Harper Student Beats Off Stiff Rivalry for Second Year to Win National Dairy Award

A student from Harper Adams University has beaten off five other finalists and one of the highest number of entries to scoop this year's RABDF Dairy Student of the Year Award, sponsored by Mole Valley Farmers.

Agriculture with Farm Business Management student Max Mitchell from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, won the award after going through a rigorous application process. This included writing a 1,500-word essay on a case study prepared by Kite Consulting and delivering a presentation to a panel of judges at the Farmers' Club in London.

This is the second year in a row a student from Harper Adams University has won the award, with last year's student being Katie Ackland from Devon.

The winner was announced at Dairy-Tech, where Max was presented with a cheque for £750 and a trophy. He also won a six-month paid placement with award sponsor Mole Valley Farmers. Runner-up was third-year Agriculture student Matthew McClymont from Myerscough College.

The competition run by the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers is designed to reflect real-life challenges seen on dairy farms and wider policy issues as well as identifying some of the sector's rising stars and new entrants.

This year's judging panel consisted of RABDF’s two vice-chairs, Mole Valley Farmers' James Hague and Chloe Cross from Kite Consulting.

Commenting on the winner, RABDF vice-chair said: "The competition produced a very high calibre of entries making for a difficult final choice. Max Mitchell from Harper Adams displayed an excellent understanding of the UK and the wider global dairy industry. He was very well prepared for his presentation in the final, where he confidently demonstrated his knowledge, answering the judges' questions clearly with well-researched reasoning and observations."

Mr Hague, Head of Agriculture at Mole Valley Farmers, added: "Mole Valley Farmers is delighted to sponsor the Dairy Student of the Year award and our congratulations go to both Matthew and Max. They delivered excellent presentations with a clear understanding of the challenges and complexities facing the industry and, importantly, the many opportunities that also present themselves.

"All of the finalists demonstrated we have students of the highest calibre entering the industry, which is really encouraging.

"We are now looking forward to Max joining us on his placement and Mole Valley Farmers and the RABDF will continue to work together to encourage, develop and promote young people who can work to deliver innovative and practical solutions to the challenges of modern dairy farming."

Bristol, Duchy and Harper Adams Students Scoop Farm Health Management Awards

Students from Bristol University, Duchy College and Harper Adams University have beat off a bumper number of entries to win this year's RABDF's Farm Health Management Award, sponsored by Volac.

The awards aim to demonstrate and test the students' knowledge of the importance of proactive farm health management – a vital element of the new Agriculture Act.

The competition is split into three categories: students at agricultural colleges, agricultural universities and vet schools.

Rebekah Patterson from Bristol University, Louise Harrison from Duchy College and Marley Lamerton from Harper Adams University won the vet, agricultural college and agricultural universities categories, respectively.

The runner-up for the college category was Holly Bonner from Bridgwater and Taunton) and for the veterinary category, Tom Ashworth from Liverpool University.

Each candidate had to submit a 1,500-word essay on proactive farm health management, with each category winner taking home a £500 cash prize.

Commenting on the winners, competition judge, RABDF Council Member and Gelli Aur College Farm Manager, John Owen, said: "The agricultural colleges' submissions continue to impress us with excellent entries, and this year was no exception. Louise showed that she was very proactive and hands-on in her understanding of the issues and she demonstrated her knowledge with very good examples.

"The standard of the vet entries was also very high and the result was very close. Rebekah's entry was exceptional, with fantastic examples of personal experiences that show real practical application.

"Marley Lamerton was a worthy winner, understood the topic, and appreciated the industry's challenges."

The awards and presentation took place on the Volac stand at Dairy-Tech on Thursday 7 April 2022.

ESSEX HERD LIFTS 2020 NMR RABDF GOLD CUP

The winner of the 2020 NMR RABDF Gold Cup is the Torrance family from Stapleford Abbotts, near Romford, Essex. The delayed presentation at Dairy-Tech yesterday (April 7, 2022) was made to John Torrance – who farms in partnership with father Robert, mother Janet and wife Lucy.

The Torrance’s Curtismill pedigree Holstein herd comprises 670 cows and 430 followers and is part of their farming business run on 429 hectares of Crown Estate land, just inside the M25 corridor.

Ranking among the top UK herds for PLI, the family’s focus is on efficiency, and they aim to breed cows that will produce 70,000 litres of milk, during an average of five lactations.

Average annual yield (September 2021) for this all-year-round calving housed herd, which is milked three times a day, was 13,700kg of milk sold, at 4.08% fat and 3.26% protein, with a calving interval of 382 days.

