The Farmers Mart Oct/Nov 2013 - Issue 30 | Page 42
DAVID TOMLINSON
Silver Salver for Bilsrow
Chris Berry meets dairy farmer, David Tomlinson.
Increase your cow numbers or get out
of milk.
That was one of the maxims heard
from just before the break-up of the Milk
Marketing Board onwards. The reality of
the past 20 years has borne out those
words as thousands of dairy farmers have
left the industry and those remaining have
largely increased their herds to their own
optimum level. Few have opted to stay as
they were.
Well-documented milk price problems
have given the industry a major headache
for much of the past decade and a half but one dairy farm in Lancashire is looking
forward with confidence – and was
recently presented with the NMR Silver
Salver in the UK Dairy Farm of the Year
Awards.
The Tomlinson’s came to Bilsborrow
Hall Farm in the village of Bilsborrow
near Preston in the 1920s when David’s
grandfather arrived as a tenant on the
100-acre holding. David’s father became
owner-occupier when he purchased the
farm during his tenure.
Today, the farming operation runs to
around 400 acres and is a partnership
between David, wife Sheila and son
James. Purchasing the neighbouring farm
has enabled growth and they are currently
milking 200 cows. The plan is to increase
the milking herd to 230 before Christmas
and the recent input of a further 50 cow
cubicles will allow for greater capacity.
They have 250 young stock.
In the late 1990s they were milking
around 120-130. Then in 2002,
investment in a new 12-point auto-tandem
milking parlour saw their renowned
Bilsrow herd grow to 180 milkers.
But it was not all plain sailing.
“We were with Dairy Farmers of Britain
until the end,” said David.
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