Contents tagged with productivity
25 April 2019
What to expect from our new Strategic SmartHort Centres
29 January 2019
Labour efficiency workshops as part of the SmartHort campaign aiming to influence, inspire and improve the performance of your horticultural business
18 December 2018
Managing feed for herd health, fertility and productivity will be the focus of an upcoming AHDB Dairy workshop held on 17 January.
18 December 2018
What are the principles of lean and how could it benefit horticulture?
21 November 2018
The UK is now facing productivity constraints that, as yet, remain unconquered. It is critical that these constraints are addressed so UK agriculture and horticulture can compete in an increasingly global market, and secure its future. This is particularly important in the context of a post-Brexit UK, and uncertainty over future levels of direct support and trade agreements. It is not only physical constraints that are facing the UK. Although predominant, most publicised factors, e.g. yield plateaus, the weather and environmental factors, there are also many contributing structural, behavioural and regulatory constraints. This publication presents the findings of a stakeholder consultation that aimed to understand the constraints considered most limiting by the industry.
21 November 2018
Tailoring the diet of a high yielding cow to maximise both health and productivity will be the focus on the next meeting of the Strategic Dairy Farm based in Lanarkshire on 4 December.
19 September 2018
An industry coalition has united to kick-start a new skills strategy with the ambition to equip the agricultural workforce for the future of farming and invites new partners to join the group.
13 August 2018
Lifetime productivity is not related to backfat alone, but overall fitness. Body mass is important, gilts should be fed a diet that creates both fat and lean meat deposition. Where gilts have a high growth rate, or problems have been an issue, feed intake should be restricted to 80–90% of appetite
13 August 2018
Improving the number of pigs born alive and piglet survival rate through to weaning has a significant impact on profitability – an increase of 1.7 pigs weaned per litter (the difference between average and top 10% performance) improves net margin by £120 per sow per annum.
13 August 2018
Feed makes up ~76% of variable and ~56% of total costs. It may be possible to decrease the cost by switching to a cheaper ration or purchasing in larger quantities, but it can also be achieved through simple, practical actions to minimise feed wastage and to improve the efficiency of utilisation
13 August 2018
Biosecurity; measures taken to limit spread of diseases within farm and from one farm to another, or from outside. Reducing spread of disease helps to maintain unit health, reduce cost of disease and maintain productivity. It should be part of every unit’s disease risk management programme.
26 November 2018
Poor feed and straw quality can present a risk to the physical performance of breeding and finishing herds. Reducing the risk of Mycotoxins in straw is key. There is much research on mycotoxins and their effect on animal health however, little is known about their chronic effects at low levels.