AHDB

rumen development
Agriculture/Livestock News
Rumen development series – AHDB
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Dairy is hosting a series of practical on-farm meetings across the county to help farmers learn why good rumen development is key to weaning transition and how to make it successful on their farm. Since cows spend half their time ruminating, developing a calf’s rumen is critical if you want them to utilize energy effectively in their adult life. The meetings will feature…
calf health
Agriculture/Livestock News
Webinar on how to get optimum calf health
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is hosting a webinar today so that farmers can learn more about why good rumen development is key to weaning transition and how to achieve optimum calf health on your farm. The webinar will be from 1:30pm to 3pm SAST. Register at the link below to get a copy of the recording. Changes in diet, environment and social grouping can make weaning a…
Earthworms
Agriculture/Livestock News
Earthworms contribute to crop disease biocontrol
With the move towards less-intensive cultivation practices, some have asked whether it’s time to revisit the guidance and look at disease management from a different angle. A research team from SRUC and The University of Nottingham has studied whether dragging blades through soil is good for earthworms, which may have implications for crop diseases. Earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) provide well-documented benefits to soil health. Yet, their role as a naturally occurring…
News
11% increase in UK sheep kill figures for March 
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) says that there has been an increase of 11% in UK sheep kill figures during March, with the figure just over one million head. According to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), the increase in throughput is due to the fact that there were fewer sheep available due to Brexit. AHDB senior analyst, Rebecca Wright says the key theme so far…
News
UK national sheep flock increased by 3% in 2021 
The UK national sheep flock stood at 14.5 million head on 1 December, showing an increase of 3% for the period of 2021. According to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) the figures were collated by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). AHDB’s Rebecca Wright says “some growth in the breeding ewe numbers was expected based upon optimism in the industry and low ewe-slaughter figures during…
sheep
News
Small recovery of UK sheepmeat exports earlier this year
UK exports of fresh and frozen sheepmeat staged a slight recovery in January this year. The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) said that figures from the HMRC show that exports of sheepmeat increased by 489 tonnes on the same period in 2021. Volumes during the month totalled just over 4,000 tonnes, which was 13% higher than year earlier levels the AHDB said. However, volumes were significantly below pre-Brexit levels in both…