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2 Penbode Vets are committed to the local community and are here for the long term. So we are delighted to announce that we are investing in building a brand new combined Farm and Pets surgery in Stratton. As a result of this, the Farm branch will be temporarily moving to Bude Self Storage, Stratton View Business Park, Holsworthy Road, Bude EX23 9NR (on the A3072) for about 12 months, during the works. We are gradually moving the office and stock from 30 April and expect to be in from Tuesday 8 May. All contact numbers ( ) and opening hours will remain the same and all lambings will still be held at the original Stratton address. We will continue to run the Saturday Farm service from the Stratton Pets branch. However if you do need drugs on a Saturday, you will need to call us by 10am so we can get them to the original Pets building by 1pm. Overnight drugs If you want drugs to go in the box overnight please call us by 4pm so we can get them dropped off to the box on the side of the original Pets building. Please bear with us and if in doubt please call first! Bradworthy Camelford Holsworthy Stratton farm@penbodevets.co.uk Find us on

3 With good management beef animals can achieve first service Artificial Insemination (AI) pregnancy rates of 65% or better following synchronisation. There are several benefits to using AI in beef herds including access to sires with Estimated Breeding Value (EBV) data allowing for selection of desired traits in bulls, shortening the length of the calving period and reducing the risk of disease transmission especially if regularly using hire bulls. Before embarking on a synchronisation programme some planning is required to obtain the best results. Ideally heifers should be calving in at two years old, this means selecting for breeding at approximately 15 months of age; in a group of homebred heifers some animals will be slightly younger. In slower maturing breeds these slightly younger animals may not yet be sexually mature which will impact on the overall success rates. In order to minimise this ideally heifers should be at 65% of their mature bodyweight at first service. Results of synchronisation should be good if heifers are cycling before the programme begins. Presence of infectious diseases such as IBR, Lepto and BVD can impact on fertility and subsequent pregnancy rates and ideally disease status should be known before commencing a synchronisation programme; this is especially important in bought in animals that may be naïve at purchase and then exposed. Vaccine administration should be avoided around the time of synchronisation. Suitability of the handling system for multiple handlings should also be considered.

4 Synchronisation in heifers involves the use of Prostaglandin injection (Prellim / Estrumate) and Progesterone devices (CIDRs) to manipulate the oestrus cycle. There are two options when synchronising heifers; Double Estrumate and CIDR- Synch. CIDR-Synch is often the preferred option when employing an external AI company as all heifers are served in one session. Double Estrumate All heifers receive a single dose of Prellim on Day 1. All heifers should have an additional heat detection aid applied at this time; Kamar, Estrotect stickers or tail paint. Any heifers seen bulling should be served. Re-present any unserved heifers on Day 11 for a second dose of Prellim; serve via artificial insemination at both 72h and 96h after the second injection. CIDR-Synch Day 1: Insert CIDR and give injection of Acegon Day 7: Prellim Day 8: Remove CIDR Day 9: Acegon Fixed time AI (FTAI) 56 hours after CIDR removal Heifers should be observed around three weeks after service for signs of bulling indicating a failure to conceive. A sweeper bull can be run with the heifers following AI in order to serve these returns or AI could be repeated. Heifers should be presented to a vet for pregnancy diagnosis (PD) from 35 days after the initial insemination in order to confirm pregnancy. Speak to your vet about heifer synchronisation via CIDR-Synch for 27 per heifer (minimum of 10) inclusive of all drugs. We will be running an Artificial Insemination (AI) course, aimed at enabling you to perform DIY AI for your own herd. The LANTRA accredited course will run over three days, with the final two day sessions taking place on farm. Please contact the Penbode Holsworthy Farm branch on if you are interested.

5 Anything you re not so fond of? No. I can honestly say it s all good (well apart from packing up an entire branch!) Name: Jonathan Chapman Age: 33 Hometown: Bude What do you do in your spare time? I still do quite a bit on the family farm at home. We have 200 head of pedigree Angus cows. Being a father to two girls keeps me busy and when I m not on farm or with the family you can find me gig rowing with the Boscastle & Crackington Gig Club. How do you usually start your day? At this time of year, I m out early checking the cows before having breakfast with the family. What does a typical day involve? Working with the team saving lives! Plus as a director there s a lot of sorting out of work issues. We re moving out of the Stratton Farm branch at the moment in preparation for the knock down and rebuild of a brand new Pets and Farm building, so there s a lot of packing to do! But I try to find time to chat with famers and play with cows! Jonathan is still actively involved in the family farm What is your greatest achievement? Having my two daughters Amy and Emily. What are your favourite aspects of the job? Successful calvings and helping to improve things on farm. Describe yourself in three words. Jolly. Good. Chap. Next issue we will be interviewing Tamsin Harris-Bryant Messing about in boats!

