Platts achieve Green Dragon Environmental Standard
Last week we passed our Environmental Audit with flying colours, and Platts Agriculture Limited now has a UKAS accredited Environmental Management Standard, known as Green Dragon. Read on to find out more about the standard, and how we’re taking our environmental responsibilities seriously.
Read moreFamily Business of the Year
We’re slowly coming back down to earth after winning the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Family Business of the Year yesterday, at the UK Finals in Glasgow! It was a real delight to win the Welsh award, so to be recognised Nationally is such great news for all at Platts Agriculture.
Read moreDouble win for Platts at the FSB Wales Awards!
Last week, 5 of our team headed down to Cardiff, to attend the finals of the Federation of Small Business Wales Awards, where we were shortlisted as finalists for both the Family Business of the Year Award, and the Environmental/Sustainability Business of the Year Award… and won both!
Read moreShelley Smith joins the Platts Team!
Shelley recently joined the Platts as our new Accounts Manager- following Ian Hall’s promotion to Financial Director last year. Read on to find out more about Shelley’s role, her background and how she’s settling into the Platts Team!
Read moreNational Apprenticeship Week 2022!
This year at Platts, we’re celebrating National Apprenticeship Week with our 2 apprentices, and 4 ‘graduate’ apprentices (now fully-qualified) who make up our ‘almost-60’ strong workforce. As we rapidly grow, apprentices are an important and valued part of our HR strategy, and a training avenue Platts will continue to use well into the future. Why […]
Read moreAlison Fulller joins the Platts Team!
Alison Fuller recently joined the Platts Team in a new role as QHSE (Quality, Health, Safety, and Environmental) Officer. Here’s a quick introduction to Alison, her role and how she’ll be involved in all things QHSE at the Platts Group.
Read moreBlue Monday – Signposts to Support
The third Monday of January- it’s said to be the most depressing day of the year. Not what any of us want to hear right now. But keep reading… it gets better!
Read moreA New Year – Time for a change?
Often New Year is a time when we decide to make change and resolutions! Why not use this January as an opportunity to review your cattle housing and cow comfort, to consider any areas for improvement, cost-saving or to create efficiency?
Read moreTime to replace your mats or mattresses?
How to know when it’s time to replace your mattresses: It’s quite an investment, and tempting to try and make them last forever. But like all pieces of animal husbandry equipment, mats and mattresses do eventually come to the end of their life…
Read moreWinter Housing – Best Practice
With dairy cattle housed throughout the Winter period, it’s crucial that their environment promotes optimum health, welfare and productivity. Here are some important considerations which in turn will have a positive impact on cattle health:
Read moreWhy dust matters
Horse bedding is used to provide horses with warmth and comfort whilst in the stable. It encourages the horse to lie down, to rest and to urinate which will assist in the maintenance of kidney function and general health. But why is dust such an issue when choosing stable bedding? Read on to find out…
Read moreWhat actually is a cubicle conditioner?
You might have heard us talking about our Cubicle Conditioner products- and be wondering why these are different to other bedding products available. Here’s the story…
Read moreWe’ve partnered with Southern Farmers!
We’re pleased to announce that last year, we began working with Southern Farmers to offer preferential rates on Platts Products to Southern Farmers members. Read on to find out more…
Read moreManagement Team grows with appointment of new key personnel
Thanks to continued business growth and to fuel further planned expansion in the current months ahead, The Platts Group have made 4 key new appointments of staff to their Management Team since July– at Platts Commercial Services and Platts Agriculture Limited.
Read moreWhittingham Hall Farm -Testimonial
The Dewhurst Family kindly agreed to share why they use Finebed for their mainly AYR housed pedigree herd. Watch below and hear from Mick, who’ll show you around their farm…
Read moreJay joins Platts for work experience
Last week, Jay who’s currently in Year 10, joined us at Platts to gain an insight into the world of work. Mainly based with our Transport Team, he also spent some time in Production and with the Marketing Teams. Read on to find out what he thought about his week…
Read moreWe’re WCNW Business Growth Finalist (again!)
After winning the Business Growth Award back in 2018, and coming as runners up for Business of the Year in 2019, we’re hoping it’s third time lucky at this year’s West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce Awards!
Read moreJ Meddins & Co Video Testimonial
The Meddins family kindly invited us to visit their farm – to see just how clean Finebed keeps their 500 dairy cows. Watch our video and hear from James Meddins, who explains how Finebed has improved the health and comfort of their herd, and the impact this has on their business.
Read moreCustomer Testimonial – R J & G L Dewhurst
Last week, we paid a visit to the Dewhurst family at Whittingham Hall Farm, near Preston, who use our baled Finebed for their 180 pedigree Holsteins. Thank you to John, Gillian, Mick and Kate who spent the afternoon showing us around! The herd are housed all year round -to maximise productivity, so bedding is vital. […]
Read moreCustomer Testimonial – J Meddins & Co
We were delighted to be invited to Lynwood Farm, in Montgomery recently by Elaine Meddins of J Meddins & Co. Last week we headed out to visit Elaine Keith, James, and their 500-strong dairy herd. Read on to find out more about their farm, their extra clean cows and why they choose Platts Finebed … […]
Read moreHelp! My cows aren’t clean!
