Livestock

LIMOUSIN bulls sold to 42,000gns at the breed society sale at Carlisle, with an average of 8,118.48, which is an increase of 1,470.02 on the year with a clearance rate of 79 per cent.

ON the first day of the February bull sales at Stirling, Aberdeen-Angus peaked at 15,000gns, with the 66 bulls averaging 6,499, up 67 on the year with an 86 per cent clearance rate.

A Beef Shorthorn bulls sold to 27,000gns, a breed record, and also had a record average of 6,127, up 1,347 on the year, with a 79 per cent clearance rate. Females topped at 7,500gns, a record price for the February sale.

BOTH the championship and reserve at the show and sale of store cattle at Middleton in Teesdale went to British Blue-sired heifers from J.C. and J. White, Lunedale.

With food service falling behind retail on traceability, the NFU Scotland conference heard how modern technology could be utilised to check the provenance of meat

With maize drilling likely to start in less than 10 weeks, now is the time to finalise the details of managing the crop.

The UK Government announced in June 2019 its aim to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, and in response the NFU announced its net zero by 2040 pledge.

Planning ahead is key to growing good yields of high quality wholecrop to meet the needs of the cows’ diet.

Improving soil health has been the answer to maximising milk from high quality grass forage on a family dairy farm in West Wales

Making good quality silage depends on many factors, not all of which can be influenced. But planning ahead means it should be possible to take control and avoid many potential pitfalls.