Exceeding customer expectation will always be a fundamental driver for any new product that comes to market. And where United Feeds’ Advance Fortified calf milk replacer is concerned, this has been the strong view consistently expressed by milk producers across Northern Ireland over the past 12 months. Driving this recognition has been the capacity of […]
News & Events
Are your cows ready to maximise Autumn/Winter milk bonuses?
With an ever-greater focus from milk processors to flatten their milk profile through additional bonuses for autumn & winter milk the effective management of cows calving in the weeks ahead has never been more important. The over-arching objective is to get cows achieving optimal milk output as soon as possible after calving whilst maintaining high […]
Advancing young stock performance: Achieving the 24 month target
United Feeds’ nutritionist, Jenny Hamilton, confirmed that the onset of puberty is generally determined by heifer weight as opposed to age. And although weighing replacement heifers is the most accurate measure, it’s not often practical. She further explained: “Bodyweight and height at the withers are closely correlated with one another. So having a height gauge […]
Advancing young stock performance: Worming strategies at grass
Zoetis veterinarian, Patricia van Veen, informed the seminar that stomach worms continue to have a significant impact. An EU-wide study published in 2020 estimated that gutworm, lungworm and liver fluke infections cost the UK cattle industry an estimated £227M* annually. Her key take-home message centred around the benefits of working as a team with your […]
Advancing young stock performance: Rumen development
The absolute imperative of maximising rumen development throughout the rearing period of all calves and weanlings was emphasised repeatedly at a recent young stock performance seminar, hosted, by United Feeds. Courtesy of his presentation, Aaron Brown – Technical Sales Manager with Trouw Nutrition, specifically characterised the maturation of the rumen at two levels: the growth […]
The autumn of 2023 is just around the corner
Recent years have seen a growing number of dairy farmers in Northern Ireland focus on a more compact autumn/early winter calving season with a significant proportion of their herds. The theory behind this approach is a simple one. A greater proportion of the milk produced is eligible for the winter milk bonuses on offer from […]
Pre-weaning – The tiny window of enormous opportunity
Calf rearing practices have evolved over the years, but the fundamental goals remain the same: build immunity, develop the rumen and maximise growth, all at minimal cost. There’s no denying that cost will be at the top of the agenda this year. Focussing solely on the price of calf milk replacer or concentrate though, is […]
Maximise milk solids all year round with CreamMaker technology
For many years United Feeds have been to the forefront of bringing world class nutritional solutions to farmers here in Ireland. And, when it comes to maximising cow performance on farm there is a clear market leading range of dairy feeds on offer. CreamMaker encapsulates a wide range of the scientific breakthroughs that have characterised […]
More milk from grazed grass – it’s not just a pipe dream
The potential to improve the utilisation of grazed grass within most milk production systems is immense. This was one of the key, take-home messages that emanated from a recent ‘grazing advisory workshop’, hosted by United Feeds’ for their team of advisors. The other overarching theme coming out of the event was the need for dairy […]
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 […]
Growing your future
Due to the cost of milk replacer versus starter feed it’s not unreasonable to assume that feeding more milk replacer is expensive. However, if you consider cost per weight gained, then pre-weaning is in fact the cheapest period to obtain growth. The first 12 weeks of a calf’s life is also the period of highest […]
The 2022 grass year starts now
Grass remains the farming sector’s greatest resource. Our ability to produce significant quantities of milk, beef and lamb from grazed grass and silage sets us apart from the rest of the world. So much for the good news: the even better news is that local farmers are becoming better grassland farmers. This is a point […]