Charlie and Linda Whittingham, Llanbedr Farm, Ruthin

Charlie and Linda Whittingham farm around 230 acres in North Wales as a specialist Jersey dairy unit and they are focus on maximising profits from the resources available to them.

They have been working with Kite consultant, Neil Blackburn, for around 10 years and during this time they have made significant changes to the farm. In 2004 they took the bold decision to switch from 120 high yielding Holstein cows to 330 commercial Jersey cows to maximise their returns from the market.

Since this change they have invested in an upgrade to the milking parlour, extending it to 24:48 and added additional cubicles to replace loose yards. More than 2 miles of cow tracks have also been laid around the farm to make the grazing more accessible.

With a strong focus on milk solids, the cows are yielding 6,000 litres per cow with combined fat and protein of 10.8 %. Changing to Jerseys has increased stocking rate and milk income, resulting in an increased net return of over £60,000 per year.

Converting to Jerseys was also a lifestyle choice, with all cows calving in an autumn block. This allows more time with the family during the quieter summer months.

A block calving system also results in more focus on key tasks through the year - such as calving, AI, feeding and drying off. This focus results increased attention to detail for each particular task and certainly pays off at Llanbedr Farm.

Charlie and his family are keen to create a simple, sustainable farming system and this outlook impacts on every facet of their management. They make extensive use of contractors, including most field and slurry work and also have heifers reared and additional crops grown on contract. They have also invested in auto-scrapers, backing gates and handling systems.  

Plans under consideration for the future include investing in additional slurry storage to enable the farm to make better use of slurry and exploring opportunities for electricity generation, possibly via a wind turbine.