Dairy

This issue...
2 Improved Feed Efficiency
3 A clear view of where
we are heading
4 Walford Farm Notes
Improved feed efficiency
Over the last two years Alan Jones, with support from Wynnstay
has improved his heard’s feed efficiency and has raised the milk
from forage to 4,250 litres.
5 Taking the Stress out
of Rearing
6 Colostrum:
Making the most of
home grown resources
8 Cow Comfort
9 Ketosis
10 Going for Gold -
‘Green Gold’
11 An opportunity to
improve your grass
leys
12 Whole Crop Silage
13 Fertiliser Update
13 Wynnmin Liquid
Maxitrace
14 Water Quality and
Animal Performance
16 Don’t take your eye
off hygiene during the
summer months
16 Low bactoscans don’t
necessarily mean
clean milk
17 Which buildings are
best?
18 Future Still Bright for
Solar PV
The Jones family have farmed in the Llannon
area of Ceredigion for over 100 years. The
present generation, Alan and his father John,
now farming at Porthmawr, milk approximately
180 head - 135 cows and 45 heifers producing
8,500 litres on 2.1 tonnes of dairy compound.
The herd calves mainly, but not exclusively
from December until the end of February.
Dry cows receive Dry Tec-L nuts prior to calving.
Once calved the cows are milked through a
24/24 herringbone parlour, receiving all their
concentrates in the parlour and fed initially
wholecrop silage and grass silage. Later in the
season they receive maize silage and grass
silage fed in bunkers
On a daily basis the farm is run by Alan and
John assisted by Sion Jones plus two part-time
members of staff. Liaising closely with Alan is
Bob Kudelski of Wynnstay who has been calling
on the farm for over 28 years; Alan’s grandfather
being the first Wynnstay customer in the area.
The unit is predominantly grass based but 36
acres of wholecrop wheat and 32 acres of maize
are grown for silage to supplement autumn
grazing and compliment the grass silage during
the winter.
The main enterprise on the farm is the dairy but
around 70 animals, Limousin and Belgian Blue
crosses plus 20 dairy steers are reared to be
sold as forward stores each year, additionally,
60 dairy heifers are raised each year to calve at
22/ 24 months of age. The young stock receive
Start ‘n’ Wean nuts followed by Cattle Rearer +
Biosprint nuts. Initially straw is fed, followed by
silage to the older calves.
Over the last two years Alan, with support
from Wynnstay has improved his heard’s feed
efficiency and has raised the milk from forage
to 4,250 litres. “Initially grazing grass much
shorter than usual and keeping cows on it for
longer really required a leap of faith” says Alan
“but now we see the benefits in our costings,
the extra work of monitoring the grazing is well
worth while”
4,250
litres from forage
The cows are usually turned out around mid-
March at a stocking rate of 6.4 cows per hectare,
the cows supplemented with a Wynnstay
grazing compound for those yielding above the
production expected from grass.
The grazing area receives 30 units N per grazing
cycle with any grass getting ahead of the
system being cut and made into big bales.
In the autumn the cows are buffer fed on
wholecrop wheat prior to afternoon milking to
supplement the grazing before the main silage
pit is opened.
The herd is housed overnight in October and
are housed full-time for the winter depending
on a combination of grass availability and
weather.
Bob Kudelski
Sales Specialist
M: 07771 518886
2
www.wynnstay.co.uk