Wow where has the past year gone. I had high expectations of maintaining my blog but alas expectations are all that they were! Try again I think.
We have had on of the worst winters I can remember. No frost and snow like last year but rain, constant rain. We had an awful August and September with fortunately one dry week at the end of September to let us get some silage made. That was the last dry week we had till the start of February when we got some muck out onto the hill. The sun is shining this morning so hopefully we will get a little dry weather now to cheer everyone up.
What else is new? Not a lot really. We had a successful calving season last year and have just started again! To Hereford cross cows with Angus bull calves. Our bull calves all went to one customer last year. I was fortunate to find someone like minded and is willing to share the performance data for the calves to let me see how they go on right up to slaughter, completing another link in my idealistic connected supply chain.
This year the crossbred cows should calve in 9 weeks again. The bull got them all served in record time, just as well as I had him sold and his new owner was waiting for him to finish here to go and start on his herd. We had a young Angus bull that let us down with the heifers so they have become a bit of a disaster but we will get over it! The bull in question was serving ok but just wasnt getting them in calf. so much for natural development, but as a speaker at this years Cattle Breeders conference stated sub-fertility, in-fertility and poor service are major problems in our industry and in some cases are accepted as part of the course.
Better stop there as I need to keep some more content for future posts.
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Monday, 14 February 2011
Calving time again- biosecurity is top priority!
Were getting ready for the commercials to start calving in little over two weeks. Its not like me to be this well planned but Im really excited about the commercial calves this year. More on that in a bit though.
Calving time is the continuation of the production cycle which started last year when the bull was turned out. It has been quiet as the calves have slowly developed inside their mums but things are hotting up and it is time to start thinking about the calving and subsequent management period and gearing up for some serious data collevtion amongst other things.
It is our goal here not to get stuck into calving and let the ladies get on with it themselves. Unfortunately we arent blessed with a dry farm so calving will take place indoors so hygiene is of top priority. I have been liming and treating the cubicles with Stalosan F for about a month now to control any bugs that may cause mastitis in the cows and have the calving pens limed and standing idle. Hopefully I will get them white washed before we start properly. The aim is to have as little involvement with the cows and calves as possible which includes antibiotic treatments.
We joined the Biobest Herdcare scheme last year and are testing the herds for our priority diseases. As the commercial herd is effectively closed and run on a seperate unit we only test them for BVD and IBR and have had a clear test for both which is great news. Hopefully this will stand to us when we start to market our high health status replacement heifers in the future, never mind the knowledge that we dont have either disease.
It is quite worrying about the spread of FMD throughout Turkey, Bulgaria and South Korea. We are only a tourist away from another tragedy. It has got me thinking about protecting our herds and what we can do here to keep disease out. Maybe I have become a bit of a hyporondriac, but I have become very aware of the risks associated with visiting other farms and other farmers visiting our premises. Its time for a health dose of disinfectant at the gate and controls on who actually gets into the livestock areas.
Here is a leaflet prepared by SAC about biosecurity on beef farms
Thats it for now. Next blog will be about data collection and what we should be looking for and recording at calving time both with the cow and the calf
Calving time is the continuation of the production cycle which started last year when the bull was turned out. It has been quiet as the calves have slowly developed inside their mums but things are hotting up and it is time to start thinking about the calving and subsequent management period and gearing up for some serious data collevtion amongst other things.
It is our goal here not to get stuck into calving and let the ladies get on with it themselves. Unfortunately we arent blessed with a dry farm so calving will take place indoors so hygiene is of top priority. I have been liming and treating the cubicles with Stalosan F for about a month now to control any bugs that may cause mastitis in the cows and have the calving pens limed and standing idle. Hopefully I will get them white washed before we start properly. The aim is to have as little involvement with the cows and calves as possible which includes antibiotic treatments.
We joined the Biobest Herdcare scheme last year and are testing the herds for our priority diseases. As the commercial herd is effectively closed and run on a seperate unit we only test them for BVD and IBR and have had a clear test for both which is great news. Hopefully this will stand to us when we start to market our high health status replacement heifers in the future, never mind the knowledge that we dont have either disease.
It is quite worrying about the spread of FMD throughout Turkey, Bulgaria and South Korea. We are only a tourist away from another tragedy. It has got me thinking about protecting our herds and what we can do here to keep disease out. Maybe I have become a bit of a hyporondriac, but I have become very aware of the risks associated with visiting other farms and other farmers visiting our premises. Its time for a health dose of disinfectant at the gate and controls on who actually gets into the livestock areas.
