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High quality silage is a high energy, palatable and digestible forage which can provide a significant proportion of the nutritional needs of a high yielding dairy cow

As April showers set in, and the backlog of crop spraying jobs continues to mount, everything is pointing to large and complex tank-mixing when sprayers finally get going. Best practice tank-filling and the incorporation of a compatibility adjuvant to aid the process, will be essential for operators to minimise the risk of a problem, warns Interagro.

Despite differences between dairy farming in South Africa’s Eastern Cape and the UK, the importance of conserved forage quality to business sustainability is unerringly familiar.

For dairy farmers who don’t wait till it’s too late

Ensuring grass is cut at the right time to achieve the desired silage quality is paramount and leaving it late will result in a reduction in sugars, protein and digestibility

This spring repair, recharge and building resilience are the key objectives for growers seeking to recover plant health in winter crops to prevent a further slide in yield potential – and there’s one biostimulant that’s proven it could bridge the way to success.

Lameness still costs the dairy industry over £250 million per year in treatment costs and lost production, while also impacting on cow and staff welfare. More frequent and consistent mobility scoring using an automated system can open the door to better prevention of lameness through earlier intervention.

Heat stress is not necessarily the first thing which springs to mind when considering how a typical British summer might impact milk production, but research shows that even the UK’s relatively ambient climate can stifle the performance of dairy cattle.

Attention to detail and strict protocols are key to effective footbathing, helping reduce the economic consequences of digital dermatitis and keep cows sound on their feet.