The Farmers Mart Jun-Jul 2020 - Issue 69 | Page 44

44 THORNGARTH HOME FARM JUN/JUL 2020 • farmers-mart.co.uk
WENSLEYDALE DAIRY FARMING
FAMILY’S DIRECT ROUTE FOR SUCCESS
Chris Berry talks with Ben Spence of Home Farm in Aysgarth.
MANY dairy farms in Wensleydale have
disappeared over the past 25 years since
the Milk Marketing Board was abolished
and Home Farm in Aysgarth could have
easily joined the ranks of former milk
producers, especially when the milk price
hit the floor once again a few years ago,
but the Spence family has instead geared
up for the future.
Brothers Ben and Adam and Ben’s
wife Sam are at the forefront of today’s
farming enterprise at the 200-acre farm
they operate with Ben and Adam’s
parents David and Susan.
In 2016 they collectively made the decision
to diversify into selling milk and cheese
direct from the farm gate and this has
now expanded into a mobile milk vending
machine serving the local villages of
Aysgarth, West Burton, Hawes and Askrigg
and recently a milk vending machine in the
popular Campbells of Leyburn.
Having made their decision, the family
set about upgrading the farm with a
brand new steel framed cattle shed,
a brand new rapid exit 24/24 milking
parlour from De Leval and a cheese
processing room, all completed over a
2-year period.
‘People said we were mad at the time,’
says Ben. ‘Because when we started
work on the new milking parlour we
were only getting 18ppl, but we knew we
had to diversify and add value. We took
out a loan and we were fortunate to get
part-funding for the milk-vending and the
cheese room through grant support from
the European Agricultural Fund for Rural
Development and the Yorkshire Dales
National Park Authority’s Sustainable
Development Fund.’
‘It was vital that we did something
because we now have three families
involved with the farm to support – our
parents; myself and Sam and our children;
and Adam who will hopefully have
a family himself sometime in the future.’
‘We are in a better position than some
farming families as we own the farm, but
we’ve had to reinvest in order to move
the farm forward. We are trying to create
the right income by selling produce at
prices we can set through selling direct.’
‘ when we started work
on the new milking
parlour we were only
getting 18ppl, but
we knew we had to
diversify to add value’
The mobile milk vending machine
that is situated in a converted horse box
started its trade in February 2019 and the
machine at Campbells was added in June
this year. Although it is too early to say
on the Campbells addition, the mobile
vending machine has been a terrific
success and through vending at both
machines Ben reports that 6000 litres per
month is currently being sold. The family
are also using another 3000 litres per
month in their cheese making.
‘That’s around 20 per cent of the milk
our cows produce that is currently going
into our own branded products of milk
and Old Roan cheese. The rest goes to
Wensleydale Creamery who have been
very supportive.’
The Spence family’s dairy herd currently
runs to 93 British Friesians, calving
is all year round with the cows put to AI
from British Blues or Aberdeen Angus and
calves sold at Leyburn livestock market
at around 6 weeks old. The cows aren’t
pushed for production.
‘Our cows will give around 5000-5500
litres per lactation. They graze from April
to November dependent on the weather
and we feed them silage during winter.
This year we should get three or four cuts
and by early July we already had two
cuts. We’ve reseeded all of our grasses in
the last 10 years and we strip-graze.’
‘We have around 60-70 acres that we
can graze or grow for silage as most of
the rest of our 200 acres is moorland.’
‘Happy cows’ is one of the Spence’s
mottoes. They know each cow by name
and herd health is their number one
priority. They provide regular updates
on their cows on Facebook, Instagram
Continued on page 46