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Newsletter January 23, 2024
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UK - Wet conditions impacting cereal forage crops in 2024
The very wet conditions last autumn have meant that many farmers were unable to get autumn cereal crops planted but, as ForFarmers Forage Product Manager Mel Digger explains, there are alternative options available to help boost forage stocks. "Last autumn's conditions were not ideal for many farmers. It started raining in October and it has felt like it has hardly stopped since. If farmers couldn't get cereals planted in those conditions, there are options available to help with any predicted forage shortfalls that this situation might of created.
"Some autumn cereals, depending on variety and planting conditions, can be planted into the end of February. Check your variety on the recommended list for cereals for the latest safe sowing date," Mel suggests. "Sowing into colder temperature soils means less capacity for the crop to tiller, so fewer seed heads could develop. This means you might need to increase the seed rate from the one planned in the autumn; talk to your ForFarmers Account Manager about any queries."
With many areas saturated from recent rain and flooding, the big question if whether conditions will be good enough for sowing spring cereal crops in Feb or March. "In some cases, we're suggesting farmers look at putting maize into areas that were destined for spring sowing," Mel adds. "The later planting dates give longer for the ground to dry out and recover before farmers have to prepare it, not to mention the benefit of the high value forage maize will bring."
ForFarmers still has availability on some spring cereals, but the weather conditions have had an impact on what varieties are available and cost. Where fields have been under water or have had run off it is also advisable to check soil nutrient status and structure. In some cases, a crust has formed, particularly on bare soil, which may have created anaerobic conditions below the surface. Talk to your ForFarmers Account Manager about the best seeds available for your needs and soil testing options.
ForFarmers
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UK - Learn about soil secrets with Joel Williams in AHDB's recent podcasts and YouTube videos
In November 2023, AHDB held a series of soil secrets events featuring independent plant and soil health educator and consultant Joel Williams. The events looked at agricultural businesses through the lens of biodiversity. Joel has a wealth of knowledge and experience gained through his work with growers, researchers and agricultural organisations around the world. His passion for sustainable farming practices and ability to communicate complex concepts in a relatable way make him a sought-after speaker and educator in the field.
The events focused on the power of biodiversity and how it can be made simple by breaking down complex concepts, such as soil biology and crop and sward diversification. They were filled with actionable, evidence-based advice, practical solutions and ideas that can be implemented on the farm.
Catch up on them on AHDB's YouTube channel, Food and Farming podcast or visit: ahdb.org.uk/news/soil-secrets-with-joel-williams-events-announced-for-november. Discover how an integrated approach to soils, diversity and nutrition can unlock hidden potential within your business.
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UK - Separation holds key to slurry success
The Vogelsang XSplit slurry separator exhibited at the 2024 LAMMA event is the first to achieve dry matter content of 40%, say the company. The screw press machine is therefore capable of producing separated dry matter that is suitable for bedding. Vogelsang's separation specialist, Andrew Hayhurst says: "LAMMA visitors saw the XSplit in a variety of configurations, including the Lift Frame Pro, a hydraulic elevated frame on a movable flatbed trailer. With new grants in 2024 we expect separation to be a key to unlocking the benefits of slurry."
By separating slurry, farmers can reduce the volume being sent to storage and improve the nutrient value of the slurry that is stored. Dry matter can subsequently be used as a soil conditioner or a cost-effective and sustainable bedding material. "The XSplit is designed and engineered to be both economical to run and easy to maintain. The drive is arranged on the solid matter outlet side, which gives the XSplit an excellent cost-benefit ratio with no need for an extra shaft seal. This reduces both the cost of spare parts and the time required for maintenance work," explains Hayhurst.
With heavy winter rainfall, uncovered slurry stores have filled faster than many would have expected, especially in areas that have suffered run off due to waterlogging. Separation offers the potential to offset the threat of stores becoming overwhelmed by rainfall and has the added benefit of providing a liquid that is easier to apply to crops. "The sealing disc in the pressing area of the XSplit ensures optimal resistance to the pressure applied by the press screw and ensures a uniform and reliable plug formation with nearly zero leakage. A range of sieve variants suited to various consistencies is also available, providing accurate separation to help manage slurry more efficiently and sustainably," he concludes.
