The effects of drought on Welsh dairy farms
1 June 2020 The recent prolonged spell of dry weather has led to some of Farming Connect’s Dairy demonstration sites needing to adjust their feeding and silage making regime to cope with low soil moisture levels. Grass growth rates in...
Management issues with low soil moistures and no real forecast of rain
27 May 2020 Chris Duller, Soils and Grassland Specialist Normally in late May, grass would be approaching peak growth, with growth rates of over 100kgDM/ha/day being achieved and concerns would be about grass getting away from stock. The reality this...
Farming Connect is determined to reach out to women in farming - the driving force behind many successful rural businesses in Wales
26 May 2020 The number of females registered with Farming Connect is less than half the number of males registered. It’s a ratio that Eirwen Williams, director of rural programmes with Menter a Busnes, is determined to address. “With so...
FC - Issue 27 - May/June 2020
Below is the 27th issue of Farming Connect’s technical publication for farmers and foresters in Wales. Published bi-monthly, it includes easy to digest facts and figures about a range of technical matters, along with the latest information and research from...
First fat tailed Damara lambs born in Wales
20 May 2020 In the early 1990s, Anglesey farmer Peter Williams left home to work on a 30,000 sheep farm near Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. He was determined to broaden his horizons and learn as much as he could about...
Put quality before quantity by cutting silage early, farmers advised
19 May 2020 Dairy farmers who improve silage quality by just 1 metabolisable energy (ME) value, to 11.5ME, will produce an additional 60,000 litres of milk from a 1,000 tonne crop. The financial payback of producing good quality silage was...
Milking for all it’s worth (Farming Connect Udder Health Visit)
19 May 2020 Case Study: Ynysgain, Criccieth In July 2019, Farming Connect collaborated with South Caernarfon Creameries to design and implement a trial into efficient methods of addressing milk quality problems as a pilot project. Kite Consulting, with partners Advanced...
Dairy farm exploits genomic testing to identify most productive heifer replacements
15 May 2020 A Pembrokeshire dairy farm is screening the genomics of its heifer calves to select the best replacements for the milking herd. Rearing replacements is one of the biggest costs on a dairy farm - rearing a calf...
Project informs management changes that reduce parasite dosing in goats
15 May 2020 Goat meat producers with low stocking rates who turn herds out to graze on long swards intermittently are reporting significantly less worm challenges. Four goat meat businesses in Wales have come together for a project that aims...