Generic milk from supermarkets, local shops and most door step deliveries milk is not local, it is not single source, it is from a pool of many farms and could be from anywhere in the country. It will have been subject to many food miles, fed on GM-Feed (if it isn’t stamped GM-Free or Organic it’s been produced using GM or GM contaminated feeds) heavily processed and several days old.
Our cows go out to grass in early Spring and graze every day possible, weather permitting until late Autumn. To be classed as grass fed they must graze grass at least 180 days of the year and be fed conserved grass as the bulk of their feed during winter. This year our cows grazed for 271 days. If you buy branded milk from one of the five main retailers it is likely that the milk is from cows that have not grazed at all.
Our cows are fed grass and conserved grass as the basis of their diet. Any supplementary feed is sourced locally. We do not feed GM soya from South America or super high energy feeds (C16 Protected Fats) from Malaysia as many dairy farms do. We feel it is unethical to cut down rainforests in these regions to produce GM feeds for our cows. Instead we source GM Free feeds for cows using locally sourced lupins instead of soya, and high energy fodder beet grown on our own farm instead of protected fats.
Our cows are all named and treated as individuals. No routine antibiotics are used instead the emphasis is on creating high health through welfare, nutrition, low stress and building natural immunity. We aim to produce as much as our milk as we can from grass but in a way that is sustainable. Our red clover grass is grown without artificial fertiliser or pesticides.
We grow a small amount of maize to supplement the very rich grass during early spring and late autumn. In the winter whilst we still want to get as much from grass (conserved) as possible, we want to feed the animal in a sustainable and welfare friendly way.
Therefore we grow and feed a small amount of high-energy fodder beet to maintain the cow’s energy requirements during winter in a sustainable and ethical way. Our aim is to feed no other supplements apart from grass during the summer.
We will be placing cameras around the farm this spring with live feeds shown on our website. These live feeds will show everything that goes on from growing the feed for our cows to bottling the milk. You will be able to follow your favourite cow and hopefully catch a glimpse of the deer, badgers and other wildlife that roam the countryside or maybe a calf being born.
Every month we send out a newsletter explaining what is happening on the farm, notifying you of our next open day and informing of the latest research and ideas on dairy product usage.