Vogelsang
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UK - AHDB analysis of higher payment rates for ELMs in 2024
Further information regarding Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs) were announced at this year's Oxford Farming Conference.
The key points are:
- Up to 50 new actions will be launched in Summer 2024
- Payment rates will be increased by an average of 10% for Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship (CS) agreements.
- A premium will be paid for high ambition actions.
- Single application for farmers applying for SFI and CS
The new actions will be based in the following areas: Agroforestry; Precision farming; Supporting recovery of priority habitats and threatened native species; Enhancing and restoring waterbodies and watercourses; Protecting lowland peatland.
Payment rates for actions can be found on the GOV.UK website. Amandeep Kaur Purewal, AHDB's Senior Analyst (Policy), has analysed this and compared the revised payment rates with previous payment rates.
ahdb.org.uk/trade-and-policy/new-actions-and-higher-payment-rates-for-ELMS-in-2024
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UK - NMR performance report shows health and milk quality gains in UK dairy herds
Farmers have made significant improvements in dairy herd fertility, production, and somatic cell counts (SCC) according to NMR's latest Key Performance Indicator (KPI) report.
The report is based on data from 500 NMR-recorded Holstein Friesian herds for the year ending August 2023 and shows the trends from 2010 when the University of Reading first published the KPI report. The document is designed to be used practically as a benchmarking tool by farmers, vets and advisors to identify where and how improvements can be made.
Herd health: Annual trends in herd health from 2010 to 2023 show that 70% of herds had a SCC below 200,000 in the year ending August 2023, an improvement from 44% in 2010. And in 2023, 52% of all cows in the 500-herd sample completed their lactations without recording a single high SCC above 200,000 cells/ml. The equivalent figure in 2010 was 35% of cows.
Mastitis incidence across a 242 sample of the 500 recorded herds averaged 22 cases per 100 cows per year, a reduction of 14 cases per 100 cows per year since 2016. In herds with mastitis records, which is about half the herds in the sample, 85% of cows recorded no mastitis in completed lactations, an increase from 79% in the same period.
Fertility: Fertility improvements continue to be made, and since 2010, the mean age at first calving has decreased by 89 days to 804 days (2.2 years), although it has increased by five days since 2022. The median calving interval is also 30 days shorter than in 2010 at 394 days but remains unchanged since the last report in 2022. Conception rates increased by 1% compared to 2022 to 39% and, during the past 14 years, they have increased by 7%. However, the variation remains high between herds, from 32% in the bottom quartile of herds to more than 45% in the best quartile. Heat detection has also improved by 11% since 2010 and is now 41%.
Production: Milk yields have remained stable for the past five years, averaging 8,737kg in 2023, up slightly from 8,708kg in 2022 and by more than 1,000kg on 2010 data. Lifetime milk per cow per day increased by 25% from 10.5kg in 2010 to 12.7kg in 2023. The most significant improvements have been in milk fat and protein in the 13 years that the report has been published. Milk fat has increased from 3.35% in 2010 to 4.26% in 2023 and is up from 4.18% in 2022. Protein has risen from 3.33% to 3.36% since 2022, up from 3.27% in 2010.
"The report's latest results show the UK dairy industry is moving in the right direction when it comes to cow health, fertility and production," says NMR's Ben Bartlett. "Farmers, vets and advisers who make good use of milk records and take advantage of this valuable data to benchmark their herds against the top 25% for key parameters can make informed decisions and monitor progress in the herd. This will underpin the business's sustainability. Dairy management software systems such as InterHerd+ have made this easier through functionality that allows vet practices and consultants to compare the performance of their dairy clients as a group and individually alongside the 500 NMR herds in the report and identify weaknesses and where improvements can be made."
The NMR 500-Herd report was produced by Dr James Hanks, Dr Emma Taylor, and Dr Mohamad Kossaibati from the University of Reading and can be found on NMR's web site: www.nmr.co.uk or by clicking here.
