"One thing that the Dairy Development Group has highlighted for me is a lack of knowledge surrounding the industry as a whole. Knowing what goes on at home on the farm and how to produce milk is one thing, but I always think having a wider understanding can only be beneficial. Be it when talking to the public about what we do and promoting ourselves as farmers, which I think we all have a responsibility to do, or when making long-term business decisions.
Our initial visit was to the National Milk Laboratories (NML) in Wolverhampton. We were given a tour of the facility and shown the testing methods used to determine the quality of milk which in turn is sent to the farmer i.e. SCC, butterfat, protein and so on. Other services were also highlighted. Bulk milk samples testing for BVD. Blood sampling to test for Johnes disease and also how they can help with selective dry cow therapy. Obviously these services come at a cost but each individual can assess the risk to their farm along with their vet and test accordingly. Thermodurics testing was also brought to my attention. Thermodurics are bacteria that can survive pasteurisation and may become relevant to future milk payment clauses.
Our most recent visit was to a Muller processing plant in Droitwich. It was amazing to see the technology that goes into turning raw milk, fresh from the tanker, into a saleable product fresh for the supermarket. We were also given an overview of their future strategy and how they saw projected sales of milk and added value products in the future. It was refreshing to see that the "food to go" section of shops could be targeted, with smaller milk drinks as a competitor to unhealthy fizzy drinks.
I was initially cynical about the NFU and until becoming involved didn't appreciate the amount of work that is done on farmers behalf. It's easy to sit back and moan but if you want to make a difference then you have to get involved! It has also been great to meet other young farmers with so much drive and enthusiasm for the industry. It is contagious. It has also given us the opportunity to discuss our own businesses and benchmark against others and I look forward to future events."
Blog: A View from the Dairy Development Group
