Running to stand still – attention to detail pays off on Derbyshire dairy unit. Careful herd management and a keen eye for detail have helped a Derbyshire based father-and-son dairy farming business remain buoyant despite volatile market conditions.

The price paid to dairy farmers for the milk produced on their farms has continued to fluctuate over the past 12 months despite strong demand. And with farm input prices rapidly rising year on year, the region’s dairy farmers are facing increasingly volatile and uncertain times.

Many farmers have had no option but to quit the industry, whilst others have had to increase cow numbers and expand production to become more efficient.

Meanwhile, for many of the more traditional family farms, paying attention to the tiniest of details has made the difference between their businesses sinking and swimming. Father and son partnership John and Andrew Faulkner, of Smerrils Farm near Radbourne, are an excellent example of how making small improvements to the way they manage their herd has enabled them to maintain their profit margins despite a 20% fall in the price they receive for their milk.

Last autumn the Faulkners received a milk price of almost 30 pence per litre. But a year on, the herd of 114 Friesians is receiving more than six pence per litre less for milk of the same high quality.

Milk production is the predominant enterprise at Smerrils Farm, but the Faulkners also produce their own cereals in order to reduce feed costs and make the farm as self-sufficient as possible. Latterly, a new goat venture has helped to diversify the business, with specialist meat sales returning a welcome margin.

But it has been John and Andrew’s whole-herd management regime that has enabled the dairy enterprise to remain in production. Milk yields, production data and monthly costings are used as the basis for the majority of management decisions, with additional input being provided by the herd’s vet who visits the farm on a monthly basis, as well as the Faulkner’s dairy nutritionist, Darran Ward of feed experts Wynnstay.

Monthly farm visits from Darran provide a timely opportunity for the team to assess how the cows are performing and whether the feed ration needs to be adjusted to maximise output. “John and Andrew’s system is predominantly grassland based, with cows receiving a high intake of low acidity silage which has a dry matter content of 56%. This is fed through a recently acquired mixer wagon along with a mix of cereals and a protein balancer.

The cows also receive a compound ration in the parlour. It is a simple, but effective system that gives fantastic milk quality,” Darran explains.

Milk production has increased by approximately 20% over the last year as a result of a number of factors. “The cows’ ration was already well balanced,” Darran explains, “but needed a few minor changes to improve output and to take full advantage of the Faulkner’s manufacturing milk contract. Moving the cows onto Wynnstay’s Milkmore18 compound pellets and using the mixer wagon to produce a more consistent ration has helped to increase yields throughout the herd and has increased butterfat and protein levels above 4.5% and 3.5% respectively.”

However, the Faulkners were slightly disappointed with production levels at the end of last winter as they didn’t appear to be generating the last few litres of milk that were expected.

“We have worked hard to improve milk production but with the fall in milk prices it sometimes seemed as though we were running to stand still,” explains John. “So we were keen to investigate every aspect of cow health and performance to see if we could take our productivity levels to the next step.”

A milk sample was taken by the farm’s vet and analysed for several potential causes of reduced output. The test results showed high levels of liver fluke infestation - after several wet summers fluke incidence has increased and has spread to areas where it hasn’t historically posed a threat. The cows are now treated on an annual basis with a flukicide and this has had a major effect on cow health and performance, with milk production levels consistently rising.

The family’s attention to detail has demonstrated that keeping a careful eye on a range of management factors can pay dividends in terms of financial performance. The farm’s latest set of figures indicate that despite a lower milk price, the income generated has remained consistent due to increased milk output. In fact, the herd’s margin over purchased feed costs has improved from £98 per cow per month to £105 and has helped the Faulkners to avoid what could have been a serious financial predicament for the farm’s dairy enterprise.

▲back to top▲