From the editor: A challenging summer for dairy farmers

clock • 1 min read
From the editor: A challenging summer for dairy farmers

As we approach the end of another season, it always seems like a good time to look back and reflect before turning our attention to what lies ahead in the coming months.

There's no doubt the summer of 2023 has been a challenging one; the weather has been unpredictable to say the least. We've gone from one extreme to the other in terms of rainfall, making silaging and managing grazing particularly difficult.

No season is without its challenges though, and as we move towards the end of summer, thoughts will soon turn to autumn and winter jobs, and let us hope we get some decent weather to get the maize crops off.

Once again, I was excited to be involved in the #FARM24 campaign, which saw farmers from all over the country take to social media to showcase the wonderful industry we are involved in (for more on this, see pages 32-33).

As well as involvement from some high profile celebrities, MPs and farming influencers, the day also garnered incredible attention from the public, and we hope campaigns like this go some way to connecting the consumer with how food is produced on-farm. Thank you to everyone who showed their support and got involved.

And as we approach the end of summer, we say goodbye to the summer shows, but also look forward to some more industry-focused events. In particular we have UK Dairy Day and The Dairy Show on the horizon. I hope to see some of you at these events.

NEW OPICO SPRING TINE HARROWS

NEW OPICO SPRING TINE HARROWS

VIEW ADVERT
£POA

2010 Used Vaderstad Rapid A400S

2010 Used Vaderstad Rapid A400S

VIEW ADVERT
£POA

2018 Used KRM Sola 4.8m

2018 Used KRM Sola 4.8m

VIEW ADVERT
£POA

More on Dairy

Northern Irish dairy farm experiments with clover mixes

Northern Irish dairy farm experiments with clover mixes

A simple, low-input system for an 80-cow herd produces a 73% milk-from-forage figure for Philip and David Clarke of Co Tyrone

Wendy Short
clock 19 February 2025 • 6 min read
Farmers rewarded as Arla profits soar

Farmers rewarded as Arla profits soar

Revenue at dairy giant Arla hit €13.8 billion (£11.43 bn) for 2024, enabling the highest dividend payout to farmer-owners in the company’s history

clock 19 February 2025 • 2 min read
Antimicrobial usage continues to fall

Antimicrobial usage continues to fall

The latest Dairy Antimicrobial Focus Report from Kingshay, shows antimicrobial usage has reduced by nearly a fifth over the last five years

clock 14 February 2025 • 4 min read