Looking for useful dual-purpose cows

The rain finally gave way recently for a day to instead allow for snow to fall.

We are fortunate that it has just been fields that have been flooded, rather than homes. Farming was getting a bad name in the press for causing the extent of the floods in towns and cities, but such prolonged rainfall patterns had caused serious saturation to the ground, no matter how it was farmed.

This year will see me finishing my agriculture degree. For my final year, I am undertaking my dissertation on bedding preference of dairy cows.

It has certainly been a lot of work so far, however many people have been helping me; especially those at Barony where I undertook the trial.

However, the real learning starts once I graduate. I am always fascinated to learn about other farming practices; even more so those that are completely different.

They help challenge your way of thinking and critically analyse your own system and this was the case when I travelled to the Netherlands and Bavaria in Germany last year.

When visiting Germany, I was struck by the abilities of the Fleckvieh breed of cattle. Their ability to produce good levels of milk with fewer health issues, as well as a large framed beef calf, certainly made me question our breeding at home. Most of the beef in the region comes from Fleckvieh bull calves.

The use of the Holstein cow certain produces a lot of milk. However, it does not produce a lot of money.

Our herd at home consists of 80 milking cows that, until recently, was a flying herd until it was decided to breed our own replacements. This was in part for disease security and also to gain the type of cow we require.

All calves from the dairy herd are being taken to finishing, along with 30 calves that are bought at three weeks old. A cow with a bit of flesh producing a better calf is, therefore, more desirable, especially in these challenging times within the dairy industry.

The Fleckvieh should, hopefully, fit into this system well, allowing the ideal dual breed cow for the system.

All livestock sectors will need to look at breeding policies over the next few years with such poor returns; with optimisation rather than maximisation the important thing to remember. A large beef animal may look great in the show ring, but it comes at a cost to feed it to this size; and it is not what the abattoir desires.

Another major difference in Germany was the uptake of renewable energy. Almost every farm had solar, an anaerobic digester or a wind turbine. Many farms had the entirety of their roofs covered in solar PV panels.

With guaranteed income for many years, one wonders why there has been such a poor uptake in Scotland. The return on investment still outweighs producing food and without the volatility of the commodity markets.

Unlike in Germany, where they relied heavily on maize silage, Dutch farmers were more focused about grass silage. Their ability to produce high quality silage with no wastage was astounding.

This, along with small amounts of maize silage, provided the base of an excellent ration to produce high quality milk. This allowed a low cost of production helping to ease the pain of the milk price.

Both the Germans and the Dutch can easily produce milk cheaper than we can in the UK. It seems pointless trying to race them to the bottom on the commodity market.

Instead, I feel we must move to higher value markets. If we don't aim for these markets another country will get there first.

Dairy has a huge opportunity to exploit its benefits to health. There is simply not enough money raised by levy to effectively advertise products; but if every farmer was to tell the local public about the benefits of their produce, it could make a difference.

The benefit of farms to the local economy can also be largely forgotten - last year we supported more than 40 businesses, of which two-thirds were within 15 miles of the farm.

Visiting farms in Scotland has also given me many ideas. Ou dairy herd is grazed on paddocks to try and make best use of grass. However, after seeing this being used for beef cows I am eager to try it at home.

Not only was grass being better utilised, but weight gains were also higher.

Our suckler herd grazes part of East Mossgiel, home to Robert Burns from 1784, which has required a lot of new fences. Each year, as the grazing became more controlled, grass growth has been better and more areas have been taken out for silage.

Hopefully, if this is put into paddocks, the effect will be even greater. The suckler herd is made up of 40 cows, mostly Simmentals out of dairy cows. These are then put to an Angus or Simmental bull.

A smaller cow is preferred over a large framed animal as not only do they require less feeding during the winter but they also produce more kilos of calf in relation to kilos of cow. When there are two mouths to feed but only one ultimately becoming income, I feel it is important to maximise this.

In November, I attended the Agrihive conference in London, on behalf of SAYFC. There was a great amount of positivity long term for the industry - however we must become far more business focused in the way we invest and farm.

As farmers, we must realise that we cannot do everything ourselves. Instead, we should carry out the tasks we do well and get help for those tasks which we are not so good at.

The event also marked the launch of the Kidworth case study. This fictional farming family are facing many of the same challenges faced by real farms.

There is a competition associated with the case study and prizes include flights to Australia and more information and videos of all the speakers can be found on the Agrihive website.

November also saw the Agri- Affairs conference. Considering the challenging times currently faced in most farming sectors, there was a great deal of optimism.

This must be shared with the wider public in order to find the fresh blood that's required. If agriculture is talked down as a career path, it will not only discourage those from outwith farming to consider it for a job, but also encourage people from farms to look elsewhere for employment.

We must as an industry show just how great a place it is to work or risk having a serious skills shortage throughout.

This year is certainly going to test many farming businesses. With volatile markets here to stay, that idea that helps your business weather the storms is only a plane ticket away.

I have met some fantastic people in the past year who have given me the determination to succeed in the industry, and I would strongly encourage everyone who is farming to go and experience farming in another country.