Thompsons’ Dairy Specialist, John Anderson discusses dietary changes that can lead to performance improvements this winter, with the ‘real time’ views of Country Tyrone producer Ryan McElduff.
Dairy producers across Northern Ireland, of a certain age, will have witnessed many significant changes to their industry over the past thirty years. But for those in the
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Posted 14,10,24 by allison.
All eyes were on Antrim Show on the 27th July, as the crème de la crème of Northern Ireland’s dairy cows gathered for the long-awaited final of the 2024 Thompsons/Northern Ireland Shows Association Dairy Cow Championship. The showgrounds at Shanes Castle always attract a large crowd of spectators and this year was no exception Ground
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Posted 19,08,24 by allison.
With the show season about to get underway, Northern Ireland’s premier dairy competition, the John Thompson & Sons/Northern Ireland Shows Association (NISA) Dairy Cow Championship, is back with a new look for 2024!
Speaking at the launch of the 2024 championship, Thompsons’ Ronald Annett said, “Northern Ireland has always been to the forefront in
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Posted 29,04,24 by allison.
To bring world class speakers to a local audience, from three venues, over three days, was the aim of Thompsons’ Tech Team. And boy did they deliver. In conjunction with Thompsons’ long-term performance mineral partner, Zinpro, from Tuesday 13th to Thursday 15th February, Industry Specialists took to the stage, the crush, the silo and the feed passage to discuss
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Posted 28,02,24 by allison.
Join us on a three day ‘roadshow’, where we have secured world-class speakers to bring you their knowledge on all thing’s ‘dairy’. They will give insights into how producers can identify hidden costs, become more efficient and ultimately aim to end up in better financial position. Just click on the link to let us know which venue you
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Posted 05,02,24 by allison.
Reducing nitrogen excretion by reducing dietary crude protein. Local research group explores how low can we go?
This is the second article in a series by the Pig Research Consortium between AFBI, Thompsons, Devenish Nutrition Ltd and Preferred Capital Management. In our first article, we suggested that pig producers should not phase feed in
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Posted 05,02,24 by allison.
The hill sheep unit run by Fergus Mullan is situated in the shadow of Carntogher Mountain in the North Sperrins. To any visitor, the area is one of great scale and beauty, but as with all hill farming, conditions can be harsh and present many challenges over the course of a winter and early spring.
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Posted 29,01,24 by allison.
Local Research Group explores ways to reduce nitrogen excretion
This is the first in a series of articles which aims to provide some practical advice for pig producers to reduce the environmental impact of pig production in terms of nitrogen and ammonia emissions. While emissions from pig production are relatively small in relation
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Posted 18,01,24 by allison.
Building on a strong foundation of working with Zinpro Performance Minerals, for over ten years, we are excited to bring to the market a new and unique Dairy Programme that combines years of proven benefits, scientific studies and local guidance.
‘Availa Dairy’ is available to you, for your herd, right now! It is a programme that can
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Posted 03,10,23 by allison.
George Shanks & Son
Thompsons value their network of merchants, who work tirelessly to ensure that their customers have the feed they need, when they need it. One such feed store in Newtownards has been a loyal customer of Thompsons for many years, with the kind of working relationship that is rarely seen in today’s business environment.Read more
Posted 31,07,23 by allison.
Worming /fluking strategy in
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Posted 31,07,23 by allison.
Pedigree Carrowcroft Herd
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Posted 24,10,22 by allison.
Balance Silages to Secure Performance
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Posted 17,10,22 by allison.
We are delighted to announce that we have raised a fantastic amount for Marie Curie - Northern Ireland, following our in-house coffee morning on Friday 30th September. £350 was donated over the course of the morning and this will be matched by the W&R Barnett Charity Scheme, ensuring that a whopping £700.00 will go to the charity! Thompsons
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Posted 05,10,22 by allison.
Don’t worry if you missed our recent live webinar, we have a recording of the full event, available to watch at your leisure by clicking on the link below. We would love to get your feedback on the webinar and if you have any other topics you would like to hear discussed, don’t hesitate to send us
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Posted 27,07,22 by admin.
