The Home of Advanced Dairy Management
About Advanced Dairy Management
Leading the way in dairy training
ADM covers all critical areas of modern day dairy farming. It focuses on providing management tools and knowledge that can be utilised on a day-to-day basis to achieve best practice and performance. It uses a mixture of classroom-based theory and on-farm practical demonstrations and exercises.
Now in its ninth year, ADM has seen over 100 farmers complete the course. It began life at Newton Rigg College and is now run independently, continuing to provide the opportunity for farmers to develop their skills and knowledge.
Course overview
Delivered across five modules, ADM provides a focused and comprehensive dairy training programme.
Module 1: Cow Nutrition, Diet Formulation and Margin Generation 4th & 5th November 2025
- Understand rumen function and nutrient requirement
- Ration formulation to optimise milk yield and milk quality whilst minimising feed costs
- Be able to calculate and understand feed efficiency metrics
Module 2: Fertility and Transition Cow Management 2nd & 3rd December 2025
- Get cows in calve quicker and easier! What influences a cow’s reproduction system and actions to improve fertility
- Ensure seamless calvings and high subsequent milk production
Module 3: Financial and Business Management 6th & 7th January 2026
- Understand dairy farm finances from debt through to day-to-day management
- Achieve and sustain effective business management through monitoring systems, staff and protocols
Module 4: Heifer Rearing, Mastitis and Lameness 3rd & 4th February 2026
- Achieve excellent growth and management from calf to calving
- Manage Mastitis and Lameness from prevention to treatment
Module 5: Forage Management and Utilisation 17th & 18th March 2026
- Design effective grazing, zero grazing and silage systems to grow and utilise the best quality forage
The course is designed to be delivered to small groups to allow individual support and promote group discussion.
Course requirements
We require you to have experience of working with dairy cows. No prior qualifications are required, just a desire to learn and develop yourself. Basic maths skills would be beneficial. Please contact us for further information.
Next intake
The course is based in Penrith, Cumbria
Application deadline: 30th September 2025
Cost £1500 + VAT
A £200 training voucher is available for Farmer Network members
Meet the tutor
James Webster is a leading independent dairy consultant based in Cumbria. He has a BSc (Hons) in Rural Resource Management from the University of Reading.
Having worked as a dairy consultant since 2008, James has an excellent track record of delivering change on dairy farms. This ranges from technical herd management and nutrition through to business structure and driving financial improvements.
James designed the ADM course with the sole purpose of upskilling current and future dairy managers. This is done by providing the most current guidance, knowledge and tools to push dairy businesses forward.