John Alpe
John Alpe
John Alpe farms in
partnership with his parents
at New Laund Farm at
Whitewell near Clitheroe in
Lancashire. Besides the
tenanted 80ha (200 acres)
at New Laund Farm, the
family own a neighbouring
farm of 36ha (90 acres), and
rent a further 40ha (100
acres). About 60 dairy cows
and 60 followers, 500
Swaledale and Mule ewes
and 250 store lambs are run
on the farms. Bacon pigs are
also fed on contract.
John Alpe farms in
partnership with his parents
at New Laund Farm at
Whitewell near Clitheroe in
Lancashire. Besides the
tenanted 80ha (200 acres)
at New Laund Farm, the
family own a neighbouring
farm of 36ha (90 acres), and
rent a further 40ha (100
acres). About 60 dairy cows
and 60 followers, 500
Swaledale and Mule ewes
and 250 store lambs are run
on the farms. Bacon pigs are
also fed on contract.
WE accepted an invitation to join a party of people on Jan 20 to spend the day at Grosvenor Farms and Cogent Breeding Centre in Cheshire.
First, we were shown the donor and recipient heifers, about 460, all on one site. The donor heifers are progeny from some of the best cattle from around the world. It certainly had an international atmosphere, with both stock and embryos from USA, Canada, Italy, France Holland and Japan.
A Canadian member of staff from the centre competently guided and talked us through the areas in detail, and his information was very helpful.
After lunch, we looked round Grosvenor Farms. There they grow arable crops and potatoes, in conjunction with the Grosvenor herd of 1200 dairy cows. More than adequate buildings housed good high yielding cows, but the overall plan is to replace about 800 head a year with Cogent bred calved heifers. Suffice to say the turnover of stock is going to be high.
Since world class heifers are becoming the platform for the herd of such high genetic standards, only the best are going to make it, and as an understatement, genetic improvement looks like being good.
As British dairy farmers, we are fortunate to have someone like the Duke of Westminster backing this scheme, basically I am glad he is on our side.
We joined Cogent last year at a cost of £100 which includes the chance to buy well-bred semen for £5 a straw, top class embryos at £100 each and Cogent stock at a 20% discount.
The day proved to be very enlightening, and a pleasure to see a top class, well managed, valuable farm and enterprise. But back home at the grindstone, reality hit home hard when the same week we sold some reasonable lambs for the least amount of money that I can every remember. *
A day at Grosvenor Farms and Cogent was well spent – but John Alpe reckons lamb prices brought him back to earth with a bump.