Day-to-day management on Newford Farm is focused on the normal activities of feeding and herding livestock. Preparations for a busy calving season will also commence in the coming weeks with group and individual calving pens to be disinfected in advance of calving.

There has been a greater focus in recent years on reducing the risk of disease establishing. A robust disinfection programme has been implemented, including placing footbaths at entry points to sheds helping to prevent any issues occurring.

A scour vaccine will also be administered in the coming week while a pre-calver mineral is also being fed daily.

Workload

Once calving commences, the workload will increase quickly, with in the region of 90% of the 110 animals due to calve in the first six to seven weeks. Cows have been penned according to body condition since shortly after housing and are being fed accordingly.

All cows are being offered 61DMD silage which has a dry matter of 29.4% and 10% protein content ad-lib.

There are also 36 cows which are falling behind body condition or are carrying twins and these have been on a diet of ad-lib silage plus 3kg soya hulls which will now be reduced as cows approach calving.

Weanlings

Weanlings continue to have access to better-quality silage saved from surplus paddocks and are being supplemented with 2kg of a high-energy 16% crude protein ration.

Applications for the position of farm manager are closing on Monday 14 January and more information can be found here