It’s not the first time we’ve heard it said, but it’s good to get a reminder every now and again that choosing to farm organically can actually make sense for the bank balance as well as all the other benefits.
This piece from Business in Dorset about OF&G licensees, Jimi Collis, and his mother, Sarah Worrall, reinforces the point, particularly as Mr Collis used to work in business banking, specialising in farming. He must know what he’s talking about!
Their Launceston Farm, in Tarrant Launceston, is on something of a roll, because Simon in our Quality Systems team also picked up on this lively piece from The Guardian travel section.
B&B, Launceston Farm, Profit
Maybe it’s down to the the organic land, but OF&G licensees Tony and Sally Herdman got something a surprise when their mare Aeriel produced a double delivery.
The twin foals, who are both doing fine but have yet to be named, were pictured with their mum in the Shropshire Star newspaper.
Sally told the paper: “We wondered why Aeriel was looking a bit uncomfortable before she gave birth but she is looking a lot happier now.
“Usually the mare aborts one or both foals or one is born dead or they both die soon after birth. It is absolutely amazing.”
The new arrivals, a filly and a colt, are now getting used to life at the Herdman’s Clyro Hill Farm, near Newchurch, Powys.
See the original story (PDF)
Clyro Hill Farm, Herdman, twin foals
This piece from dairyreporter.com is worthy of recording as a more detailed look at what OMSCo is doing for the Dairy Farmers of Britain organic suppliers, how the co-operative sees the market and what its priorities are.
Good news for the organic dairy farmers affected by Dairy Farmers of Britain going into receivership!
Organic milk co-operative, OMSCo, is to take on all their collections and the marketing of their milk.
The deal, which was first rumoured yesterday, has been concluded quickly and is explained in more detail in this news release.
You can also read about how things are going for all affected suppliers in this Farmers Weekly piece.
dairy, OMSCo
The NFU is maintaining a frequently asked questions section on its website for Dairy Farmers of Britain members who are worrying about where they stand and what the future holds. You can visit the page here (credit to @CarolineFW at Farmers Weekly for flagging up the link).
There are many organic milk producers who may be looking for an alternative buyer following Dairy Farmers of Britain going into administration.
While, unfortunately, we don’t have it in our power to hand out contracts, we thought we could at least aggregate the organic milk buyers we know of for anyone who feels like it’s time to make some calls.
There is word starting to surface about what’s going to happen with DFoB organic collections in the immediate future (good news, it seems), but we’ll update on that if we can confirm what’s being said…
So here’s our list of names and numbers. Good luck!
Dairy Crest – 01372 472571
Omsco – 01934 511 115
Robert Wisemans – 01355 244261
Alvis Brothers – 01934 862320 / 01934 863000
Arla – 01737 852325
Calon Wen – 01994 241 481 (Wales)
First Milk – 0141 887 6111
Milk Link – 01752 331881
Cottswold Dairies – 01684 298959
Bowland Fresh Milk – 01200 445 856 (Lancashire)
Trioni – 01239 682572 (Wales)
milk buyers
