Four UK dairy businesses have been named as finalists in the 2023 NMR (National Milk Records) RABDF (Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers) Gold Cup.
The winner will be named at Dairy-Tech on February 7, 2024.
The finalists are: Bisterne Farms, Sandford, Ringwood, Hampshire; Michael Eavis, Pilton, Shepton Mallet, Somerset; William and Stuart Graham, Maguiresbridge, Co. Fermanagh; and Joe Ives, W&P Ives, Herriard, Basingstoke, Hampshire.
More than 1,200 UK dairy herds met the Gold Cup 2023 criteria for the year ending September 2022 and were invited to enter to award.
The qualifying criteria was:
- More than 100 cows/heifers with qualifying lactations in the milking herd;
- Annual somatic cell count average of 200,000 cells/ml or less, or 250,000 cells/ml for organic herds;
- Minimum £PLI value specific to the breed, or minimum £SCI or £ACI value.
All entrants completed a detailed form with information on their system, progress and targets for the business.
Finalists are selected and undergo an on-farm inspection, by judges RABDF chair, Robert Craig; past chair of RABDF, Di Wastenage; NMR’s veterinary adviser, Dr Karen Bond; and 2020 Gold Cup winner, Essex dairy farmer John Torrance.
The winners of the NMR Silver Salver, The Lilyhill Cup, the Chairman’s Cup and the Chris May Memorial award will also be awarded at Dairy-Tech, on the NMR stand at 4:00p.m.
Awards
The NMR Silver Salver award is for the Holstein herd with the highest combined weight of fat and protein production.
The Lilyhill Cup is for the Jersey herd with the highest combined weight of fat and protein production.
The Chairman’s Cup is for breeds, except Holstein and Jersey, with the highest combined weight of fat and protein production.
The Chris May Award is for the Gold Cup qualifying herd with the highest herd lifetime daily yield.
