Milk Price Tracker

farmboy

Member
Location
Dorset
As I reach an age where long term investments in dairy look less attractive, I am already thinking do I get out now while cows have a reasonable value and even my arla contract looks to have a value ?
If anybody feels the need to offer me large amounts of cash for cows, milk contract and if the money is enough, a farm as well, feel free to message me...
I’ll lease the whole lot from you if you like
 

Farmer Keith

Member
Location
North Cumbria
And will end up with Arla having too much spring milk if they aren’t careful

The current seasonality payments don’t cover the extra feed costs in the autumn though, some of us who currently supply them are taking autumns off for springs. They obviously know it’s happening as there was a letter last week kindly asking us to send more autumn milk...
 

PDB

Member
Livestock Farmer
Or a penalty on all litres in spring?
It’s having a scheme that is fair for all.
Dairies say they prefer level supply- but don’t really pay you anything extra for it
 

Farmer Keith

Member
Location
North Cumbria
Or a penalty on all litres in spring?
It’s having a scheme that is fair for all.
Dairies say they prefer level supply- but don’t really pay you anything extra for it

In my opinion Carrot is better than stick but it’s an option. I suppose there’s already significant penalties in the spring but the money doesn’t seem to come back somehow.

The only other thing that I’d say is having never really had spring calving cows before I’ve been amazed at how easy they are to deal with, no mastitis at calving time, you seem to work with nature rather than against it a lot of the time.

I just wonder as farmers generally understand their production costs a lot better than they did 25 years ago and are perhaps looking for a better work/life balance, is spring calving something we’re stuck with and maybe better investing in more stainless steel so we can deal with the flush as opposed to manipulating production profiles.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
In my opinion Carrot is better than stick but it’s an option. I suppose there’s already significant penalties in the spring but the money doesn’t seem to come back somehow.

The only other thing that I’d say is having never really had spring calving cows before I’ve been amazed at how easy they are to deal with, no mastitis at calving time, you seem to work with nature rather than against it a lot of the time.

I just wonder as farmers generally understand their production costs a lot better than they did 25 years ago and are perhaps looking for a better work/life balance, is spring calving something we’re stuck with and maybe better investing in more stainless steel so we can deal with the flush as opposed to manipulating production profiles.
certainly an eye opener, xb's after holstiens, but the hol breeders only 'produced' what the mkt wanted, and, now, they are already dominating the SCI, whether those bulls will breed cows, that are as strong as xb's, remains to be seen.
Barbers holding for april
 

sidjon

Member
Location
EXMOOR
certainly an eye opener, xb's after holstiens, but the hol breeders only 'produced' what the mkt wanted, and, now, they are already dominating the SCI, whether those bulls will breed cows, that are as strong as xb's, remains to be seen.

Does any proper spring calvers look at the SCi? Can't I I've ever looked at it and can't remember anyone from our discussion group using it, most use BW or EBI.
 

rusty

Member
Went to a presentation by Marco Winters who developed the SCI index. One of the main differences from EBI was that SCI has much bigger weighting for mastitis resistance. Apparently the are not the same penalties in Ireland for high SCC as here so they don't put too much emphasis on it.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
about time they had 1 standard index ! Talking to a recent visitor to NZ they are now beginning to put sheds and silage pits in. Which is what we did, back in the 60's, we are now talking about extended grazing, and outwintering the cattle, full circle ?
The hol breeders have adapted very quickly to SCI, and now dominating the chart, as with irish holstiens and NZ hols, but the latter tend to be more friesiany. The UK british Friesian, in many cases, looks more like an adapted hol,just trying to recapture a market lost to the holstien. What we want, as spr calvers, is a cow that lasts, does not require large amounts of 'made food', will eat grass, get back I/c quickly, and lots of fat, protien and a reasonable amount of milk. Lasting, at holsworthy this week, dairy disposal, blue albion mri x, two cows went through grazing ring, 1 at 20yrs, another at 15 years, no idea what yields, as not given. But impressive age. So I suspect the good old 'mongrel' cow, achieved by crossing xyz breeds, will remain the best cow for grazers.
 
Location
Cornwall
about time they had 1 standard index ! Talking to a recent visitor to NZ they are now beginning to put sheds and silage pits in. Which is what we did, back in the 60's, we are now talking about extended grazing, and outwintering the cattle, full circle ?
The hol breeders have adapted very quickly to SCI, and now dominating the chart, as with irish holstiens and NZ hols, but the latter tend to be more friesiany. The UK british Friesian, in many cases, looks more like an adapted hol,just trying to recapture a market lost to the holstien. What we want, as spr calvers, is a cow that lasts, does not require large amounts of 'made food', will eat grass, get back I/c quickly, and lots of fat, protien and a reasonable amount of milk. Lasting, at holsworthy this week, dairy disposal, blue albion mri x, two cows went through grazing ring, 1 at 20yrs, another at 15 years, no idea what yields, as not given. But impressive age. So I suspect the good old 'mongrel' cow, achieved by crossing xyz breeds, will remain the best cow for grazers.

We are trying a few straws of Irish hf at the moment some fat and protein behind the dams. Did you see the blue Albion cows sold? Fat and protein didn’t look the best.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
We are trying a few straws of Irish hf at the moment some fat and protein behind the dams. Did you see the blue Albion cows sold? Fat and protein didn’t look the best.
no but had a detailed report, bucked the trend, with all the elderly cows, x's and lack of detail, thought they would be a cheap sale, made a lot more than auctioneers thought. We have 1 blue albion, just looked her figures up, 3rd calver, calving index sub 350 days, av yield 6000, 4% fat 3.68 pr, cc fine, never touched her feet, and looks after herself, all in all, on our system, 'one you don't notice' sort of cow, casually down on the beef list, for AI
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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