View this email in a web browser
	Our recent winters seem to be getting wetter year-on-year, rather than colder. Sheep can tolerate very low temperatures without any ill-effects, provided they have plenty of forage in the form of hay or haylage to keep them warm from the inside, but continuous rain and muddy fields really doesn’t suit them. Mud balls in their feet causing scald, and worse, their sodden fleeces give them a rather ragged appearance and they really don’t enjoy having to lie down in mud – who would? The best way to keep them happy at this time of year is to make sure they can keep warm inside with plenty of dry, good quality hay. This keeps the rumen bugs functioning so they can get the best from their hard feed as lambing approaches.It's nearing that time of year (if you haven't already started), so make sure you are completely prepared. Download our very useful 'Lambing Equipment List' to see if you have everything on hand that you may need. Our 'Breeding Flock' DVD will guide you through even the trickiest of lambing situations with advice from experts in sheep husbandry and management.
	...things to remember at lambing time Scrupulous hygiene: before, during and after lambing Dress all lamb navels as soon as possible after birth: dip cord and surrounding area in iodine, and repeat 4 hours later Keen observation saves many lives: spend time with your flock and watch closely for signs that may indicate a problem, eg a hungry, ‘tucked-up’ lamb may indicate mastitis in the ewe A 5kg lamb needs a litre or more of colostrum during its first 15 hours of life Make sure you get plenty of rest so you will be alert to spot any problems!
	There's plenty to do on your smallholding during February. Here are some top tips from our 'Things to Do' pages - available on our website. Give all ewes a booster vaccination against clostridial diseases and pasturella at between 4-6 weeks before they are due to lamb Chickens - check regularly for eggs, if left too long it may encourage egg pecking or eating – and once the habit is formed it’s very difficult to stop Your pigs will enjoy a daily ‘grooming’ session with a stiff brush; it will keep their skin in good condition and time spent with your pigs makes you more alert to the first signs that something is not right with their health Carry out a soil pH test in your vegetable garden to tell you how acid or alkaline your soil is so that you can rectify any problems before the growing season starts The shorter days reduce time available to ride and exercise our horses on ‘work days’, so make sure they get plenty of turn-out time as well as finding ways to keep them supple and exercised Keep up with all your smallholding tasks with our comprehensive guides to sheep,chickens, pigs ,the vegetable garden and equines. Just click on an image below.
	Article of the Month Lambing 3 - When the Shepherd Needs to Intervene and When to Call the Vet Moredun Health Bulletin Cryptosporidiosis in Cattle Green Farm Diary 8 weeks from lambing... NADIS Health Alert Liver fluke, sheep scab, and dystocia disease alerts Farming in the News Thieves target pregnant ewes... Recipe of the Month Parsnip & Maple Syrup CakeA great way to use up those parsnips!
	Comfort food and heart-warming stews to beat those chilly winter evenings. Roast Parsnip Soup with Cheese and Onion Croutons		Muffin-Topped Winter Beef Stew Chicken and Leek Pot Pie Lamb Tagine Squidgy Chocolate Pear Pudding
	FeedbackWe really appreciate getting feedback from our customers - your views on our DVDs, suggestions for articles you'd find useful / helpful, and how you initially heard of us. You can leave feedback by emailing us - see the feedback page on our website. Weekly BulletinsFollow us on Facebook and Twitter for weekly smallholding news.

