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LEFT Wyndford Goldwyn Erle VG85-2yr was second in the strong Junior Heifer in milk class at the recent National All Breeds Show and Reserve Champion. She has daughters by Damion and Allen plus a Damion son at Wyndford.


BELOW Members of the Wyndford inside their new barn.


feed trough and two straw pack beds that run virtually the entire length of the shed, with the exception of a bay at the end which is split off for between six and eight show or special cows and they have a slightly bigger exercise area. The main shed has six tipping water troughs complete with moveable covers and is bedded twice daily, and there is a wide grooved passage between the trough and straw bed. Cows are run as one group and turn along the bottom of the shed and into a long collecting yard which has a backing gate. They are milked through a GEA 24:24 parlour before coming back down a central passage which has fantastic handling facilities, including the scope to split cattle into one of three holding pens, from here they can then be moved down a race into AI stalls, through a group race of 15 which the vet uses for weekly checks or through a crush for clipping which is permanently installed with electricity and lights readily available. For those that think handling facilities are an afterthought, you will think again after seeing this, the fl exibility and time saving merits of it are remarkable.


As herd numbers increased, it became feasible to have an extra full-time person on the dairy side of the operation and Steve Hewitt now works alongside Ben. They alternate between a week of morning milkings and a week of afternoons, which is considered essential to know how everything is done and to keep abreast of every animal’s health and welfare. Calves are reared in hutches until 10 weeks of age, with the belief that too much attention can never be given to these animals. They get colostrum for the fi rst fi ve days and then milk twice a day


(totalling 6 litres per calf) until they are weaned at 12 weeks. They are then loose housed in groups aiming to calve at 25 months, with sexed semen used on the top end heifers and embryos implanted on natural heats in the remainder. It is the farm’s intention not only to make revenue from milk sales but also from genetics as the herd strives to be a major player on the Holstein scene. Previously the herd’s genetics have never been exploited but now, through showing and regular stock sales, this is likely to


change. It will take a few years before the herd has enough depth and numeric reserves to make the sale of suffi cient numbers viable and, before this time, marketing and promoting the best of Wyndford will become more important.


Showing is seen as a crucial shop window for the herd. Aided by Ben’s enthusiasm and interest in this area, the herd will concentrate on a few major events such as the National All Breeds Show, Agriscot and Agri Live as well as supporting the local show and club calf show. Making an area where these animals can be nurtured and correctly prepared for the ring was an important element of the new building but the practicality of it also means minimal time is spent giving special treatment to a minority – the bedding and feeding of this small, segregated group does not infringe on the normal operation of the farm too much.


Ben and Steve are able to manage to run the 230 cow unit because everything is on the one site and in close proximity. Youngstock and dry cows are kept in the farm’s original steading, which is short walk from the main new shed, and over the coming years these buildings will be improved and adapted with possibly a new dry cow shed built between them. They are also an integral part of the whole farm team; not only do they rely on the arable men for their relief but they are also part of the emergency relief on the potato grader or straw leading gang if need be. The shed is cleaned out every month and sees a concentrated effort by all to make this as effi cient and painless as possible for the cows. Ben moves cows round while an army of tractors and loaders clear the yards in a matter of a few hours.


The new cow facility itself at Wyndford is worthy of an article in itself. It was built with a high level of sustainability in the 100kW/p solar photovoltaic system incorporated into the south side of the building. So far this has produced in the region of 31 megawatts worth of electricity in three months and generates well in excess of double the dairy unit’s requirements, with the surplus entering the national grid. Of course, it was an expensive piece of equipment to purchase and install, but it is now contributing revenue to the business. Importantly, the cows themselves and the genetics they hold are not coincidental in the Wyndford story. Families such as Rebecca, Contended, Grey, August, Trix and Margi have been maturing at Wyndford for the last 60


THE JOURNAL OCTOBER 2011 33


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