East england dairy farming

wb00090

New Member
From the south west myself with a genuine interest, quite happy to be told asking silly questions. Is there any talk/interest in the sector developing across mid-east england (more dairies more cows)? Lot's of table talk here, just wondered!
 

crashbox

Member
Livestock Farmer
Another problem is rainfall, depending on how east you mean.

I'm on the south coast in low rainfall area and it is much harder than farming would be 20 miles away.

Maize is a must. And bank on buffer feeding all Summer.
 

vantage

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Pembs
After milk contract, it looks a higher cost system would needed, although plus points are slurry wouldn’t be such a headache with low rainfall and cows would be beneficial for OM on an arable farm.
 

Jdunn55

Member
Assuming you can get a contract, if you're in a low rainfall area your best bet would be going for autumn calving from september, go for loose housing and do a swap of dung for straw with your arable neighbours, then lock up some ground after an early graze for standing hay when the cows are dry in July and august, and grow maize to feed from calving until they go dry
 

crashbox

Member
Livestock Farmer
Assuming you can get a contract, if you're in a low rainfall area your best bet would be going for autumn calving from september, go for loose housing and do a swap of dung for straw with your arable neighbours, then lock up some ground after an early graze for standing hay when the cows are dry in July and august, and grow maize to feed from calving until they go dry
Yep that would be the way
 

Martyn

Member
Location
South west
Assuming you can get a contract, if you're in a low rainfall area your best bet would be going for autumn calving from september, go for loose housing and do a swap of dung for straw with your arable neighbours, then lock up some ground after an early graze for standing hay when the cows are dry in July and august, and grow maize to feed from calving until they go dry
Sounds nice and simple!
 

teslacoils

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Surprising number of (expanding) dairies round here. Good grass growth, access to inexpensive straw. Competition for land is quite fierce though. And this winter is testing the "low rainfall" idea.
 

teslacoils

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Competition from AD plants?

Yup. And no.

I suppose the further west you go the more land is permeant grass. The more east you go into the land or arable the more uses there are. So lighter "maize" ground is competing with roots. And for those like me who grow grass for dairies, the alternatives are rye for ad.

But an awful lot of farms round me would have been beef or dairy pre-iacs.....and better for it.
 

Sandpit Farm

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Derbyshire
I can see Maize becoming a bit of a challenge from an environmental payments point of view. Bare ground at the wrong time of year would put off arable people but I guess there are options with earlier varieties or undersowing. Not sure how the ELMS scheme will deal with that.

There would also be a challenge finding homes and demand for calves - particularly anything pure dairy or AngusX heifers. Block calving would help but then you narrow your market for milk contracts.

Autumn block, calving in August onto standing hay could be a neat idea. You may be able to graze cows right through to November but I can't see how you'd get away without buffer feeding and then how do you incentivise cows to graze when they know they get fed. I think it would work as a collaboration as part of a big arable enterprise.
 

teslacoils

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
I think it will work the other way round. As a calf rearer in a cattle area, why would I drive to Norfolk for my calves?

Indeed. So an increase in dairies in the east would mean lots of calves in the East. I don't have a crystal ball, but the clipboards aren't going to want calves travelling far anyway. And what would the point be when feed and straw so much cheaper here?
 

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