News

Sustainable Feeding for Staffordshire Herd

15th November 2023

James Tattersall and his family run Hundred Acre Farm in the heart of the Staffordshire countryside. Calving in July and August, the 130 head Friesian/ Jersey Cross are milked twice a day, with the herd averaging 7000 litres and milk constituent averages of 4.8% butterfat & 4% milk protein. The herd is rotationally grazed from early Spring to late Autumn to maximise efficiencies of homegrown forage. The calves are fed on NWF Calf Starter Pellets & NWF’s Ultra Hi-Pro Heifer milk replacer, whilst the dry cows are supplemented with NWF’s Dry Cow Mineral buckets in the lead-up to calving.

Maximising Diets with Molasses

7th November 2023

Following on from a mild winter during which grass growth didn’t completely stop growing, we have faced a wet and warm summer which has delivered variable silage conditions and initial analyses results. Higher fibres however will challenge intakes, where molasses could play a key role.

Negative energy balance in dairy cows; how do we combat it?

31st October 2023

Dairy cows typically enter a period of negative energy balance in early lactation. This is due, in part, to the milk yield having increased over the years, while their ability to consume enough food hasn’t increased at the same rate.