Systems

North Yorkshire: Reducing clinical mastitis – Lessons from Willow Tree Farm

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 08:19:38 GMT

What if reducing mastitis is about giving cows more space not more treatments?

Mastitis infections affect all dairy herds across the country. On average, there are 26 clinical mastitis cases per 100 cows per year equivalent, accounting for around 8% of cows exiting the dairy system (Kingshay’s 2024 Dairy Costings Focus Report).

Over the past three years, the Pattison family at Willow Tree Farm have been working to reduce clinical mastitis levels in their 300‑cow herd by focusing on cow space and improvements to the housed environment.

We will explore how these changes were implemented in practice, alongside insights from James Breen, using Willow Tree Farm as a real‑world case study.

This session will concentrate on reducing the rate of new clinical mastitis cases, drawing on real farm data, Nottingham University research on cow space and practical observations from the unit.

Using examples from Willow Tree Farm, the meeting will help attendees to:

Understand the predominant infection patterns likely to be driving mastitis in their herd
Identify the key environmental changes that can reduce mastitis risk
Analyse key performance metrics to assess mastitis control
Recognise important housing observations and measurements, including ventilation, bedding management and cow space

Whether someone is just beginning to review mastitis control or looking to learn from how another farm has approached the challenge, the event will offer practical tools and ideas they can apply directly.

Speaker profile

James Breen qualified as a veterinary surgeon from the University of Bristol in 1998 and, after working in mixed practice, returned in 2001 to undertake a residency in Farm Animal Medicine.

He later collaborated with Prof Andrew Bradley and Prof Martin Green on a national dairy cow mastitis research project, contributing to the development of the AHDB Mastitis Control Plan.

James went on to complete a three‑year RCVS Trust residency in Production Animal Medicine, balancing dairy practice in Glastonbury with teaching, research, and laboratory consultancy for QMMS Ltd in Somerset.

James now splits his time between teaching at the University of Nottingham and providing veterinary consultancy for Map of Ag, with particular expertise in mastitis control, herd health, and preventive medicine.

Dairy-Tech 2026

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:18:55 GMT

We’re proud to be Technical Sponsors at this year’s Dairy-Tech so come and visit our stand to discover how we’re supporting dairy farmers, with knowledgeable staff on hand to explain how your levy is delivering real value on farm.

Learn how we’re promoting British dairy through major campaigns such as Let’s Eat Balanced and our award-winning Milk Every Moment campaign in partnership with the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) – you might even spot our mascot Moovit the cow.

Discover how the levy supports genetic development through independent genetic and genomics data and new indexes like Feed Advantage and EnviroCow, which are helping farmers breed cows that are both economically efficient and environmentally responsible.

Find out how our levy-funded education programme is increasing children’s understanding of food, cooking and nutrition, and how our specialists are developing
overseas markets, supporting more than 30 companies as GB dairy exports head toward another record year.

You can also speak to us about our pioneering environmental baselining pilot to assess the environmental impact of farms across Great Britain. Along with the UK Dairy Carbon Network, which is working with over 50 farms to trial practical, farm-ready solutions to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Sussex - Safer cattle handling with Owen Atkinson

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 12:43:55 GMT

All are welcome to this safer cattle handling workshop with farm vet Owen Atkinson.

Owen is delivering a practical and interactive workshop aimed to improve techniques in both day to day and less frequent handling scenarios, making the process low stress for both cows and farm staff. The presentation and farm walk will help you to identify challenges and opportunities with handling facilities to improve cow flow and understand the benefits of heifer acclimatisation into the herd.

The workshop will cover:

Cattle handling principles – cow visual perception, the flight zone, interpreting body language
Demonstration of cow behaviours
Focus on improving personnel safety and cattle welfare in handling situations

Owen Atkinson has been providing CowSignals training since 2008 and he'll open your eyes to new approaches and possibilities.

You’ll leave with a tangible action list of improvements for your herd that can begin straightaway.

This workshop will be of interest and useful to all people working with cattle in practice – young and old, new and experienced.

Light lunch and refreshments will be included, please include any dietary requirements on booking.

Livestock slurry – Your liquid asset

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 07:49:00 GMT

Livestock slurry – Your liquid asset

Wiltshire: Extreme Grazing - How to plan for challenging seasons

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 09:40:19 GMT

Cold springs. Hot dry summers. Relentless rain. Over the last few years British farmers have faced some of the most challenging grazing seasons on record. Wolfhall Farm near Marlborough have rapidly assessed and adapted their grazing strategy to ensure grazed grass could be maximised in their diet.

