Devon: The cost of Heat stress

Join us for an on-farm event with strategic dairy farm host, Jim Kirk, at Heanton Barton Farm, Okehampton, to learn about the impact heat stress can have on your herd.

In recent years, heat stress has impacted on many herds throughout the UK and is presenting a challenge to farmers. We will explore both the welfare and financial cost of heat stress and steps that can be taken to modify buildings.

Jamie Robertson, a specialist in livestock management systems, will share how and why it is important to address heat stress in your herd and recommend practical, cost-effective solutions to improve the situation. Jim Kirk will also share his ideas on how he can modify his existing buildings and discuss wider options available for his set-up with Jamie.   

This event will be an interactive discussion and we would encourage attendees to bring along examples of their own challenges and solutions to share and explore on the day.

In this session you will learn about:

• How much is heat stress costing our business?
• What are the environmental conditions we need to be aware of?
• How to assess our own buildings in an objective manner: science and art!
• Options for moderating heat stress.
• Basic layout design and costs of cooling fans

To assist with biosecurity and conform to government guidelines please ensure outer clothing and vehicles are clean and that clean boots that can be disinfected are worn. Please note children under the age of 16 and dogs are not allowed at the event, even if they are staying in the car. 

About Heanton Barton Farm

Jim Kirk farms on 700 acres in North Devon with his father and brother in law, employing three full time staff. Their all year round calving herd produces over 11,000 litres per cow supplying Crediton Dairy. They’ve invested heavily in recent years, including a 60 point rotary parlour, water lagoon, purpose built calf shed and new silage clamp.

They own 520 acres and rent 180 acres, growing 80 acres maize which is bought as a standing crop and 170 acres for their own feed. The remainder is grass, which is reseeded regularly to maximise home-grown forage.

They bed the cows on cubicles and have spare capacity, along with a dedicated loafing area and feed space. There’s a custom-built calf shed, good shed space for maternity cows, the milking herd, youngstock and the beef enterprise.

About Strategic Dairy Farms

Strategic Dairy Farms aim to help farmers learn from each other through regular on-farm meetings where we will share key performance data and showcase what the best farmers are doing.

They form part of the Optimal Dairy Systems programme which aims to help dairy farmers reduce costs and increase efficiency by focusing on either a tight block or all-year-round calving system.

The growing network of Strategic Dairy Farms have calculated KPIs for their enterprises which are shared at meetings and published online. These are physical and financial performance measures that are critical to success. Farmers can benchmark their businesses against these KPIs to help identify areas for improvement.

Follow the programme and find other local Strategic Dairy Farms at www.ahdb.org.uk/farm-excellence