A commitment to building cow numbers from the current figure of 60 up to 90 plus is at the heart of the farm business plan recently put in place by Carrickmore dairy farmer Ryan McElduff. The 21-year old, who is working with his uncle Patrick, is also committed to a major investment programme on the farm.
Lameness, a global problem:
‘We have a global lameness crisis in our dairy industry’ (Cook 2016). This statement was made during a keynote speech by Nigel Cook, at the recent World Buiatrics Congress in Dublin, Ireland. It was sentiment and focus of numerous speakers at the congress. Given the number of delegates who attended the lectures on lameness it is clear that the matter is high on the priority list of veterinarians and farmers alike.
The Provita stand at this year’s Sheep NI event was a focal point for discussion regarding a wide range of sheep management issues.
“It was tremendous to have so many flockowners coming up and discussing many management related issues which are of key interest to them at the present time,” confirmed Provita’s Tommy Armstrong.
“It was obvious that keeping hoof condition right remains a priority for sheep producers throughout Northern Ireland.
Tommy pointed out that Hoofsure Endurance, the unique footbath solution from Provita, is finding favour with leading sheep producers throughout Northern Ireland.
Research in America has found that copper has reached toxic levels in soils due to copper sulphate being used in footbaths. It was reported at the recent International Lameness Conference that fields which have gone toxic can no longer grow alfalfa.
Provita will be at next week’s Clogher Show, taking place on Wednesday July 31st. “We will be located adjacent to the sheep rings,” confirmed Provita’s Tommy Armstrong. “And we look forward to making contact with farmers throughout the day.”
Steven Robinson milks 125 Holstein Friesian cows at Longber Farm, near Lancaster. Until recently, he had been foot bathing the cows using a mix of Copper Sulphate and Formalin. However, ten months ago, after consulting with his local farm merchant, Steven decided to change to Provita Hoofsure Endurance. Since then he has been walking the … Read more