As we start calving we always have the lull before we get going! It’s like waiting for Christmas!! The girls are all dried off now for an 8 week period and the focus of my mind gets to thinking about when we can get back to Grass To Milk, the key driver of our business. Spring Calvers are driven by wanting to reduce their workload as quick as possible and turning the cows out in the spring asap and this the biggest saving of labour and time in the coming month, which lets the time be allocated into other areas.

So the calves have started to appear we have had quite an even spread of bull calves and heifers. All our bull calves are kept and not like “fake news” they’re not being shot, all the bull calves are sold to a family member who will take them on and finish them and be sold into the food chain at 23/24 months old.

The heifer calves are kept for the next generation of the herd!

Late Jan…

Luckily as part of the Arla Next Programme I was able to visit Denmark for two days to engage with farmers from Denmark Sweden Germany and the Uk. Lots of great discussions about the problems we face as a cooperative and as farmers going forward. We also learnt lots about Arla as a cooperative and the structure and the future of a global markets in developing countries. We also spent some time in the Arla innovation centre learning about the future products and the way people eat and shop compared to traditional ways, we now live in a time where we want quicker smaller meals and products that will fit our “on the go lifestyle!”

It was eye opening to understand that all the problems we face in the UK are global problems, as we sat and talked to farmers from other countries the same topics we talk about at home like employment and trending fads that attack our industry are common across these countries and everybody was very focused on continuing to operate to the highest standards and farm to the “Arla” standards.

These things will be sent to challenge us, but they will not break us, we will continue to focus on great welfare and standards that we work to and this will give clarity to the outside world and help people understand how and where their food is produced.

It was a real positive experience to meet some progressive uk farmers and understand their businesses from very different farming systems but with the same passions!

Cows Out…..

Now as we head into late January, we all know exactly what I am thinking, will the ground conditions and the weather gods align!!! Will we be out grazing early February!!

We luckily missed the snow in the last week of January which would not be good sat on the fields readily waiting to melt. It’s on…… I have sat and annoyed my Lucy (my wife) for 3 days now….. What do you think …. Can we….Can we …. GET THE COWS OUT!!

3rd Feb….

It’s a go, cows out, we have turned out twice in 4 years this early. I cannot put words to it how you feel when you turn your cows out. It’s a mental uplift!!

Next is to setup the Spring Rotational Planner and get some fencing done…….