Here is a leaflet prepared by SAC about biosecurity on beef farms
Thats it for now. Next blog will be about data collection and what we should be looking for and recording at calving time both with the cow and the calf
Sunday, 19 December 2010
The end of the road
Well it has been a very long time since I have put a new post here but hopefully this will be a fresh start for me.
We are covered in snow, with up to 30cm's in places. Fortunately it snowed before it froze so we have no frozen pipes at the moment but that could be different bt morning.
I think to say it has been a busy year is putting it mildly. Ther has been so much going on here on the farm in addition to my commitments with the NBA, CAFRe and the NIRMSF. I will elaborate a little more on these later.
Suffice to say that were it not for being awarded a Nuffield Scholarship none of these thing would have happened. It is hard to believe that life does cahnge in the wake of a Nuffield but it does and in a pretty serious way. I have been thinking lately about what life would have been like had I done some things differently. I spent a few hours with my High School English teacher earlier in the week as he kindly agreed to proof read my report. Being honest I didnt like school and tended to work in the classes where I liked the teacher. Had I worked harder at school maybe I would probably never have been around the world or met the people I have who I now call friends.
The experience of the last two years also brings another point to mind. It is not qualifications or certificates that make the person but their passion, commitment and enthusiasm for what they do. I am maybe sounding a bit "gushy" now but Nuffield has proved to me that these three things cannot be bought or taught but have to exist within are are far more valuable than anything else.
Enough soppy stuff. The reason for this blog entry is to let everyone know that I have finished my scholarship report. The title is "Selection techniques and performance improvement in the suckler herd". I have given it final approval and it will hopefully hit the Nuffield International website tomorrow for download. This is a momentous occasion as I have never had anything published before and may not again after this!!
I would like to thank everyone that helped throughout my Scholarship wherever they are in the world. I met many wonderful people and visited many fantastic places. I am forever in your debt.
I will be emailing copies of my report in the coming weeks but if you would like one sooner please drop me a line.
We are covered in snow, with up to 30cm's in places. Fortunately it snowed before it froze so we have no frozen pipes at the moment but that could be different bt morning.
I think to say it has been a busy year is putting it mildly. Ther has been so much going on here on the farm in addition to my commitments with the NBA, CAFRe and the NIRMSF. I will elaborate a little more on these later.
Suffice to say that were it not for being awarded a Nuffield Scholarship none of these thing would have happened. It is hard to believe that life does cahnge in the wake of a Nuffield but it does and in a pretty serious way. I have been thinking lately about what life would have been like had I done some things differently. I spent a few hours with my High School English teacher earlier in the week as he kindly agreed to proof read my report. Being honest I didnt like school and tended to work in the classes where I liked the teacher. Had I worked harder at school maybe I would probably never have been around the world or met the people I have who I now call friends.
The experience of the last two years also brings another point to mind. It is not qualifications or certificates that make the person but their passion, commitment and enthusiasm for what they do. I am maybe sounding a bit "gushy" now but Nuffield has proved to me that these three things cannot be bought or taught but have to exist within are are far more valuable than anything else.
Enough soppy stuff. The reason for this blog entry is to let everyone know that I have finished my scholarship report. The title is "Selection techniques and performance improvement in the suckler herd". I have given it final approval and it will hopefully hit the Nuffield International website tomorrow for download. This is a momentous occasion as I have never had anything published before and may not again after this!!
I would like to thank everyone that helped throughout my Scholarship wherever they are in the world. I met many wonderful people and visited many fantastic places. I am forever in your debt.
I will be emailing copies of my report in the coming weeks but if you would like one sooner please drop me a line.
Monday, 25 October 2010
NUFFIELD FARMING SCHOLARSHIPS –DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS IS FAST APPROACHING
Miss the deadline for applications for 2011 Nuffield Farming Scholarship Awards and you could miss out on the chance of a lifetime.
The closing date for applications of November 15th is fast approaching, so don’t pass up your opportunity to travel the world in search of new experiences, new ideas and more profitable ways of doing things.
“Anyone with a worthwhile individual project, who is keen to travel to enhance their knowledge and skills, and who enjoys sharing information, is what we are looking for,” explains John Stones, Director Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust.
“In particular, Nuffield is on the lookout for people who are self-motivated, enquiring and excited about their area of interest. That area of interest could be anything related to agriculture, horticulture or forestry, or associated industries.”
