Even my eternal optimism is being seriously challenged by the weather we have had in the first week of October. We have 80 acres of knee-high grass waiting to be cut for a third time, to make silage. We have 200 acres of wheat stubbles untouched since the combine clawed its way around the fields…
Details
8th November 2012, Sixways Stadium, Worcester We often find it difficult to get away from our dairy herds for a day, but if you can find someone to milk your cows on November 8th, I highly recommend you get along to this year’s Pasture to Profit Conference. I went along for the first time last…
Details
Have you seen any good films lately? Well, if you haven’t, may I recommend a real ‘feel good’ movie from Arla Foods? Closer to Nature isn’t packed with high octane action for the adrenalin junkies, but it does contain some wonderful scenery and, for those of you who are animation fans, look out for the…
Details
So, things are looking up – milk prices are on the rise. In recent weeks the UK’s major milk buyers have announced an increase in the price they will pay to farmers this autumn. Arla have said they are going to increase their standard litre price by 2.5 pence from October 1st. At the same,…
Details
I have just read an interesting article by Pat Tomlinson from Old Mill accountants and financial planners, about the role of cost of production based pricing for milk. Mr Tomlinson says “Call me old fashioned, but when I studied basic economics (albeit last century!), the price of a product was determined by the relationship of…
Details
I have long held the belief that our farms have so much more to offer than producing food – we can really make a difference to people’s lives and enrich our society. I have been to visit a farm near Bath, where Jamie Fielden and his team are helping de-motivated and disengaged students find…
Details
Back in December 2011, I put a post on the Free Range Dairy website about the continuing growth of ethical food brands during the economic downturn. This was linked to a report in The Independent, which stated that Fairtrade food sales rose by 36 percent in 2009-10. Much of the recent campaign by UK milk…
Details
I recently stumbled on an interesting blog site called Grass Based Health. Although the site is very much about farming and food in the USA, the posts by Dr Peter Ballerstedt are relevant to us all. When Dr Ballerstedt took a picture of himself at Christmas 2000 he was alarmed by the sight and could…
Details
Many dairy farmers will feel in need of charity after the suffering they have endured this summer. But, I am not suggesting we set up an appeal to raise money for beleaguered producers, Free Range Dairy is about winning public support through the milk we produce. I am currently looking at how we formally register…
Details
Things feel like they are really moving on with Free Range Dairy. The feedback on defining standards for production has been excellent and we now moving forward from a simple belief in the value of pasture-based milk production, to making that milk available to UK consumers. I make no apologies for declaring that Free…
Details
One thing that is becoming very apparent from the feedback I have had regarding the definition of Free Range Dairy herds, is that achieving 180 days at grass has been very difficult (if not impossible) on a number of farms this year – particularly in the north of England and in Scotland. A farmer from…
Details
In order to canvas opinion from as many people as possible in setting standards for Free Range Dairy producers, a short online survey is now available on the website. Simply click on the answer of your choice to our five simple questions and have your say. Although the survey is largely aimed at farmers, anyone…
Details
Thanks to all those who came along to the recent farmer meetings and others who have emailed me with suggestions on how we take Free Range Dairy forward. It is evident that there is considerable interest in milk and dairy products from pasture-based herds, both from consumers and farmers. So, now it’s time to let…
Details
Somerset company, Wyke Farms, are proud of their 150 year heritage and have now become the largest independent cheese makers and milk processors in the UK, sourcing around 120 million litres of milk a year from their own farms and the surrounding area. However, as with most large dairy companies, they are relatively small in…
Details
Journalist and writer Graham Harvey has long been a passionate advocate of pasture based milk and meat production and he has a wealth of knowledge on the subject. If you haven’t had a look already, Graham has two websites that are well worth a visit; www.grahamsquest.co.uk and www.pasturepromise.tv I was interested to read about a…
Details
Vladimir Lenin Coincidence is a curious thing. My mother was showing a few family heirlooms to my wife yesterday and stumbled across a fascinating document produced by the NFU in 1924. This was the year that Lenin died and was buried in Moscow’s Red Square, the 8th Olympic Games were held in Paris, Ramsey MacDonald…
Details
Doorstep customers of Pensworth Dairies, in the village where I live, this morning received a note from Sales Director Gideon Bishop informing them that it was necessary to increase the price of their milk by 3 pence a pint. Mr Bishop explained that whilst he acknowledged that “no increases are welcome in the current economic…
Details
This week celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall sent a letter to The Times in support of British Dairy Farmers. “Milk is a brilliant food but we have lost sight of its value” said the two high profile foodies and they are absolutely right. The crisis dairy farmers are facing today is as a…
Details
What will save UK dairy farmers? A supermarket ombudsman, greater transparency in milk supply contracts, the formation of producer organisations, or the dumping of milk to withdraw supplies? Perhaps a combination of all four will go some way to restoring some sense of fairness and balance in the milk supply chain. But, we must…
Details
I don’t think anyone anticipated the strength of feeling surrounding recent milk price cuts that was demonstrated by around 3,000 dairy farmers who made the trip to London Dairy Summit last week – least of all Minister of State for Agriculture and Food, Mr Jim Paice MP. There were many who attended last Wednesday…
Details