There are some exceptional farming businesses in the South East of England notably in the soft fruit and vegetable sectors. Whilst the number of dairy farmers is relatively low, dairying still remains an attractive option for some in the region and we, in the Andover Office, are very pleased to work with a complete cross section of these dairy businesses. Our advisory work covers the range from extensive organic and grass based systems to the fully housed herds, and contrary to what a lot of people think, there are many similarities between those who run successful systems.

The South East dairy farmer benefits from the proximity of the London liquid market and the number of aligned milk contracts means that many are not exposed to the manufacturing contracts of other regions. However, some of these premium contracts come with considerable cost implications, especially for an area which is prone to summer droughts and where land is at a premium.

The most successful producers in any system have a number of similarities. Firstly, the ability to get milk from forage. For the grazing herds, the target is to obtain 50% of milk from forage and for the housed herds, 30% from forage. For the grazing herds, the focus is around planning, growing and grazing forages. For the confined herds, the emphasis is all about growing and making exceptional grass, whole crop and maize silage. In all cases, the willingness of the farmer to trust their forage to deliver is paramount. The direct link between yield from forage and profitability is well documented across the world and our bench marking shows that the South East is no different.

The second key is the management of fertility and the ability to get cows back in calve. For the block calved herd this means achieving submission rates of over 85% and conception rates of at least 55%. For the all year round calving herd, the key is a calving interval of less than 400 days.

We are seeing an increasing number of differing models of operation coming into play alongside the owner operator and the long term tenancies. We work with a number of contract farming and joint ventures agreements, as well as producers who have established dairy units on new farm business tenancies. These arrangements need to be carefully tailored to the individual circumstances of the parties involved. Too often we are asked to advise on an existing arrangement that favours one party too much. This only leads to problems and an arrangement that fails which is to no one’s benefit.

If you are looking to set up a farming business or improve an existing one in the South East, contact William on w.waterfield@fcgagric.com