17 April 2012
Rylands School is visiting today and Dairy Co and Farming & Countryside Education (FACE) are filming Richard taking the group around the farm. There’s always a need for hosts to tell children about food and farming and the film will be available as a dvd for anyone wanting information and inspiration about educational visits to their dairy farms.
We’re exceptionally lucky that Pauline, the Educational Coordinator from Growing Well is so passionate about bringing children onto the farm. She works with Richard doing hands on show and tell about food and all that goes into its creation through farming. Older groups want to know about everything from wildlilfe habitat to our farm diversification story, so there’s a lot to cover.
The Dairy Co film will hopefully show that whilst there are steps that dairy farmers need to follow in order to host successful school visits, it’s enjoyable and productive for farmers, children and teachers alike.
By Alison Park, 17 April 2012 –
29 February 2012
This Swedish Red cow was spruced up (using warm water!) for yesterday's Bentham Auction Mart milk cow sale. Our herd is a mix of breeds, mainly Holstein, Swedish Red and Montbeliard. I choose across dairy breeds for characteristics like long life, good pregnancy rates, high milk production and good general health. Taking advantage of hybrid vigour is called cross breeding and it is becoming more widespread in dairy farming. Farmers are eager to learn from each other how it is done. The Farmer’s Guardian and Cow Management Magazine are coming this week to look at what we do here.
By Alison Park, 29 February 2012 –
30 January 2012
We had a bit of a tidy for today’s farm assurance inspection. The dairy that buys our milk subscribes to the Red Tractor mark – the farm assurance scheme that shows a food product meets specific animal welfare and quality standards, so it’s important that we meet the criteria.
The inspector looked at our animals and facilities, checking the milking parlour for cleanliness for example, and checking our animal health routines. The medicine cupboard was checked to make sure that it is lockable, that the use of drugs is recorded, and that we dispose of empty bottles and used needles safely.
During my ten years of organic farming I had to keep records of pretty much every last detail of the way I managed the farm so that organic food is trustworthy. I’m so used to record keeping that today’s inspection passed without a hitch.
By Clare Coxon, 30 January 2012 –
15 December 2011
A new cow feed arrived today, fresh from the sugar beet factory. This pile of deliciously sweet steaming shreds will be an energy providing addition to the cows’ diet. Some by-products of human food production (like this) are now hard to come by; the mash we used to get from breweries is now powering bio fuel plants.
By Alison Park, 15 December 2011 –
11 November 2011
For the first time in 12 years we grew maize. Farmers all over the UK are saying this has been the worst crop in 15 years. The dry windy conditions in May and early June stunted the newly germinated seedlings, and then summer’s abundant rain further limited growth.
The important part of the plant is the cob, rather than the dead -looking stalks you see in fields at this time of year. It is a slow release energy food for cows in winter. When the contractor came with the harvester this week we were pleased to hear that our crop is one of the best of a fairly poor lot that he has cut this season.
Thankfully, harvesting conditions were excellent. A dry day meant carting down the busy A591 dual carriageway didn’t create a mud hazard. We had invested in a road brush just in case, and were very pleased to leave it in the shed.
By Alison Park, 11 November 2011 –