Web Version  |  Unsubscribe Like Tweet CONTENTS Learning from others Nuffield Scholar Mike Miller has learnt a great deal on his travels Tips on soil health from expert Charlotte Evans Words of wisdom –  soil biology Upcoming events Interested in learning more about feed? DO IT NOW Using muck on grazed pastures Spreading muck onto grazing pastures will help boost grass growth and mitigate the increasing fertiliser costs if managed correctly. Start by testing the soil and analysing the results to ensure the ground will benefit from extra nutrients. Muck has reasonable levels of P and high levels of K, but low levels of N, so extra N may be necessary to meet yield requirements. Applying muck can also help raise the levels of organic matter and improve soil structure. Leave a gap between spreading and grazing of  one to two months to reduce the risk of disease and grass rejection by animals. Prior to grazing check there are no visible signs of solids. Applying manure just before a period of rapid grass growth, for example in early spring or immediately after a cut of silage, will make best use of the available nutrients.  HOW TO... Turn out earlier Turning stock out earlier can reduce feed and wintering costs, improve future grass yields and stimulate grass growth  – all of which increase the total liveweight gain from grass. Early turnout doesn’t mean that all stock has to be turned out in one go; managing a steady stream of turn out in line with the availability of grazing is what makes this work. Read more to find out how to manage an early turn out.. Or listen again to the beef teleconference Grazing silage fields early Silage fields can be grazed earlier in the year to provide extra grazing and stimulate grass growth before they are shut up for conservation. Research from Northern Ireland has shown that grazing until the beginning of March has no impact on silage yield or quality. Is this something you practice or have considered? Read more about grazing silage fields early...        UPCOMING EVENTS EBLEX and DairyCo Grass Silage Seminar  21 April Stoneleigh, Warwickshire The seminar will identify the research and knowledge gaps for grass silage production and use. Speakers will include researchers, consultants and producers. Find out more about the seminar and how to apply for a place Liz Genever will be speaking about grassland management at several events this month, including: 18 February National Sheep Association Young Ambassadors in Worcestershire 26 February Conference organised by Mole Country Stores in North Yorkshire Check out the events page on the EBLEX website to find out what else is going on... Welcome The EBLEX Grazing Club is for all beef and sheep producers who want to: - Improve grass yields and quality- Improve animal performance off grass- Cut production costs- Make more money Our newsletter is full of topical information, ideas and suggestions on how to achieve these objectives. As with any club, members can share and swap ideas on how they make the most of grass. And we’d love to hear what you think, so join in with the Grazing Club discussion on Twitter #grazingclub or email us. Dr Liz GeneverEBLEX livestock scientist What can we learn from others? How to exploit the potential of grass was the theme at the Ulster Grassland Society Annual Conference in January. There were many aspects discussed including pests and disease, best practice on farm and the BETTER Farm Beef Programme. Read more about what is going on in Ireland... The future is bright, the future is grass Mike Miller has travelled the world as part of his Nuffield Scholarship to find out how to increase sheep production from forage. He’s shifted the focus on his farm and brought in technologies to help him make management decisions. Mike is also investigating options for establishing herbal mixes at home and believes they will help to increase the liveweight gain of his lambs. Read more about what Mike has learnt and how it’s helped his farm... Aiming high? Start low! Charlotte Evans, Technical Project Manager at the British Grassland Society (BGS), highlights how important soil is in this month’s expert view. She has put together some top tips on managing soils. There’s information on soil compaction, erosion and how to maintain soil organic matter. Read more about how to get your soil right... Words of wisdom Focusing on soil biology  The soil is home to a quarter of all living land organisms from a wide range of taxa. Nearly all soil organisms can’t make their own energy and so need to eat plant residues, soil organic matter or other soil organisms. The majority of soil organisms are invisible to the naked eye so they are often observed by measuring what they do. Earthworms are the most beneficial macrofauna in UK soils, they’re engineers that make pores within the soil and also mix organic materials into the soil.  Within the soil there are micro-organisms which are often grouped by size, they’re collectively known as soil biota. These organisms interact with one another – larger organisms often prey on the smaller organisms and there is a complex food web below ground. Megafauna: 20 mm upward, e.g. rabbits and rodents. Macrofauna: 2 to 20 mm, e.g. beetles and snails Mesofauna: 100 micrometres to 2 mm, e.g. mites Microfauna and Microflora: 1 to 100 micrometres, e.g. bacteria and fungi On farms, soil organisms can work together with inputs to give more effective and resilient regulation of grassland systems. However, whilst there are some general principles, there is no one recipe for management that will put all soils in good health.  To have healthy grassland soils, farmers should aim to: • Increase organic manure inputs and provide a range of types – through careful manure management and use of composts • Increase plant diversity – with grass/clover leys and other mixed species swards for grazing and conservation. Use mixed species for whole-crop silage • Reduce tillage intensity – if soil structure is good, consider overseeding rather than ploughing for ley invigoration, get the timing of aeration or sward lifting right EBLEX and DairyCo are launching a new website called Healthy Grassland Soils in March which will provide more details on soil biology...more updates in the next edition. Watch the video of Elaine Ingham from Soil Foodweb Beef producers...   Are you on the distribution list for the new Feeding Club News? The email newsletter is published every two months and is packed full of information on how to reduce feeding costs, understand different feeding o ptions and improve animal performance and product quality. Email BRP to sign up Read the first Feeding Club News now...  © 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

Just a reminder that at tomorrow nights meeting 

 Bob and Sally Kirk who used to run Springstep Goat Dairy in Mundon are  coming to talk to us 

about when they used to make cheese. 

