Somerset Farmer wants others to help reclaim the value of milk Neil Darwent, a dairy farmer from Frome in Somerset, has recently established a new farmer-led initiative to reclaim the value of milk for UK dairy farmers. Through Free Range Dairy, he is seeking to unite thousands of milk producers who still operate a pasture-based…
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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…
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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…
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Back in 2007, Edward Newsham was running a herd of spring calving cows, producing high quality milk from grass. However, the price he received for his milk was subject to a hefty ‘seasonality deduction’ from his milk buyer, due to the large volume of milk produced in the summer months. In pursuit of recognition for…
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DEFRA have just published figures to show how the 773 million litres of milk taken in by dairies in England and Wales in August of this year was utilised. Around half goes into liquid milk but 122 million litres goes into making Cheddar cheese. You can download and view the report for more details of…
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Ten years ago there were 2.25 million dairy cows in the UK. Figures released today, from DEFRA’s provisional June Census, show that the total dairy breeding herd fallen by 20% to 1.8 million cows in the last twelve months. That means we now have roughly one cow for every 33 people in the UK. I…
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The film, by film-maker Johnny Kelly, depicts the life of a farmer as he slowly turns his family farm into an industrial animal factory before seeing the errors of his ways and opting for a more sustainable future. Both the film and the soundtrack were commissioned by Chipotle to emphasize the importance of developing a…
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Pasture Promise TV is a new website hosting a series of films to highlight the benefits of pasture based farming. One of the films features Neil Darwent and his cows. Neil gives his views on building a truly sustainable future for dairy farmers in the last third of the film. But do take time to…
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Charlotte Smith talks to Neil Darwent about how he is working towards achieving recognition for dairy farmers who give their cows the freedom to graze. You can hear the interview here.