This months linked article's:
MAGNESIUM PRODUCTS PRICES & INFORMATION...
COUNTING THE COST OF BUYING CHEAP...
IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR DIARY...
BLENDS
Following last months newsletter we again would recommend to you that decisions should be made now with regard to blends for the spring and summer. We feel that the opportunity is paramount to secure a good deal because the majority of ingredients are showing reductions in price. As most of you are aware we will offer you a fixed price and fixed formulation guarantee for the whole of the period from April to September. The prices will be based either on a blend that we would recommend or alternatively one that suits your own individual needs and you feel comfortable with. To obtain a realistic and keen price coupled with our guarantee of a FIXED FORMULATION (something we feel is of the utmost importance) please ring the office or your usual agent who will only be too pleased to assist you. We have a 'blend calculator' on our website if you would like to put your blend in, to see what we can do.
UREA LEVELS IN MILK
Adding AMINO PRO-TEK to the diet is also another way of maintaining and improving yields in the spring. It works in the rumen and enables better use to be made of the protein in the home grown forages, especially in high protein spring grass. Apart from increases in milk yield we have also seen reduced urea levels in the milk and improved fertility. It is a sugar complex that utilises the excess protein in the rumen to the cows advantage rather than it being passed through without the full advantage and benefit being taken from the spring grass. For a small outlay of 8p per day you can expect increases in milk yield by up to 3 litres per cow per day, equating to 60p per cow per day (not a bad increase of 52p per cow per day!). If your milk quality slip shows urea levels of over 0.040 the inclusion of Amino Pro-Tek in the diet almost guarantees a reduction which means better utilisation of the total intake leading to better yields.
COUNTING THE COST OF BUYING CHEAP
To get the best from your animals GP Feeds believe that:
- They should be fed quality ingredients
- No fillers
- The correct level of vitamins and minerals
- A fixed formulation
- A balanced nutritious diet
- Palatable feed
When fed correctly, your animals will be more profitable to your business and increase your turnover. GP Feeds believe that this is the only way to feed animals.
Too many feed companies are supplying poor diets, lacking in the essential vitamins and minerals to sustain healthy animals. Feeds are often full of fillers that will fill an animal up, but don't provide the nutrition that is vital for health, fertility and growth.
This feed may be cheap to buy and make your accounts look good in the short term, but in the long term this will be detrimental to your business and you will be seeing more of your vet, less on your milk cheque and an increase in your cull figures. As the old saying goes: ' Buy cheap, buy twice'.
There is another way and although you may be spending slightly more money on your GP Feed, the bigger picture will show an increase in profits due to the improved health of your animals.
Why not ring GP Feeds and we will be very pleased to discuss our approach to feeding your animals with you. Please ring the office on 01948 661602.
ACCESS TO FARMS
An article in the National press a few weeks ago confirmed what many of we country folk have known for a long time, that children living in towns and cities across the UK often have no idea where the bulk of the feed they eat originated. A group of children from the Runcorn area visited an outdoor education centre in the middle of the Cheshire countryside and were amazed and shocked that cows produced milk and ate grass! They also mistook cows for buffalos and pheasant for peacocks!
This ignorance of the basic facts of life was also borne out when BSE first reared its ugly head and the banning of calf exports lead to male Holstein / Friesian type calves being slaughtered. At that time the question was asked by many people as to why a cow had to have a calf anyhow? Having said that, what we want to know is - who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here and drink whatever comes out?"
Joking apart, doesn't it make you think there must be something lacking in the British education system and perhaps British agriculture, particularly the mouth pieces of the dairy industry, should do something to redress the balance. Maybe the likes of ourselves should be helping to educate these people more? We would welcome any of you comments on this topic either by phone (01948 661602, fax (01948 871776) or e-mail (admin@gpfeeds.co.uk).
IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
15th April
Earliest date to apply non-selective herbicides to set aside land. DEFRA have confirmed that land has been claimed as set aside at anytime in the last 5 years is considered "arable land" and not permanent pasture, even where the cover was grass. All agricultural land, with the exception of only permanent pasture, woodland and land in non agricultural use must be included in the set aside calculation.
IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
15th April
Earliest date to apply non-selective herbicides to set aside land. DEFRA have confirmed that land has been claimed as set aside at anytime in the last 5 years is considered "arable land" and not permanent pasture, even where the cover was grass. All agricultural land, with the exception of only permanent pasture, woodland and land in non agricultural use must be included in the set aside calculation.
30th April
Final date at which 10 month occupancy period can begin for land on which you are claiming Single Payment Scheme (SPS) in 2005.
16th May
Closing date for SPS applications in 2005.
1st July
Earliest date to cultivate set aside land to control weeds.
15th July
Earliest date to sow crops for 2006 harvest.
15th July - 15th August
Compulsory cut of set aside land (cuttings must be left on the ground).
31st August
End of set aside period.
1st September - 14th January 2006
You may graze livestock or take hay / silage for own use from 2005 set aside land.
1st February - 30th June 2006
Payment window for 2005 SPS.
SPECIAL NOTICE
New waste disposal regulation from June 2005 bans the burning or burying of plastic waste (some short term exemption apply) from farms. 400,000 tonnes of such waste is generated each year and DEFRA are contributing £1 million over four years to establish a collection system. As far as we believe this will include fertiliser bags, plastic feed bags, plastic mineral bags and silage big bale wrappings. You can contact DEFRA by e-mail on helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk or telephone 0845 9335 577.
QUALITY PRODUCTS FOR QUALITY PRODUCTION
WE FORMULATE OUR OWN RANGE OF DAIRY, CALF, BEEF AND SHEEP COMPOUNDS WHICH ARE BASED ON A FIXED FORMULATION AND FIXED PRICE. THESE ARE FORMULATED TO STRICT NUTRITIONAL SPECIFICATIONS.
WE ALSO SUPPLY BLENDS MADE TO YOUR OWN SPECIFICATION(S) WHICH SUIT OUT OF PARLOUR FEEDING AND CAN BE MADE TO MATCH DIFFERENT FORAGES AS YOU GO THROUGH THE FEEDING YEAR. DON'T FORGET THAT WE ALSO SUPPLY MINERALS!
PLEASE RING : 01948 661602
WE WILL BE VERY PLEASED TO HELP.