Nuffield Scholarships are recognised throughout the world. They are open to individuals aged 23 to 45 and who are resident in the UK. There are no pre-requisite academic qualifications. Each scholarship provides a bursary towards travel and subsistence expenses for eight weeks of individual study, as well as an international briefing involving industry leaders and Nuffield Scholars from around the world.
John Stones points out: “Most scholars return from their travels with a spring in their step and a new-found confidence in their abilities and ambitions. The information and knowledge they gather, the doors that are opened and the new experiences they encounter, more often than not bring a brand new perspective to their work and their lives. They never look back.
“Supported and motivated by a network of scholars and scholarship activities in the UK and abroad, their learning experience doesn’t end with their scholarship travels. Rather, as a consequence of their experience, the scholar develops a thirst for continued learning which can continue for life.
“So what’s stopping you?”
As the experiences of past scholars show, the many benefits of a Nuffield Scholarship far outweigh any initial worries – whether about finding the time to be away from a busy working life or family commitments, or any feelings that you are just not good enough:
“The trouble with a Nuffield is that everyone thinks they are too busy to spend eight weeks travelling and their business will fall apart while they are away. I was one of those people. But as most past scholars will tell you, what actually happens is that colleagues and employees enjoy the challenge of added responsibility.” Richard Hooper 2009
“Many people say to me that Nuffield Scholarships must be only for clever people. This is rubbish. Anyone can take the plunge. Some of the best study papers given at the winter conference have come from people who came from very practical jobs with no college training.” Steve Ward 1990
“Nuffield really does open doors. The whole experience is one that will remain for a lifetime. It opened my eyes to what is going on around the world. I made contact with people I would never have met in any other way and now have a two-way network of people involved in agriculture around the world. I also got to know my way around the UK government, the European Parliament and a whole host of industry organisations and government bodies.” Nick Green 2002
“The opportunity Nuffield provides is something money can’t buy. The experiences gained are truly life changing. Nuffield Scholarships are quite simply the best example of life-long learning.” Clive Blacker 2004
“There is never a good time to do a scholarship. I applied and have never looked back. I have never had time to! I hope that others will also realise that there is rarely a ‘right time’ to embark on a Nuffield Scholarship and apply for this fantastic learning opportunity, which includes becoming involved in the various Nuffield groups for a lifetime of learning.” Nick Chippindale 2009
The NFST awards around 20 scholarships each year, providing travel and subsistence costs in return for a written paper and the presentation of study findings at its annual conference.
Entry for an award couldn’t be simpler. All you need to do is decide what you would really like to study and why, and send in a completed application form before the deadline of 15th November 2010. Your application will require two references.
An application form for a 2011 Scholarship can be downloaded from the Nuffield website at www.nuffieldscholar.org, where further information about the scholarship scheme can be found.
Individuals interested in applying, but requiring further information, are also invited to contact John Stones on Tel. 01858 555544 01858 555544 (Email. nuffielddirector@aol.com).
The closing date for applications of November 15th is fast approaching, so don’t pass up your opportunity to travel the world in search of new experiences, new ideas and more profitable ways of doing things.
“Anyone with a worthwhile individual project, who is keen to travel to enhance their knowledge and skills, and who enjoys sharing information, is what we are looking for,” explains John Stones, Director Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust.
“In particular, Nuffield is on the lookout for people who are self-motivated, enquiring and excited about their area of interest. That area of interest could be anything related to agriculture, horticulture or forestry, or associated industries.”
Nuffield Scholarships are recognised throughout the world. They are open to individuals aged 23 to 45 and who are resident in the UK. There are no pre-requisite academic qualifications. Each scholarship provides a bursary towards travel and subsistence expenses for eight weeks of individual study, as well as an international briefing involving industry leaders and Nuffield Scholars from around the world.
John Stones points out: “Most scholars return from their travels with a spring in their step and a new-found confidence in their abilities and ambitions. The information and knowledge they gather, the doors that are opened and the new experiences they encounter, more often than not bring a brand new perspective to their work and their lives. They never look back.
“Supported and motivated by a network of scholars and scholarship activities in the UK and abroad, their learning experience doesn’t end with their scholarship travels. Rather, as a consequence of their experience, the scholar develops a thirst for continued learning which can continue for life.
“So what’s stopping you?”