We look forward to seeing you all at the Blue Boar on Tuesday 17th February 2015. 7.30pm for 8pm. 

All the latest news from Rare Breeds Survival Trust   View this email in your browser.

RARE BREEDS SURVIVAL TRUST  WE NEED YOUR HELP Any donation, no matter how small will help us fund essential conservation work. Please Help.  DONATE NOW Visit our website Follow us on Twitter  Like our Facebook Page  February 2015 Last year, RBST was able to collect more data than ever before in order to compile the 2015 Watchlist.  This means the data is becoming an increasingly accurate reflection of the situation facing our native breeds and has meant we were able to add a new feature. For the first time, it is possible to see whether population trends are on the rise or are falling within Watchlist categories, or whether breeds are remaining numerically stable. See the 2015 Watchlist now. The key message is that the work must go on, if we are to ensure that native breed livestock populations are to survive in sufficient numbers to fulfil the role they can play in a sustainable future for UK farming. While there is some positive news, no breeds have succeeded in moving off the main watchlist into category 6 and two breeds have unfortunately come on: British Landrace pig- moved onto the watchlist in category 3 ‘Vulnerable’ Llanwenog sheep- return to category 5 ‘Minority’ after successfully moving into category 6 in 2008                    To compile the watchlist, numbers of UK females fully registered in that year are provided annually by breed societies. An average of these data over a rolling three-year period is then calculated and a species specific multiplier is applied to convert these figures to the number of breeding females. The methodology is applied to sheep, cattle, goats, pigs and equines. Other factors such as genetic or geographic vulnerability need to be taken into account. We have worked continuously for over 40 years to preserve native breeds of livestock and are proud that no breed has been lost since 1973, but the figures behind the 2015 watchlist do not make for comfortable reading. RBST CEO Tom Beeston sums up the situation by saying: “Last year’s Watchlist was described as a wake-up call – this year’s delivers the message that we have more work to do, not less.  While we do have some good news in terms of movement between categories, the added trend information that we have been able to introduce shows us that we need to be even more focussed.  Those trends tell us that we are currently facing a worsening situation in terms of registrations across many of our breeds. “We also have to factor in threats such as avian flu and bTB which have the potential to deliver catastrophic impacts on our rare breed populations.  These threats, allied with economic factors which work against substantial increases in the numbers of livestock on the ground, highlight the importance of the RBST Gene Bank as an essential insurance policy for the future.  That, in turn, means that we have to look at ways to substantially ramp up our fundraising efforts in order to raise the essential revenue that will enable us to continue our work.” Pigs          The situation for our native pigs is causing major concern on this year’s Watchlist. Each breed is showing trends for reducing populations and registrations, highlighting that our native pig breeds face significant threats. Due to significant fall in actual registrations and estimated population trends, RBST Conservation Committee agreed that the British Saddleback and Oxford Sandy and Black be moved from category 5 to 4 and the Berkshire and Tamworth from category 4 to 3. It was also agreed that the application by the British Pig Association (BPA) for the British Landrace be recognised by RBST as a native rare breed be accepted and the breed has joined the Watchlist in Category 3. Sheep   Sheep breeds represented some of the more positive aspects of this year’s Watchlist movements.  With a trend for increasing numbers having been sustained for a third consecutive year, Boreray sheep have moved from Category 1 to Category 2 and with an increase sustained for a fourth year, the Oxford Down moves from Category 4 to 5. Concerns over geographical concentration have meant that the Devon & Cornwall Longwool stays in Category 3 and, although the breed has seen an increase in numbers, the Conservation Committee felt that the Leicester Longwool should remain in Category 3 because of high levels of inbreeding. Numbers however continue to fall for the Border Leicester and Devon Closewool and with numbers having fallen below the 3,000 threshold the Llanwenog moves back into Category 5 from 6. Cattle   Good news for cattle is the move of the Whitebred Shorthorn back to Category 2 after having dipped into Category 1 in 2011.  Also improving is the Lincoln Red (100% original population) which has moved from Category 3 to 4 following four years of rising numbers. Breeds which have seen significant declines in their populations from 2014 are the Northern Dairy Shorthorn, Original Population Dairy Shorthorn and the Vaynol.  