Value added milk wins dairy couple top award

A Lancashire dairy farming couple have been awarded the dairy industry’s most prestigious award for redeveloping their business after their farm was hit by foot-and-mouth.

Ian and Sally Macalpine switched from Holstein to Jersey cows five years ago after their business was “wiped out” by F&M in 2001.

Since then they have worked to create a market-driven, high performing herd, focusing on producing value added milk. Now their efforts have been recognised after the couple were awarded the NMR/RABDF Gold Cup at a ceremony in London last week.

Mr and Mrs Macalpine decided to introduce a Jersey herd as it fitted in well with their grass farmland. They were also keen to produce value-added milk rather than continue to sell in the commodity market.

The Macalpines began importing Jersey cows from Denmark and since then have supplied milk to Longley Farm Diary near Huddersfield. A review of the herd’s diet last year led to the couple introducing a more energy-dense ration. Within six months, herd margins had increased by 23%.

The herd’s NMR yield averages are now 6200kg a cow at 6% butterfat and 6% protein, while cell counts run at 165,000/ml. Herd longevity is also high, with almost a third of cows in their fifth lactation.

Presenting the Gold Cup, Lyndon Edwards, RABDF chairman, said the Macalpine’s showed vision and ambition at a difficult time.

“They went from being wiped out in 2001 to where they are now, turning it into an opportunity to think about what they wanted to do. Their open-mindedness has been important – they looked at the market and gave it what it was looking for.”

The Macalpines also won the Lilyhill cup for the best Jersey herd in the competition.