Nov 14
Meet Mark, our Dairy Herdsman
Posted in Organic Farming Livestock Baby Animals Farming Techniques Duchy Originals Products , Organic Food by David Wilson
I've been the Duchy Home Farm dairy herd manager for two years. It's my job is to make sure we're producing the best quality for our Duchy Originals Milk and to ensure that our Ayrshire cows and calves are looked after to the highest possible standards.
The average life of a conventional dairy cow is less than five years while the average age of our Ayrshire dairy cows is nearly twice that. This is because our cows produce about half as much milk as Holsteins and so are put under a lot less stress. Cows are not machines!
Each of our cows has a name which starts with the prefix Duchy so, for example, we have Duchy Buttermilk, Duchy Daisy. Each cow also has a pedigree certificate and passport with a number which must correlate to the cow's ear tag number - this means that we have complete traceability of all our animals.
Click on read more to hear about Mark's typical day...
A Typical Day
As I live on the Duchy Home Farm it's not just a job but a way of life. Mornings are my favourite part of the day, I get up at about 4.15 am and often watch the sunrise. I go into the dairy, put the lights on, switch on Radio 2 and listen to Alex Lester. I then go and collect the cows. I whistle to them which may sound like a bizarre thing to do but it gives them a clear signal - 'It's time to milk!' They come in en masse so there is always a long line of cows waddling to the dairy. Cows are creatures of habit and are very particular about whether they like to be the first to be milked or last and queue accordingly! After the cow has been milked she'll wander on her own straight out of the milking parlour to pasture - they know the routine!
During milking the yields are put up on a display which means we keep an eye on milk levels and general health. On average, a Duchy Home Farm cow produces about 16 litres of Duchy Originals Milk a day. It takes about two hours to milk them and afterwards everything has to be cleaned and scrubbed, ready for milking in the afternoon. I'm usually back home by 9.30 am for breakfast and then afterwards there's some time to do other jobs. Once a month, there is an independent check by the National Milk Records where samples are taken from each cow to measure the quantity and quality of her milk.
During the day I walk among the herd as it's important the cows trust you. They know my voice and I reassure them - I never shout at them as that could upset them. At 3pm I return to the field, whistle the cows in and start the milking process again. Finally, last thing at night I wander up to see the cows and check that they are all happy. Some people might think this is a long day, but I wouldn't change it for the world!
Comments
Wednesday, March 04
i love your job, well done x
Thursday, March 12
your an inspiration to me, thank you mark!
Thursday, March 12
i understand greater now after reading this thank you, x
Thursday, March 12
i understand greater now after reading this thank you, x
Mike Donovan
Monday, January 05
Doubling the life span of your dairy cows from the average 5 to 10 years is a tribute to your management as much as the breed of cow. As editor of Practical Farm IDEAS I feature methods developed by farmers to improve efficiency (which is exactly what you are doing) and cutting costs, and we have published many ideas of real value. I would be interested in finding out more from your herd manager, so other farmers could benefit.