51AVÊÓÆµ

Shropshire dairy farm boosts milk yields and cow health with precision feeding

A Shropshire dairy farm has cut feed waste, removed metabolic disease issues and boosted average yields by at least 500 litre per cow since upgrading their out-of-parlour feeding system and installing in-parlour feeders

clock • 5 min read
Left to right: Will and Alan Watkins run a 400-head cross-bred herd.
Image:

Left to right: Will and Alan Watkins run a 400-head cross-bred herd.

Alan Watkins, who farms near Ludlow with his son Will, brother Edwin, and dad John, runs a 400-head cross-bred autumn block-calving herd. For over a decade, the family has used out-of-parlour feeders...

To continue reading...

Already a member? Login for full access.

New to Farmers Guardian? Register for 1 free article per week or become a member for unlimited access to essential farming news and insights.

article-img-580x358

Ìý

More on Dairy

Early-maturing maize variety boosts silage yields on Oxfordshire dairy farm

Early-maturing maize variety boosts silage yields on Oxfordshire dairy farm

Farming on the northern margins of the North Wessex Downs, Hamish McIntosh has always tried to maximise the contribution maize makes to his milking ration

clock 28 January 2026 • 5 min read
Dairy Talk - Ifan Roberts: "As much as it is painful to see such turbulence, there is nothing that quite focuses one's mind on-farm than when times are lean"

Dairy Talk - Ifan Roberts: "As much as it is painful to see such turbulence, there is nothing that quite focuses one's mind on-farm than when times are lean"

Ifan Roberts is a new entrant who has established a contract farming agreement milking 500 block calving cows in Cheshire, and is aiming to improve the land farmed, encourage others to participate in the industry and deliver attractive returns to his stakeholders

clock 25 January 2026 • 3 min read
Winter mastitis in dairy cows: How to spot it early and reduce the risk

Winter mastitis in dairy cows: How to spot it early and reduce the risk

Vet Emma Greaves, of Stapeley Veterinary Practice, looks at how to manage winter mastitis infections on-farm

clock 23 January 2026 • 3 min read