Thompsons’ Dr. Ronald Annett
When it comes to feeding ewes before lambing, grass silage, hay and haylage accounts for nearly all of the forage that is fed in Northern Ireland. And with the great grass growth in 2021, silos are now well filled and bale stacks have never been larger, so hopefully there should be more
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Posted 27,01,22 by allison.
Balancing rations is crucial if winter diets are to be tailored for performance and profit
With winter around the corner, the challenge will be producing milk profitably as costs continue to escalate. Spring and summer months have been somewhat difficult, both from a grazing and forage ensilability aspect. The colder spring combined with drought
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Posted 14,10,21 by allison.
Keeping it cool
Whether your cows were housed or outside in the field, it’s likely that milk yields took an unexpected drop last month. And to make matters worse, milk butterfat percentage was probably impacted as well. If this sounds familiar, it’s likely that your cows were suffering from heat stress
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Posted 28,07,21 by allison.
The late spring, alongside rising feed costs, has meant that the options for grazing milking cows, has been a stop start scenario up until now. But this will change in the next week or two. Grass nutritional quality and regrowth has been a struggle, from the east to west of the country, but over the next fortnight, many cows
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Posted 26,04,21 by allison.
Thompsons’ Jemma McHugh spoke to the Walker family to find out how the investment in a new set up for lambing has reaped many rewards.
Just outside Scarva in Co. Armagh, George Walker runs a flock of strong, commercial, crossbred ewes with his sons James and David. Every year the flock size increases with the purchase of
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Posted 08,02,21 by allison.
With weather conditions far from ideal and grass supplies dwindling, plans should now be in place to house pregnant ewes, so they have time to settle on their winter diets before lambing commences. Energy balance during late pregnancy is a key driver of both lamb birth weight and milk production, so keeping the energy shortfall to a minimum
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Posted 27,01,21 by allison.
Improving the quality of silage is always challenging as there are so many factors to manage, many of which are out of the producer’s control. Thompsons’ Mary-Jane Robinson explains how producers can aim to improve their milk from forage figures to achieve optimum performance levels.
With ideal harvesting conditions for this year’s first
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Posted 02,11,20 by allison.
Dairy margins have been finely balanced in recent years and this winter looks to be no different, despite dairy commodity markets having largely recovered from the shock of COVID-19. As the single biggest cost on dairy units, concentrate feeding is firmly in the spotlight once again and keeping a tight rein on these costs will be crucial for profitability
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Posted 20,10,20 by allison.
Thompsons’ Richard Moore visited the Corryglass Herd in Fintona to view how the herd has improved and excelled over the past few years. And how Thompsons’ new Performance Pack will become an integral part of their daily management routine.
The newly launched ‘Lifetime Dairy’ concept from Thompsons, splits the life of a dairy cow into
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Posted 05,10,20 by allison.
Dry Cow Pack
Following the launch of our Health Pack for calves, we can now introduce the new Dry Cow Pack, which is an integral part of our “Lifetime Dairy” offering. Many problems in early lactation such as poor milk yields, reduced fertility and metabolic issues such as milk fever, retained placentas or displaced abomasums, can all
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Posted 28,09,20 by allison.
New Health Pack
Thompsons’ new calf range incorporates the all new ‘Health Pack’ which includes Zinpros’ proven protected mineral technology: Availa®Zn (a unique amino acid zinc complex) and Availa®Se (a rumen by-pass selenium) as well as Levucell yeast and Safmannan products. The combination of Availa®Zn and Availa®Se work to improve the immunity of
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Posted 21,09,20 by allison.
Spring Newsletter
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Posted 03,06,20 by allison.
There’s a good chance you will recognise a lot of the ‘faces’ of Thompsons, from different articles in the farming press, or from shows or farmer’s meetings. And when they’re on-farm they are usually the ones asking all the questions: How many cows are dry? What’s your stocking rate? What’s your dung consistency like?<
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Posted 18,05,20 by allison.
Dear Customers,
We understand that this can be a confusing time as the Government reacts to a changing situation, with the control of the Covid-19 virus. We want to take this opportunity to reassure you that our top priority is and will continue to be our staff and customer’s health and well-being.
