ON a dry but cold spring day, some 160 dairy farmers, vets and others gathered at the Centre for Dairy Research (CEDAR), part of the University of Reading.
The head of research and development at DairyCo, Ray Keatinge, invited delegates to visit the many technical presentations which demonstrate the application of research on-farm.
Under the banner “Your levy your future”, a decision was taken under two years ago to invest in more research and development and over 20 PhD students are being funded to study a dairy-related topic.
This support forms research partnerships with universities within two themes of “health, welfare and nutrition” and “soils, forage and grassland”. Each theme has been allocated £500,000 over five years. Many of the farmers came to the event to see where “their” money is being spent.
In addition to the research partnerships, there are other initiatives with over 50 individual projects going on across a range of subjects. On arrival each delegate was allocated to a small group with a DairyCo member of staff and led from location to location to meet and discuss some of the topics with the researchers involved.
When a hooter sounded we were shepherded from one building to another or out to a field demonstration. Although there was limited time for discussion at the set pieces, supporting information was available in the marquee where coffee, lunch and tea were available.
Soil compaction
One of the advantages of the arrangement is that information is provided about topics that might not appear of interest on paper. Thus, the work of Paul Hargreaves, Bruce Ball and Dave Roberts (SRUC) on soil compaction appears particularly relevant with current weather conditions.
The impact of machinery and animal compaction on grass yield was tested on three cuts of silage in 2012. Driving a tractor across a field has the greatest compaction with the first pass. Subsequent passes add little more. Tractor compaction is greater than trampling by cattle but compaction by trampling causes a greater loss of grass yield due to damage to the plants.
Gaseous nitrogen loss is greater with tractor compaction and fertiliser application gives rise to greater nitrogen emissions following tractor compaction.
Further information is available from Debbie.McConnell@dairyco.ahdb.org.uk.
There is, of course, considerable interest in milk drinking among dairy farmers. It is encouraging for the Animal Science Research Group at CEDAR to be providing evidence that greater consumption of most products from dairies improves human health, including reducing the relative risk of cardiovascular disease.
Men consuming larger amounts of milk had a lower body mass index and reduced blood pressure. Increased saturated fatty acid consumption is associated with increased arterial stiffness. Feeding unsaturated fatty acids (e.g. crushed rape seed) to cows reduces the saturated fatty acid concentration of milk.
Practical approaches that reduce saturated fatty acid concentrations in milk are ongoing with farmers, milk processors and feed and supplement companies.
Men who consume more milk, cheese and cream had less arterial stiffness but butter consumption may be detrimental. The summary is that dairy products can be part of a healthy, balanced diet at all life stages.
Further information is available from d.i.givens@reading.ac.uk.
State of the art
The dairy enterprise at CEDAR is made up of 580 cows, predominately housed. Dry cows and low yielding cows are grazed. Up to 200 cows are individually fed for trial purposes.
Described as “a state of the art research facility for applied and strategic research concerning milk composition, dairy cow nutrition, reproduction and the health and environmental impacts of milk and milk production”, the head of dairy science and herd manager, James Lamburn, takes pride in the status of his cows.
The culling rate is 19%, death rate 4%, a 93% herd mobility score of 0 or 1 and 3.9 lactations per cow. More than 9,500 litres of milk are sold per cow per year at an average 3.9% fat, 3.15% protein and a herd somatic cell count of 146,000.
The facilities were completely refurbished from 2004 to 2007 and youngstock from one week old until calving are reared separately from the main herd at the nearby Sonning Farm.
The Healthy Feet Programme is now well established and the grading of cows from 0 to 3 for mobility is accepted as indications of problems to be identified and addressed. Jon Huxley and the group at Nottingham have investigated the treatment of score 2 and 3 cows with sole ulcers and white line disease.
Accepting that prevention is the aim of the programme, there is still a need to manage and recognise the best options for the treatment of cows. One of the problems for the researchers is that the more successful the programme, the fewer lame cows are available for treatment.
However, three treatments have been assessed: trim the hoof, fit a block and administer a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Some cows received one or another and some all three treatments but, and this may become an increasing frustration with students wanting to publish first and deliver knowledge transfer second, the results are not available before publication. The farmers left the shed wanting to know more. Further information from jon.huxley@nottingham.ac.uk.
Monitoring mastitis
The mastitis session with Peers Davies and Peter Downes (University of Nottingham) outlined the application of the Mastitis Control Plan and the specific need to identify the bacteria involved and their relationship to cell count.
More than 10% of the national herd is now participating in the plan, with veterinary surgeons and other herd “monitors” continuing to attend training sessions.
The activity of the different strains of Strep. uberis is increasingly of importance and strain typing is a research option that will be available to farmers as part of the herd assessment.
The availability of a vaccine for Coliforms and Stapylococci was discussed and it was emphasised that vaccination would form part of the overall recommendations where a potential on-farm benefit would be identified, particularly in low cell count herds. A great deal of work and understanding is ongoing with at least two PhD research studies.
A study is being developed to predict grass clover silage composition. Utilising near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), reliable equations will indicate the nutritive value of silage. It is expected that more accurate ration formulation will offer decreased diet costs and increase the efficiency of milk production.
Collecting samples
David Humphries, Tom Burns-Price and Chris Reynolds from the University of Reading are collecting grass-clover samples from 10 to 40% clover content, which will be analysed and the digestibility measured using sheep. Faeces will be collected and the metabolisable energy predicted from organic matter digestion.
Degradability will be estimated in three dairy cows from 0 to 72 hours. The overall equations directed by the animal studies will be applied and silage analysis will empower the farmer to provide a targeted diet.
The impact of feeding minerals, particularly copper, has been studied by Liam Sinclair from Harper Adams and an important conclusion is that one person on a farm should be aware of all mineral feeding to the herd, including rations and boluses. Too often there is too much or too little of a mineral in the overall diet.
Full information about ongoing projects and initiatives is available from the DairyCo website (www.dairyco.org.uk). An overarching theme is “knowledge transfer deliverables”.
The levy is 0.06p per litre, which generates an annual income of the order of £6.5 million and it is clear that the research partnerships approach will interest students and others in becoming involved in dairy developments. Ideas for projects are welcomed.