As the experiences of past scholars show, the many benefits of a Nuffield Scholarship far outweigh any initial worries – whether about finding the time to be away from a busy working life or family commitments, or any feelings that you are just not good enough:
“The trouble with a Nuffield is that everyone thinks they are too busy to spend eight weeks travelling and their business will fall apart while they are away. I was one of those people. But as most past scholars will tell you, what actually happens is that colleagues and employees enjoy the challenge of added responsibility.” Richard Hooper 2009
“Many people say to me that Nuffield Scholarships must be only for clever people. This is rubbish. Anyone can take the plunge. Some of the best study papers given at the winter conference have come from people who came from very practical jobs with no college training.” Steve Ward 1990
“Nuffield really does open doors. The whole experience is one that will remain for a lifetime. It opened my eyes to what is going on around the world. I made contact with people I would never have met in any other way and now have a two-way network of people involved in agriculture around the world. I also got to know my way around the UK government, the European Parliament and a whole host of industry organisations and government bodies.” Nick Green 2002
“The opportunity Nuffield provides is something money can’t buy. The experiences gained are truly life changing. Nuffield Scholarships are quite simply the best example of life-long learning.” Clive Blacker 2004
“There is never a good time to do a scholarship. I applied and have never looked back. I have never had time to! I hope that others will also realise that there is rarely a ‘right time’ to embark on a Nuffield Scholarship and apply for this fantastic learning opportunity, which includes becoming involved in the various Nuffield groups for a lifetime of learning.” Nick Chippindale 2009
The NFST awards around 20 scholarships each year, providing travel and subsistence costs in return for a written paper and the presentation of study findings at its annual conference.
Entry for an award couldn’t be simpler. All you need to do is decide what you would really like to study and why, and send in a completed application form before the deadline of 15th November 2010. Your application will require two references.
An application form for a 2011 Scholarship can be downloaded from the Nuffield website at www.nuffieldscholar.org, where further information about the scholarship scheme can be found.
Individuals interested in applying, but requiring further information, are also invited to contact John Stones on Tel. 01858 555544 01858 555544 (Email. nuffielddirector@aol.com).
Monday, 19 July 2010
Time flies
I cant believe its been so long since I last posted here. It has been a hectic spring here, with so much to do. Why so much? Well its always quite busy here but we have had an exceptionally dry year (until the start of July anyway) which has allowed us to get a lot of jobs done that we havent been able to because of the last two wet summers. Lots of barbed wire and electric fencing up now but unfortunately lots more still to go.
We got all our hay and silage cleared up in the second week of June without a drop of rain. Despite farmers everywhere complaining about poor crops we had good yields and really good quality grass. Crops were low yielding because of the lack of rain and cold temperatures, but fortunately, on this occasion our soil suits dry weather, which is a curse during wet weather, giving its high moisture retaining capacity(bog!). Anyway fertiliser has been sowed again now and were sitting back waiting for 2nd cut to grow. Its really easy to see the 09 re-seeds amongst the rest. Their response to fertiliser and even the speed at which they greened up after cutting is incredible. We need a dry August now to get some more ploughed.
I have over-seeded a few acres with Hybrid ryegrass, white and red clover to try and freshen up some of the really tired swards. The worry with ploughing is that we get more of the awful downpours we had last year and loose production for a year. we wont really see a response to the seeding until next year but hopefully the clovers will have kicked in to give us some free Nitrogen and improve the forage protein.
Bulls have been with the cows now for about 6 weeks. Plan is to let them go for another 3 weeks but all things being equal the cows should all be in calf by now. We have been a bit back-side foremost with our commercial maiden heifers. There are only a few of them and were a bit young to breed first so they have just gone to the bull last week. They are going to have a quick turn around next year but we should be able to manage them for this to work. Fingers crossed!
We have had a lot of rain as I mentioned above, with 10cm's alone last week. So far the ground is coping, except for the moss, but we really could do with a dry week, just in case this is it!
Anyway better go a empty the rain gauge.
We got all our hay and silage cleared up in the second week of June without a drop of rain. Despite farmers everywhere complaining about poor crops we had good yields and really good quality grass. Crops were low yielding because of the lack of rain and cold temperatures, but fortunately, on this occasion our soil suits dry weather, which is a curse during wet weather, giving its high moisture retaining capacity(bog!). Anyway fertiliser has been sowed again now and were sitting back waiting for 2nd cut to grow. Its really easy to see the 09 re-seeds amongst the rest. Their response to fertiliser and even the speed at which they greened up after cutting is incredible. We need a dry August now to get some more ploughed.
