Dairy Farmer keeps you updated with all the latest news, views, insight, and information from the Dairy sector - from animal husbandry to milk prices and diversification.

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Dairy Talk - Becky Fenton: "I can absolutely see the future in robotic milking"
Dairy

Dairy Talk - Becky Fenton: "I can absolutely see the future in robotic milking"

As I write this at the very end of April, the race is on to see who will be the first to silage in Cheshire. The sun's shining and there's no rain forecast at all

clock 23 May 2025 • 3 min read
Reduce antimicrobial use through early mastitis detection this summer
Dairy

Reduce antimicrobial use through early mastitis detection this summer

With summer approaching, Emma Puddy, farm services specialist at Kingshay – part of the VetPartners group - warns about increased mastitis risk during warmer months

clock 22 May 2025 • 3 min read
Dairy Talk - Dan Burdett: "I hope that in some shape or form, dairy cows continue to be a part of its future"
Dairy

Dairy Talk - Dan Burdett: "I hope that in some shape or form, dairy cows continue to be a part of its future"

With this article's deadline looming, I sit here in my office as dawn breaks on yet another glorious spring morning, with birds vocal chords in fine fettle and the promise of another warm and sunny day to look forward to

clock 22 May 2025 • 3 min read
Roger Evans: "You have never made silage unless you have made vacuum silage"
Dairy

Roger Evans: "You have never made silage unless you have made vacuum silage"

This month, Roger Evans describes the practice of vacuum silage and discusses the art of discretion

clock 21 May 2025 • 4 min read
Trump takes the shine off a strong dairy market
Dairy

Trump takes the shine off a strong dairy market

UK milk production is running at record levels, with prices holding up so far, but there is uncertainty on the global market caused by the simmering trade war following Donald Trump's tariff announcements

clock 20 May 2025 • 6 min read
Using wholecrop as an 'insurance policy' for dairy rations
Dairy

Using wholecrop as an 'insurance policy' for dairy rations

Dairy farmers are being encouraged to consider other wholecrops as an alternative to maize, which is becoming increasingly difficult to grow in some parts of the country

clock 20 May 2025 • 5 min read
Targeting foot health in the dry cow group improves overall dairy herd health and performance
Dairy

Targeting foot health in the dry cow group improves overall dairy herd health and performance

Frequent footbathing of dry cows combined with preventive foot trimming is enabling digital dermatitis incidence to be maintained at the 2% level at Marcross Farm in the Vale of Glamorgan

clock 20 May 2025 • 4 min read
More dairy prices come under pressure
Dairy

More dairy prices come under pressure

clock 19 May 2025 • 4 min read
Processors optimistic as the UK hits peak milk production
Dairy

Processors optimistic as the UK hits peak milk production

Some processors are optimistic that commodity prices and farmgate prices will remain strong after 'the flush', as milk starts to decline through to the trough

clock 17 May 2025 • 4 min read
Greater integration of precision livestock technologies needed to improve UK production efficiencies
Dairy

Greater integration of precision livestock technologies needed to improve UK production efficiencies

An animal health company has called on the UK Government and food supply chain industry to support and promote the use of new technologies to enhance animal health and welfare

clock 16 May 2025 • 4 min read
Large-scale robotic installation alleviates labour constraints on Cheshire dairy farm
Dairy

Large-scale robotic installation alleviates labour constraints on Cheshire dairy farm

Labour on a Cheshire unit has been halved following the installation of 10 robots for the high-yielding Holstein herd, with the 7% milk yield increase coupled with a small rise in feed costs

clock 14 May 2025 • 6 min read
Coming soon – Watch our FREE webinar: Understanding dairy contract legislation and what it means for your farm business
Business

Coming soon – Watch our FREE webinar: Understanding dairy contract legislation and what it means for your farm business

clock 06 May 2025 • 3 min read
Integrated beef supply chain gives clear targets for calf rearing on Cheshire dairy farm
Dairy

Integrated beef supply chain gives clear targets for calf rearing on Cheshire dairy farm

For Jack Allwood having a clear policy for the beef-sired calves on his family's dairy farm is key

clock 30 April 2025 • 5 min read
Dairy special: The correct use and administration of NSAIDs
Dairy

Dairy special: The correct use and administration of NSAIDs

Pain and inflammation relief medication can improve recovery times for many of the major diseases, but it is important to understand their uses and follow advice for correct administration

clock 23 April 2025 • 4 min read
Roger Evans: "I see a lot of dairy farmers with lumps on their feet like this"
Blogs

Roger Evans: "I see a lot of dairy farmers with lumps on their feet like this"

This month Roger Evans discusses grazing, artificial intelligence and regales us with tales of visitors to the farm and conversations with a doctor

clock 22 April 2025 • 5 min read
The family running different milking regimes on two dairy farms to alleviate labour constraints
Dairy

The family running different milking regimes on two dairy farms to alleviate labour constraints

