Livestock

Farmers have until noon on March 31 to sign up to have their say in AHDB’s Shape Your Future campaign

A spike in mastitis cases prompted a rethink of milking protocols at a Pembrokeshire dairy farm and the outcome was so positive that the business has now won a national milk hygiene award. Debbie James reports.

Defra has announced a package of measures to help farmers with the soaring cost of fertiliser.

Amy Eggleston is a fifth-generation dairy farmer from Leicestershire. Her family and farm team are milking 620 Friesian cows on a New Zealand-based grazing, spring calving unit. She showcases her farming journey on social media (@thedairydaughter) and also runs Pastures Green, which is a rural marketing business.

With a target of keeping clamped silage losses to below 5 per cent, the Halton family has assessed all aspects of silage making from cutting to clamping.

Hopes are high that findings of a new genomic study could pave the way for action to save the rare native Lop pig breed.

A project led by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), will look at whether the social competence of pigs and their welfare can be improved through management and breeding.

As the nation’s favourite rabbit celebrates his 120th birthday, Emily Scaife looks into Beatrix Potter’s farming legacy.

Margins being squeezed due to increasing costs of production, coupled with sharply eroding support payments, means sheep farmers need to do everything possible to optimise efficiency and flock performance.

Research has shown even pasture fed cows are short of beta carotene at some point during the breeding cycle.