East Essex Smallholders Chitchat

Web Version  |  Unsubscribe Like Tweet CONTENTS Farmer Mark Jelley talks replacing heifers Have you considered finishing heifers?  Getting nutrition right ahead of calving Grain and oilseed markets in 2015   Heard about our latest R&D project? Don't miss our next beef teleconference Dial in to listen to our next beef teleconference. Simon Marsh will be talking about maize in beef systems and EBLEX scientist Liz Genever will be discussing preparing for turn out. 6 February 1:30pm Click for details on how to dial in UPCOMING EVENTS   Beef Health Event Bury St Edmunds 11 February  2015 Outlook Conference London 11 February Take a look at out our events calendar to see what else is going on! Have you heard about our latest project? EBLEX has won the funding to carry out a £1.75 million selective breeding project to improve the sustainability and competitiveness of the UK beef industry. The four-year project will be carried out by EBLEX with Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC). It aims to deliver a substantial positive effect on both the economic performance and competitiveness of beef production in the UK. The research has a projected increase in farm level profit of 39 per cent which can be achieved alongside a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 22 per cent. Find out more about the project  RESOURCES   There is a whole host of information available on the BRP section of the EBLEX website with regard to nutrition. From teleconferences and videos to manuals and ration calculators. Take a look and get in touch if you’d like a hard copy of the manuals. Read the feeding growing and finishing cattle for Better Returns manual Welcome to the first Feeding Club News We’ve developed a brand new newsletter to bring you the latest news and interesting information about feeding cattle. So if you’re a beef farmer that wants to reduce feed costs, understand different feeding options and improve animal performance and product quality then  read on! With input from vets, farmers, nutritionists, consultants, scientists and other industry experts, we hope this newsletter will assist the exchange of ideas and information to help beef producers across the country. Our new bi-monthly e-newsletter links in with our beef teleconference series, BRP manuals, YouTube clips, events and other resources to draw together all relevant material to beef nutrition. To make sure that only the people interested in Feeding Club news get it, we won’t send this to everyone – to opt in you just need to click here to email us. We hope that you enjoy it, and if you want to give us your feedback on the first Feeding Club news then we’d appreciate your thoughts. Dr Mary Vickers  EBLEX senior livestock scientist Mark Jelley talks replacing heifers Mark Jelley maximises cow numbers by buying in replacement heifers on his 450 acre mixed farm in Northamptonshire. Health is very important on his farm because he brings in stock regularly. His health plan minimises the risk of disease, incorporating a mix of pre-testing isolation and vaccination. Find out more about what Mark does on his farm... Have you considered finishing heifers? Good margins can be made from finishing heifers if the appropriate system is chosen. They are unlikely to attain the carcase weight of bulls or steers but they are often cheaper to purchase. Read more...      Getting nutrition right ahead of calving There are many problems associated with poor nutrition management, which is why getting it right ahead of a critical time such as calving is so important. Over feeding a cow is costly in terms of complications with slow calving due to reduced muscle tone and often a weak calf. Cows that are too thin can also have problems around calving, with metabolic disorders, poor quality colostrum and milk supply.  So how do you get it right? Read more...  What does 2015 have in store for grain and oilseed markets?  UK feed wheat futures prices (nearby contract) varied by over £60/t in 2014. But what’s ahead in terms of prices for this year? Helen Plant, from the AHDB Market Intelligence team can confirm the only potential certainty in the year ahead is that markets will continue to be volatile. They will be influenced many factors including stock levels, the weather and politics. Read more about the year ahead for grain and oilseeds... Sign up to the Feeding Club If you would like to receive the Feeding Club News every other month then please email us and we'll pop you on the list. If Feeding Club News isn't your thing then you don't have to do anything, we will send it you once more but then you'll be off the list. © Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board 2015 EBLEX is a division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Email the BRP team | Unsubscribe EBLEX, AHDB Stoneleigh Park Kenilworth Warwickshire CV8 2TL