I have over-seeded a few acres with Hybrid ryegrass, white and red clover to try and freshen up some of the really tired swards. The worry with ploughing is that we get more of the awful downpours we had last year and loose production for a year. we wont really see a response to the seeding until next year but hopefully the clovers will have kicked in to give us some free Nitrogen and improve the forage protein.
Bulls have been with the cows now for about 6 weeks. Plan is to let them go for another 3 weeks but all things being equal the cows should all be in calf by now. We have been a bit back-side foremost with our commercial maiden heifers. There are only a few of them and were a bit young to breed first so they have just gone to the bull last week. They are going to have a quick turn around next year but we should be able to manage them for this to work. Fingers crossed!
We have had a lot of rain as I mentioned above, with 10cm's alone last week. So far the ground is coping, except for the moss, but we really could do with a dry week, just in case this is it!
Anyway better go a empty the rain gauge.
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Bovine eating disorders
I appologise in advance for the title but it seems pretty accuate to some of the things I have seen this week. Eating disorders suffered amongst the human population are getting quite a bit of discussion thankfully bringing these awful problems to the attention of the wider world.
The disorders Im talking about are those involving obesity in breeding bulls. We regularly see programmes on the television (for those that have time to watch) showing how obesity affects the population and how much it is costing the NHS to treat the rising number of related diseases.
Shockingly cattle breeders are quite happy to reward the production of fat in breeding bulls through their buying habits. "Oh no" I hear you say, "I would never buy an over fed bull, I want my bulls lean, fit and fertile" which is a bit like the British consumer saying they only want British strawberries until they realise the spanish ones are 2p cheaper.
I have been to two breeding cattle sales this week both of which had large numbers of young breeding bulls to sell. Both to be fair had to types of bull, the good and the rest. One lot of bulls were all naturally produced on milk and grass and very little else, they had all the health tests and vaccinations you could imagine too. The other lot were a colective sale of which I had one bull in. I had the EBV's(top 10% of the breed for SRI), tested free of IBR, Johnes and BVD ( we dont do Lepto) and produced with a limited concentrate input.
This isnt sour grapes but off the buyers go with their wad of cash to buy that easy doing naturally reared bull and come home with the ad-lib fed one who only lifted his head out of the trough for breath. I still have my bull which Im disapointed about but he is going to our commercial cows instead (we might as well benefit from his easy calving and high milk) but Im scratching my head wondering what bull buyers are thinking?
Cattle are no different to humans in very simple terms. If they are too fat their life expectancty is reduced and they will leave the herd prematurely through feet/leg problems, poor fertility, inability to serve or the condition will just fall of them (as they have never had to graze much to survive) and will die!
What do you do about it? Heres a few ideas to put into practice.
Buy bulls produced in systems similar to your own.
Buy the bull well in advance of needing him.
Find out as much as you can about the farm he is coming from.
Check out his disease background.
What are his EBV's like? Do they fit my requirements?
Is he fit and agile?
Has he been semen tested or used successfully?
Whats his temperament like?
Going to a sale and buying the bull because he was champion is un-cool! The judge liked him but it doesnt mean he was right or is the right one for you. The decisions you make today in sire selection will haunt you for years to come. The calves conceved today wont leave you any money for maybe 18mths and if your breeding replacements you wont know for maybe 3 years if they are any good.
Is a fat bull a safe bet to ensure your long life in the cattle business?
The disorders Im talking about are those involving obesity in breeding bulls. We regularly see programmes on the television (for those that have time to watch) showing how obesity affects the population and how much it is costing the NHS to treat the rising number of related diseases.
Shockingly cattle breeders are quite happy to reward the production of fat in breeding bulls through their buying habits. "Oh no" I hear you say, "I would never buy an over fed bull, I want my bulls lean, fit and fertile" which is a bit like the British consumer saying they only want British strawberries until they realise the spanish ones are 2p cheaper.
I have been to two breeding cattle sales this week both of which had large numbers of young breeding bulls to sell. Both to be fair had to types of bull, the good and the rest. One lot of bulls were all naturally produced on milk and grass and very little else, they had all the health tests and vaccinations you could imagine too. The other lot were a colective sale of which I had one bull in. I had the EBV's(top 10% of the breed for SRI), tested free of IBR, Johnes and BVD ( we dont do Lepto) and produced with a limited concentrate input.
