Leicestershire: Identifying the bottlenecks in a cost-effective heifer rearing system

Join strategic dairy farm host George Wade and independent consultant Chris Coxon for an on-farm meeting looking at the bottlenecks in a cost-effective heifer rearing system.

George would like to review his heifer rearing enterprise and make sure animals are not only well-grown on entering the herd but are calving down to fit the compact calving block which he hopes to reduce to just six weeks. 

At the event you will learn about:

• Weight targets and the best time to weigh
• Actual weaning weights at Honeypot Farm
• Young calf nutrition including comparisons between the use of milk bar teats and an auto milk machine
• Pre-bulling diets, including management at autumn with grazing and feeding at housing/timing pre-service
• Whether heifers need concentrate supplements at grass
• The quality of grazed grass and silage and if its good enough

Booking is essential for lunch and due to limited car parking.

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 Honeypot Farm

Honeypot Farm has been operated as a farm partnership between Mr Garner and Martin Wade since 1982.  Based in Husbands Bosworth in Leicestershire, they run an autumn block-calving herd of 380 Holstein Friesians cows using British, Irish and New Zealand genetics. They have 190 ha of ring-fenced land, of which 98 ha is the grazing platform, supported by 249 ha for forage and youngstock grazing. Recent investments have included spending £1.2 million on the development of a second 350 cow unit, plus £60,000 adding 100 cubicles at Honeypot, £100,000 on upgrading their parlour, £40,000 revamping their silage pits, as well as upgrading their grazing infrastructure.

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