6 Five generations of the Friend family have farmed the beautiful valley near Ashbury for over 140 years. Wadland Barton is now home to Phil, Sue and Richard Friend s traditional beef and sheep farm. Three generations of Friends Tell us about your farm system Phil: We farm 490 acres of mainly grassland. Being a typical mixed farm, we grow 100 acres of barley and wheat for finishing all our cattle, with the barley bulls being finished on a 60% cereal diet plus silage and straw in a TMR mix which is worked out by Steve Jones of Harpers to give us 2kg per day liveweight gain. We block calf 170 Simmental cross Devon sucklers April to May, with our 350 NC mules lambing at the end of March. The sucklers come into the corrals mid to end of October which is when we creep feed the calves their own TMR mix with added molasses in a separate yard. We then aim to wean them in January. Richard: We have been TMR feeding for about 12 years now. It s a relatively new way of feeding a beef herd, but we find that the calves move on to feed a lot quicker. Once the bull calves are weaned, they stay in unlike the rest of the herd which are out all the time - at grass in the summer or in the corrals in winter. We bed the corrals down with woodchip which we get from the local forestry and everything housed is bedded on sawdust. TMR works really well for us as we expect our bulls to have reached 550 to 600kg at 12 months old. We aim for 15 month old finished beasts so the barley bull method is ideal. It also fits in with the three day feed pattern we follow (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). This is more efficient and more effective - there s less waste and less picking through the forage. Plus we re able to dedicate a whole day to other farm work such as fencing. Why Simmental x Devon? Phil: Our original herd was pedigree North Devon, but their meat tended to be too fatty for the modern supermarket trend 20 years ago towards a leaner cut, so we tried different crosses...charolais, Limousin and Simmental were all trialled...to produce a leaner meat. We found that the Simmental worked really well with the Devons and although we have four or five generations of Simmental in our herd, they re still a lot like Devons - they re brown, hardier, healthier and smaller! The pedigree Devon gene is so strong!

7 What s your favourite thing about working on the farm? Richard: The lifestyle. Working with the animals and doing something different every day. What roles do you each play? Richard: I now do more of the tractor work and work on the diets... The woodchip corrals Phil:...but in reality we work well together as a team. Sue: We have diversified into catering as well. I run two Farmhouse Fare vans which we take to all the local shows (Okehampton, Mid Devon, Woolsery, Holsworthy etc) and also to school events and even weddings. We use our heifer meat in our burgers, as there s more fat in them, but I also do roast beef, lamb, homemade cakes. All good home made food! One of the vans will be in use in June at Richard and Emma s wedding reception on the farm! What are your plans for the future? Richard: I m gradually taking on more of the work. But we re all constantly thinking about what s the best for the future efficiency of the farm. For example, we re considering how best to manage sourcing our feed - do we continue to grow our own or buy it in? How do we juggle the increasing cost of machinery with the stagnant price of beef and sheep and trying to be more efficient on the farm. Phil:...I love it, but you can understand why I m really looking forward to retiring!! The hardier, healthier, happier herd are kept outside all year round One of Sue s vans

8 14 June 11am - 2pm and 6:30pm - 9:30pm Watch this space for more details! Did you have issues with abortions this year? This could be a warning sign. Abortions storms often follow a year when there have been only a small number of ewes that slip lamb. Finding out the cause of this year s abortions and taking action now will help to reduce losses next year. An appropriate vaccination protocol is a simple way to prevent the issue growing. Blood testing 6-8 ewes that have had an issue this year could give results that would help improve flock productivity next year. Meg and Lisa (Penbode VetTechs) can come out and blood test the ewes or you can bring them into the surgery on Tuesday 15 and 22 May. Morning: Holsworthy Afternoon: Stratton Farm visits: 40 (includes all lab fees and P&P) Drop in dates: 20 (Includes all lab fees and P&P) Please phone your nearest branch to arrange Annual Membership includes: Flock Health Plan and annual review Specifically tailored for your flock 6 monthly Flock Prescription Checks Allows us to continue to prescribe veterinary products for your flock. Usually 25* each Unlimited mob Faecal Egg Counting (FEC) Can be used throughout the year to assess the parasite burden of groups of lambs or ewes. Treatment and management decisions can then be made using the results. Usually 15* per sample. Benchmarking data You can receive anonymous data showing how your flock s performance data compares to other flocks. We hope to run benchmarking meetings quarterly to discuss results and current issues. Annual Membership for just 10*/month for clients who pay their bill via Direct Debit. Other benefits for DD payment include 15% discount off drug sales # Alternatively membership can be purchased by a one off payment of 135*. Contact your usual branch to join the Penbode Flock Health Club or for more information on switching to a Direct Debit account. *Ex Vat # Terms and conditions apply