Join us at AHDB Strategic Dairy Farm Wolfhall Farm where herd manager Antony Mitchell and LIC Pasture to Profit consultant Piers Badnell will review the decisions made this season and discuss how to plan for the extreme weather events in the future.

At this meeting we will discuss:

Using grass growth data to plan grazing strategies
Limiting damage in wet conditions
The when, what and how of cost-effective supplementary feeding
Planning winter forage stocks
Inclusion of forages resistant to climatic extremes

About Piers Badnell:

Piers has been working with AHDB for years, as a part of his role with Pasture for Profit, providing consulancy for our Forage for Knowledge network.

Piers recently worked on a case study with Wolfhall as a part of Forage for Knowledge.

If you would like to better understand how to manage a herd in a grass & forage-based system in climatic extremes, such as the prolonged wet weather of 2023/24 or the extreme dry weather of 2025, this practical session will provide the tools, knowledge, and next steps to take action on farm.

Learn more about Wolfhall Farm.

Cumbria: Livestock slurry – Your liquid asset

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 12:18:15 GMT

Join us for a collaboration with Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) for an informative event on Cost Effective Slurry Management and Nutrient Management Planning with guest James Bretherton, David Ball from AHDB and CSF advisor Jonathan Skidmore.

What to expect at the meeting

This meeting will show you how to turn slurry from a storage challenge into a business asset, helping you cut costs, improve productivity, and protect the environment. This workshop will explore how effective slurry management, which includes nutrient planning, can deliver measurable benefits to your bottom line while meeting environmental and regulatory requirements.

This event will cover

The nutrient and economic value of slurry and organic manures – and how to maximise it
Four key areas of cost effective slurry storage and utlisation: feeding strategy, yard/housing management, storage/treatment, and application
How to reduce ammonia emissions and nutrient losses
How a local farming business is making the most of their slurry
How to create and update an effective nutrient management plan, including N & P balancing
The latest tools and resources, including AHDB’s Slurry Wizard and Organic Materials Value Calculator MANNER-NPK, and Defra’s new web-based planning tool

Whether you’re looking to reduce fertiliser costs, make better use of your storage, or get more from your nutrient management plan, this practical session will provide the tools, knowledge, and next steps to take action on farm.

Somerset: Livestock slurry – Your liquid asset

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 10:46:55 GMT

Join us for a collaboration with Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) for an informative event on Integrated Slurry Management incorporating cost-effective Nutrient Management Planning with guest John Morgan, David Ball from AHDB and CSF advisor Jonathan Skidmore.

What to expect at the meeting

This event will cover

The nutrient and economic value of slurry and organic manures – and how to maximise it
Four key areas of cost effective slurry storage and utlisation: feeding strategy, yard/housing management, storage/treatment, and application
How to reduce ammonia emissions and nutrient losses
How a local farming business is making the most of their slurry
How to create and update an effective nutrient management plan, including N & P balancing
The latest tools and resources, including AHDB’s Slurry Wizard and Organic Materials Value Calculator MANNER-NPK, and Defra’s new web-based planning tool

Devon: Livestock slurry – Your liquid asset

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 17:19:51 GMT

Join us for a collaboration with Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) for an informative event on Integrated Slurry Management incorporating cost-effective Nutrient Management Planning with guest John Morgan, David Ball from AHDB and CSF advisor Jonathan Skidmore.

What to expect at the meeting

This event will cover

The nutrient and economic value of slurry and organic manures – and how to maximise it
Four key areas of cost effective slurry storage and utlisation: feeding strategy, yard/housing management, storage/treatment, and application
How to reduce ammonia emissions and nutrient losses
How a local farming business is making the most of their slurry
How to create and update an effective nutrient management plan, including N & P balancing
The latest tools and resources, including AHDB’s Slurry Wizard and Organic Materials Value Calculator MANNER-NPK, and Defra’s new web-based planning tool

Shropshire: Livestock slurry – Your liquid asset

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 17:11:06 GMT

Join us for a collaboration with Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) for an informative event on Integrated Slurry Management incorporating cost-effective Nutrient Management Planning with guest Chris Duller, David Ball from AHDB and CSF advisor Jonathan Skidmore.

What to expect at the meeting

This meeting will show you how to turn slurry from a storage challenge into a business asset, helping you cut costs, improve productivity, and protect the environment. This workshop will explore how integrated slurry management and nutrient planning can deliver measurable benefits to your bottom line while meeting environmental and regulatory requirements.

