OPPOSITE LEFT Colin, Yvonne and Mark Dent run the 950 Bridge End herd at Kirby Thore.
RIGHT The show group, 12 of the best cows are housed on sand cubicles.
BELOW RIGHT It takes four hours a day just to feed all the cows.
cubicles. About 200 low yielders are run with a sweeper bull to catch any problem cows, 120 heifers are housed together and there are three groups of high yielders.
Dry cows are in a 100-cubicle shed and are calved on a sawdust bedded court which is cheaper than straw. Half of the slurry is separated to produce green bedding for the cubicles. “We’ve found the green bedding works well, it is mixed in an old Keenan with lime to make sure we don’t get any problems,” explains Mark.
Heat time collars are used on everything that is empty, they help detect cows that aren’t obviously bulling and help to ensure everything that is more than 50 days calved is AI’d. Collars are then removed after cows are scanned in-calf with conventional semen used on milkers and a Windbrook son from the Sara family used as a sweeper bull. Regular trips to Canada and America have given both Colin and Mark the opportunity to see some outstanding cows as well as the opportunity to buy in to some of these families. “We do enjoy a business holiday
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Cows are managed in seven different groups with 12 of the best cows in sand cubicles
and it is a chance to invest in some top quality genetics and we now have progeny and embryos from the Smoothies, Diamond, Brinlee, Harriet and Liquorice families,” explains Mark. “We purchased Alexander embryos out of Misty Springs Shottle Smoothie VG88 in partnership with the Dennison family at Denmire. Both heifer calves born by Alexander have classified VG86 with one selling at the Black and White Sale 2010 to Richard Atkins, Yatehouse. “Embryos by Snowman out of OCD Planet Diamond were also purchased with Denmire from Claynook. They resulted in one heifer calf born in January 2013 which we have already flushed to Lottomax with the first pregnancies due early 2015.
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“The most exciting purchase I’ve made was Crasdale Atwood Brinly, she was purchased as a maiden heifer at the Sale of the Stars in partnership with
THE JOURNAL FEBRUARY 2015 37
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