Identifying the potential hiding in your dairy business

Join us and LIC business consultant Piers Badnell as we take a look at Strategic Dairy Farmer Dan Burdett’s farming business at Cockhaise Farm. We will look at what he is recording, what he has to record and what analysis he can do to make better use of this data.

 A typical dairy farmer can be collecting in excess of 720,000 data points a year and struggling to use it to make business decisions. This could be data such as milk records, cashflows and costings, grass covers and mastitis rates to name but a few.

 At our event you will learn how you can use these records to find the efficient cows in your herd and improve your business. On the day, you will learn:

• The basic data you should be measuring and analysing
• How to use what you are already recording
• What hoops are worth jumping through to make the most of your data
• The ‘good to knows’ to take your business to the next level

To assist with biosecurity and conform to government guidelines please ensure outer clothing and vehicles are clean and that clean boots that can be disinfected are worn. Please note children under the age of 16 and dogs are not allowed at the event, even if they are staying in the car.

Health and Safety guidelines for AHDB Events

About Cockhaise Farm

Cockhaise Farm in Sussex is owned and operated by Dan Burdett and his family. Taking over operations from his father in 2013, Dan now operates a tight autumn block calving herd of 240 Holstein and Friesian crosses. The farm spans 300 hectares with a flexible grazing platform of between 75-120 hectares depending on the time of year and grass growth.

The herd is currently made up of 240 Holstein Friesian cows although they are looking to reduce this number to improve their efficiency. The animals average 550kg liveweight, and come from New Zealand and Irish genetics. They achieve 6,000L of milk per cow per year of which 3181L is from forage. They operate an autumn block calving herd with all animals calving within a six-week block. This herd starts calving in November.

Find out more about Cockhaise Farm.

About Strategic Dairy Farms

Strategic dairy farms help farmers learn from each other through regular on-farm meetings where we share key performance data and showcase what the best farmers are doing.

They form part of the Optimal Dairy Systems programme which aims to help dairy farmer’s lower costs and increase efficiency by focusing on either a block or all-year-round calving system.

The growing network of strategic dairy farms have calculated key performance indicators (KPIs) for their enterprises which are shared at meetings and published online. These are physical and financial performance measures that are critical to success. Farmers can benchmark their businesses against these KPIs and identify areas for improvement.

Explore our other strategic dairy farms