This event will cover

The nutrient and economic value of slurry and organic manures – and how to maximise it
Four key areas of integrated slurry management: feeding strategy, yard/housing management, storage/treatment, and application
How to reduce ammonia emissions and nutrient losses
How a local farming business is making the most of their slurry
How to create and update an effective nutrient management plan, including N & P balancing
The latest tools and resources, including AHDB’s Slurry Wizard and Organic Materials Value Calculator MANNER-NPK, and Defra’s new web-based planning too

Derbyshire: Livestock slurry – Your liquid asset

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 16:44:18 GMT

Join us for a collaboration with Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) for an informative event on Integrated Slurry Management incorporating cost-effective Nutrient Management Planning with guest Chris Duller, David Ball from AHDB and CSF advisor Jonathan Skidmore.

What to expect at the meeting

This meeting will show you how to turn slurry from a storage challenge into a business asset, helping you cut costs, improve productivity, and protect the environment. This workshop will explore how integrated slurry management and nutrient planning can deliver measurable benefits to your bottom line while meeting environmental and regulatory requirements.

This event will cover

The nutrient and economic value of slurry and organic manures – and how to maximise it
Four key areas of integrated slurry management: feeding strategy, yard/housing management, storage/treatment, and application
How to reduce ammonia emissions and nutrient losses
How a local farming business is making the most of their slurry
How to create and update an effective nutrient management plan, including N & P balancing
The latest tools and resources, including AHDB’s Slurry Wizard and Organic Materials Value Calculator MANNER-NPK, and Defra’s new web-based planning too

Hampshire: Lean on the land - applying learnings from Japan

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 14:26:19 GMT

Join us at Whitewool Farm for a practical workshop to demonstrate how a Japanese automotive technique can be used to improve business profits with Jamie and Will Butler, and Neil Fedden, Managing Director of Fedden USP.

Neil works with businesses to help create time, that’s then up to the operator to use appropriately. Time to be used to focus on the business and increase profits or more time off farm to spend with family or other pursuits. The workshop will help you get more engagement from staff and show you how to get ‘action plans’ done.

Jamie and his brother Will operate a diversified farming business, with glamping sites, fly fishing, corporate days, clay shooting and self-storage running alongside their 445 ha dairy and arable farm. They use lean management to help identify areas of efficiency and areas for opportunity to lean into their land.

You will hear Jamie's progress since the last KPI meeting at Whitewool and how that links into how he already uses lean principles to manage a successful business. Applying the principles of lean management, Neil will discuss case studies of applications from the farming sector, including from dairy to practically highlight how to apply these to your farm.

10 years ago Neil supported Jamie and the team at Meon Springs to improve the day-to-day routine of milking, scraping and feeding. Jamie says now the efficiency is second to none and almost an hour has been taken off the morning routine, allowing more time for other jobs or an earlier finish for staff.

From clamp to tank

We will walk this process and identify all the potential wastes. Looking at a cow day, what is her ideal, how much time she wants to spend eating, drinking, lying and what affects this and how can we improve.

This is a workshop for the whole farm team, to talk through processes together and share improvements and best practices. You can then go home and apply these lean management techniques to your own business. Standardised processes can be used to inform and train new people as they come on to farm too.

This event will cover

How can a Japanese automotive technique help you to improve your business profits?
What are the stages of lean management and how can this benefit your business planning?
What are the typical areas of waste on a dairy farm?
How to create capacity and time to allow you to increase profits, or spend more time with your family!
How to get more buy-in and involvement from your staff and why this is important
How to implement end to end business mapping, process mapping and waste walks on your farm.
How to start creating ‘Action Plans’ and visual management boards

About Neil Fedden

Neil, Managing Director of Fedden USP, specialises in the application of Lean and Continuous Improvement into Retail, MoD, Local Government, Finance, Agriculture, Horticulture, Manufacturing, Engineering and Process Industries.

Find out more about lean management

Learn about Whitewool Farm

Cheshire: Leaning into Dairy Business Management

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 09:54:06 GMT

Join us at Curtis Hulme Farm for a practical workshop on the lean fundamentals with Dan Humphries.

This workshop will illustrate the fundamental principles of lean management and how they can be applied on dairy farms. You’ll see real examples of how these approaches improve profitability, personal satisfaction and animal welfare.

This workshop will cover:

The core concepts of lean management and how they fit into dairy farming
Examples of how lean has already been implemented successfully on farms
Ways to reduce waste and increase efficiency in day-to-day routines
How lean thinking can improve staff satisfaction and cow welfare
Practical ideas you can try straight away on your own unit
An introduction to the background of the farm, including a farm tour

About Dan Humphries

Dan graduated as a veterinarian from the University of Bristol in 2012 and went on to co-found Horizon Dairy Vets in 2017.

