Grassland

The problem with parasites in dairy cattle is the often invisible impact. If left uncontrolled, parasite infections in youngstock and adult cows can lead to a reduction in lifetime milk production and fertility.

The third year of ADAS’s grass YEN competition highlighted the challenges a year of unpredictable weather has had on grass growth with quality down as well as yields across the UK. Hannah Noble reports.

Cell grazing and top sheep genetics are maximising production from grazed grass on a Welsh farm.

A household name in the shearing world, Matt Smith, alongside his wife, Pip, has swapped the clippers for the butcher’s block as part of his new venison venture. Ruth Wills paid them a visit.

Now is the ideal time to safeguard cattle productivity over winter by reviewing parasite control given at grass and treating any parasite burdens at housing.

An independent report commissioned by the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Livestock has concluded new methods of mitigating carbon emissions from livestock production must be found to reach net zero targets by 2050.

Participation in GrassCheckGB has helped Welsh sheep producer, Anwen Hughes, slash costs of production simply through better management and utilisation of grass.

As farmers seek to meet new targets around ammonia emissions, slurry acidification could offer one option for doing so. An ongoing study is looking into whether there are any wider impacts on soil and crop quality. Hannah Par

As well as championing the use of dried and ground near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) silage analysis, Eurofins laboratories has launched a series of new indexes to help farmers to optimise their silage production.

Joining the grassland monitoring project, GrassCheckGB, and switching to paddock grazing is helping a high-yielding herd in Dorset maximise milk from grazed grass and cut its concentrate costs.