Dairy Roadshow - Scotland

Join us at The Crichton Farm, Dumfries where you will have the chance to meet with industry experts who will be sharing their findings from our five-year research partnership led by the University of Nottingham.  You will hear key findings from some of the studies and how they can be put into practice on-farm. We are working with SRUC to host this event.

During the day you will move through four themed interactive stations covering breeding and genetics, lameness, industry reputation, and feed and forage. There will also be the opportunity to network ith fellow attendees during the final session after lunch.

Station 1: Breeding & Genetics

Introducing new indexes and traits with Marco Winters from AHDB

• Healthy Cow
• EnviroCow
• Feed Advantage

Putting this into action: The right cow for the job - Prof Mike Coffey, SRUC

Station 2:  Lameness

Focus on Feet: Tackling lameness in dairy herds with Sara Pedersen

Putting this into action: Gold standard mobility scores  and foot bathing – Colin Mason, SRUC

Station 3:  Reputation

Reputation factors that are important to consumers with Susie Stannard, Consumer Insight Manager at AHDB

• Environmental factors
• How welfare affects consumer perception

Putting this into action: Calf housing and calf health with David Bell from SRUC

Station 4: Feed and Forage  

Optimising home grown forage and knowing the value of slurry 

David Keiley, Kite Consulting

Topics for discussion:

• Forage quality and relative values of forage compared to other feed
• Silage fermentation and supplementation with respect to milk solids production
• What can farmers do to balance risks in the current feed markets

Lorna McPherson, SAC Consulting

• Know the value of your slurry. Get your slurry analysed as there can be significant variation from standard values depending on the class of livestock it’s from, their diet and amount of water added from rainwater or dirty water.
• Get the basics right in terms of soil status and soil health. Soil test every 4 years and correct pH to target levels (minimum pH 6 for grassland and closer to 6.2 for clover-rich leys). Soil pH will have an impact on the efficiency of nutrient uptake and therefore grass yields. Fertiliser applications should then be targeted based on slurry and soil testing results. Also, assess your soils using the VESS methods and address any compaction issues.
• Forward budget forage requirements for the coming winter period to know how much silage you require to help make decisions on fertiliser applications and acreage required.

 About The Crichton

Crichton Farm is part of SRUC’s Dairy Research and Innovation Centre which aims to develop, implement and provide information from sustainable breeding and management systems for dairy cattle. Critical objectives include finding ways to improve the health and welfare of UK dairy herds and measuring different systems' effects on the environment.

Levy-funded research and development can contribute to a more sustainable future by improving technical efficiency, reducing costs of production, and retaining positive public perceptions of dairy farming.

Dairy Research Partnership 2016-2021

The Research Partnership was funded by AHDB Dairy with financial contributions from the academic partners - University of Nottingham, Harper Adams University, Royal Veterinary College, and SRUC.

The partnership, led by the University of Nottingham, addresses three of our strategic priorities:

• Feed efficiency and sustainability
• Optimising cow performance through health & welfare
• Creating a positive image for dairy farming

Learn about the seven work packages in the Dairy Research Partnership Programme by visiting our webpage.