Operating out of Shropshire, he provides hands-on, technical, and management-driven support to farms across the West Midlands and North Wales, helping boost production efficiency. His impact extends globally as well, working with farmers and agribusinesses worldwide to empower and elevate agricultural practices.

Find out more about Curtis Hulme Farm

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for maternal suckler traits

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 11:24:41 GMT

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for maternal suckler traits

Farm case study: PigSAFE

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 09:35:46 GMT

Farm case study: PigSAFE

Managing clover dominance in swards

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 09:12:34 GMT

Managing clover dominance in swards

Groundswell 2025

Thu, 08 May 2025 09:35:44 GMT

Join us at Groundswell 2025 to explore evidence-led, actionable insights for resilient and sustainable farming businesses.

We have put together a thought-provoking seminar programme to cement our place as a must-visit stand at the annual festival.

Seminars

We will host four seminar sessions on our stand each day, which will see farmers and the wider community discuss the importance of independent, data-driven solutions for nature-based farming.

Each seminar lasts about 30 minutes, with times and locations clearly displayed at key locations across the Groundswell site.

Groundswell speakers for 2025

Session 1 – Cultural controls: Don’t let weeds take the lead

This session will tackle how regenerative farming practices are shifting the weed management dynamics on farm.

With the first case of glyphosate resistance in a UK weed species (Italian rye-grass) recorded earlier this year, the need to proactively manage herbicide resistance risks has never been greater.

We will unearth lessons from Strategic Cereal Farm East, including results from in-depth studies of the farm’s weed seedbanks and assessments of non-chemical control approaches, and debate the latest herbicide resistance management tactics.

Session 2 – Food first: The ultimate nature-based solution

In the race to meet environmental and climate targets, the focus on offsetting others' environmental footprints often overshadows a critical truth: food production is the ultimate nature-based solution.

This session challenges conventional narratives, arguing that natural capital ‘investment’ on-farm is not just an environmental nicety but a business-critical strategy to secure resilient and sustainable farming businesses for decades to come.

Join the debate about whether natural capital markets can build resilience or if they risk becoming distractions from or threats to the long-term survival of UK farming businesses.

Session 3 – The green food rebellion: How can farms feed values, not just bellies?

We will explore what consumers want from food, whether they really care about sustainability, how those ‘wants’ and values are communicated back to farmers and whether they then influence decision making on farm.

We will also look at the practical ways management, genetics and innovation are driving sustainability, improving farming efficiency, and delivering high-quality, eco-conscious food to meet consumer expectations.

Once we have food that feeds values, and not just bellies, how do we communicate that back to the consumer?

This panel features perspectives spanning the food supply chain—from field to fork—it will inspire fresh ideas and provide practical insights into how sustainable farm practices are shaping the future of farming and food production.

Whether you’re a farmer, grower, retailer, or food enthusiast, you’ll gain valuable insights into the decisions shaping the food on your plate.

Session 4 – From run-off to resilience: Land management for cleaner water

Farmers are under pressure to deliver food and protect natural resources, including our waterways.

This session will dig into the latest developments in soil health monitoring and management. It will explore the innovative and practical ways that reduce nitrate and phosphate leaching risks and improve a farm’s bottom line.

We will discuss the unique approaches required in regenerative systems.

Session 5 – Trials and tribulations: How to get more from on-farm trials

A panel of experienced farmers and researchers will discuss how to turn data into decisions.

They will explore how farmers can ensure that trials produce meaningful results, what data should be collected to make informed decisions and how insights from individual farms can be shared to create broader industry change.

The panel will draw on the experience of farmers who have used data to shift their management approaches and researchers who assist in on-farm data collection, knowledge exchange networks and understanding leverage points for uptake of sustainable food production in the UK.

Workshop session at the Earthworm Arms – Cover Crop Clinic: I’m begging you for MERCI

New for this year, we will be hosting an interactive cover crops and herbal leys workshop at the Earthworm Arms.

AHDB and the Cover Crops Guide steering group will be digging into the most practical aspects of species selection, establishment, grazing, nutrient dynamics, and biodiversity. All with a focus on financial return and practically realising the benefits to the rotation that we hear so much about.

Come and see us at the AHDB tipi at stand c40 in the demonstration field.

AHDB champions evidence at Groundswell 2025 (news release)

Best-practice guide to outwintering

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 13:18:46 GMT

Best-practice guide to outwintering

Outwintering livestock: Planning and preparation

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 13:18:46 GMT

Outwintering livestock: Planning and preparation

Outwintering livestock: Implementation

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 13:18:46 GMT

Outwintering livestock: Implementation

Outwintering livestock: Feeding hay or silage

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 13:18:46 GMT

Outwintering livestock: Feeding hay or silage