T H White: Dairy innovations at Little Langford

Dairy farmer Nick Helyer has been running his 1,425-acre farm at Little Langford near Wilton since 1965, when he took it over from his father who had worked the farm since 1941. After more than 40 years as a dairyman, there’s not much Nick doesn’t know about cattle, milk yields and the efficient running of his farm. However, in the last year there are three key areas in which T H White has been able to bring new benefits and savings to his business... Drum Recovery Scheme One of the biggest changes to affect Nick is the new legislation – which came into force on 15th May – ending the right of farmers to dispose of waste in traditional ways. “Like most dairy farms we end up with large numbers of empty chemical drums which we need to get rid of,” said Nick. “In the past we used to burn them, or sometimes bury them, but that is no longer allowed. Fortunately, just before the new law came in, I heard about T H White’s Drum Recovery Scheme. It’s brilliant and has saved us from a big potential problem. “The scheme is simplicity itself: as fresh drums of dairy chemicals are delivered, the T H White dairy van takes away an equal number of empty drums, all for a nominal annual charge. Over a year I suppose we have about 150 25-litre drums and 20 200-litre drums to dispose of, none of which I have to worry about any more. It’s a real headache removed!” Nick added.

Automated hoof hygiene Nick’s farm is on flint soil which means that his herd of 200-plus dairy cattle are kept indoors in a spacious shed where they graze on home produced silage. Nick has gone to some lengths to provide comfort for his cattle, but it has always been hard to maintain high standards of hoof hygiene. Nick’s dairy manager, Paul Keeton, explains: “We have always used a hoof bath, but until recently we had one that had to be emptied, cleaned out and refilled manually. The sheer labour involved in that task meant that it could only be done every few days, which was not really adequate. As a result we had quite a few cows suffering from digital dermatitis and ultimately lameness – a condition which, if left unchecked, can end in the loss of the animal. “Now, T H White has supplied a DeLaval AFB1000 automated footbath which has revolutionised hoofcare among the herd. We control it from a panel which operates a water valve and chemical dosing pump. The new footbath is automatically filled, flushed when required, and replenished again. “All the cattle go through the bath twice a day on their way out of the milking parlour and the improvement has been dramatic. Hoofs are effectively cleaned and hardened and we have much less lameness. “Although we flush the bath regularly, it is actually more cost-effective as we have precise control of the chemical dosing and we are suffering far less cost from lameness,” said Paul. Rubber coverage As Nick’s cows spend most of their time in the shed, he decided to experiment with DeLaval rubber coverage to provide a softer, more natural floor surface for the cows. “Hard, slippery floors give cattle fear of falling, meaning they don’t walk in a confident, natural manner,” he said. “They can also develop laminitis – bruising of the soft undersole of the hoof.” Initially T H White has installed the rubber coverage in one aisle of the shed. The trial has been a real success, with the cows moving confidently, bulling and exhibiting very natural behaviour. “I am thinking of extending the rubber coverage to at least one more of the aisles in the shed. It has been money well spent,” Nick concluded.

Agriculture