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The FarmSkills team would like to extend
their thanks to the EBLEX team, and XLVet
members Keith Cutler from Endell Veterinary
Group and Jonathan Statham from Bishopton
Veterinary Group for their support and input
to the content of the presentations for the
bull fertility workshops.
We are also grateful for the additional funding
granted for the workshops through the DEFRA
RDPE programme for England, managed by
The Duchy College in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset
and Somerset, The Royal Agricultural College
in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Reaseheath
College in Cheshire, Rural Skills Cumbria in
Cumbria and by LANTRA in the West Midlands,
East Midlands, Yorkshire and North East.
F A R M S K I L L S
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
16
AUTUMN 2012 ISSUE
Farmers are all taught in an interactive
session to then know how to body condition
score and how to assess conformity - and
how to understand any semen samples that
might have been taken by the vet on a
previous occasion.
All delegates are encouraged to discuss
health outcomes and devise an action plan
for their own farms following the workshop.
Comments from delegates who have
attended the workshops to date:
FarmSkills and XLVets are
supporting a new scheme to
enable UK dairy farmers and
their staff to get recognition for
their skills and achievements.
'Dairy Pro' launches at this
year's Livestock Event on 4th
and 5th September and has
been devised and implemented
by an industry steering group, of
which XLVets are a part, and is
funded by DairyCo and Residual
Milk Marketing Board funds.
‘We want Dairy Pro to be a recognised
mark for professionalism in dairy farming,’
says group chairman David Cotton. ‘As
dairy farmers we are constantly working to
improve our farms, develop skills within our
workforce and keep up-to-date with the
latest developments in technology and
business management. Dairy Pro gives us
a simple way to record those efforts by
providing a register for farmers and staff
who participate so that they have a
tangible way of recognising that work.’
Dairy Pro has been deliberately developed
to recognise all the different areas that
farmers operate in and to accommodate
the wide variety of skills that they have.
‘It's an inclusive scheme,’ says David, ‘it
doesn't matter what size of farm you have,
or what type of system, as long as you are
continuing to develop your skills, you can
register your training, build your points tally
and work to become part of a professional
network of dairy farmers.’
Dairy farmer Tom Rawson is the Dairy Pro
industry group vice chairman. He says
the scheme will be extremely useful for a
number of reasons. ‘As a dairy farmer
and an employer I'm constantly making
an effort to keep up with the latest
developments in dairying and I need to
know that staff and prospective employees
are doing the same. Dairy Pro will
provide a credible platform for all of us
to demonstrate and recognise that
commitment to continuous development.’
To join the scheme simply register at
www.dairypro.co.uk
or visit our stand
at Livestock 2012; then look out for
the Dairy Pro logo on stands and at
demonstrations around the event
where you can start to pick up points.
Wright and Morten: 27th June 2012,
Chelford Auction Mart
‘I have gained a better understanding
of what to look for in a bull before
buying. I found the information on
the general health of bulls and the
importance of inspecting them very
useful and I now have a better
understanding of how to evaluate bulls
which I will be using in the future.’
‘The Bull Fertility workshop has given
me the knowledge to assess bulls in
greater detail and highlighted what
to look out for in a good breeding
bull. The information was detailed,
interesting and useful and will be of
benefit to my business in the future’
Penbode Vets: 21st June 2012,
Holsworthy Auction Mart
‘Good group participation and the live
demonstrations were excellent’
‘Good to be made aware of the scale
of the problem and what to look out
for in the future’
Synergy Farm Health: 11th July 2012,
Sedgemoor Auction Mart
‘Really useful information presented
at the right level’
Please log on to the FarmSkills
website to find out which courses
are running near you going forward
at
www.farm-skills.co.uk
, or call us
on 01765 608489.
Dairy Pro