle is a natural rinded soft cheese, which impressed the judges with its oozing texture and delicate flavour profile, including buttery and lemony tasting notes.
Well-known as producers of the iconic Stinking Bishop - the cheese that initiated a resurgence in washed rind cheesemaking in the UK - Charles Martell & Son also collected a host of awards for its other cheeses, including Gold medals for Stinking Bishop, Single Gloucester and Hereford Hop. Stinking Bishop was Highly Commended in the Washed Rind class, as one of these highest scoring cheeses in its category, while Single Gloucester was also Highly Commended in the Protected Name class.
Slack-ma-Girdle is available to purchase from www.charlesmartell.com, priced at £35 for a whole 700g wheel, as well as from independent cheese retailers across the UK.
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