‘
John aims to get the first 20 litres of milk from grass between May and the end of August
For retained heifers the aim is to calve at 30 months although John does admit this is an area that could be improved. “But it is difficult to serve heifers during the summer. “Young stock are summered away from home in fields anywhere between two and eight miles away which makes it almost impossible to serve heifers. I like to serve heifers twice with sexed semen and then the Hereford sweeps up.” Running the farm by himself with relief help John, likes to keep things simple and easily managed. Doing the relief work is self employed David McCutcheon who has worked at Floors Farm for 37 years and takes responsibility for heifers wintered away from home and helps up to 30 hours a week with all work. John’s partner Ellen also helps feed the baby calves and assists with milking when she isn’t working as a recorder for CIS. During winter cows are housed in cubicle sheds that all feed from the same central raised passage, with grass silage fed every second day. “The winter housing isn’t ideal, but as a tenant I try to make the best of what is here, 150 animals feed from the same bunker including dry cows. Although there are effectively three cubicle houses they all rely on the same feed space so have to run together.
’
“During winter 70 youngstock are reared away from home on ad-lib haylage or silage. Once they hit nine months old they receive no concentrate until after calving, while calves are reared on haylage or hay supplemented with a rearing pellet.”
Keeping costs down and ensuring he has a firm handle on herd management John likes to do all the milking himself.
ABOVE LEFT This issue’s cover girl Paahill Iris 4 VG89 is a sixth lactation Paradise-R Roebuck daughter.
ABOVE RIGHT Paahill Rose 40 VG86 is a third calved Mr Sam
daughter.
BELOW LEFT All young stock are reared on the farm with Hereford cross calves run alongside the Holstein replacement heifers.
“The herd is milked at 12 hour intervals, with cows milked through a basic 12:12 direct to line Westfalia parlour. Milk recording once a month is undertaken to monitor production.
“I aim to produce milk as cheaply as possible and get the first 20 litres of milk from grass from May to the end of August. The rest of the time cows are fed up to a maximum of 4kg of concentrate through the parlour to compensate for late season grass and quality of silage. If the herd is out before 1 May it is a bonus and the silage clamp is opened on 1 October and from then cows have the opportunity to stay in before being housed full time from 20 October, weather depending.” John’s low cost approach to milk production may not suit everyone, but it is delivering results, with an average profit margin after purchased feed of £163.92/cow over the last 12 months. “It was highest last August at £218/cow and lowest in February 2015. Despite the lowest feed costs the drop in milk price
26 THE JOURNAL JUNE 2015
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 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112