WELSH SHORTHORNS

I had an interesting visit to a Welsh dairy farm today. I was on a Dairy Shorthorn fact-finding mission, you see. This particular farm had converted to organic around 15 years ago and around three or four years ago they went into dairying. The herd is made up of small Friesians (not much bigger than Jerseys), some Channel Island crosses, some New Zealand-type crosses and the Shorthorns.

Hands down one of the friendliest herds of cows I ever did meet. It was interesting to have a look at Shorthorns that had been drawn from several different herds of note and I particularly liked those from the Brookstead herd of Derbyshire, a strawberry roan beauty of an example of which is shown here.

Although perhaps not quite right for the Westcombe farms in bounteous, verdant, sunkiss'd Somerset, the more blended Shorthorns from the Strickly and Marleycote herds would be more our thing. Shorthorns knocking on 7,500ltrs on a diet of grass, haylage, with a bit of crimped barley and cake is not to be sniffed at!

In the farmhouse kitchen afterwards, we looked at Shorthorn ancestry and pedigree certificates and discussed organic vs conventional farming. This farm chose to go organic to get a better price for their produce and didn't really have an ideological urge to go down the organic route. I asked whether they felt their land had improved under organic stewardship and I was told that it was hard to gauge, but what they had learnt was that they used to throw a huge array of chemicals and inputs (and thus money!!!) on the land and they have learnt that much of it was not necessary. If they gave up their organic accreditation now, their farming methods would remain largely unchanged.

However, they'd love a magic, quick organic remedy for rushes. A feeling that I can well understand, having experience of organic dairy farming in wet upland Wales myself. Indeed, when I close my eyes at night, my Mind Cinema is still often to be found playing to me tortuous footage of rush plantations where there should be abundant clover leys.

The horror.

The horror.