The Roaming Dairy
Oliver Chedgey set up a mobile milking parlour, roaming all over our land, in 2017. Thanks to the happier, healthier cows, we have healthier soil and are certified Organic – so have a lot to thank him for…
“This innovative milking method is now in its third year of trials at Kingsclere Estates, and it’s having a visible effect on soil fertility.”
MILKING ON THE MOVE
Dairy is a profitable way to use land, but we don’t want the profits to come at a cost to the animals. That’s where a roaming milking parlour comes in. It means the land is grazed on rotation, but it also means the animals are milked on location. This ensures they’re not under stress from walking to and from the pasture to the parlour; they have their food source on hand throughout; they aren’t standing on concrete, which can lead to lameness; and they’re only milked once a day between 7am and 11am – more in keeping with their (and our human) natural rhythms.
We operate a shared farming agreement with Olly, meaning Kingsclere Estates owns half of the 450-strong herd and puts in the food from the land, while Olly owns all the machinery and puts in all the time. We both take a share of the milk price according to what’s been put in.
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