Dairy Talk - Ifan Roberts: "A wet but positive start to spring calving"

After a steady start to calving at Houghton Lodge in early February we were fully back on track by the beginning of March and had delivered over 630 calvings in four weeks equating to 59% of the expected 1,070 calvings due by the beginning of May

clock • 3 min read
Ifan Roberts
Image:

Ifan Roberts

However, we were slightly behind our target grazed area by this time at 20% of the platform. This was due to the extremely wet conditions meaning we were only able to snatch a couple of hours of grazing...

To continue reading...

Already a member? Login for full access.

Login

New to Farmers Guardian? Register for 1 free article per week or become a member for unlimited access to essential farming news and insights.

article-img-580x358

 

More on Dairy

Dairy Talk - Ifan Roberts: "As much as it is painful to see such turbulence, there is nothing that quite focuses one's mind on-farm than when times are lean"

Dairy Talk - Ifan Roberts: "As much as it is painful to see such turbulence, there is nothing that quite focuses one's mind on-farm than when times are lean"

Ifan Roberts is a new entrant who has established a contract farming agreement milking 500 block calving cows in Cheshire, and is aiming to improve the land farmed, encourage others to participate in the industry and deliver attractive returns to his stakeholders

clock 25 January 2026 • 3 min read
Winter mastitis in dairy cows: How to spot it early and reduce the risk

Winter mastitis in dairy cows: How to spot it early and reduce the risk

Vet Emma Greaves, of Stapeley Veterinary Practice, looks at how to manage winter mastitis infections on-farm

clock 23 January 2026 • 3 min read
Managing scour in dairy cows this winter

Managing scour in dairy cows this winter

Variable silage quality and nutrition challenges could be a driver of scour among milking herds this winter

clock 21 January 2026 • 4 min read