We are
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Posted 18,03,20 by allison.
An unexplained reduction in feed efficiency can leave producers questioning ‘what’s gone wrong’? Thompsons’ technical specialist, Mary-Jane Robinson has a look into one of the big poachers of profitability at this time year.
When cows are fit and healthy, they will partition a significant proportion of nutrient resources to stimulate the production
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Posted 13,02,20 by allison.
Thompsons’ Ruminant Nutritionist; Dr Ronald Annett
It’s hard to believe that this time last year, ewes were knee-deep in grass and ground conditions were perfect for running early lambers outside. But conditions are very different this year, and for all but the driest parts of the province, ewes due to lamb in the next six
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Posted 16,01,20 by allison.
Following on from three successful calf meetings held in October, in partnership with Shine Calf Milk and the Technical Team from Thompsons, it was noted that there was a great interest in the subject and producers were keen to keep learning about calf rearing ‘best practice’. The location of the previous meetings had meant that producers from the Ards
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Posted 02,12,19 by allison.
A campaign lined up for a ‘Yellow November’, between Thompsons and their
charity partner, Marie Curie, will get everyone’s cameras and phones out, to capture a bit of winter feeding.
Through our partnership with Marie Curie, Thompsons have been raising funds for this charity, along with promoting the amazing work that this
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Posted 26,10,19 by allison.
With the quality of speakers presenting, the Thompsons calf meetings held in partnership with Bonanza calf nutrition, were always going to be a popular event. Three evening meetings were held in Coleraine, Newry and Omagh which give producers across the province the opportunity to attend.
The format of each meeting was to take producers right through
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Posted 22,10,19 by allison.
With a previous total of a staggering £60K, Thompsons are delighted to have re-ignited their partnership with Marie Curie, to continue raising funds for a charity that touches the lives of many. Offering care and support through terminal illness, Marie Curie’s well known ‘Great Daffodil Appeal’, ensures that more funds are available to provide nursing care where and
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Posted 18,10,19 by admin.
Running a prosperous flock of pedigree sheep requires hard work and dedication throughout the year. But for one prize-winning Co. Down flock, attention to detail around lambing time is really paying off. Looking after a 220 cow dairy herd alongside 300 ewes - the majority of which are pedigree - means there is never a dull moment for Drew Cowan, and
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Posted 13,03,19 by allison.
This year, Thompsons will have a have GEN range of fertiliser available. The Goulding Enhanced Nitrogen (GEN) range will offer products that contain a combination of Nitrogen, Potassium and Sulphur. The GEN range, along with other Specialist Fertilisers and G-Lime, are available through the Thompsons’ sales team or by contacting the sales office on; 028 9035 1321.
What Is Goulding
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Posted 21,01,19 by allison.
The benefits of feeding colostrum are widely known but recent work highlights the benefits of feeding transition milk for up to 14 days prior to feeding calf milk and following colostrum. Made with over 60% skimmed milk and buttermilk, it is easily digested by the calf. Transition milk contains a surface antibody that can replace the colostrum antibody and remain
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Posted 08,01,19 by allison.
Having previously experienced the benefits of a ‘workshop style’ meeting, the decision was made to explore the well-known, but sometimes neglected, subject of calf rearing. Building on previous research on rearing heifers to the point of calving at 24 months of age, Thompsons knew that there was still a lot that could be learned on this key part of
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Posted 17,09,18 by allison.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to hear from world class speakers at our workshops taking place from the 5th - 7th September 2018. Register with Samantha at Thompsons on; 028 9035 1321 to secure your place.
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Posted 31,08,18 by allison.
Thompsons’ Ronald Annett spoke to a producer in County Down to find out how they manage milk from forage figures, profitably.
Grass has always been an unpredictable crop to manage, and this has never been more evident than in the past 12 months. While some producers may be questioning the future role of grazed grass for milk production,
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Posted 06,06,18 by allison.
When soil was sampled on a dairy farm in County Tyrone it showed results that were not only surprising to the farmer, but also that in the past, money had been spent unnecessarily on soil fertility products.
