ChewintheCud Ltd

02/09/2025

Out tomorrow we talk to Ian Garner from Antler Bio about Epigenetics.

Such a fascinating subject, and one that people are only just beginning to understand.

It's not just breeding your best cows to the best bulls, to achieve your desired goals, it's also about ensuring that the genetic potential is expressed by removing those genetic bottlenecks.

This might be as simple as increasing the availability of good clean water, or by making a more detailed dietary change in the minerals supplied to the herd, your herd, not a herd of "average" cows.

Listen as we talk about what epigenetics actually is and what effect using these tools might bring to your herd management.

26/08/2025

Interesting time today visiting the trial site on farm where they are trialling a maize/bean mix.

The trial is being run in conjunction with St. Catherine's Seeds & Grainseed with "Bonnie" as the variety of maize in the trial. I can't remember the bean variety but is was chosen as it's seed size was similar to the maize seed, so that it can be drilled at the same time as the maize, and just mixed in the hoppers with the maize seed, keeping it simple!

I've heard a lot about this idea the last couple of years, and understand it's very popular in Germany, and putting aside the whole regen ethos for a minute, why wouldn't you on a "conventional" farm not want to grow extra protein on the farm, in conjunction with your maize, which acts as a great crop for your beans to climb up?

Surprisingly the maize looked a couple of weeks away from harvesting (as I'd passed some being harvested on my way up), and while there weren't any visible beans on the plant, the flowers are there that by the time of harvest I would expect there to be an abundance of beans to!

Really keen to see how this harvests, and then how it analyses and feeds over winter!

25/08/2025

Many thanks to Rhian Price & Farmers Weekly for asking me to contribute to an article they recently published.

With forage stocks in short supply this year, it is definitely the time to think about doing something different this year, and not just do things the way they've always been done, which for some beef producers can be just feed some silage & cake and hope for the best!

Make sure you know what stocks you have, to then know how many animals you can keep over winter, and make sure your forages are analysed so that you ensure a correctly balanced diet, that is making the most effective use of your forages!

As an example I've had a client in the past that when I took them on was only doing 0.6kg DLWG, but I switched feeds around to ensure the diets were correctly balanced and up the DLWG to 1.2kg!

No extra feed was purchased, I just ensured it was correctly balanced to ensure a more effective use of the feeds, which also made things more cost effective.

Get in touch if you'd like help with your beef rations this winter, even if you think you are out of area, as I have a number of remote customers that I work with.

To read more:

https://www.fwi.co.uk/livestock/beef/advice-for-beef-winter-rations-as-feed-shortages-loom-large?fw_source=home_livestock

Farmers are being urged to test forages and calculate feed stocks now so winter diets can be balanced. Large parts of the Midlands, East England, South

22/08/2025

Well that's me certified for another year!

Always interesting to review the 25 videos needed to pass your annual certification as there is always those couple that you don't quite see the first time around, and I try to only do it with one watch as let's be honest when you are on farm you don't get the chance to ask the cow to come back so you can watch them again!

Only two I missed this time and on closer inspection on a replay I could see why! I guess in future that's where technology can come in and be consistent with it's results, once we have taught it correctly!

If you need your herd independently mobility scored let me know as always happy to try and help.

20/08/2025

Out Now! The next podcast in our current journey discussing youngstock, from breeding them to feeding them, to having them ready to enter the herd.

This time we talk to Emily Linton from Castle Vets Farm about the missing months in a heifer's life. We concentrate so much on the pre-weaning phase, but how often are they then forgotten about until it's time to be inseminating them, and then again once they are confirmed incalf for them to then be forgotten about until its time to sort them ready for calving?

We talk about some of the dos and don'ts, look at some different KPIs and generally discuss how we can make more of these "Lost Months".

19/08/2025

Out tomorrow! The next podcast in our current journey discussing youngstock, from breeding them to feeding them, to having them ready to enter the herd.

This time we talk to Emily Linton about the missing months in a heifer's life. We concentrate so much on the pre-weaning phase, but how often are they then forgotten about until it's time to be inseminating them, and then again once they are confirmed incalf for them to then be forgotten about until its time to sort them ready for calving.

We talk about some of the dos and don'ts, look at some different KPIs and generally discuss how we can make more of these "Lost Months".

14/08/2025

At the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show again today but this time brought "Bernard" the resuscitation dummy, as will be here later and happy to give some demonstrations on CPR if you are interested.

12/08/2025

Are you coming to the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show over the next two days? If you are, come find us in the Grain & Forage tent where you can come talk about nutrition, CowSignals , first aid training ( will be there Thursday to answer any questions), and all things dairy/beef related. Tomorrow I'll be joined by Jim from Horizon/ for the day if you want to talk seed for this season. If we aren't there we will be wandering around somewhere! Hope to see you there!

07/08/2025

It wasn't Plan "A" for today but last week I got a call asking if I could help on a stand at the Honiton Show as someone else couldn't make it! So here I am at stand 237 so if you are here today pop on by and say hello! If I'm not there I'll be roaming around somewhere!

06/08/2025

It's finally here! Our 50th episode has now been released!

What a journey it's been and many thanks to all that have been involved along the way, be they co-host, guest or listener!

This time we continue our journey in the development of the next generation and talk to the fantastic Ken March and the trial he organised & co-ordinated with industry partners Kemin Industries & I'Anson Bros Ltd.

Ken set up a trial involving 200 heifer calves, from birth, all animals being fed exactly the same diet, but half of them having their feed balanced for amino acids.

The outcome? Take a listen for yourself but better growing, healthier more fertile animals from those whose diet was amino acid balanced.

So instead of purely looking at an increase in production for amino acids should we instead be looking at all the health benefits feeding correctly balanced amino acids brings?

05/08/2025

Tomorrow we release what will be our 50th Episode! What a journey it's been for the last three and a bit years to get here!

This time we are joined by the great Ken March to discuss the trial he conducted, with other industry partners Kemin Industries & I'Anson Bros Ltd , of using amino acid balancing from birth with a large group of heifers through until calving and the outcomes from this.

It just shows that we shouldn't just be measuring things by the production outcome, we should also be looking at the health benefits balancing, and suppling essential amino acids, brings.

31/07/2025

Been this close to the coast today as we look at the English Channel!

Even here right on the south of Dorset, visiting a beef client, things are pretty brown with no real grazing available!

Feels like we've been quiet on social media recently, which is probably true, as we've been busy doing the bread & butter the last few weeks with autumn calving herds winding back up again with transition diets and everyone else suddenly wondering how they are going to feed their cows with no grass!

We always find it hard to post about doing these things as to us they are just our bread and butter, it's what we do.

So if you need any independent help or advice for dairy or beef nutrition please let us know as it's what we do, and what we enjoy.