FUTURE PROFIT CHANNELS AT THE 2009 SEMEX CONFERENCE
4000 embryos a year.
RIGHT Robert
The business started when Doug was given a calf by a neighbour and
Sloan gave
felt compelled to go to college. From there he started with 14 cows and
a fi rst class
14 heifers and spent until the early 1980s building up to 1000 cows, 2000
presentation
acres and zero debt. The desire to purchase a farm led to the acquisition
on his
of 10,000 acres, including vineyards and almond orchards, building the
Darnlaw
most unique dairy in the world. The business has grown to have over $60
herd and his
million impact on the Californian economy.
experiences
His management has never wavered from the approach that regardless
of HYB and
of how many cows there are they need individual attention and health
YFC.
care must be 24 hour. Management now is by exception but with a one
cow herd management approach. The pedigree herd’s emphasis is type,
change once
showing, production and merchandising (which include international
every fi ve
sales, bulls and surplus females). In contrast the commercial herd looks at
years. 42% of
milk effi ciency, least cost production, profi t and functional type.
culls are due
Emphasis has also been on training; every job, even opening a gate has
to lameness
an SOP (standard operating procedure), with training sessions held every
and mastitis.
Monday.
He fi nished
He classes the business as a commercial herd with breeder quality and
by supporting
suggested that his reasons for registering included an increased net
the longevity
worth, with higher quality animals producing more milk and more profi t,
plea with the
that pedigree animal reduced the asset to debt ratio, that it fuelled family
statement that in 2008 the lifetime
interest and the pride of ownership- according to Doug every kid should
yield average of animals leaving
get to show a calf! On the fl ip side, he encouraged cross breeding by
the family herd was 54,000 kg (in
others, as in the long term it would mean those breeders have nothing to
comparison to 45,000 kg pre TB which
sell!
has closed the herd for the last eight
Another enthusiastic entrepreneurial speaker was Martin Evans, a
years).
Welsh dairy farmer with 280 cows, a contracting business, and a farm
Current Holstein UK President Ken
building business. In 1984 he returned home from college, and the family
Proctor, spoke on farming on an old
owned a milk round, catering business and 75 beef cows. Martin’s fi rst
WW2 airfi eld in central Norfolk with
business was pigs which generated £5000, from which he bought a mower
the Airfi eld herd, where nearly every
and conditioner and started contracting. In 1990 he got married and they
acre is ploughable. He congratulated
secured a county council farm, becoming involved in whey disposal which
son Rob, who now manages the herd,
generated £1000 per week, all the time striving to grow the business,
on his harsh approach; fresh cows are
increase stock numbers and improve the buildings. They then got a
the only effi cient milk machines on
tenancy of a dairy farm, sold the beef and bought 100 dairy. In 1995 they
the farm, a philosophy that sees 15
had 120 cows registered under the Prebith prefi x, and now have three full
cows due to leave the herd now that a
time staff working on the farm, contracting and farm buildings. In 2000
milk price drop has been announced.
they were awarded their fi rst building project, a building and parlour
Ken said that the adaptability of the
for 450 cows, which took eight full time workers and meant someone
Holstein should not be ignored, while
was taken on to run the herd at home. That herd now numbers the 280,
the best cow they have ever milked is
averages 9500 litres, includes 19 EX and has used Heatime for a number of
Dohbell Lindy Angie. He also strongly
months, raising the annual average by 600 litres, gaining 30 days on the
advocated going down the pedigree
Calving Index and has saved £40,000 according to Martin.
route – it’s made him money.
Rob George of Nantwich vets and the Brynhyfryd herd spoke on the
Robert Sloan returned to the
importance of cow longevity, based on the home herd’s experience. Most
conference a year after wining the
milk is produced from cows between their second and fi fth lactation, but
President’s Medal. Considering him
old cows should not just be kept to expand, not if they are occupying
a spokesperson of his generation,
room that could be fi lled by an animal making more money. He said
the industry has to consider itself in
the majority of calving interval issues were heat detection related, and
safe hands. The audience was treated
advocated early service, fi nding most cows conceive between 50 and 100
to a fi rst class presentation by an
days due to good follicular development during the dry cow period. He
enthusiastic and dynamic speaker
suggested an optimum replacement rate of 18%, which sees the herd
who has achieved so much, in an
THE JOURNAL APRIL 2008 97
e2-09 Semex conference.indd 3 02/04/2009 14:08:36
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