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

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Dairy Talk - Becky Fenton: "I like to tell my non-farming friends that the cows will have a foot spa, hairdressers, Fitbits, disco lights and that you will be able to see us from space"
Dairy

Dairy Talk - Becky Fenton: "I like to tell my non-farming friends that the cows will have a foot spa, hairdressers, Fitbits, disco lights and that you will be able to see us from space"

Becky Fenton and husband Paul milk 200 pedigree Holsteins under the Springlebee prefix at Centenary Farm, a Cheshire county council farm. In 2021, they bought a farm in Staffordshire and they plan to farm there once the new dairy set-up has been built.

clock 28 March 2026 • 3 min read
Follow this five-point approach to control BRD in your calves
Dairy

Follow this five-point approach to control BRD in your calves

Follow this five-point plan to achieve optimal innate and acquired calf immunity and reduce respiratory disease on-farm

clock 26 March 2026 • 3 min read
How a heat-resistant cow is helping a Mexican dairy farm turn a profit in the tropics
Dairy

How a heat-resistant cow is helping a Mexican dairy farm turn a profit in the tropics

A dairy farm in Mexico with huge potential to increase production is currently on the market as a potential investment opportunity

clock 25 March 2026 • 4 min read
Dairy Talk - Dan Burdett: "It does show how easy it would be for a serving season to go badly wrong"
Dairy

Dairy Talk - Dan Burdett: "It does show how easy it would be for a serving season to go badly wrong"

Dan and his family own and run the 300-hectare (741-acre) Cockhaise Farm, near Haywards Heath, West Sussex. The farm is home to an organic autumn-calving herd of 240 Holstein and Friesian crosses. He also contract farms another organic autumn-calving herd of 220 cows at Bore Place, near Edenbridge, Kent

clock 24 March 2026 • 3 min read
Pink eye in dairy cows: What farmers need to know
Dairy

Pink eye in dairy cows: What farmers need to know

Vet, Emma Greaves, shares her top tips for managing pink eye infections within the dairy herd

clock 23 March 2026 • 4 min read
Dairy markets update: Some milk price rises likely for May
Dairy

Dairy markets update: Some milk price rises likely for May

The markets have continued to improve markedly, and the first price increases since the autumn of last year are on the cards for May, for some but by no means all processors

clock 20 March 2026 • 4 min read
The importance of living space for the housed cow
Dairy

The importance of living space for the housed cow

Studies have shown how providing cows with adequate living space can boost milk yields and reduce lameness prevalence

clock 20 March 2026 • 3 min read
Q&A with Rory Christie: milk markets and collaboration
Dairy

Q&A with Rory Christie: milk markets and collaboration

Rory Christie, dairy farmer and chair of the Association of Dairy Producer Organisations (ADPO) on what needs to happen as we approach the spring flush

clock 20 March 2026 • 2 min read
Herbal leys and mixed farming drive resilience on Wiltshire dairy
Dairy

Herbal leys and mixed farming drive resilience on Wiltshire dairy

A long-established family farming business is proving that scale, sustainability and animal welfare can go hand in hand

clock 18 March 2026 • 5 min read
Maize and legumes intercropping boosts home-grown protein on Welsh dairy farm
Dairy

Maize and legumes intercropping boosts home-grown protein on Welsh dairy farm

Growing beans and sunflowers in a crop of forage maize has seen a Pembrokeshire dairy farm raise silage crude protein (CP) levels to nearly 14%

clock 16 March 2026 • 6 min read
Why has a flying dairy herd in Wales moved to breeding its own replacements?
Dairy

Why has a flying dairy herd in Wales moved to breeding its own replacements?

Gwynfor Jarman and his family are committed to forging ahead with their business plan and have instigated several significant changes at Gwern Hefin over the years

clock 11 March 2026 • 7 min read
Dairy Talk - Ben Yates: "The challenge will be trying to save costs without having a negative effect on the cows or production"
Dairy

Dairy Talk - Ben Yates: "The challenge will be trying to save costs without having a negative effect on the cows or production"

Ben Yates manages Mells Park Estate, Somerset, where he oversees a 400-cow unit and manages the 405-ha (1,000 acre) estate. Along with his wife and two sons, Ben has his own small herd of pedigree Holsteins under the Wowcow prefix. He joined the Holstein UK Board of Trustees in 2021

clock 05 March 2026 • 3 min read
Why one Stoke-on-Trent farming family stays committed to British Friesians
Dairy

Why one Stoke-on-Trent farming family stays committed to British Friesians

An ‘easy care' British Friesian with the potential for maximising milk from forage is the cornerstone of the Oulton family's herd breeding policy at Domvilles Farm, near Stoke-on-Trent

clock 04 March 2026 • 6 min read
Dairy Talk - Stuart Sadler: "Our milk buyer didn't pick up our milk for four days"
Dairy

Dairy Talk - Stuart Sadler: "Our milk buyer didn't pick up our milk for four days"

Stuart Sadler is a fourth-generation farmer on the 56-hectare (138-acre) Yew Tree Farm just south of Chester in Aldersey. In partnership with his parents, Stuart milks 75 predominantly Friesian cows calving all year-round supplying Arla C.A.R.E.

clock 02 March 2026 • 3 min read
Dairy Matters - Mark Chatterton: 'If support is thinning, margins need to fatten'
Dairy

Dairy Matters - Mark Chatterton: 'If support is thinning, margins need to fatten'

Mark Chatterton is the director and head of agriculture at Duncan & Toplis, which is one of the largest accounting and business advisers in the UK

clock 01 March 2026 • 5 min read
Dairy shed lighting explained: How many lux do cows need?
Dairy

Dairy shed lighting explained: How many lux do cows need?

