Kite Consulting

This week after Chris’ report, Will and Ben are joined by Paul Macer and Amy Watson from Kite as well as James Bolesworth, CEO at CRM AgriCommodities for an update on the feed markets & forage situation on farm. Paul and Amy discuss the growing season and the quality and quantity of forage in clamps, in particular the variability in quality, but with lower protein forages being more common. They consider the impact of late planting on maize growth and both cereal and straw yields. James gives headline prices for the feed and commodity markets for key feed materials and discusses how political challenges are effecting this. Paul goes onto discuss the milk production volumes coming out of quarter 3 into quarter 4 ahead, in the context of the current milk price feed price ratio. Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.

Following Chris' report this week, Will and Ben are joined by Kite consulting director John Allen and Erik Elgersma, founder and director of Strategic Analysis Services BV. The group talk about the current record high butter prices and how these are underpinning milk prices at present as reflected in today’s milk price announcement by Arla and Muller. They go on to debate the potential risk of a milk price driven by one specific element. Moving on from butter to discuss current milk volumes and cashflows on farm and the situation regarding trade tensions between China and the EU.Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.

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Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.

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Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.

Uncommonly at this time of year, Chris Walkland’s milk market report is distinctly positive this week! Will, Ben & the podcast team are then joined by Kite consulting’s Emma McAvoy and Derbyshire dairy farmer Adam Sills to talk about a recent report published by Kite Consulting which highlights £4 billion worth of investment required by the sector in order to future proof farm businesses against the impact & challenges of climate change on their farms. Adam shares his experience on the impact he has seen on his farm, including forage production challenges through summer droughts & the wetter winters and how he is investing to mitigate some of these risks. Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.

A bit of good news in Chris’ report today before Will and Ben are joined by Conor Mulvihill, Director of Dairy Industry Ireland and Kite Director John Allen for an update on the dairy situation in Ireland. Conor gives us a general update on how the year has been for Irish dairy including how adverse weather and environmental regulations are affecting farmers and current farmer sentiment. Connor and John discuss commodity markets, the Irish grass-based systems vs elsewhere in Europe, as well as processor sentiment in terms of investment. Connor also emphasises the need for better communication from an industry perspective on the positive changes farmers are making, especially to meet sustainability requirements. Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.

Will and Ben are joined this week by Erik Elgersma - founder and director of Strategic Analysis Services BV – a Dutch-based globally active consulting firm in strategy, market and competitive intelligence and training. Also with us is Kite Director John Allen, and Senior Consultant Becki Reay. As the new Labour government settles in here in the UK we thought we’d take a look at the political landscape elsewhere today, especially in Europe. We discuss the political changes happening across Europe and what this means for farmers. Erik gives us an update on the political situation in the Netherlands and a summary of the carbon tax policy and how this might affect Danish farmers. Chris Walkland gives his usual Milk Market report for this week.Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.

Following Chris' report this week, Will and Ben are joined by Lancashire dairy farmer Ed Towers and Kite consultant Tillie Williams to discuss the importance of investing in people. Ed and Tillie address the challenges associated with labour in agriculture, noting that labour costs are the second-largest expense on a farm. They explore how investing in employee development and training can positively impact the business, even if the benefits are not directly financial, by improving the business retention and positively influencing recruitment efforts. Tillie also discusses how changes in government and the likely resultant policies may affect employment and recruitment efforts.Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.

A very special episode and a Kite podcast first as we record with a live audience from Down to Earth at Grosvenor Farms. Starting with the usual report from Chris Walkland, Will, Ben and Becki are joined by Mark Roach, Managing Director and Charlie Steer, Arable Manager for Grosvenor Farms, Helen Dent, Senior Sustainability Consultant with Kite and Amy Jackson, Director Oxtale Specialist Communications to discuss regenerative dairy farming. Helen outlines what we mean when talking about regenerative agriculture, looking at the SAI’s regen ag framework and what regen might look like for different systems. Mark and Charlie discuss the important role large, housed herds play in sustainable circular farming, what this means in the context of regen and how the principles have been integrated at Grosvenor. Focusing on questions from the audience, Amy emphasises that every farm can do something towards regen and the importance of authentically communicating these positive changes and messages to the consumer via the supply chain, with simplified proactive messaging.Please note: The information provided during this podcast has been prepared for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. The information must not be relied upon for any purpose and no representation or warranty is given as to its accuracy, completeness or otherwise. Any reference to other organisations, businesses or products during the podcast are not endorsements or recommendations of Dairy Consulting Ltd or its affiliated companies. The views of the presenter are personal and may not be the views of Dairy Consulting Ltd. The contents of this podcast are the copyright of Dairy Consulting Ltd.