26
cows served with conventional semen.
High yielding cows are housed all the time, while the low yielding group are out at grass for two out of the three windows between April and November. The milking herd is housed in cubicles, while dry cows are housed for two months prior to calving, one month in cubicles and then one month on straw. Heifers are then kept in a straw yard for three weeks (cows normally one week) post calving. “We have been managing heifers on this lameness management system for eight years and have found it stops ulcers and lameness. Dry cow intake is monitored, with stale dry cows and transition period cows fed on a straw based diet.”
The Keenan Pace system is used to record and control feed rations linking back to the farm computer. TMR for the high yielding cows is 17kg grass silage, 10.5kg blend, 9kg maize, 5kg alkalage, 3kg crimped
“Hosting as many people on the farm can make things busy. But it’s a rewarding part of the job, particularly seeing the students knowledge and ability grow as they progress through their course.”
wheat, 1kg haylage and 0.15kg minerals. Grass silage, wheat and maize are grown on the farm and contract grown nearby. “We run a relatively low technology system, investment was made in a new cow shed and parlour eight years ago and the parlour was extended from 20:20 to 24:24 three years ago. Most recently we have laid rubber matting which is already proving to be worthwhile with fewer cases of white line disease.
“Hosting as many people on the farm can make things busy. But it’s a rewarding part of the job, particularly seeing the students knowledge and ability grow as they progress through their course. More than ever farming needs good practically minded vets and I’m confident the work we do with them here is helping them in their future careers.”
Studies and projects by vet students keep John constantly focussed on every area of herd management.
Low yielders are grazed for two windows each day between milkings.
Cows are housed on straw for one month before calving and then one month post calving.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108