What to do when you find very dirty cows? Cleanliness scoring is great for ensuring that your herd are remaining clean, content and productive. But what about the times when you find that your cattle aren’t as tidy as you’d hoped? Read on to find out how to deal with mucky cows within your herd… […]
Read moreCow Cleanliness – Best Practice
Cow Cleanliness speaks volumes about the overall comfort and health of your herd – so it’s important to stay tuned into what you can learn from what your cows’ coats could be telling you. Read on to find out more about making sure your herd as as clean and healthy as they can be… Best-practice […]
Read morePrepare your cubicles for ultimate dryness!
We all know that keeping cow cubicles as clean and dry as possible is the ultimate goal. But what is best practice for making that happen? Read on to find out our top tips for preparing cow cubicles for ultimate dryness – including bedding, cubicle sizes and checking the weather! […]
Read moreCharity Ride – Platts raise money riding for the DPJ Foundation!
On 15th May on a wet and windy Saturday, Ashley and Nadia from our Transport and Marketing Teams at Platts completed a charity bike ride for the DPJ Foundation – who work with farmers throughout Wales impacted by poor mental health. Thanks to your generous sponsorship, they raised almost £1500 in total. Thank you! […]
Read morePallet Collection now available!
As part of the ongoing war on waste, we can collect your used and unbroken pallets on delivery- for reusing again! Read on to find out more…
Read moreMixBed- Packaging Update
If you’ve been using our MixBed for a number of years, you’ll be aware that last year we changed the packaging of our product from our cuboid bales stacked 30 per pallet, to a neatly compressed flat bale, 55 per pallet. Here’s why:
Read moreRoyal Warrant Renewal- A cause to celebrate!
We’re delighted to have received the news today that we’ve been granted our Royal Warrant for a further three years!
Read moreAre you missing the Signs? Cow Signals® and Comfort
CowSignals® is a technique that was developed by a Dutch vet named Joep Driessen and Jan Hulsen The technique aims to improve cattle health by advising farmers how to read their herds body language and to use this to determine areas in which the environment can be improved. As it is well known in the dairy farming community, happy cows produce more milk.
Read moreProvide your calves with the best possible start
It’s well known that clean, dry and warm bedding is necessary to give calves the best start in life, promoting health and weight gain. With straw prices soaring in some areas of the country – have you considered the alternatives for your calf and livestock bedding or ways to make straw go that bit further?
Read moreChoosing the best bedding for your system…
It’s well recognised that comfortable, contented cows spend longer each day lying down- and therefore give increased milk yields and improve milk quality. When choosing bedding for your dairy cattle- there are several key factors to take into consideration.
Read moreCustomer Focus: Richard Lowe, Co Limerick
Richard Lowe, who farms in Co Limerick with father George has experienced the benefits of using Platts Finebed for their pedigree Holsteins and Jersey herds this Winter. Here he describes a few of the benefits they’ve experienced…
Read moreStaying cool this summer housing season…
Whilst many of us can enjoy the sun – it doesn’t come without it’s challenges for livestock! With the warm weather looking like it’s here to stay, at least for now, here’s some well-shared advice on how best to keep your cows comfortable whilst maintaining productivity during a heatwave.
Read moreTips for using Fresh Sawdust Bedding
Fresh sawdust has it’s benefits- often cheaper, readily available and less dusty than kiln-dried sawdust, or alternative bedding products. But how can you make the most of using fresh sawdust for your cow cubicles, minimising any concerns around it’s moisture content and mastitis?
Read moreSupport throughout the Covid Pandemic for Farmers
As the Coronavirus continues to sweep across the globe – there’s no doubt that it’s having an impact on every single one of us, whether we see ourselves the ‘front-line’ or not. Affecting businesses of all sizes, families, communities and Countries, it can all be a little overwhelming…
Read moreCOVID-19 Business Update – 17th April
We hope as you read this that you are well and keeping safe amidst the current novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak which continues to present a significant global challenge.
Platts Animal Bedding value the health and wellbeing of our employees, and those we come into contact with. We are committed to providing a safe working environment and ensuring business continuity to the best of our abilities…
Read moreProtecting your cows this winter
Since the first snow of the season has already fallen for most of us, we thought that it would be a good idea to share some of the top things to consider when housing your cows this winter..
Read moreApprentice shortlisted for regional award.
Platts Animal Bedding fabrication and welding apprentice, Ethan McDermott has been shortlisted for the Young Person/Apprentice of the year award at the West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce awards.
Read moreWe are Rearing to Go!
On Friday 13th September Caroline, Ellen and Nadia, from the Platts team, attended the Rearing to go conference in Shrewsbury.
Read moreA day in the life of a Platts HGV driver
Here at Platts, a sizeable percentage of our 58-strong workforce are made up of our hard-working Transport Team.
Read morePlatts visit Yorkshire Mega Dairy
RABDF Gold Cup Open Day: Metcalfe Farms
As Summer show season kicks off, over the last month our team have been out and about at events on farms, locally and further afield!
Read moreDriving a Sustainable Future!
You may have read recently about some of our endeavours to ‘go green’ and reduce our impact on the environment. The below story was written recently for Business in the Community – for some guidance documents featuring Royal Warrant Holders, following our Award of the Royal Warrant April 2018.
Read moreThe Green Growth Pledge
Here at Platts, we understand that sustainability is key when developing a business and as an organisation, we hope to demonstrate a positive impact on the people and places around us.
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