Down on the Dairy Farm at Christmas

On the brink of the Christmas season I headed back to Gorsehill Abbey Organic Dairy Farm near Broadway to catch-up with Jenny and Nick. Seven months had passed since our last chat and I was very much looking forward to seeing them. They’re very generous with their time considering how busy they are, and I know I’m guaranteed a fascinating and informative conversation. Plus, Gorsehill Abbey is just a really beautiful calm place to be. 

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When we last met milk prices had been in a continuous, worrying downward turn – how are things looking now? 

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Jenny: Still bad!

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Nick: Yeah, it’s still not great it’s either stayed the same or gone down each month since you came in the spring. We’ve had a tiny increase this month but basically, we’re still down approximately 20% on this time last year. 

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 And lots of dairy farmers will have gone under in that time? 

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Jenny: Absolutely, as ever we’re incredibly lucky to have our side-line in ice-cream so all our eggs aren’t in one basket. As we’ve said before, the direct milk sales and ice-cream make all the difference for us despite the extra work.  

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 I was watching the cows in the fields as I drove up, I’m vaguely aware that sometime in the winter they disappear inside. When is that?   

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Jenny:  There’s no exact date. If it’s been a particularly dry autumn, they’ll stay out longer but if it’s been quite wet it’ll be sooner. As the weather changes they might stay outside during the day and then come in at night. Then as it gets wetter and colder, they will come inside permanently for the winter. This is actually quite late for us to have them still out.

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Does that mean it’s the temperature then that dictates when the cows come inside?   

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Jenny: No, the temperature doesn’t worry the cows, like lots of animals they grow lovely thick winter coats. 

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Nick: It’s more about how much grass is in the fields and how dry it is. If there’s not a huge amount of grass there’s no point in them being out as there’s nothing for them to eat, and the grass that’s there won’t get a chance to recover. There could also be a field with lots of grass but it’s too wet to graze. 

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Are there more or less jobs to do on the farm during the winter if the cows are kept inside?  

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Jenny: In the winter there’s more jobs on the whole to do. There’s definitely more routine work. When the cows are in the field in the warm months it’s a case of checking the fencing, making sure they have enough water and moving them round to control the grazing. But in the winter, when they’re permanently inside, we have to clean their cubicles then scrape the yards with a tractor, put fresh bedding down and feed the cows. That’s about an hour and a half to two hours work every morning. We’ve actually moved their milking to the afternoon to give us more time in the morning. 

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Cleaning the cubicles sounds like quite a gruelling job too?  

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Jenny: It is! Particularly if it’s really cold it’s very hard on your hands. Plus, the cow’s water can freeze and obviously water is vital so it can be a lot of work to defrost everything.  

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So where do the cows go when you’re cleaning down their cubicles? 

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The cows stay in their yard area outside when we are cleaning their cubicles - and we also do the routine again (cleaning cubicles and yards and fresh food etc) the afternoon when they’re being milked 

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And is that just you Nick undertaking most of the jobs? 

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Nick: Yes, most of the time, though we had a local lad start in September who does three days a week and that’s working out well. But most of the time it’s just me.

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Can you listen to music or podcasts while you’re working Nick? 

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Nick: Sometimes, but it depends on the job. Jobs can be noisy and dirty and more often than not I need to really focus on what I’m doing. For example, with milking I don’t want any distractions, I need to work to limit anything that can wrong so it needs my full attention. Plus, I don’t want to slow down the cycle of the day, any stopping throughout the day is a delay on when the next job gets completed. I have to constantly work at being efficient. So, if it’s a podcast that requires focus, it isn’t going to work. I find a bit of background noise from the radio is good and not distracting.

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What does Christmas day look like for you as a family, do you enjoy it? 

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Jenny:  Yes - we do enjoy it. So obviously we’re a farm so all the jobs still have to be done and that’s just what it is for us. I grew up on a dairy farm, so we’ve always had to work on Christmas day. I’ve never had a Christmas where everyone’s off work. I’m not sure what we’d know what to do with ourselves if we did! 

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We try as a family to help and get it done as quickly as possible, but we also don’t want the kids to feel like they have to work on Christmas day by getting them up at 5 am. It’s a balance really. 

It’s just the essentials on the farm for Christmas day and we’re very organised beforehand to ensure that happens. Though with dairy farming unlike with beef and sheep you can’t prepare an awful lot of routine work beforehand. They have to be milked and they have to have clean beds. 

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Do you prepare a Christmas meal beforehand? 

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Jenny: If it’s our turn. We take turns with my brother’ family who run a farm near-by. We’re going over to them this year which is great on the one hand but on the other-hand Nick has to come back and do the milking in the afternoon so he can’t really completely relax. 

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Do you sell a lot of ice-cream over the Christmas period? 

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Jenny: Christmas eve is actually one of our busiest times of the year, we also ice-cream yule logs that are very popular. It’s also a really nice time to connect with customers too. I really enjoy that side of it particularly at this time of year. 

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I enthusiastically order a yule log for Christmas and have another cup of tea. We chat about Christmas and how it’s changed for children over the years. We quietly put the world to rights, and I feed the dog a few treats. As ever, after I leave feeling reassured that there are farmers, like Jenny and Nick, who are so dedicated to what they do. 

It’s so easy to forget but so important to remember. Especially at Christmas.

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