ABOVE LEFT Feithy Dude Ruth VG88 is an October calved heifer out of ER Ruth EX95.
ABOVE RIGHT Feithy Sensation Lilian 136 EX93 stood honourable mention at the Celtic Dairy Showcase 2015.
RIGHT Calves are reared at Cilfeithy Uchaf until they are seven months old.
BELOW RIGHT Weeton Outside L Ebony EX94 was
purchased at the Weeton dispersal and has started a nice family at Feithy.
taking over the management of the farm while Rhys is getting on well with his own venture calving and selling heifers. He also runs a small contracting business with a 13t JCB digger and stone picker he also does a lot of clipping, sale preparation and relief milking. Our daughter Mair also lives nearby and is a primary teacher.” As the Jones’ prepare to open the gates at Cilfeithy Uchaf to welcome fellow breeders and visitors to view the herd on Saturday 27th June they are also working to have everything in place for a TAG Sale, which will also offer an opportunity to invest in some of the best bloodlines and individuals from the herd, explains Wyn. “We aim to offer a real cross section of the herd in the TAG Sale from milkers, calves and embryos through to bulls. Hopefully, there will be something on offer that will be of interest to everyone’s system and budget.
“This year we have taken on a student from Gelli Aur Agricultural College to help ahead of the open day. She is fitting in well and is keen to learn about dairy farming although she is from a beef and sheep background,” comments Wyn. “The extra hands are greatly appreciated, particularly at the moment as my wife is expecting our third baby in July. We already
have two sons, Harri, 4, and Ioan, 2, who are always keen to be out on the farm.
“Over the past four years we have
increased cow numbers from 140 to 200. In 2004 we built a new cubicle shed for 140 with deep sand beds then in 2011 we extended the shed to house 200 cows.
“As a result of switching to sand beds we’ve seen a dramatic increase in cow comfort, with noticeably increased lying times. And, while sand can be troublesome in some systems we are managing to cope with it. We didn’t change any of the infrastructure in the slurry system and have only had to dig the silo out once in nine years.
“A change of parlour has also greatly helped cow management, with a 32:32 herringbone parlour replacing an abreast parlour in 2008 and cutting milking time from eight hours a day to 2.5 hours.” Reflecting these improvements in infrastructure the herd is currently averaging 33kg a day on twice a day milking with a rolling herd average of 10,619kg at 4.52%bf and 3.25%p with an average somatic cell count of 140, he explains. To maximise cow
performance the Jones’ run a voluntary waiting period of seven weeks with 54% conception to first service and a calving interval of 410 days. “Heifers are served with an aim of calving at two years two months, although I serve on a balance of size and age. “The focus on breeding has always been for type, paying particular attention to legs, feet and udders. That focus has paid off with the herd now being balanced and consistent,” says Wyn.
THE JOURNAL JUNE 2015 13
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MOOANDBAA AND LUCINDA MORGAN
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