For many, the images of dancing Jersey cows from the Anchor Butter adverts will perhaps best convey the image of free range cows. An increasing number of UK milk producers have been switching towards a ‘New Zealand style’ dairy farming system, because it is all about low cost milk production. For decades New Zealand dairy…
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I just thought you might like to see a catchy little You Tube clip called ‘I’m Farming and I Grow It’ made by the Peterson Brothers from Kansas, USA. It has already had over 2.5 million views and I think they’ve done a pretty good job in getting a message across about what they do.…
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We had a really interesting Free Range Dairy meeting up in Lancashire last week, courtesy of John Carr at Cleveley House Farm near Garstang. I hadn’t realised what a great grass growing county Lancashire is. Thank you all for your enthusiasm! A diverse group of people attended the meeting and, once again, we had some…
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Was it you? Did you go into your local supermarket and demand cheap milk? No. Well, who was it then? Who said it was okay for retailers and processors to pay dairy farmers less for their milk than it actually cost to produce? You see the supermarkets tell us that they only stock what the…
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I heard an interview on Radio 4’s Farming Today programme last week, in which a global investment expert stated that small dairy farms have no future in theUK. Detlef Scon from Aquila Capital Green Assets explained “If you want to preserve a structure in a small, family farm-type structure in the UK, and there’s…
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According to the news agency Reuters – The House of Representatives dealt a blow to childhood obesity warriors in the USA on Thursday, by passing a bill that abandons proposals to end the reign of pizza and French fries on federally funded school lunch menus. Did you know that pizzas are classed as a vegetable…
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Thanks to all those who came along to the meeting in Narberth last week. It was really helpful to get some input from fellow farmers on how Free Range Dairy should be defined and thoughts on the way forward. It was clear to see that grass and grazing play an important role on Welsh dairy…
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Defining Free Range Dairy and Building a Brand Wales: 20 June at 7.30pm Nant-Y-Ffin Hotel & Motel, Llandissilio,Clynderwen, Pembrokeshire, SA66 7SU Please download our flyer for this meeting and give it to your farming friends. Guest speaker Gareth Davies, who is just embarking on a Nuffield Farming Scholarship, will explain why he is an advocate of…
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Did you see Jimmy and The Giant Supermarket on Channel 4 last night? In a new series, Jimmy Doherty is attempting to increase the uptake of welfare friendly meat by large retailers (Tescos) and, once again, the plight of male dairy calves has been raised. Viewers witnessed three male Jersey calves being shot within 24…
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Rural accountants Old Mill have revealed that some of their clients in the south west lost 11p / litre last year and they warn things could get worse following recent milk price cuts. The average cost of production amongst farming clients was 35.04p / litre in 2011/12. Without single farm payment, Old Mill say that…
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ITV West news recently featured an unusual dairy farming enterprise, in which the cows are milked through a mobile milking parlour. The parlour, which has been put together by two enterprising guys in Dorset, is moved around the fields with the cows. At a time when food production is becoming an increasingly complex business, it…
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Please take a look at the short video of cows going out to grass on our farm this spring. We don’t often have the opportunity to get in front of the public and explain how we manage our cows. Short films such as this can help to convey simple messages about what we do and…
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In the past few weeks the major milk buyers in the UK – Dairy Crest, Wisemans, Arla, Milk Link and First Milk have all announced a significant cut in the price they will pay British Dairy farmers for their milk, leading to renewed calls for a fairer deal for farmers. It seems that our hopes…
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DairyCo’s Farmer Intentions Survey for 2012 shows British dairy farmers giving a vote of confidence for the medium to long term outlook for both the industry and their own farm businesses. 36% of farmers in Britain said they intend to expand milk production over the next two years, whilst the number intending to leave the…
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I’m in danger of appearing negative and critical here. But, is it just me who doesn’t really understand how Dairy 2020 is actually going to be implemented at farm level. I have just read an article by Ben Bouckley on the Dairy Reporter website – www.dairyreporter.com – called “Fine words and cartoon cows”. Ben says…
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The recent farmer survey has produced some really interesting results, which provide a useful insight into how dairy farmers see their businesses today and their thoughts on the way ahead in an ever-changing world. We hear much about the difficulties that milk producers are facing, with increasing costs, a growing burden of legislation and red…
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After having let our cows out to graze exactly a month ago, we have had to bring some of them back indoors today. In an attempt to address the impending drought, Mother Nature has decided to send rain by the bucket full and our heavy clay soils are struggling to drain themselves between the storms.…
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The first Free Range Dairy regional meeting took place at Duchy College, in Cornwall, on 22nd March and it provided a valuable opportunity to share some thoughts and ideas on free range milk production. Thanks to all those who attended! As I have said before, I am not trying to carve out a niche market…
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Congratulations to all our winners of the £20 Amazon vouchers. The lucky winners are: Scott McGill Scotland Ioan Jones Wales Tim Buckingham South East J H Whitton & Sons North West Steven Holden North West JC & AC Booth Wales Andrew Maltby South West J. M Lee East Midlands Peter & Mary Fish South West…
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Moving milk into a new field in 2012 Come along and be part of Free Range Dairy Meeting date and time: 22nd March 7.30pm Venue: Duchy College, Stoke Climsland, Callington, Cornwall PL17 8PB For more information: Refreshments will be provided. Free Range dairy is a farmer-led initiative to reclaim the value of milk…
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