The Yates family run two pedigree Holstein herds in Kirkcudbrightshire on the same management system, with one milked three times a day and the other twice

clock 21 April 2025 • 6 min read
How a focus on grass continues to pay off for Cheshire dairy farm
Dairy

How a focus on grass continues to pay off for Cheshire dairy farm

Larkton House has long been a grazing farm but over the years Peter Done and his team have worked hard to refine the system to ensure grass remains at the core of the business

clock 20 April 2025 • 6 min read
Dairy Talk - Claire Eastham: "With turnout we also saw a return to hearing calls of 'the cows are out'"
Blogs

Dairy Talk - Claire Eastham: "With turnout we also saw a return to hearing calls of 'the cows are out'"

Well it's been a tumultuous three months since I wrote my last article and it looks like we are in for a bumpy ride ahead, so buckle in

clock 19 April 2025 • 3 min read
Dairy Matters - Phil Christopher: "Surely there is a way we can speed up bTB control"
Dairy

Dairy Matters - Phil Christopher: "Surely there is a way we can speed up bTB control"

Former cowman and agri-marketing contractor Phil Christopher discusses why he thinks AHDB should provide a ‘boots on the ground' farm support service to educate and support farmers in the fight against bovine TB

clock 18 April 2025 • 4 min read
Dairy farmers urged to delay drilling of multi-species leys to get the best results
Dairy

Dairy farmers urged to delay drilling of multi-species leys to get the best results

Expert highlights that establishing herbal and multi-species leys is fundamentally different from grassland reseeding

clock 17 April 2025 • 6 min read
Top tips for managing crypto in calves
Dairy

Top tips for managing crypto in calves

Good colostrum management and cleanliness of calf housing and equipment is key to managing cryptosporidiosis infections on-farm

clock 16 April 2025 • 3 min read
Herd reduction on the cards to prolong US farm's future
Dairy

Herd reduction on the cards to prolong US farm's future

A sixth-generation young farmer is bucking the trend and is considering reducing cow numbers so her family's farm can stay in business

clock 16 April 2025 • 4 min read
UK milk volumes rising fast to peak
Dairy

UK milk volumes rising fast to peak

For the past five years UK peak milk day has come between the May 5 and May 12

clock 15 April 2025 • 4 min read
Why turnout should be a slow transition
Dairy

Why turnout should be a slow transition

Turning cows out to grass gradually is key to prevent the risk of sub-acute acidosis and impacts on production

clock 09 April 2025 • 4 min read
Uncertain future for Sark's only dairy farm
Dairy

Uncertain future for Sark's only dairy farm

A lack of new tenant interest and heavy financial losses have forced Jason and Katherin Salisbury to quit their dairy farm on the island of Sark

clock 09 April 2025 • 5 min read
Making energy from biogas more accessible
Dairy

Making energy from biogas more accessible

A new technology which utilises methane from slurry to power on-farm generators could help make biogas energy more accessible for UK dairy farmers

clock 07 April 2025 • 5 min read
What you need to know about rumen drinking in calves
Dairy

What you need to know about rumen drinking in calves

A common issue affecting pre-weaned dairy calves, rumen drinking can have significant impacts on calf performance and in severe cases can result in death

clock 02 April 2025 • 5 min read
New vaccine cuts calf scour losses and antibiotic use at Lancashire dairy
Dairy

New vaccine cuts calf scour losses and antibiotic use at Lancashire dairy

A Lancashire dairy farmer has significantly reduced calf scours, mortality, and antibiotic use by vaccinating cows in late pregnancy against cryptosporidium parvum

clock 02 April 2025 • 7 min read
Dairy Matters - Rob Kirk: "When grant funding becomes available there is a risk farmers focus on what they can get, not what they need"
Dairy

Dairy Matters - Rob Kirk: "When grant funding becomes available there is a risk farmers focus on what they can get, not what they need"

Robert Kirk, of smaXtec, discusses what farmers should consider when thinking about applying for a grant

clock 30 March 2025 • 5 min read
Dairy Talk - Ifan Roberts: "Having some spring grass available in the milking herd ration is driving some very encouraging milk yields"
Dairy

Dairy Talk - Ifan Roberts: "Having some spring grass available in the milking herd ration is driving some very encouraging milk yields"

Ifan Roberts is a new entrant who has established a contract farming agreement milking 500 block calving cows in Cheshire

clock 29 March 2025 • 3 min read

 

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Meet The Editor - Katie Jones

Hailing from a family farm in Cheshire, my roots are firmly in farming and now living on a 300-cow dairy farm with my own family, I can appreciate the daily issues which affect everyone involved in the industry.

I believe the level of innovation and technology we are already seeing on dairy farms is something we should all be very positive about, as is the innovation we are likely to see in the future.

I also believe that, despite the challenges posed by the industry, there is a huge amount of passion, optimism and enthusiasm among the younger generations of dairy farmers.