9 Whilst a lot of TB control may be out of your hands, there s a lot you can do to reduce the risk of infection. Visit where you will find useful videos and factsheets. Housing Sides of buildings, doors and gates should be a smooth, solid construction and at least 1.5 metres high to prevent badgers from climbing, e.g. metal, plywood. Any gaps at bottom and sides of gates/doors should not be greater than 7.5cm to prevent badger access. Permanent electric fencing around buildings can be erected to prevent badger access to buildings. Strands should be situated at 10, 15, 20 and 30cm above ground. Manage cattle feed and water Ensure silage clamps are as well covered as possible, and access to wildlife is restricted, e.g. electric fencing. Consider storing feed in secure bins or silos if access to feed cannot be prevented. Raise feed troughs and mineral licks as high as possible, with sheer sides and no footholds. Don't put feed on the ground. Regularly clean water troughs and take similar precautions as with feed troughs. Do not feed waste milk from TB reactors or inconclusive reactors to calves. Pasture Ensure you know where any badger setts, latrines and runs are on the farm. Limit cattle access to these via (temporary/permanent) fencing or not grazing these high risk pastures. Ensure access for badgers to setts is not obstructed. Prevent infected cattle entering the herd Try to obtain a full TB history from the herd you are purchasing from. This can include the date of the pre-movement test, date of last whole herd test and how long the herd has been free. Hire bulls pose a high biosecurity risk as they can carry many other diseases from farm to farm as well as TB. Consider private post-movement testing. Isolate incoming cattle to ensure that they are not incubating any disease. Reduce risk from neighbouring herds Maintain perimeter fencing that prevents direct contact with neighbouring cattle, e.g.double fencing. Avoid sharing equipment. If necessary, ensure all equipment is thoroughly cleansed and disinfected with an DEFRA approved disinfectant. Avoid sharing grazing land.

10 Dairy farmers often find themselves working in isolation, and a gradual escalation in the number of cases of mastitis can become normal. Whilst it is impossible to completely eliminate, what should we aim for? 25 cases per year for every 100 cows in the herd is achieved and surpassed by a number of herds I have been involved with. In practice, the figure to aim for is specific to your farm as it depends on what level you start from; as long as the level is reducing then you should continue to lower the bar of where you aspire to be. So what does mastitis cost? Mild Case Type of Loss Milk at 25ppl Cost Discarded milk 3days treatment plus 4.5 days 25litres 47 Future loss of yield 5% of 8000litres 100 Treatment cost 3 tubes 8 TOTAL 155 Severe Case Type of loss Milk at 25ppl Cost Discarded milk 6days treatment plus 7 days litres 81 Future loss of yield 15% of 8000litres 300 Treatment cost 6 tubes plus anti-inflammatory 46 TOTAL 427 In the above examples the actual cost will be hugely affected by the stage of lactation, with early lactation mastitis costing a lot more due to its greater impact on the reduction of future yield. The cost will be offset somewhat by lower yielding cows having a lower feed cost. The most severe mastitis cases may result in the loss of a cow, and so the cost is the replacement value of that cow; 1,500-2,000? When costing out mastitis, I tend to use a conservative AVERAGE figure of 250 per case. It can be an extremely costly disease; to illustrate this I will use an example of a farm where I was called in a few years ago to try and improve their mastitis rates.

11 The farm was experiencing too much clinical mastitis. How much was too much? A careful assessment of the farm s records, the essential first step in any mastitis investigation, showed a level of 61 cases per 100 cows. This is two and a half times the level we should aim for. At 250 per case, mastitis was costing over 15,000 per 100 cows, BUT this was a 200+ cow herd; the total cost of mastitis was a whopping 32,000! I m pleased to say, that by implementing some simple control measures specific to their farm, mainly changing how they do things, rather than requiring financial investment, they have halved their level of mastitis and saved 18,000 in mastitis costs per year. My investigations and advice cost only a few hundred pounds by comparison. You cannot be complacent with mastitis The take home message is that you cannot afford to be complacent with mastitis and accept an unacceptably high level as the norm.. A 100 cow herd should experience no more than 25 cases per year, or 2 per month, or 1 every other week. All prices correct at time of going to press Dairy farmers, producers and people of all ages are uniting to celebrate World Milk Day on Friday 1 June. So we want to celebrate those who make it! Every farmer, herdsman or relief milker who posts a #milkparlourselfie on our Instagram (penbode_farm_vets) or Facebook (@penbodefarmvets) feeds will be entered into a draw to win a brand new milking apron and sleeves! *no purchase necessary. Draw takes place on 4 June

12 Please ensure you always ring in advance of ordering prescription drugs, so you can discuss your requirements and protocols with a vet. There s still time to protect your herd this spring! Lepto Vaccine ONLY 1.20 per dose* ( 30 per 25 dose bottle) *When bought at the same time as equivalent doses of IBR or BVD vaccine. Double XL Premium Calf Colostrum supplement Handy and easy to use, in a 2l milk bottle. Just add warm water and shake Cash or DD price. VAT not included. Prices valid until 31/5/2018 Prevent calf scour with Bovigen Scour Give a single dose to the cow 3-12 weeks before calving to boost their colostrum against the main causes of scour: Rotavirus, Coronavirus and E.coli. Rotavec is in short supply!! So switch to Virbac Bovigen Scour. Penbode Farm Vets hold this vaccine which has been widely tested throughout the UK. We re confident that it s as good if not better than Rotavec vaccine. Five x 3ml dose and 30 x 3ml dose bottles available. Buy from Penbode and save s