Success for Dairy-Tech as Visitors and Exhibitors Flock to Premier Show

Success for Dairy-Tech as Visitors and Exhibitors Flock to Premier Show

The UK’s premier dairy event, Dairy-Tech, at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, has been hailed a success after bumper visitor numbers flocked to the show yesterday (7 April).

The event had 300 exhibitors showcasing the latest innovation and technology in the sector, with over 80 new product launches.

Crowds packed out the Dairy and Innovation Hubs, where topical discussions took place and showcased the latest innovations. Keynote speaker Nigel Owens moved the audience to tears as he highlighted his mental health struggles.

Cattle Eye Lameness Detection Tool Scoops Prestigious Royal Innovation Award

Cattle Eye Lameness Detection Tool Scoops Prestigious Royal Innovation Award

Cattle Eye, the world's first hardware-independent autonomous livestock monitoring platform on the market, has been crowned the winner of the Royal Dairy Innovation Award.

The award, sponsored by CIEL, was judged and announced at yesterday's (7 April) Dairy-Tech event at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. It was presented to a company exhibiting at the show with a practical product or service, which has the most significant innovation for the future of dairying.

Entries Open for Prestigious Gold Cup Dairy Competition

Entries are now open for the 2022 NMR RABDF Gold Cup competition. This top national award looks to highlight dairy businesses for all-around excellence. 

The award is organised by RABDF and sponsored NMR. It was first launched in 1920 and has been won by some of the country's most influential dairy farmers. 

Dairy businesses can enter either through their milk recording organisation, where they must meet minimum herd size, production, and health criteria, or by being nominated by consultants, discussion groups or companies that support their business.

The Gold Cup is open to all herd management systems, including block calving herds, grazing herds, and housed herds. All entrants must demonstrate high standards of herd health, fertility and business management. 

How to enter

All herds with official milk records who meet the qualifying criteria have been notified and invited to enter. 

Qualifying and nominated herds can complete a comprehensive entry form for consideration by the 2022 Gold Cup judges. A short list is drawn up for visiting by the judges in late summer 2022, before the 2022 winner is announced at Dairy-Tech in February 2023.

When entering, producers must demonstrate through their official milk records milk production, somatic cell count and genetic merit data and for spring calving herds, their spring calving index. 

Applications must be sent electronically to romanymarshall@rabdf.co.uk by July 29, 2022.

Qualifying criteria for milk recorded herds is based on the 12 months to September 2021:

· More than 100 cows/heifers with qualifying lactations in the milking herd

· Annual somatic cell count average of 200,000/ml or less, or 250,000/ml for organic herds

· Minimum £PLI value specific to the breed

· Minimum £SCI value specific to the breed

As well as the Gold Cup, awards are also made to the highest ranked Holstein Jersey and other breed herds qualifying for the Gold Cup.  The Chris May Memorial Award is presented to the herd with the highest Lifetime Daily Yield from all Gold Cup qualifying herds. 

More details about the award and how to enter can be found at https://www.rabdf.co.uk/gold-cup-comp

To register for your free place to attend this year's Gold Cup Open Day on July 5 at Albyns Farm, Essex, by kind permission of the 2020 Gold Cup winners, the Torrance family, please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/326280793637

About RABDF

RABDF is the sole UK charity focussed on the unique needs of milk producers. They are the only dairy organisation holding a Royal Warrant, with the influence and access to funding that brings.

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.

Top-Ranking Dairy Herd Opens Gates for Gold Cup Open Day on 5 July

One of the UK’s highest ranking dairy herds on £PLI is opening its gates for the renowned Gold Cup Open Day on 5th July at Stapleford Abbotts, near Romford, Essex. 

 

The event, which historically attracts thousands of dairy farmers and industry representatives, is at this year’s winners of the 2020 NMR/RABDF Gold Cup trophy, the Torrance family of the Curtismill pedigree Holstein herd. 

 

John Torrance – who farms in partnership with father Robert, mother Janet and wife Lucy, were crowned winners at the recent Dairy-Tech event at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire. 

 

The Curtismill 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.

 

The 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. 

 

Visitors to the event will hear how the team’s close attention to detail in 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.

 

Event organiser Matt Knight, Managing Director of RABDF, said: “The Torrance family scooped the Gold Cup in the competition’s hundredth year, making this year’s celebration more special. 

 

“We will have a jam-packed day consisting of farm tours, talk stations, and plenty of trade stands for visitors to attend. 

 

“This herd is exceptional, with breeding and cow management key to its success. There will be lots for visitors to see and take home from the day.” 

 

The event is free to attend, but prior registration is required. To register, please go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/326280793637

 

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. 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.

Former RABDF Vice-President Lord Henry Plumb Dies aged 97

Lord Henry Plumb, former Vice President of the RABDF, passed away aged 97 on 15 April.

Lord Plumb’s career started in dairy farming when he took on his family’s 200-cow Ayrshire dairy herd at Coleshill, Warwickshire, following his father’s death in 1952.

He was President of the NFU (1970-79) and pursued a career in politics, becoming the only British President of the European Parliament in 1987.

Lord Plumb was an advocate for supporting the next generation, helping youngsters via the Henry Plumb Foundation, which he founded.  

RABDF Managing Director Matt Knight described him as a ‘remarkable man’. He said, “Henry had a profound impact on British farming, and his legacy will continue through his foundation and all those individuals who have been so fortunate to meet him and work alongside him.

“He was one of farming’s greatest champions- supporting the industry during his political career and his time helping various organisations and associations, including the RABDF as Vice President. He will be greatly missed by many.”

About RABDF

RABDF is the sole UK charity focussed on the unique needs of milk producers. They are the only dairy organisation holding a Royal Warrant, with the influence and access to funding that brings.

More information

Sarah Alderton, farmgatemedia@outlook.com, 01931 714 801, 07739969198 

RABDF Scoops Two National Awards for Dairy-Tech Online and Emissions Campaign

The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) has scooped two top national awards from the National Association Awards (NAA) for Best Online Event and Best Lobbying Campaign.  

The RABDF beat off stiff competition to win the Best Online Event for Dairy-Tech Online, which replaced the face-to-face event at Stoneleigh last year due to Covid-19. Dairy-Tech Online was a resounding success, with more than 6,500 delegates signing up for the 11 sessions between 3-17 February.  

The two-week-long event, which consisted of seminars, conferences, webinars, and practical demonstrations, welcomed speakers from across the world, who shared their expertise on everything from grazing and use of technology to overcoming mental health challenges.  

The Best Lobbying Campaign was awarded to the RABDF's Greenhouse Gas Emissions campaign, launched ahead of COP 26 in October 2021 to promote the positive and correct messages about emissions from UK dairy.  

The RABDF’s campaign saw individuals, key industry stakeholders, businesses, and organisations push the positive emission messages within the industry and the wider public before, during, and after COP26.  

The campaign received a lot of recognition throughout the industry and general public, with content from the campaign still used today. 

Commenting on the awards, RABDF's Managing Director Matt Knight said: "Winning not one, but two awards is a massive achievement and are something we are very proud of.  

"As the only UK charity focusing on the needs of dairy producers, it's essential we are helping provide what is important for our members and continue banging the drum for the industry. " 

The National Association Awards are made up of 12 categories and allow any successful membership organisation in the UK to enter. All entries were judged by a national panel of judges. 

About RABDF 

RABDF is the sole UK charity focussed on the unique needs of milk producers. They are the only dairy organisation holding a Royal Warrant, with the influence and access to funding that brings.  

More information  

Sarah Alderton, farmgatemedia@outlook.com, 07739969198

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."