Summer Meeting 2024

Hemsworth Farm, Witchampton, Dorset

Sophie Alexander runs an integrated organic system with a herd of 240 Viking Red dairy cows at the centre. In 2009, 300 hectares of land was converted to organic, with further blocks following in 2014 (100 ha) and 2021 (70 ha). Forty hectares of rented ground also entered conversion last year. The dairy operation was established in spring 2020, and is contract farmed by the Roaming Dairy Ltd with the milk sold to Arla. Cows calve in a spring block from late February, and are milked twice/day, with the current parlour having been installed four years ago. The cows are grazed on herbal leys. They are outwintered on herbal leys that are in their final year. A silage mix containing crimson clover, red clover, vetch and ryegrass is grown. An area of silvopasture is being planned, to provide shade and shelter for the cows.

The organic arable rotation consists of 4 – 5 years of herbal legume leys or lucerne followed by 2 years arable. The main crop is milling oats, grown on contract, or a bi-crop of oats and peas for the dairy herd. The 3000 tonne grain store was finished in 2015 with a 98 kw photovoltaic roof installation. Rotary sieve cleaners are used to separate bi-crops and pre-clean organic cereals before drying. Biodiversity is very important on the farm. There are 20 hectares of field margins/grass buffer strips, 28 km (17 miles) of hedges, and 8 hectares (20 acres) of woodland with another 4 hectares (10 acres) to be established next year. The farm is currently an Agri-Epi Satellite Farm.