The team’s close attention to the cow environment and parlour routine, and commitment to the key disease control and eradication schemes for dairy herds contributes to the low disease incidence and high health status seen in this herd. Future developments are focused on raising the benchmarks for performance, with environmentally sustainable measures high on the agenda.

Four further awards were made as part of the Gold Cup presentations at Dairy-Tech.

The Chris May Memorial Award, for the Gold Cup qualifying herd with the highest lifetime daily yield, was awarded to Messrs Harvey, Drum Farm, Beeswing, Dumfries.

 The Harvey’s achieved a top LDY of 20.62kg/cow/day, reflecting top performance for milk production, health, fertility and longevity. Brothers John and Stuart, and their mother Margaret, manage the herd of 270 pedigree Holstein cows that has also ranked top of NMR’s Annual Production report for the past six years.

Jon McCosh of Kingsbeck Ltd, Coulter, Biggar, South Lanarkshire, was awarded the Lilyhill Cup for the Gold Cup qualifying Jersey herd with the highest combined fat and protein (CF&P). Kingsbeck Jerseys 185-cow herd had a CF&P of 816kg.

The NMR Silver Salver, awarded to the qualifying Holstein herd with the highest CF&P production, was presented to John Torrance, R Torrance & Son, Essex, with a CF&P of 960.53kg. 

Rob Smith, A & T Smith, Dutton, Clitheroe, Lancashire, was presented with the Chairman’s Cup for breeds, except Holstein and Jersey, with the highest combined weight of fat and protein production. The Smiths 280-cow Montbeliarde x Holstein Friesian herd had a winning CF&P of 719.7kg.

All six Gold Cup finalists for 2020 were awarded certificates for their achievements:

·       John & Rachel Downing, The Downing Partnership, Edenbridge, Kent.

·       Jonathan Gibbins, Clyst Hydon, Cullompton, Devon.

·       Mark Hoskins, Hoskins & Vickery, Hindon, Salisbury, Wiltshire.

·       Joe Ives, W&P Ives, Herriard, Basingstoke, Hampshire.

·       Mike Sainsbury, RP Sainsbury & Sons, Badminton, Gloucestershire.

·       John Torrance, R Torrance & Son, Stapleford Abbotts, Essex.

The Gold Cup competition was launched in 1920, making 2020 its 100th year.

Three Finalists Shortlisted for Prestigious Royal Dairy Innovation Award

Three finalists have been shortlisted for this year’s Royal Dairy Innovation Award and will be vying for the prestigious title when it is judged at this year’s Dairy-Tech event on 7 April at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. 

The finalists have been selected from more than xxx entries made by an online submission to the RABDF. 

The Award sponsored by the Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Livestock (CIEL) is presented to a company exhibiting at this year’s Dairy-Tech with a practical product or service, which is likely to be the most significant innovation for the future of dairying.

This year’s finalist includes 

• Cattle Eye- is an autonomous livestock welfare and performance monitoring product that is the world’s first hardware-independent autonomous livestock monitoring platform on the market. This means no hardware or devices need to be attached to the cow. Cattle Eye can be used to detect locomotion deviations, which are highly correlated to lameness in dairy cows. The product is thought to be the first to undergo successful academic validation by a leading UK university.

• DigiFarm Data Tool – is a web-based solution for Vetpartners vets, vet staff and farm clients which integrates clinical and farm management records. DigiFarm brings together milk records and health data to create unique reports that both vets and farmers can use. Sharing data allows a collaborative approach that creates joined-up thinking between the whole farm team and their advisors. This promotes real-time on-farm proactive discussions and informs management decisions that can help improve herd health, increase sustainability and build resilience.

·        DeLaval Flow Responsive™ Milking uses actual milk flow to adjust milking parameters like vacuum and pulsation to create a more efficient milk flow profile. The flow-adjusted vacuum speeds up the milk extraction by lifting the vacuum level when high milk flow is available and then reducing the level again once the high flow has ended. This avoids the inevitable trade-off between udder health and productivity created by a fixed vacuum level over the entire milking process. ​

The three finalists will be asked to present their product at Dairy-Tech to a panel of three independent judges. They are dairy farmer and competition chair Tim Downes, CIEL Chief Executive Lyndsay Chapman and Michael Marsden. The winner will be announced at 3.45pm on the Innovation Hub stand. 

The winner will receive a signed framed certificate and trophy from the Princess Royal later this year.

Hopes Dairy Employment Hub Will Make Recruiting and Managing Staff Easier for Farmers

A new dairy employment website designed to make the recruitment and management of staff easier has been launched.  

The Employment Hub developed by the RABDF in conjunction with Real Success contains practical resources farmers can download and use to manage employees.  

