Five years ago I took a call from Jason Salisbury who was looking to buy a small number of Guernseys ( 25 cows) to set up a new business making and selling cheese. Jason and Katherine were living on a farm in Coddenham Suffolk, where Jason milked and managed 90 Holsteins. His employer had just made him reduntant as he and his advisers could see no future for a “small” milking herd on that farm without a major re-investment in plant and machinery and given the “parkland” setting were not prepared to enlarge the herd and carry on.
Jason and Katherine drew up plans and budgets based on using the milk from 25 cows to make and sell cheese and approached their former employer and asked to rent the farm buildings and a small acreage of grazing ground. Katherine is a qualified Vet and wanted to return to work part time as their two children were approaching school age.
Both Jason and Katherine attended the Cheese Courses at Reaseheath College in Cheshire and opted to specialise in “soft” cheeses which are able to be matured and sold in a relatively short period of time which aids the all important cash flow.
They opted for Guernsey cows because they felt that the Guernsey milk would give them a “different” product(s) and would stand out in what is becoming a fairly crowded market. (The UK market uniquely in Europe has always imported cheese and in particular soft cheese from all over the world) and have developed several successful cheeses.
Five years on and the Suffolk Farmhouse Cheese business has outgrown its original home and a 109 acre holding in the village of Creeting St Mary has been acquired with the dairy herd which has expanded to 50 cows moving to their new facilities at the end of May 2009.
The farm had been neglected over the previous 15 years and a lot of remedial work has had to be done and more still awaits but a new Dairy building which incorporates a much bigger Cheese Room and a second hand Herringbone parlour.
As well as a straw bedded yard for 50 cows with covered feeding area has been provided. New dirty water storage was also required and it is planned to use this for irrigation in what is the “driest” part of the country.
10 acres of Forage Maise is being grown and this will be stored in an Ag Bag and will complement the grass silage made in wrapped round bales, with both forages forming part of a TMR fed along the feed barrier.
Investment has also been made in “activity monitors” which are on a collar on the cows that are due for service which are linked to a sensor as the cows enter the parlour and this identifies the “active” cows and in the six weeks since the system has been installed has allowed Jason to inseminate 7 cows that had otherwise not shown obvious signs of oestrus. In a perfect world a cowman is supposed to spend 30 minutes 5 times a day watching for “oestrus” and will then catch 85% of the bulling cows, but in the real world it is not possible to devote that time as there are other jobs that need to be done. Click here for information on HEATTIME system from Fabdec.
It was a real pleasure to visit the new farm this week and to see a young couple reaping the rewards of their hard work, and have turned the “dream” of having their own business into a reality.