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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Lancashire dairy herd boosts performance with live data and high fibre
Dairy

Lancashire dairy herd boosts performance with live data and high fibre

Dairy farmer Ben Gibbons is working with nutritionist Emma Wells to understand how continual improvements can help drive performance on a high yielding herd

clock 15 April 2026 • 6 min read
What does a future in dairy farming look like in Australia?
Dairy

What does a future in dairy farming look like in Australia?

A young dairy farmer has big plans to further commercialise the family farm by improving cow breeding and diversifying into agritourism

clock 08 April 2026 • 4 min read
Roger Evans: "A conversation about JCBs can be quite disconcerting"
Dairy

Roger Evans: "A conversation about JCBs can be quite disconcerting"

This month, Roger Evans talks about visiting Scotland, his car journeys there and some highlights from his various holidays there

clock 05 April 2026 • 3 min read
Six ways to maximise silage production in 2026
Dairy

Six ways to maximise silage production in 2026

Following the difficult grass growing season of 2025, dairy producers may want to consider taking steps to mitigate against another similar year particularly in light of falling milk prices

clock 03 April 2026 • 3 min read
From farm worker to equity partner: One dairy farmer's route up the farming ladder
Dairy

From farm worker to equity partner: One dairy farmer's route up the farming ladder

Neil Simcock vowed to walk away from the dairy industry if he had not progressed from employee to gaining a foothold in business by mid-career.

clock 01 April 2026 • 7 min read
Make sure your milk powder optimises future calf performance
Dairy

Make sure your milk powder optimises future calf performance

Dairy farmers should scrutinise the content of their calf milk powders to ensure they are getting the best return on investment in the feed at a time of falling farmgate milk prices

clock 31 March 2026 • 3 min read
Dairy Matters - Bas Padberg: "Dairy has a fundamental role in food security"
Dairy

Dairy Matters - Bas Padberg: "Dairy has a fundamental role in food security"

Bas Padberg, chair of The Dairy Roadmap, says that sustainability has to be a practical, business-relevant strategy that works for farms today

clock 30 March 2026 • 4 min read
Film-wrapped silage bales boost forage quality for dairy farmers
Dairy

Film-wrapped silage bales boost forage quality for dairy farmers

Gareth Lee has built a successful one-man contracting business producing silage bales which maintain quality and are robust enough to last two winters

clock 30 March 2026 • 5 min read
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

 

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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.