Resource examples include contract templates, job descriptions, employee handbooks and interview techniques. They are free for RABDF Members to download at rabdf.co.uk/members-area-locked/#employment .  Anyone wishing to access the resources can join RABDF for a small annual fee of £45.  

Commenting on the launch, RABDF Managing Director Matt Knight, said: "Recruiting good labour is something the dairy industry has historically struggled with. And with access to foreign labour now restricted, we must recruit the best labour from our domestic workforce. This all starts with understanding exactly what you are after from an employee and using an accurate job description to advertise the job." 

Mr Knight added: "Out of desperation, some farmers may be forced to employ unsuitable candidates due to a lack of interest. It's important to realise this can be a costly mistake. It is far better to take the time to advertise correctly and have a structured interview and onboarding process in place.   

"By working with Real Success, we hope these resources will make things easier for farmers, so they can download relevant documents and use them either in their entirety or as a basis to adapt specifically for their business." 

Paul Harris from Real Success added: "It's crucial farmers put people at the centre of their business and invest in them. If we recruit poorly, we retain poorly; that's where staff retention often goes wrong. 

“It’s easy to fall foul of employment legislation or to think Employment Contracts or Right to Work checks don’t apply to your farm – but they do.  

"We hope the resources will go some way to helping farmers recruit effectively, and develop the right people in their business," he added. 

Recruitment Advice at Dairy-Tech  

Get more tips and advice on recruitment success at Dairy-Tech on 7 April at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. At 12.35 pm on the Dairy Hub, expert Paul Harris will outline the six top secrets of successful recruitment and staff retention.   

About RABDF  

RABDF is the sole UK charity focussed on the unique needs of milk producers and the only dairy organisation representing farmers that holds a Royal Warrant.’ 

More information    

Sarah Alderton, farmgatemedia@outlook.com, 07739969198

SIX FINALISTS LINE UP FOR LONG-AWAITED RESULT OF GOLD CUP 2020

All visitors to Dairy-Tech  on April 7, 2022 are invited to the NMR stand at 4pm for the Gold Cup presentations

More than 18 months after being selected as finalists for the 2020 NMR RABDF Gold Cup, six top UK dairy farmers will find out who has been awarded the industry’s most prestigious award. The Gold Cup will be presented at Dairy-Tech 2022, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, on Thursday April 7 on the NMR stand at 4pm.

The six 2020 Gold Cup finalists are:

• John & Rachel Downing, The Downing Partnership, Edenbridge, Kent.

• Jonathan Gibbins, Clyst Hydon, Cullompton, Devon.

• Mark Hoskins, Hoskins & Vickery, Hindon, Salisbury, Wiltshire.

• Joe Ives, W&P Ives, Herriard, Basingstoke, Hampshire.

• Mike Sainsbury, RP Sainsbury & Sons, Badminton, Gloucestershire.

• John Torrance, R Torrance & Son, Stapleford Abbotts, Essex.

Gold Cup judges – Somerset-based dairy farmer and former RABDF chairman Peter Alvis; Anglesey-based dairy farmer and NMR chairman Trevor Lloyd; and North Yorkshire-based dairy farmer and 2018 Gold Cup winner Philip Metcalfe – visited all six finalists’ farms before making their decision.

As well as the Gold Cup, four other awards will be made to qualifying herds at Dairy-Tech. These are:

• Chris May Memorial Award for the Gold Cup qualifying herd with the highest herd lifetime daily yield.

• NMR Silver Salver for the Holstein herd with the highest combined weight of fat and protein production.

• Lilyhill Cup for the Jersey herd with the highest combined weight of fat and protein production.

• Chairman’s Cup for breeds, except Holstein and Jersey, with the highest combined weight of fat and protein production.

Herds qualifying for the Gold Cup and related awards must have more than 100 animals with qualifying lactations in the milking herd; an average somatic cell count of 200,000 cells/ml or less, or 250,000 cells/ml for organic herds; and a minimum £PLI value specific to the breed, or minimum £SCI or £ACI value.

The Gold Cup competition was launched in 1920, meaning the 2020 award marks its 100th year.

ENDS

All visitors to Dairy-Tech 2022 are invited to the NMR stand at 4pm for the Gold Cup presentations on Thursday April 7.

More information from: 

Karen Wright, karen@karenwrightpr.com, 07860504047

About RABDF

RABDF is the sole UK charity focussed on the unique needs of milk producers. It is the only dairy organisation holding a Royal Warrant, with the influence and access to funding that brings. It is the organiser of the Dairy-Tech event.

About NMR

NMR is the leading supplier of milk recording services in the UK and carries out milk quality testing for payment purposes, as well as extensive disease testing and screening services.