Timmy and Gail milk 110 cows with Timmy’s father Shaun and his Uncle Robert close to Ballymoney in Co Antrim. The herd’s rolling average is 9400L at 4.44% butterfat and 3.46% protein. Calving commences in mid-October and continues through until April. The herd’s daily average is currently 35L/day on twice-a-day milking. Forage system “Maximising the […]
Category: Silage
A family farm in Castlerock: Focus on production and fertility
Background David and Jayne Conn robotically milk 100 cows along with their four children at Ardina farm, close to Castlerock in Co Londonderry. This is a new business, established on a green field site just three years ago. The Ardina herd is currently averaging 10,500L on a rolling basis at 4.5% fat and 3.55% protein. […]
Dairy cow performance levels continue to rise across Northern Ireland
Recent years have seen both milk volumes and constituent values consistently increase on dairy farms in Northern Ireland. The availability of better genetics is a key factor in driving this process. But of equal importance is the development of nutrition and cow management programmes that allow this genetic potential to be met in the most […]
Set the foundations for high-quality silage with pre-cut grass testing
Farmers are being encouraged to utilise pre-cut grass testing to understand the optimum time to cut grass for quality silage production. Bryan Buckley Regional Business Manager for Lallemand Animal Nutrition, says incremental improvements in silage quality make a considerable difference to feeding efficiency and production margins, yet many farmers are missing out on the opportunity […]
Are Mycotoxins impacting performance on your herd?
This winter, we are again witnessing many issues caused by mycotoxins, with a notable surge in recent weeks as herds are introduced to a mix of winter forages. What are mycotoxins? Mycotoxins are natural substances produced by moulds and fungi. They are invisible, tasteless and toxic. More than 500 different mycotoxins have been identified […]
Maximise the value of slurry this winter
With fertiliser prices high for next season farmers across Europe are quite rightly looking to maximise the potential gained from their on-farm nutrients (slurry). Here in Northern Ireland United Feeds have partnered with Devenish and Gouldings to offer an innovative and widely researched product to market. Digest-it® is a microbial inoculant added to slurry that […]
Grassland decisions made now will affect dairy farming profitability for the next 12 months
Grassland management decisions taken over the next three months will determine the profitability of dairy farms throughout Northern Ireland well into 2022, according to United Feeds’ ruminant nutrition advisor Alan Boyd and company nutritionist Matt Bourne. “Swards have taken no hurt over the winter months, which should set farmers up well for the push to […]
SUSTAIN – Protected urea
SustaiN is protected urea Nitrogen fertiliser. Urea is treated with a stabiliser called Agrotain. Agrotain reduces volatilisation, ensuring the Nitrogen is available to fuel crop growth all season long. Sustain (Agrotain) has been independently trialled by AFBI on both grassland and tillage. The trial results show that SustaiN yields are consistently as good as CAN, […]
First cut 2020 – Silage season well underway
Alan Boyd discussing first cut as it’s being mowed at his Dad’s farm in Straid, Ballyclare.
Choosing the right fertiliser for your second cut silage
While the world copes with the current Coronavirus pandemic, farmers are getting on with producing our food in the most effective and efficient way they can. As we find ourselves in May, most farmers in Northern Ireland will harvest their first cut of silage for the 2020 season and thought will turn to growing second […]
Reduce waste to exploit the full value of silage
Forage waste continues to be a major factor reducing efficiency of forage use and leading to higher purchased feed costs on dairy farms. Bryan Buckley from Lallemand Animal Nutrition argues that the opportunity to reduce forage waste needs to be improved to help dairy production become more profitable. “Reducing forage waste is the quickest and […]
Silage 2020 – farmers gearing up for the season ahead
According to United Feeds’ nutritionist Jenny Hamilton, the start of the 2020 silage season is less than a fortnight away for some. Farmers in the east tend to get started that little bit earlier than their colleagues in other parts of Northern Ireland. However, in some parts of the west, it’s noticeable that grass swards […]