The importance of soil fertility is a subject which now doesn’t go unnoticed on the Keelagher family farm just
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Posted 08,03,18 by allison.
Over the past few months, many producers have had to make plans and take action to save much needed forage. But in spite of this, many silos are empty and now there needs to be a strong focus on growing maximum yields of quality forage to replenish these stocks over the spring and summer months. The condition and fertility
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Posted 08,03,18 by allison.
Major sale
Running as a closed herd for over 15 years and managed by the well-respected, Leslie Beacom, Dunleath Estates will be giving producers a unique opportunity to purchase their stock at a one day sale on Thursday 26th October. This major herd reduction sale will take place at Dungannon Farmer’s Mart from 11.30am with animals from
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Posted 26,10,17 by allison.
Eight years ago, Jane Collins told Thompsons’ Allison Matthews that, “If someone has a list of 10 boxes they expect to tick when viewing a horse, I have 30.” And boy she wasn’t kidding. Arriving at the Northern Ireland Festival in Cavan, the outlook from the Lougherne team was pragmatic and Jane hoped that the horses would gain mileage and
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Posted 13,06,17 by allison.
A different approach to Digital Dermatitis
Although the causes of digital dermatitis (DD) are not fully understood, research has shown both locally and globally that bacteria present in the everyday dairy environment targets areas of poorer skin integrity. Currently the main tool in the fight against DD is the regular foot-bathing of cows feet in
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Posted 14,02,17 by allison.
Feeding ewes to improve profitability - Every year producers can face different challenges, but feeding the ewe during late pregnancy will always influence ewe mortality, dystocia, mothering ability, lamb viability and ultimately growth rates. With lambing season coming soon, or maybe even started, feeding ewes is critical with the profitability of any sheep unit determined by the number
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Posted 31,01,17 by allison.
Returning in 2017! –The Pegus Gala Weekend at Gransha Equestrian Centre
The Stuart family are delighted with the offer of sponsorship and support from Pegus Horse Feeds for a second year. The dates for next years’ show are Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd of April 2017. There will be a slightly different format next year. On the Saturday there
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Posted 14,11,16 by allison.
Did you get your August edition of Cow Management Magazine? Don’t miss our feature on dry cow management with timely advice from Thompsons’ Denise Rafferty and Trouw Nutritions’ Jim Uprichard.
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Posted 31,08,16 by allison.
Managing milk quality
Following a slow start to grass growth in early spring, the end of May and early June has exceeded averages, with grass growing at over 100 kg DM/ha. Producers with excellent grass growth may find sward management difficult and in some cases there may be a reduction in milk quality. Milk butterfat can suffer
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Posted 10,08,16 by allison.
The New Year traditionally brings with it a downturn in milk composition as freshly calved cows move into peak lactation.This year the economics of dairying has naturally focused all producers on the need to maintain and improve milk quality. Whilst the factors affecting milk quality can be placed in many categories from breeding to management to animal health,
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Posted 09,02,16 by allison.
Lambing time in Loughgall
In County Armagh Jemma McHugh farms 255 ewes with her father Marcus. As a second year Agricultural student from Greenmount/Queens University, Jemma splits her time between tending to the flock and her studies. 205 of the flock have just been housed and a recent scan of 197% has shown 44 singles, 116 sets of twins and 36 triplets.
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Posted 28,01,16 by allison.
Manage Nutrition and Maximise Profit
The profitability of any sheep unit is determined by the number of lambs born and reared successfully per ewe, making her health and wellbeing paramount. Feeding during late pregnancy potentially influences ewe mortality, dystocia, mothering ability, lamb viability and ultimately lamb growth rates. Every year producers face a different set of challenges
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Posted 18,01,16 by allison.
The Package for Performance – Thompsons’ Technical Team advises how producers can maximise performance and challenge efficiency levels this winter.
Challenging times
After a difficult summer, where lower than average temperatures impacted on grass growth, utilisation and in some cases silage quality, the recent spell of good weather has been long overdue, but initial grass silage
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Posted 12,10,15 by allison.
