Asda CalfLink Catherine Matthews ASDA 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

Conformation performance of breeds

Yr on Yr comparison Carc wt (kg)Net margin (£/head)DLWG (kg/d) Average Range    1.64 Average Range    2.01

Breed Performance Sl LWDLWGCarc wt Days on farm KO%p/kgNet MarginValue Brown Swiss £ Montbeliard £ Holstein £ British Friesian £

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