Award-winning dairy farmer with a dream

Award-winning dairy farmer Jonathan Crickmore might be a rare breed in an industry that has halved in size in the past two decades.

But the family business, based in the Waveney Valley, is looking to expand as it joins forces with the rapidly-growing Suffolk-based dairy enterprise, Marybelle.

When one of the country's largest milk purchasers sent a text on the last working day of December, it proved the final straw.

"Arla texted: '2p litre cut from next day,'" recalled Jonathan, who runs the 220-cow Holstein dairy herd at Fen Farm, on the edge of Bungay.

"'Happy New Year to you!' I thought. That decision would cost our business £40,000."

As national runner-up in the Dairy Farmer of the Future award, Jonathan, 29, is backed by his father George and mother Frances in driving the dairy business forward.

His local veterinary surgeon, Mike Bardsley, and nutritionist, Rodney Allen, formerly of south Norfolk-based Duffields, are closely involved.

Mr Bardsley, who joined the Three Rivers Veterinary Group in 1980, has a certificate in cattle health and production and is actively involved in the improvement strategy.

They meet monthly to review herd health, nutrition and the latest target: improving fertility.

A combination of hot weather in the summer and silage issues caused a few problems.

"Since Mike joined us three or four years ago we've been working hard to get our calving index down under 400 days. In the spring, we were almost there," he said.

A Friesian bull is used on cows, which are less likely to hold.

"I don't want to waste £20 of semen, and a Saler bull is also used as a sweeper on the other cows. We did buy herd replacements in the past. but usually we found that it didn't work," said Jonathan.

He added that the herd, which was averaging more than 9,000kg, also had the top group of cows, averaging about 40 litres a day through the summer. But the target is to boost the butterfat, and careful attention to diet should also help.

After giving the required year's notice to Arla, their milk went from April to Marybelle's dairy at Walpole, near Halesworth.

"They want us to try and have a good butterfat, currently 3.95pc, but would like to get that over 4pc," he said.

Factors such as falling milk prices, ever-changing priorities and "moving the goalposts" had influenced the decision to switch.

"At the end of the day, the super-market makes a killing, then the processor, and finally the dairy farmer is at the end of the line," said Jonathan. "Then you get an email or letter saying that the

milk price has been cut again.

"We went to Marybelle and talked to them, but it took a couple of years before we started sending milk to them.

"It is a wonderful idea if we could sell our milk locally. And you could see it on the table when our milk used to go to London."

The family farm of about 850 acres has a large area of low-lying marshes in the river valley. The lighter and higher ground includes 140 acres of maize for silage, made by Ralph Moore, of nearby Starston.

Wheat is also grown for rolling and feeding, as well as 16 acres of fodder beet, which is particularly appreciated by the dairy cattle. A total mixed ration is fed to the

herd.

Jonathan's uncle, Richard Cook, who died in 1981, had started the dairy herd. Today, step by step, Jonathan's herd management is taking the farm forward. Three years ago, a 20:20 herringbone parlour was the latest investment.

"Every year you have to look at the farm and see what needs improving. With us, it has always been a gradual thing," said Jonathan.

With the tide of regulation and, being in a low-lying river valley, they had had to decide whether to stay in dairying.

"We've had to spend on the cost of complying with the new NVZ (Nitrate Vulnerable Zone) rules from 2012," he said. "We were worried that we would have to spend ridiculous amounts of money to keep up to six months' slurry in store. The solution was to get rid of the slurry and have farmyard manure instead.

A covered yard was built and open feeding areas covered.

"In a couple of months time all our cows' feeding area will be under cover," explained Jonathan.

Now, farmyard manure can be spread on the light land in winter when appropriate: the rest

will be in muckheaps for the heavy land and can be spread later in the year.

Jonathan, who went to Easton College on day release to complete a NVQ Level II, has an equally hard-working team on the farm, including Kevin Richards and Olly Dain and his brother Lewis, who milk the cows when duties with their own cattle at Thurlton allow.

Jonathan's mother sometimes milks as well, and the twice-daily task, which starts usually at 4.30am and 3.30pm, sometimes involves his girlfriend Dulcie Titchener too.

There is also a 200-head beef herd that grazes the farm's off-lying Tier I and Tier II marshes.

But the dairy cows are definitely Jonathan's first love.
Source edp24.co.uk