Awards for milk producers
Two West Midlands farmers have won awards in the 2016 TMS Awards, organised by Premier Nutrition.
Cheshire dairy farmer Philip Brocklehurst of Oak Farm near Mobberley won the award for best dry cow performance and Paul and Dee Bradbury of Brook House Farm near Whitchurch, Shropshire had the most improved performance of their transition cows.
The TMS Awards are based on the results of monthly recordings of cow health and performance, taken using Premier Nutrition's on-farm transition monitoring TMS service.
Both farms are customers of feed manufacturer HJ Lea Oakes. Philip Brocklehurst attributed his success to erecting a new transition cow shed and Phil Jackson of HJ Lea Oakes said the improved performance of transition cows at Brook House Farm was a result of the new policy of keeping dry cows indoors through the summer which enabled better control of their nutrition.
Premier Nutrition's ruminant director Andrew Pine explained: "Monitoring and managing transition is crucial not only for the cow herself, but for overall farm profitability, especially in such challenging times. The TMS service helps farms focus on how well cows are transitioning into lactation. It flags up impending problems such as ketosis, poor dry matter intakes, or over-conditioned cows, and enables the farmer and his nutritionist to see where action is needed to ensure health and performance stay on track."
Premier Nutrition's 2016 TMS Awards were presented at a dinner held before the UK Dairy Day in Telford, hosted by former Olympic swimmer turned TV presenter Sharron Davies MBE, with the awards presented by former Welsh Rugby Union player, Sir Gareth Edwards CBE
