Nocton super dairy: Producing 90m litres a year

Dogs as pets rarely hit the headlines unless some act of cruelty has been shown. But as soon as an 8100-cow indoor dairy herd in rural Lincolnshire is proposed, the opposite is true.

You may well ask how the two are connected but, with objectors to the proposed unit suggesting cow welfare will be compromised because of limited access to grass, the same parallels can be drawn with dogs. Can we really say dog welfare is poor because they are restricted from hunting and displaying their natural instincts?

Feeding

Dairy cows at the proposed unit may not have access to grass all year round, but it certainly will not affect their welfare, explains dairy consultant Graeme Surtees, who has been involved with the project from the outset.

“Because cows will be fed a TMR all year round and because we are in the east where there is lower rainfall, we will be able to produce high-quality forage on the 8498ha (21,000 acres) proposed for crop production. Having control of the diet, unlike when cows are grazing, means we hope to see fewer metabolic issues,” he says.

Lucerne and maize will be the main forages fed, supplemented with by-products from the nearby sugar-beet factory at Newark.

“The diets will not only be cow- and calving-friendly because they will be high in starch and low in fibre; they will also be more environmentally friendly, as less methane will be produced,” he adds.

But diet won’t be the only thing reducing methane production. Installation of an anaerobic digestion plant will also lower emissions. “The environment will benefit because methane will be harvested in the digester, slurry will be pasturised in the process and the smell will be removed,” he says.

Although some of the ideas may sound radical, many of the plans for Nocton Dairies are already being practiced by the two farmers behind the business, Peter Willes and David Barnes, who milk 4000 cows between them.

“As a business, Mr Willes and Mr Barnes have been practicing many of the ideas that will be implemented at Nocton for several years on their own units in Devon and Lancashire, so they will merely be improving on what they already practice,” says Mr Surtees.

Having cows indoors also brings other benefits, says Mr Surtees. “Cows outdoors can end up with more foot problems and greater energy deficiency. What many people may not realise is that cows are creatures of habit and don’t like change and that’s why indoor housing can mean better welfare.”

Housing and health

Cows will be housed in groups of 500 on sand beds, milked three times a day, low stocked and kept outdoors when dry during the summer.

Group sizes of 500 mean there will be eight buildings housing cows and two maternity/hospital buildings. And cows will be housed on sand rather than mattresses for a reason, says Mr Surtees.

“Housing on sand will improve cow comfort and help maintain low levels of mastitis and cows will be cleaner. The sand will also be recycled and cleaned using new technology,” he says.

Stocking densities will also be lower because, instead of having three rows of cubicles from the feed fence, they will have two rows.

“Because we will only have two rows of cubicles, the building will be narrower, which will help with ventilation. When cows are housed, ventilation is vital and for this reason the buildings will be open-sided with curtains and central ridges, and fans will also be installed to keep humidity low. There will also be open space between each of the 12 buildings (including rotary parlours) to maximise air flow.”

Nocton plans

To see the plans in “full screen mode” click on the arrow icon in the top right hand corner below. You can also zoom in and out using the zoom controls once in “full screen mode”.

Housing cows in smaller group sizes will also be of benefit at milking, says Mr Surtees. “Group sizes of 500 means milking can be more efficient and better for the cows because they will not be standing in collecting yards for long periods waiting to be milked.”

In fact, Mr Surtees predicts, with two 80-point rotary parlours each cow will be back to the feed face in less than an hour.

“Cows waiting to be milked may return to their building within 35 minutes as up to 600 cows an hour can be milked through each rotary, with four men in the parlour and two in the collecting yard. This means cows will have more time to rest and feed and this will ultimately impact on welfare and yield.”

And although yield isn’t something the farm will pay a great detail of attention to, based on yields produced at Mr Willes’ and Mr Barnes’ current farms, 10,000 litres a cow a year won’t be impossible.

Breeding

Obviously some attention will be paid to breeding but, unlike most herds where breeding is focused on replacement qualities, Nocton will operate a flying herd.

“This means all calves born will be sold for beef and, with about 25 calves born a day, this will give the beef industry a significant boost. For this reason we will likely use Jersey and Hereford sires because of the easy calving properties as well as Wagyu cattle for favourable birth weights,” he says.

And with 1500-1800 heifers needed for replacements each year, the Continent will be the favoured source. At the moment, more than 50,000 dairy heifers are imported to the UK each year.

“Because of prices, and also health status, we will buy heifers from Germany where the health status is better, rather than buying from the south-west where there is an increased risk of TB.

“Although buying-in brings a disease risk, we will only buy from accredited herds and will have a vaccination protocol in place. Operating in this way means the business is streamlined, so everything is focused on the cow.”

But Mr Surtees can see the advantages of operating a closed herd and it is something they may consider in the future, in which case they would look at cross-breeding.

Staff

With 8100 cows to look after, including calves up to two weeks of age, two rotary parlours running 22 hours a day and all the other extras such as a visitor centre, just how will the proposed 85 staff be sourced and managed?

Mr Surtees believes staffing won’t be a problem. “Many people believe we have to source 85 skilled labourers, but this isn’t the case.

“We will recruit one overall farm manager who may be from the pig and poultry sector. We will then have a manager for each section such as a cow manager and parlour manager, and skilled labour such as a foot-trimmer, AI technician and vets, but the rest will be routine staff who will do set jobs.”

Mr Surtees says this staffing plan will work better than having skilled labour doing several different jobs. “It is easier to train someone that has no previous experience to follow your protocols than someone that has been used to doing things differently.”

Nocton Dairies don’t shy away from the fact that a proportion of the labour will be foreign, but they will be employing people that are best suited to do each job.

“People will have a dedicated job, they will pay more attention to it and the job will get done better, which is better for cow welfare.

“There will also be the ability to progress within the business to senior positions and this is why we will have weekly and monthly key performance indicators and independent monitoring.”

Because of the working conditions, Mr Surtees believes they will be able to recruit the best. “We are trying to make dairying in to a profession, training people to become highly skilled.”

The business will also contain at least one full-time vet. “The vets will be integral to the business and instead of using them just when cows are sick, we will use them as consultants to produce herd health protocols. We believe in planning and preventing to produce healthier cows,” says Mr Surtees.

Training rooms will be on-site to help train future stockmen and this will also, hopefully, have links with Nottingham Vet School.

So if plans for the unit get the go ahead in the next couple of week’s the first cows could be milking in the unit by as early as late September. However, it will take two years before the unit becomes fully stocked. “We have budgeted to buy 400 animals a month, so it will take two years to become fully stocked.”

At full capacity 6-7000 cows will be milking at once (with 12% dry) meaning Nocton will be producing 250,000 litres a day/ 90-100 million litres a year. “Many farmers feel threatened as they believe the amount of milk we are producing will flood the liquid market. However, when you consider 600 million litres leave the industry each year, it is not making any difference.”