• Aiming for more compact calving periods

    ACHIEVING A compact calving period of 12 weeks can have a significant impact on beef producers' margins, according to the latest advice from Eblex which claims that extending this period can cost producers in the region of £3.35 per day in feed costs for the empty cow and lost income from calf growth.

  • Surecalf® benefits

    SOARING COSTS of production on top of a cold, late spring and distinct lack of grass growth have resulted in many farm businesses sinking further into the red.

  • Quality is key

    WITH DEMAND for blends soaring, Trident's Neil Woolf is advising new blend buyers to focus on quality ingredients to maximise value.

  • Copper in a new way

    A NOVEL copper source is now being used in Harbro supplements.

  • New 'road map' for distillers feeds

    THERE'S BEEN vigorous debate aabout the future of distillers' feeds, involving all levels of the Scottish livestock farming industry, from individual farmers to the Scottish government commissioning a special study from the Scottish Agricultural College.

  • Get the magnesium right for sucklers

    EXPERTS ARE warning that magnesium deficiency in dairy cows and lactating ewes could be a real problem at turnout this spring because so much of the mineral has leached out from pastures this year.

  • Be seriously good to cows post-calving

    POOR WEATHER over the last year has had a major impact on spring calving suckler cows throughout the country, with many struggling to maintain condition.

  • Integrating silage and grazing on beef and sheep farms

    This year feed stocks may be running short and livestock farmers may be forced to turn stock out earlier than usual.

  • Ten-fold fluke threat to livestock

    THERE HAS been a 10-fold increase in acute liver fluke cases in sheep in the last quarter of 2012, compared to the same period in 2011, according to figures reported in the latest NADIS (National Animal Disease Information Service) Parasite Forecast.

  • Biosecurity is the key to keeping herd health status

    HEALTH AND hygiene are important factors in maintaining properly managed livestock units but bringing livestock in from elsewhere can unwittingly introduce disease into many hitherto 'clean' herds.