Following extensive research by Zinpro, a product to combat Digital Dermatitis (DD) in heifers has been introduced to the market and is now available from Thompsons as the Heifer DD Pack. The recent research has shown that when the Heifer DD Pack was supplemented in the diet, there was on average, a 64% decrease in the incidence of the disease.
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Posted 26,08,15 by allison.
Following on from the success of last year’s hospitality marquee at Balmoral Show, the decision was made for 2015 to provide a relaxing environment and light refreshments for Thompsons’ customers. On its third year at the new location of Balmoral Park, Lisburn, the Thompsons’ stand had its usual position beside the cattle lawn. With glass sides overlooking all the
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Posted 22,07,15 by allison.
Following pH readings done by his Thompsons’ representative - which confirmed that soil was outside the ideal range of 6-6.5 - Seamus Loughran decided to sow g-lime. With a suckler herd in Dunnamore, Cookstown Seamus decided that the application of g-lime would be the easiest method of raising the pH of his silage and grazing ground, as he could
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Posted 16,06,15 by allison.
The qualifiers for Balmoral Show 2015 are well under way and recently the Meadows Equestrian Centre hosted the second leg of the Pegus Horse Feed sponsored event. For more up to date information follow Pegus Horse Feed on facebook.
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Posted 22,04,15 by allison.
The growth targets, cost, disease precautions and nutrition for rearing dairy heifers were the thoroughly debated topics at a workshop organised by Zoetis in conjunction with CAFRE, John Thompson and Sons and Knockanboy Veterinary Clinic. Aurelie Moralis, veterinary surgeon with Zoetis emphasised that calves should get a minimum of three litres of colostrum in the first six hours of
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Posted 12,02,15 by allison.
With tours taking two hours from 11am to 1pm the challenge of moving nearly 250 producers around workshop stations every 15 minutes proved to be a logistical success and by 3pm most had heard from all six speakers. The Digital Dermatitis (DD) Workshop held at Greenmount Campus this week, in conjunction with Cafre, Provita, Thompsons and Zinpro was designed to
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Posted 22,01,15 by allison.
Digital Dermatitis Workshops
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Posted 12,01,15 by allison.
Digital Dermatitis - from the inside out
In 2010 survey work carried out by AFBI Hillsborough showed that 79% of Northern Ireland’s dairy herds counted digital dermatitis (DD) as a significant problem. A more recent review co-ordinated by Thompsons has highlighted that the incidence of DD is not reducing. Larger herd size and the trend towards
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Posted 06,11,14 by allison.
Maintaining correct calcium balance around calving is critical in order to prevent milk fever occurring. This can sometimes to be difficult to achieve on farm. With clinical hypocalcaemia affecting up to 10% of UK dairy cows and a further 65-70% of cows being affected by sub-clinical milk fever it is definitely a big problem dairy farmers are faced with.
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Posted 19,08,14 by allison.
Forpadydeplasterer – ‘A Real Lady’s Man’
Following a glittering racing career, Forpadydeplasterer was put in the very capable hands of Joanne Quirke in February of this year. As the daughter of Peter Quirke - Eventing Ireland’s resident commentator – Joanne is no stranger to the horse world and has established a successful career in the equine industry
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Posted 12,08,14 by allison.
At this year’s Balmoral Show, we made another ‘pioneering’ move by filming our three days of prize winners, competitors, supporters and customers. This was a fantastic experience and gave us the opportunity to look at some of the work that goes on behind the scenes. Get the popcorn made, the feet up (the film is 66 minutes long), click
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Posted 27,05,14 by allison.
Currently two generations of the Drummond family run the successful and progressive Bratlach Farm, situated just outside Bangor, County Down. John with his sons Andrew and Peter manage the predominantly Ayrshire herd which currently consists of 231 milking cows, on a land base of approximately 141 hectares. The herd is split in two running 111 high yielding cows through two Lely robots,
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Posted 13,05,14 by allison.
Minerals Maximise Performance
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Posted 13,05,14 by allison.
Last year’s lessons
This time last year, after sowing spring barley with G-Lime, John Dynes of Portaferry had some left in the spinner. Instead of going back to the yard, he decided to spread the remainder of the G-Lime on a grass field. He didn’t alter the settings and what was left covered half of
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Posted 08,04,14 by allison.
