Five Years of Confidence with CoseIcure Cattle Boluses at Renner Farming
Renner Farming, run by John and Helen Renner and family at Bellshill Farm, Northumberland, is a business built around sustainable livestock production. Farming 500 acres of predominantly grassland, the family manages a closed Angus suckler herd and has embraced regenerative farming principles for many years, continually investing in genetics, soil health and forage quality.
The Renners have been a LEAF farm since 2003, having begun their regenerative journey in 1997. Today, their focus extends far beyond the cattle themselves, with detailed work on soil biology, grass species, fungi and microbial activity helping to create a productive, resilient farming system.
Alongside improvements in breeding and management, the family has relied on CoseIcure Cattle Boluses for the past five years following advice from their veterinary team at Black Sheep Farm Health.
Alongside improvements in breeding and management, the family has relied on CoseIcure Cattle Boluses for the past five years following advice from their veterinary team at Black Sheep Farm Health.
"Our vet recommended CoseIcure, and it fits well with our low-input, high-output farming system and regenerative approach. We've used the boluses for five years now, including all three of our stock bulls, and they work well for us."
Prior to using CoseIcure, the Renners had experience with other bolus products but switched on veterinary recommendation. Since then, the bolus has become an established part of their annual herd health programme.
The herd is pregnancy diagnosed each November, with cows receiving a single CoseIcure Cattle Bolus approximately six weeks before calving. While the timing has evolved over the years, the Renners have found this schedule fits their management system best. Cows also receive high-magnesium pre-calving buckets to support calcium and magnesium status during the calving period.
The family are careful not to attribute herd performance to any single management practice. Instead, they believe success comes from combining sound nutrition with continual genetic improvement and excellent herd management.
"We've worked hard on genetics and management over many years. We've now achieved 14 years of non-assisted calving, consistently see 100% of cows in calf at pregnancy diagnosis and around a 98% calving success rate. We've also seen improvements in growth rates over the years. We couldn't say that's solely down to the boluses - it comes from the whole management system - but CoseIcure forms an important part of that programme."
The Renners have also noticed heavier calves entering the system, although they recognise that ongoing genetic improvement has also contributed to this progress.
Ease of use is another reason the boluses remain part of their routine.
"They're straightforward to administer through the cattle race, and because they're only given once a year, they fit easily into our management calendar."
Although the family do not identify direct cost savings from using the boluses alone, they value the confidence of knowing their trace element supplementation is integrated into a wider herd health strategy.
When asked whether they would recommend CoseIcure to other farmers, the answer is simple.
"Yes. CoseIcure works for our system, and we'll continue to use it. Every farm is different, but it's worth asking whether you're missing out by not considering trace element supplementation as part of your herd management programme."
For Renner Farming, success is built on attention to detail - from soil biology and forage management to genetics, nutrition and herd health. By combining these principles with veterinary advice and a consistent trace element supplementation programme, they continue to develop a productive and resilient suckler herd for the future.
