He writes:
Early morning starts aren’t for everyone. But when you’re a dairy farmer like Abi Reader then they are a necessity. Luckily, it’s a job she adores and getting up when it’s still cold and dark outside in the middle of January is something she thrives on.
I was lucky enough to spend the day with Abi on the 800 acre family farm at Wenvoe near Cardiff with the aim of getting an insight into the life of a dairy farmer and the work that goes into producing tasty, delicious and nutritional dairy products that we all enjoy.
Dairy farming is in Abi’s blood. She’s a third generation farmer and milks 180 head of cattle twice a day – a mix of Holstein Friesians and Shorthorn - a rare native brown and a breed very popular pre-World War 2. She milks a conventional winter housing, summer grazing system.
Many of you will know Abi through her work as an appointee on the NFU national dairy board. But her other varied commitments involve being part of the Welsh Dairy Farm Innovations Group, SE Wales TB Eradication Board, Cattle Vaccination Board, Vice-President of the local YFC, Founder of #Cowsontour, as well as being an Ambassador for AHDB Dairy.
Spending time with Abi – as well as Ross and Luke who work on the farm alongside her – gave me a real appreciation of the work dairy farmers do on a daily basis – from 5am until late at night – 365 days a year. And it’s not just milking the cows. There’s so much more to being a dairy farmer. Mucking out the sheds when the cows are in during the winter months, putting down feed and clean bedding, and calving – Goldsland Farm tend to have 15 new born calves each month and calve all year round. There’s also grassland management and environmental stewardship.
But what struck me most of all during my visit to South Wales was Abi’s passion. To her, the cows are not just numbers; she nurtures them and keeps them healthy with animal welfare a top priority. She knows her cows – she names them all – meaning she knows her milk and knows her dairy products.
Abi is one of the most positive farmers I know and always has a smile on her face. Her personality is infectious and she goes to great strides to promote the dairy industry in a positive light - developing farming’s connection with the public and making the dairy industry more meaningful to them. She is a great advocate for the industry and really is #proudofdairy.