James Thompson of Drumbo appreciates that using G-Lime gives him a much wider window of opportunity to get his ground back on track. He can apply G-Lime at a time that suits him and more importantly at a time that suits the land. By sampling his soil every year, James is aware of the nutritional requirements of every acre,
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Posted 26,03,14 by allison.
Three year old Charlie from Lisburn is the son of Thompsons’ Finance Director Fintan Craig. Charlie was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in January 2013, and over the 14 months that would follow, Charlie and his family would embark on a roller-coaster journey. Now in March 2014 Charlie requires intensive chemotherapy and a stem cell donation in order to save his life.
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Posted 20,03,14 by allison.
In 2012 Thompsons’ employees and customers embarked on a partnership with Marie Curie Cancer Care. At that point there could have been no way of knowing what would come out of this relationship, probably like Marie Curie herself as she went to great lengths to both challenge and advance scientific developments in the early 1900’s. But in less than two
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Posted 06,03,14 by allison.
Neil McGill of Donemana has a clear view of both the Sperrin Mountains and what he needs to achieve in order to make his (250 strong) flock profitable. The ewes which are predominantly Suffolk crosses are all bred to a Texel ram and run alongside Neil’s 40 cow suckler enterprise. The McGill’s find the use of the Texel sires,
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Posted 11,02,14 by allison.
‘A Festive First….James Mark McClements was picked as the lucky winner of Thompsons’ first facebook competition. Thompsons’ James Gabbey (left) gets to be Santa as he delivers some Christmas goodies including a £100 voucher for PC World to James Mark at his Portavogie farm. With the draw held at last week’s Winter Dairy Fair in the Kings Hall, 25
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Posted 22,01,14 by allison.
Raymond and William Lee discuss winter feeding with Thompsons’ Richard Moore
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Posted 05,10,13 by allison.
Turkey management issues by Thompsons poultry specialist, K. McConkey.
During the first six weeks of the poults life, the development of the skeleton, immune system and cardio system takes place, therefore getting poults of to a good start produces the best final results. The aim of the grower should be to provide an environment which, through thorough
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Posted 27,08,13 by allison.
Don’t worry if you missed Thompsons’ monthly milk manager report in the Farming Life you will be able to view it here at the start of every month following it’s appearance in the paper.
Click here for full details.<
Read more Posted 27,08,13 by allison.
Planning for a smoother transition
Thompsons’ nutritionist Mary-Jane Robinson looks at the transition period and what producers need to focus on to make sure everything runs smoothly.
At a recent meeting held in conjunction with Rathfriland Vets’ Aurelie Moralis and Elancos’ Bill Ferris, Thompsons’ Mary-Jane looked at the whole transition period i.e. from 60 days
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Posted 26,06,13 by allison.
It’s not half bad
After sowing spring barley with G-Lime, John Dynes of Portaferry had some left in the spinner. Instead of going back to the yard, he decided to spread the remainder of the G-Lime on a grass field. He didn’t alter the settings and what was left covered half of the field. The
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Posted 18,06,13 by allison.
In the right place at the right time
G-Lime, a registered trademark of Kilwaughter Lime, is a unique fast acting lime soil conditioner, specially formulated to help manage soil pH, improving soil fertility while optimising crop and grass performance. Kilwaughter acquired the G-Lime brand and business in July 2012, with product manufacturing remaining at Belcoo, Co.
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Posted 11,06,13 by allison.
Spring Launch
With the summer months fast approaching, spring growth has been exceptionally poor with prolonged cold and wet periods. Nonetheless it is important that producers focus their thoughts on the potential of grazed grass this season with the high cost of production and dwindling forage stocks a reality for many. This year Thompsons have devised a
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Posted 14,05,13 by admin.
Rumitech in 2013
Through a partnership with a renowned expert on grass based feeding systems, Dr Finbar Mulligan of University College Dublin, 18 months of research has proven beyond any doubt that Rumitech can offer consistent, significant benefits 365 days of the year. The most recent trials focused on the effect of feeding Rumitech to high yielding dairy cows grazing
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Posted 14,05,13 by admin.
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