The Agricultural & Horticultural Development Board (AHDB), in association with FACE (Farming and Countryside Education), recently commissioned research into current perceptions of children aged 7-15 on food, farming and the countryside, which has been used in the development of the AHDB Education Strategy 2012-17. The report produced by CHILDWISE in the summer of 2011, provides…
I attended a very interesting meeting at Kinston Maurward College today, which was all about out-wintering cattle. The meeting was run by the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), based at The University of Aberystwyth. There were two excellent farmer presentations from Clyde Jones and Chris Barnes, who shared their experiences of out-wintering…
Promoting our farming and our milk is essential if we are to win the support of UK consumers. LEAF have been running Open Farm Sunday for the last seven years and it provides a fantastic opportunity to instil value in our farms and our cows. This year Open Farm Sunday takes place on June 17th.…
I attended the Pasture to Profit Conference held near Worcester last November. It was a really stimulating gathering, even though I don’t run a spring calving herd along the lines of a New Zealand style system. Several of the speakers highlighted the potential to produce milk form grass and there are lessons we can all…
We might be in the middle of winter right now but those longer, warmer days will return. Free Range Dairy plans to promote a number of event and activities that will engage consumers with our farms and cows in 2012. Take a look at this video, filmed in Holland. People there are given the opportunity…
Dear All Just to say I received another 39 printed survey FRD returns today, taking us to around 300 in total. It is really rewarding to find the odd hand written note stapled to survey forms actually saying “thank you – I think what you are doing is great”. HAPPY CHRISTMAS and thank again to…
One or two people have asked me how I plan to get milk from Free Range Dairy farms collected, processed and distributed. But, it is important to understand that, in the first instance, Free Range Dairy is a movement rather than a brand. I want farmers to join this movement because they believe that pasture-based…
I was interested to read in a recent edition of International Dairy Topics (Practical information for progressive dairy professionals) that modern day dairy cows are failing to provide milk of a suitable quality for feeding their offspring. According to Neil Birkett of Rosebeck Services, “The excess fat in cow’s milk is difficult to digest and…
The other day, the 9th of November, we brought the last of milking herd indoors for the winter. After nearly eight months of grazing, it wasn’t a lack of grass or freezing temperatures that made our herd head indoors, it has simply got too wet for the ground to carry them. Those lazy hazy days…