An estimated 5–10% of dairy units in the UK currently use automated systems to deliver optimised lighting with potential benefits linked to increased fertility and yield performance

clock 28 February 2026 • 4 min read
Roger Evans: "It says little for the value of milk"
Dairy

Roger Evans: "It says little for the value of milk"

This month, Roger Evans discusses the value of milk, work ethic and hare coursers

clock 26 February 2026 • 4 min read
Dairy farming in Galicia: How Spain's dairy heartland is evolving
Dairy

Dairy farming in Galicia: How Spain's dairy heartland is evolving

Galicia is Spain's largest milk producing area with 41.6% of the country's total dairy production coming from the region's dairy producers. Natalie Noble joined a study tour to Galicia to find out more about Spain's dairy heartland

clock 25 February 2026 • 5 min read
Manage feed availability to reduce the risk of ketosis in dairy cows
Dairy

Manage feed availability to reduce the risk of ketosis in dairy cows

Maintaining body condition and promoting rumen fill and function in the dry period is key to preventing ketosis in fresh calved cows

clock 24 February 2026 • 4 min read
New year, new goals for pedigree Holstein breeders
Dairy

New year, new goals for pedigree Holstein breeders

A new year prompts a fresh look at the genetics programme for three of the country's top pedigree breeders, who review their goals for performance improvement in the 12 months ahead

clock 23 February 2026 • 6 min read
Farm vets adopt agritech for earlier disease detection on dairy farms
Dairy

Farm vets adopt agritech for earlier disease detection on dairy farms

As milk prices decline, along with recurring and emerging diseases and pressures to meet sustainability goals, Nantwich Farm Vets are working with ag-tech innovators to identify diseases earlier

clock 22 February 2026 • 3 min read
NZ Vet's View - Rory Dean: "Some farmers have seen a drop in pasture quality"
Dairy

NZ Vet's View - Rory Dean: "Some farmers have seen a drop in pasture quality"

This month, New Zealand vet, Rory Dean discusses the silage season, an increase in spending at some of his farms, and his sporting endeavours

clock 20 February 2026 • 5 min read
Can herbal leys pay their way? A Derbyshire dairy farm's experience
Dairy

Can herbal leys pay their way? A Derbyshire dairy farm's experience

At Rough Grounds Farm, Derbyshire, Graham and Justine Worsey have transformed their 96-hectare (237-acre) milking platform by reseeding every acre into herbal leys

clock 18 February 2026 • 6 min read
Dairy-Tech: Making time to talk
Dairy

Dairy-Tech: Making time to talk

A lunchtime meeting that lasts just 1% of the working week is essential in making sure the other 99% runs smoothly at Major Farming, near Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire

clock 13 February 2026 • 2 min read
Dairy-Tech: Consider an early turnout
Dairy

Dairy-Tech: Consider an early turnout

Turning cows out early – if only for part of the day – could help dairy farmers deal with the twin pressures of dwindling forage stocks and falling milk prices, said Tony Evans of Andersons

clock 13 February 2026 • 2 min read
Dairy-Tech: Get to grips with EID early
Dairy

Dairy-Tech: Get to grips with EID early

Electronic identification (EID) of cattle is a major boon on two fronts for Cornish dairy farmer Claire Brewer

clock 13 February 2026 • 2 min read
Dairy-Tech: Prepare for pinch points
Dairy

Dairy-Tech: Prepare for pinch points

Some painful decisions are likely to come up for dairy farmers this spring as the consequences of previous profitable years and falling milk prices clash

clock 13 February 2026 • 3 min read
Inside a Chilean dairy farm: How tight budget planning protects profit margins
Dairy

Inside a Chilean dairy farm: How tight budget planning protects profit margins

A large-scale dairy business in Chile is looking carefully at future capital investment opportunities

clock 09 February 2026 • 4 min read
How long-term investment has fuelled expansion at a Lancashire dairy farm
Dairy

How long-term investment has fuelled expansion at a Lancashire dairy farm

An open mind to investment and expansion have seen the White family grow their thriving 500-cow dairy operation

clock 04 February 2026 • 6 min read
Raw milk vending machine boosts farm profitability in Wales
Dairy

Raw milk vending machine boosts farm profitability in Wales

A consistently poor milk price was the catalyst for the launch of direct raw milk sales on the Granville's Mid Glamorgan unit

clock 02 February 2026 • 6 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.