Smaller decreases in the past year were also noted for less rare breeds such as the Shetland, White Park and British White. Equines   Described as a species in crisis in the 2015 Watchlist report, equines on the whole continue to struggle.  The exceptions are the Cleveland Bay and Suffolk, all breeds which have seen increased registrations and breeding populations compared to the previous year. Although still 7 animals over the upper threshold for Category 1, the Dales Pony has been moved from Category 2 to 1.  This reflects risks represented by a significant fall in registration numbers and the estimated population trend, together with a possible geographical risk that has been highlighted by the breed society.  Based on a fall in registrations and estimated population trend, the Dartmoor also moves, this time from Category 3 to 2, while the Exmoor stays in Category 2 due to high levels of inbreeding and decreasing numbers. See the 2015 Watchlist here   Protecting Poultry   The RBST Poultry Working Group (PWG) was formed in 2010 and the first UK Poultry Breeds at Risk list was published two years later.  Like the Watchlist, the poultry list covers British-origin breeds although some by name would appear to be anything but British.  The criterion used to decide ‘Britishness’ is how much of the breed’s history and development has taken place in the UK.  In some cases, only certain types within a breed are covered by the Poultry Breeds at Risk list. The PWG is the only group representing chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys that meets on a regular basis and it brings together senior representatives of the Poultry Club of Great Britain, the Rare Poultry Society, the Turkey Club, the Goose Club, the British Waterfowl Association and the Domestic Waterfowl Club.  It is because of the authority this membership gives the group, that DEFRA worked with it to agree the Breeds at Risk List, in order to try to avoid the sort of situation that occurred with the FMD outbreak, when animals of other species were slaughtered unnecessarily. Now, in the event of an outbreak, the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) and DEFRA representatives or vets arriving on premises should routinely ask whether any breeds at risk are present and wherever possible, these birds will be saved.  The PWG stresses that it would greatly help its efforts in this area if owners were members of the relevant breed club.  Breed clubs also have a key role in flagging up to the PWG any serious risk of a breed becoming extinct and a vital aspect of the group’s work is the development of action plans should such a situation arise. Geese The Poultry Breeds at Risk list is not categorised, but all eight Goose breeds on the list are regarded as priority.  Registrars have been chosen to be the national link for each breed and RBST is funding the breeder questionnaire, which is available on the RBST website.  Consideration is currently being given to adding the Roman goose to the list. The reduction in the number of geese is of great concern to the PWG.  One key factor is that goose is no longer the favoured table bird at Christmas and there are fewer small farms or substantial gardens where it is feasible to keep a pair of geese. Ducks There are 14 duck breeds in total on the list and five of these are currently considered as priority breeds.  Registrars who will be the national contacts for each breed are in the process of being appointed. Turkeys Despite turkey deposing the goose on the Christmas table, all 10 turkey breeds on the list are regarded as priority. Chickens Of the 40 chicken breeds listed, just over half are regarded as priority. See the full list of poultry breeds here. Photos by: Peter Mawson, John Green, Croad Langshan Breeders Society, Colin Murton, Janet Todhunter, Ruth Dalton, Richard Lutwyche, Oxford Sandy and Black Pig Society and British Pig Association Grazing Advice for Meadows  Did you know that hay meadow species diversity is increased when grazing and cutting are combined, rather than cutting alone?  Grazing animals can also take the place of a hay cut on sites where access is difficult or equipment is hard to obtain and native breeds of cattle, sheep or ponies can have a hugely beneficial effect on species richness. The Coronation Meadows project is able to offer advice and support on grazing through the Rare Breeds Survival Trust's Field Officers, Ruth Dalton (North) and Richard Broad (South) - this could take the form of a phone chat, site visit or even a training session.  If you're already carrying out grazing with native breeds and would be willing to host a farm walk with a discussion on the benefits of conservation grazing, please do contact Ruth or Richard. If you are interested in learning more about conservation grazing, follow this linkand see our available courses. Ruth Dalton  E: ruth@rbst.org.uk  T: 01539 816223 Richard Broad E: r.broad@rbst.org.uk  T: 07772 007399

unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences  Rare Breeds Survival Trust Stoneleigh Park Nr Kenilworth Warks CV8 2LG Tel: 02476 696551 Email: enquiries@rbst.org.uk Registered Charity Number 269442