This isnt sour grapes but off the buyers go with their wad of cash to buy that easy doing naturally reared bull and come home with the ad-lib fed one who only lifted his head out of the trough for breath. I still have my bull which Im disapointed about but he is going to our commercial cows instead (we might as well benefit from his easy calving and high milk) but Im scratching my head wondering what bull buyers are thinking?
Cattle are no different to humans in very simple terms. If they are too fat their life expectancty is reduced and they will leave the herd prematurely through feet/leg problems, poor fertility, inability to serve or the condition will just fall of them (as they have never had to graze much to survive) and will die!
What do you do about it? Heres a few ideas to put into practice.
Buy bulls produced in systems similar to your own.
Buy the bull well in advance of needing him.
Find out as much as you can about the farm he is coming from.
Check out his disease background.
What are his EBV's like? Do they fit my requirements?
Is he fit and agile?
Has he been semen tested or used successfully?
Whats his temperament like?
Going to a sale and buying the bull because he was champion is un-cool! The judge liked him but it doesnt mean he was right or is the right one for you. The decisions you make today in sire selection will haunt you for years to come. The calves conceved today wont leave you any money for maybe 18mths and if your breeding replacements you wont know for maybe 3 years if they are any good.
Is a fat bull a safe bet to ensure your long life in the cattle business?
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
A bit more on calving
Having thought a bit more about my last post I remembered I had missed out a teny weeny bit that has been on my mind all day (grantd it has been a wet day so Ive been looking for "alternative " farming things to do).
The management of the cow up to and at calving probably has more bearing on whats going to happen when the contractions start than anything else. Monitoring the cows body condition during pregnancy to make sure she is getting enough energy to maintain herself and grow the calf without making her fat and the calf too big is all too often overlooked.
Not only is this relevant to calving time but also to the old finances. I asked a well know cattle researcher what was the difference between calving at CS 5 and CS 7 (they use a 0-9 scale in the USA) and he responded it was the amount of feed you had wasted putting on un-necessary fat. The benefits in terms of calf growth, milk production and improvement in conception rates were negligible.
Lets not overlook the mineral status of the cows either. There is no excuse nowdays for cows not receiving adequate levels of minerals and vitamins in a normal year. The weather we have endured through the last 2 summers is an exception. There are lots of routes to get minerals into cows, Boluses, in the water, powdered free access weather proof, drenches, dusted on pasture or my least favourite the bucket. Buckets arent entirely bad but you just need to be picky about the type and the levels of the various mins and vits. These play a role in the calves health status, the cows immunity, the colostrum quality, calving and rebreeding.
Im also wondering about the fact many cows are calving indoors at the minute and how much the lack of exercise and movement affects their ability to calve. I dont know if anyone has researched this officially or unofficially when they are on the night shift but it would be interesting to hear any opinions.
Heres a useful bit of pub quiz info for you. Did you know a cows body temperature will rise a few degrees it the hours before she calves?
Bovine nutrition is just about as complicated as everything else involving them, but like breeding it shows how many things are inter-related and dependant on something else happening that you might never think of.
The management of the cow up to and at calving probably has more bearing on whats going to happen when the contractions start than anything else. Monitoring the cows body condition during pregnancy to make sure she is getting enough energy to maintain herself and grow the calf without making her fat and the calf too big is all too often overlooked.
Not only is this relevant to calving time but also to the old finances. I asked a well know cattle researcher what was the difference between calving at CS 5 and CS 7 (they use a 0-9 scale in the USA) and he responded it was the amount of feed you had wasted putting on un-necessary fat. The benefits in terms of calf growth, milk production and improvement in conception rates were negligible.
Lets not overlook the mineral status of the cows either. There is no excuse nowdays for cows not receiving adequate levels of minerals and vitamins in a normal year. The weather we have endured through the last 2 summers is an exception. There are lots of routes to get minerals into cows, Boluses, in the water, powdered free access weather proof, drenches, dusted on pasture or my least favourite the bucket. Buckets arent entirely bad but you just need to be picky about the type and the levels of the various mins and vits. These play a role in the calves health status, the cows immunity, the colostrum quality, calving and rebreeding.
Im also wondering about the fact many cows are calving indoors at the minute and how much the lack of exercise and movement affects their ability to calve. I dont know if anyone has researched this officially or unofficially when they are on the night shift but it would be interesting to hear any opinions.
Heres a useful bit of pub quiz info for you. Did you know a cows body temperature will rise a few degrees it the hours before she calves?
Bovine nutrition is just about as complicated as everything else involving them, but like breeding it shows how many things are inter-related and dependant on something else happening that you might never think of.
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