Asda CalfLink

Catherine MatthewsASDA CalfLink Coordinator

Asda Update

• Asda 180 Dairy Bull scheme launched in 2008 – Approx three thousand bulls put through the scheme to date.

• Dairy Bull Fantasy Farming Projects 1 & 2 completed.

• 20% on ‘milk & muscle’ bull Huddleston Spooky for all Asda DairyLink Producers

• Discounted ear tags

• 2 TB Exemption Units set up

180 Dairy Bull Scheme

• Feeding bulls to the peak of their feed efficiency.

• Making use of a product previously recognised as a waste product.

• Creating a more cost effective product for the consumer

Fantasy Farming

• Phase 1 was completed in November 2009 on Black and White bulls and the winning team had a total profit of £623.

• Phase 2 was completed in December 2010 focusing on the following breeds – Montbeliarde, Brown Swiss, Swedish Red, British Friesian and Holstein. The winning breed was the British Friesian with the highest net margin.

Breed performance

-200

0

200

400

600

800

1000

B Sw Mont Hol Br Fr

Breed

£/hd

Carc value Total costs Net margin

Conformation performance of breeds

0

5

10

15

BrSw Mont Hol Br Fr

P -O O+ R

Yr on Yr comparison

Carc wt (kg) Net margin (£/head)

DLWG (kg/d)

Average2009 306 31 1.42

Range2009 269332 -3289 1.181.64

Average2010 307 36 1.43

Range2010 240381 -398311 0.902.01

Breed Performance

Sl LW

DLWG

Carc wt

Days on

farm

KO% p/kg Net Margin

Value

Brown Swiss

589 1.43 305 316 51.7 247 £42.02 745

Montbeliard 606 1.42 316 317 52.2 252 £-36.21 786

Holstein 587 1.41 301 306 51.1 241 £23.98 712

British Friesian

597 1.46 306 295 51.4 246 £113.15 740

Sexed Semen

Huddlestone Spooky

• Strong, viable bull calves

• Very Easy Calving

• Positive Fat & Protein

• Low Cell Counts

• Shorter than average gestation length (275 days)

• Less than 5% uptake due to reduced conception rates and limited choice. (Issues currently being addressed with semen supplier)

Quick Tag

• To all Asda DairyLink Farmers there is a 50% saving on cattle tags through QuickTag.

• It allows farmers to double tag their calves from as little as 98p per calf, this ensures farmers do not need to dispose of their dairy bull calves due to the cost being too high.

The Calf Company

• 10% discount for all Asda DairyLink producers on colostrum enhancer and milk powder replacer.

• Pool Head Farm near Winsford, Cheshire is the new Asda Calflink centre of Excellence.

• Pool Head Farm is a commercial unit, producing in excess of 1200 calves per year.

DairyLink Meetings

• 100 meetings per year, each group has 4 meetings per year

• Topics covered – Birth to weaning, weaning to rearing, Calf feeding systems – Housing/ Feeding Machines, Colostrum freezing and testing

• Approximately 60% of DairyLink producers in the last three years have installed heat detection systems.

• Future Meeting topics – Heat Time – Timing of service, conception rate improvements

Thank you for your time