Mole Valley Farmers is the leading agricultural supply business covering the whole of England with holdings in Wales and Scotland. They are committed to ensuring greater choice to farmers, protecting their members from the impact of fewer suppliers and the threat of higher costs.
The Agricultural Marketing department at Mole Valley Farmers were keen to undertake a piece of research with Dairy farmers and Dairy Enterprises to better understand the importance of herd fertility and the steps and measures taken to improve it. Turquoise Thinking were commissioned to conduct this research.
Research Methodology
An online quantitative methodology was used to answer the objectives. The 10 minute online survey utilised was largely designed by the client with some input from researchers at Turquoise. Three survey links were provided to distribute the survey to farmers (external use, internal nutritionist use and internal retail use) resulting in a total sample size of 294 respondents.
Outcomes
There was a variety of herd sizes and a good geographical spread of farms within the sample that was analysed. Each farmer was asked to rate their herd’s fertility. A number of key themes were highlighted from the survey relating to calving intervals, conception and pregnancy rates.
85% of farmers indicated that it was a priority for them to improve herd fertility.
We were able to provide insights into the adoption of modern technology to aide with monitoring the herd: software packages, heat detection collars, pedometers, and activity monitors. Insights from the research have proved very useful to the client, giving them a more in-depth understanding of the parameters that are most important to farmers, the value they place on advice from vets and nutritionists, and for gauging interest in educational events in the future.