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UK - SlurryForSoil new formulation reduces cost and carbon footprint
SlurryForSoil's new concentrated formula will lower costs for dairy farmers while reducing the product's carbon footprint says manufacturer, Sylgen Animal Health. The new formulation is four times more concentrated, giving users the same performance at a fraction of the cost while also reducing the packaging required, and lowering the weight. It will be launched at Dairy Tech on 7th February 2024 at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire.
"The new formulation has enabled us to reduce the cost of production and we're passing that saving onto our customers," explains Sylgen Animal Health Director, Romney Jackson. "Farmers will save 37% per treatment. Which, when combined with the reduced need for fertiliser and improved grass growth, gives an average return on investment of £9.50 to £24 for every £1 spent on SlurryForSoil. With less packaging and reduced weight for transport, the new formulation lowers the product's environmental impact too."
The award-winning slurry inoculant contains 18 different fungi and bacteria, selected for their abilities to improve soil and plant health. Proven to increase grass quantity and quality, SlurryForSoil has been recognised for its contribution to both the bottom line and the environment. "SlurryForSoil does far more than break down slurry and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from stores," says Romney. "It's designed to turn slurry into a highly-effective biologically-active fertiliser.
SlurryForSoil captures nutrients in slurry in a microbial form, when the slurry is spread on grassland, it inoculates the soil with key plant and soil beneficial microbes. All of the microbes in the product have been independently proven to increase plant growth - whether that's through the provision of nutrients as and when plants need them, improved tolerance to stress or increased defence against pests and pathogens. "When it comes to slurry inoculants, SlurryForSoil is leading the way and we're now seeing others follow," he says.
Find out more here
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UK - Critical shortage of senior-level talent in land-based sector
The need for robust leadership within the land-based sector has never been more pressing, but organisations are facing acute difficulties finding it, a report has confirmed.
Leading Change: Exploring senior recruitment challenges across the land-based sector examines the hurdles faced in recruiting top-tier talent within the agriculture, horticulture, and forestry sectors. Based on research commissioned by Cultura Connect in late 2023 the report explores the issues surrounding recruiting senior leaders following an increase in clients enlisting the Cultura team's services for high-ranking appointments.
In-depth interviews with business leaders from across the sector uncovered recruitment difficulties at all levels, but particularly at the top end of the career ladder. "With the enormous challenges and pressures facing our industry, having strong leadership is more important than ever. However our research confirmed a real scarcity of seasoned talent - particularly in the 35 to 55 age bracket," said Hugh Pocock, Director of Cultura Connect. "We believe this is due to a lack of popularity and interest in land-based careers when those people were making career decisions some 20 years ago. Thankfully this has changed and as part of our research Harper Adams University told us about their growing and increasingly diverse student population. The future looks bright, but it raises important issues for organisations needing leaders now."
As well as passion for their sector, leaders need commercial and technical expertise and a raft of hard and soft skills. The need for leaders to have a deep understanding of the intricacies of the land-based sector and what is required to improve sustainability was also a recurring theme throughout the research.
"It really highlights the importance of proactive talent development within land-based industries," continued Hugh. "We believe this requires solid succession plans to develop internal talent as well as a strong employer brand and meticulous recruitment strategies that cast a wide net across the industry. With a small talent pool to fish from, finding and attracting the right people is a challenge which requires investment in time and other resources and a strong network."
Cultura Connect's response to its findings is to launch Cultura Connect Exclusive - a specialised section of the business to focus solely on senior level recruitment. It provides a highly professional and confidential service to organisations seeking leaders and senior level recruits as well as individuals seeking further career progression to leadership level.
For further information visit exclusive.culturaconnect.co.uk
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UK - Bio-tracers shed light on soil erosion
Scientists using a new tracer have shown that cereals dominated arable land contributed over half of all sediments and organic matter dislodged by heavy winter rains in a watercourse in Southwest England. The result confirms fears that, as the severity of wet periods increases under climate change, and with flooding still affecting many parts of the UK, some current farm practices may be accelerating vulnerability to soil erosion.
