Shropshire Farming Talk: Springtime at Walford College
Spring is in the air again with a glimmer of much-needed sun appearing after a very wet February.
The early lambing has now finished with the final tasks taking place this week before the sheep go out.
Due to the wet weather we have continued with the restricted turnout for the cows to reduce any damage to the fields. The younger R1 cows are fully out with more grazing restrictions on the older youngstock and cows.
The weather has been so wet that we have needed to delay work on the fields and even the dryer areas of the estate this year have stayed sodden.
We have been increasing the percentage of clover into our grazing platforms for the last few years which has been really successful.
Clover (a legume) is really beneficial to the soil and surrounding plants as it converts nitrogen in the air to accessible organic nitrogen that plants can use. This has the added benefit of reducing the amount of artificial fertiliser that is needed. It also benefits the soil, as the root structure stabilises the soil, reducing erosion and helping to aerate the soil.
The added benefit for a dairy system is that it increases the protein available to the cows and therefore, the protein and butter fats in the milk. This is great for cheese and butter production.
Our cows are averaging 16 litres of milk with fats and protein strong at 5.3 per cent and 3.7 per cent respectively.
The breeding cycle has been really successful with our final pregnancy scans for the cows taking place in April with the Shropshire Farm Vets.
This will give us accurate information on the number of calves we are expecting in autumn per day and how to plan the management and nutrition of the cows leading to calving.
Our cows and replacements are performing really well, with a very high conception rate to date. As we are expecting more calves than we need we are going to sell off some of the in-calf cows in June to reduce any excess strain on the grazing platform.
On site the students are in full assessment mode with work placement starting for most students just after Easter, with a small number of students out just before. A very big thankyou is needed here to the many employers who have taken students on for work experience and given them lots of support and encouragement to get started.
If you would like to know more about the college or our courses please contact us on info@nsc.ac.uk
by Bronwen Bray, Head of Walford College
