Mole Valley Farmers has launched the Lifetime Dairy initiative, which is aimed at helping dairy producers to identify farm bottlenecks and increase the profitability of their herds.

Lifetime Dairy is a consultation-style service, which looks at the four main stages of the cow’s life; the calf, the heifer, the transition cow and the lactating animal.

By asking specific questions about management at each of the four main stages, Mole Valley Farmers said its team can offer advice on where gains in efficiencies can be made on an individual farm.

Tom Hough, head of nutrition and technical services at Mole Valley Farmers, said: “We ask questions about key business drivers. Currently only 23 per cent of farmers achieve profit during the first lactation, so there’s huge scope for improvement.”