The study team used a Carbon-13 (13C) isotope of dicarboxylic fatty acids (diFAs) as a tracer to identify which land uses were contributing to in-stream sediments at test sites along an 8km stretch of a watercourse in Devon. These molecules are particularly useful as tracers because they are mostly produced by roots and their isotopic signature differs with vegetation. This means that the type of land use (grassland, arable land, woodland or stream banks) that sediment has been eroded from can be relatively easily identified using the in-stream samples.
In essence this new approach enables researchers to take a lump of mud or sediment from a stream or river and work out which fractions of it come from which types of land use.
Taken over the record-breaking wet winter of 2019/20, the results of the study, just published in the journal Environmental Chemistry Letters, showed that stream banks contributed most of the sampled sediment in the early winter (October-December) period. In contrast, the dominant sediment source shifted after a period of prolonged consecutive rainfall days in the late winter (January-March) to winter cereals-dominated arable land.
"There is a high likelihood that winter rainfall in South-West England will be more prolonged and intense under climate change," said Rothamsted's Dr Hari Ram Upadhayay, lead author of the paper. "So, we need to better understand the differing levels of resistance different sediment sources have to erosion driven by extreme wet weather. This new technique enables us to do that with more confidence."
Sediment fingerprinting using root specific biomarkers is a relatively new approach. The diFAs are a structural component of suberin which is one of the important biopolymers in roots. This acts as a protective layer between root tissues and their environment and contains a high proportion of diFAs which are very stable in soils.
Samples were taken of potential sources in the catchment and compared with sediment samples to build up a landscape scale picture of erosion and sediment transfer over the record-breaking wet winter period.
"There appears to be a high degree of correlation between land use and diFA distribution in soils," said Upadhayay. "This linkage suggests that this technique could become an invaluable tool in accurately identifying what proportions of sediment and associated organic matter come from certain land types. In turn, this could help inform land management decisions to build more resistant landscapes to help reduce erosion under current and future climate scenarios."
Professor Adie Collins, co-author on the paper and leader of a new UKRI-BBSRC funded strategic programme at Rothamsted Research, Resilient Farming Futures said, "The new research programme will further explore landscape resilience to weather extremes using a range of tracers deployed in the institute's forensic science toolkit. This will include co-working with the Catchment Sensitive Farming initiative in priority landscapes."
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-023-01684-1
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2024 John Dennison Lifetime Achievement Award - nominations open
Harrison & Hetherington are delighted to announce that the nominations are now open for the 2024 John Dennison Lifetime Achievement Award. The winner will be presented with the award during UK Dairy Expo, a premier event in the UK dairy calendar, held at Borderway Mart, Carlisle. This, the 12th Borderway UK Dairy Expo, will take place on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th March, and as always, the presentation of this esteemed accolade is always a highlight of the event. Nominations should be put forward by sending a brief resume to the John Dennison Lifetime Achievement Award, c/o Glyn Lucas, Harrison & Hetherington Ltd., Borderway Mart, Rosehill, Carlisle CA1 2RS or by email to glynl@borderway.com.
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Scotland Young Breeder Claims Prestigious Award
Holstein UK Announces Winner of 2023 President's Medal Award.
Holstein UK crowned the champion of its prestigious 2023 Presidents Medal Award at the Semex Conference in Glasgow this month. Alison Lawrie from Scotland Holstein Young Breeders Club claimed the title and won an engraved medal and trip to the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto - funded by Semex - later this year. In addition, Alison was presented with the Sue Cope Memorial Trophy. Holstein UK would also like to congratulate the two runners up Tom Hull (Lancashire) and Will Horsley (Border & Lakeland). Holstein UK
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Baron Bigod wins 'Best British Cheese' award for second year in a row
Crowned 'Best British Cheese Brand' for a second year running by the Fine Food Digest Brands survey, Baron Bigod, made on Fen Farm Dairy, won after British independent cheese retailers chose it as their top cheese in an annual vote run by The Guild of Fine Food.
The Brie-de-Meaux style cheese is made by Jonny and Dulce Crickmore, using milk from the farm's herd of free range Montbeliarde cows, and described as having a nutty, mushroom rind with a delicate, fresh citrussy centre. The cheese is hand made in small batches and aged for up to eight weeks in a 'cave-like environment'.
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