FW Awards 2011: Dairy farmer of the year finalist – Fergus McDowall

Fergus McDowall
Rerrick Park, Kirkcudbright, Galloway
 
Creating a sustainable farming future for his family is at the heart of everything that Fergus McDowall does.
The past year has seen big changes at Rerrick Park, with a brand new shed constructed with the aim of building up cow numbers and providing scope for future expansion.
Such changes mark a significant alteration in the way the McDowalls have farmed over five generations, having started with beef and sheep.
“The land is exceptional and was being wasted on the beef and sheep, plus the children wanted to get involved and dairy was a more attractive option,” explains Fergus.
The dairy started with 120 cows and consequently grew to 200, but the size and location of the old unit, which backs onto an army training area, meant there was no room to expand. And with their then 18-year-old daughter Katrina desperate to farm, they decided to put in a new entrant application for an SRDP grant for a new dairy at a different location near the farmhouse.
“Our aim was to build a high-welfare, organic ‘super-unit’, but when the recession hit, an organic contract was no longer available,” Fergus explains.
Luckily the project was allowed to go ahead and in February 2010 they built a unit to house up to 400 cows. Around that time, the herd manager left the old unit, meaning the additional 200 cows had to be combined in the new shed. Additional cubicles were added on and the herd now stands at 600, with the farm owned in partnership between Fergus, wife Tina and his daughters, Katrina, Charlotte and Rebecca.
Change has been rapid, but the focus has always been on maintaining the optimum environment for the cow, says Fergus. “We want happy, healthy cows and to enjoy what we do. We have gone with an open-sided shed to promote through draft, along with sandbed cubicles, extra-wide passages and tipping troughs.”
To keep an eye on the future, the unit has been designed so that there is potential room for two 24:48 swing-over parlours if numbers increase.
Fergus has always been focused on designing a system that would be attractive to a milk buyer and by doing so, he is one of the first producers in the area to get a supermarket contract.
“My aim was always to get a Co-Op contract through Wiseman’s, which we have just done. Wiseman Dairies was consulted throughout the development of the new dairy. We want to ensure a transparent relationship with the milk buyer.”
To ensure production efficiencies, monthly cost of production analysis is carried out to reduce costs where possible and the farm benchmarked. Profits currently stand at 5.9p/litre.
The family and herd manager, Neil Graham, work hard to maximise herd health. A number of KPI targets are set and the herd is currently first in the Coo-operators group for percentage of cows in-calf at 100 days post-calving, with the current figure at 50% and projected calving interval sitting at 386 days.
Cows are mobility scored monthly, with 7-10% of the herd currently scoring two or three.
“To be efficient we also need to feed the same type of cow, so the aim is to breed a more uniform herd. By using genomically-selected Holstein bulls, we are hoping to make genetic improvements quicker.”
A nutritionist also visits weekly to assess the herd for condition score, cudding and dung scores.
The family’s dedication to working with the environment is evident throughout the farm. The farm is currently involved in Rural Stewardship Schemes and maintains wild bird covers, extended hedges, beetle banks and fenced water margins, to name a few.
They are also putting in an application for a wind turbine to supply electricity for the dairy.

The judges liked
Impressive progress over first year
Clear succession plan
Good model of a sustainable family dairy farm

Farm facts
600 Holsteins
New building put up 12 months ago
Milking three times a day
10,000 litres a cow a year at 3.69% fat and 3.34% protein