By unlocking the export potential China offers the pig industry, not to mention the red meat sector as a whole, we could gain entry into a marketplace which comprises a fifth of the world’s population.Farmers Guardian
Andrew Hawkins Freelance
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Grazing Monitor: More settled weather gives cows a late season bite
25 September 2009
LOOKING back in this, the final Grazing Monitor column of the year, grass quality has been good but growth rates were variable, largely due to the weather.
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Grazing Monitor: Managing the variable grass quality
August 14th 2009
The variable weather is making managing grass a real challenge this summer.
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Grazing Monitor: Manage grass to preserve quality
5 June 2009
THE last week has seen significant changes in grazing swards.
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Grazing Monitor:Managing the introduction of silage aftermaths
27 May 2009
ACROSS the country growth rates on grazing fields have been consistently below normal this season, although the recent rain and promised higher temperatures should prompt a rapid change.
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Grazing monitor: Keep on top of grazing to maintain quality
1 May 2009
WE are about to enter the peak growth period, so it is vital farmers keep a close eye on both grazing quality and quantity.
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Dairy farmers facing a grass conundrum
19 September 2008
AS the grazing season draws in an end, there are still decisions to be made.
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Grazing Monitor: Prospects are still good for grazing
September 5th 2008
YOU could hardly describe August as a typical summer month with twice the usual rainfall and half the average sunlight hours.
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Grazing Monitor : Keep an eye on intakes if it stays wet
August 22nd 2008
GRASS quality continues to hold up well at our contributor farms with ‘D’ value averaging around 70 giving ME levels of around 11MJ but the problem most farmers will face is achieving adequate dry matter intakes as grass is generally wetter than usual, with dry matters averaging in the mid teens.
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Grazing Monitor: Time to make good use of slurry on grazing
July 25th 2008
The last two weeks have seen steady grass growth with some exceptional growth rates recorded by our contributor farmers. Grass quality has also remained good with ‘D’ values of around 68 and ME levels of close to 11MJ, suggesting that they have managed to keep some young, fresh grass in front of the cows.
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Grazing Monitor: Not bad news for grass production
July 11th 2008
IT looks like 2008 will go down as the year of the unsettled summer, but this is not necessarily bad news for grass production.
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Grazing Monitor: Managing the mid-season grazing
June 27th 2008
THE last few weeks have seen a spell of rather unsettled and cooler than usual weather, and this has impacted on grass performance.
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Grazing Monitor
June 13th 2008
THE results from grass grazing samples for the week ending June 6 show grass is still of good quality but, with fibre levels still above normal, and sugar levels still below 10 per cent in the dry matter, intakes may be less than expected.
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Grazing Monitor: Time to make key decisions on aftermaths following completion of the first cut of silage
June 6th 2008
GRAZING swards across the country continue to produce high yields of good quality grass, as the results from our contributor farms show, although low dry matter contents may make achieving high intakes a challenge.
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Grazing Monitor: Make the most of exceptional grazing
May 16th 2008
WHAT a difference a week can make – warm weather and a massive increase in hours of sunlight mean grazing swards have suddenly burst into life, and the aim must be to fully exploit their potential.
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Grazing Monitor: Look for an upturn in grazing quality and quantity
May 9th 2008
AFTER a slow start to the grazing season, farmers may soon see an improvement in the prospects from grazed grass.
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Grazing Monitor: Not much grass but what is there is good
April 25th 2008
FOR many farmers the prolonged cold spell has heralded a late turnout with cows continuing to be housed day and night.
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Grazing Monitor: Plan your turnout carefully
April 18th 2008
THE continued cold spell has hit plans for an early turnout this year – the below-average temperatures, overnight frosts, chill northerly airflow and wintry showers have had a big impact on growth rates.
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Grazing monitor: Delay turnout as grass growth slows due to colder weather
April 11th 2008
FOR most dairy farmers, especially those with silage still in the clamp, turnout is going to be delayed. While the results from our contributor farmers suggest some reasonable quality grass, the problem is that there is not much of it.
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Grazing Monitor: A return to grazing normality
August 10th 2007
AFTER phenomenally wet months in June and July, it at last looks as if we are in for some more settled weather, which should allow grazing to return to something approaching normal.
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Grazing Monitor: What are the options in the continuing bad weather?
July 27th 2007
THE persisting bad weather continues to make grazing management challenging for many, and has consequences for late season feeding.