Free Range Farming

Our cows are out grazing whenever possible unless it’s detrimental to their welfare.

The soils at West Webbery are classed as mainly silty loam over shillet which means they are generally free draining so the girls can be out grazing on the shoulders of the season. We start spring turnout with our younger milking cows who are the smallest of the herd so do the least damage to the pastures. These cows also give the least milk so we are still able to meet their nutritional needs. Then as ground conditions improve and the soils warm up, the rest of the herd can go out, usually by the end of March. Then it’s full time grazing!

We measure the grass in every paddock on the farm each week. By doing this we aim to put cows into fresh paddocks of grass at the right stage of growth for for efficient milk production. We are also able to use this grass growth information to responsibly allocate fertiliser and plan ahead to manage surplus grass by making it into silage, or when growth is limiting we can buffer feed the cows.

At the end of the season, grass growth slows and ground conditions deteriorate so the girls come inside into their comfortable winter free-stall sheds. The girls have lots of space to feed, drink, socialise and rest in comfort so it’s a pretty good deal for them!