around 80 which includes a few TLC cows.
Block calving from August through to the end of April, a huge amount of grass is generated from the farm’s brookland which is ideal for dry cows in the summer. Always striving for efficiency the Gues have invested in the latest
technology to drive their farming practices forward. AutoID and Heatime have been superb investments with the added information giving them more power to make decisions. Although a costly investment at the start, a professional foot trimming crush now makes hoofcare an easy job on the farm and Tim says that this is an asset that has paid off. Identifying calf rearing as the weakest part of the enterprise three years ago, the Gues decided to improve their current set up and built a new building with automated milk feeders. Heifer calves are fed powered milk with beef calves receiving powder and waste milk.
Progressive people
A big believer in buying land Tim has constantly invested in the business and continually tried to develop his properties to add value; the farm’s acreage has more than doubled since he took over from his father in 1983, moving farms when he and Marion were married in 1987. Committed to progression, the Gues latest acquisition is a 650-acre arable farm in Berwickshire, Scotland. Although at opposite ends of the country
ABOVE FAR LEFT Huddlestone Balisto Marci is the herd’s highest genomic star, ranking at number 7 in the UK (£267 GPLI) and number 6 in Europe (+2416 GTPI).
TOP & ABOVE RIGHT The farm’s 32 point rotary was installed in 2000.
and over 400 miles apart: “It’s a great opportunity to expand the business, developing the farm and properties will be an interesting challenge in the area that is completely different to Sussex,” says Tim. In the end, all business operations can be reduced to three words: people, product and profits. Unless you’ve got a good team, you can’t do much with the other two and Huddlestone encapsulates this ethos. An efficient and dynamic business managed by great people who rely on a skilled workforce to help them maximise cow comfort and achieve their end goals.
86 THE JOURNAL AUGUST 2014
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