51AVÊÓƵ

Vegetable oil prices reached a 10-month low, according to FAO

Jasmine Underwood, 18, is from Bruton, Somerset, and works as a dairy farmer in Wells, Somerset.

The management of calf rearing and the standard of housing facilities are key factors in the overall health, welfare and performance of calves. So how do you get things right when individual systems are so varied?

Nowadays most dairy farmers understand good colostrum management is key, but exactly what that entails is more often a point of debate.

Getting the optimum quantity and quality of colostrum is key for new born calves – but making the right choice when it comes to following on from colostrum onto milk replacers is also vital.

For Mark and Susie Mottershead, who farm at The Brook, Wrexham, the 2020 lockdown prompted a focus on calves within their pedigree Holstein herd which were not performing as well as they wanted them to.

South Caernarfon Creameries has bounced back from the Covid-19 pandemic, reporting profits of £4.1 million and a 17 per cent increase in sales to a £71.5m in the year to March 2022.

When rearing all your own replacement heifers within a closed herd, the team at the University of Edinburgh’s Langhill 51AVÊÓƵsays it is particularly important calves get off to a good start.

Dairy, beef and sheep farmers are being encouraged to record their on-farm antibiotic use via Medicine Hub, either via their vet or individually.

With the aim of making their ice cream the ‘greenest in the world’, producing a highly efficient milking herd is a top priority for the team at Mackie’s, in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire.