Five events will take place across the south west to ensure farmers are breeding the right cows to keep them competitive, now and in the future.

The events, part of AHDB’s new Breeding Blocks campaign, will take place in Blandford St Mary, Honiton, Wootton Bassett, Cirencester and Shepton Mallet.

They will highlight key breeding tools farmers can use to ensure their herd’s genetics match their business requirements.

AHDB knowledge exchange manager Becky Miles said: “Taking control of your breeding decisions is vitally important if you want to take full advantage of your farming system and milk contract.

“These practical workshops will help you evaluate the current status of your herd and shape its future by selecting the right sires to meet your breeding goals.”

The workshops will be run by Andy Dodd from Farm Consultancy Group and Andrew Rutter from Clayden Partnership.

The events aim to help farmers build a breeding strategy, taking them through key components including genetic indexes, herd genetics and on-farm recording.

“We’ll look at how a herd genetic report can help identify positive and negative traits,” Becky added, “and share top tips on pre-sire selection, as well as how best to review herd performance.

“After the workshop, farmers should be more confident in their medium and long-term breeding goals and how to go about achieving them.”

The workshops will run from 10.30am to 2pm on the following dates:

Blandford St Mary: October 24, Honiton: November 12, Wootton Bassett: November 13, Cirencester: November 20 and Shepton Mallet: November 20.

Lunch and refreshments are included. To find out more or book a place, farmers should contact the KE Events hub on 01904 771216 or email ke.events@ahdb.org.uk

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