Myerscough College

Overview

Lodge Farm is one of three farms which Myerscough College tenant from the Duchy of Lancaster. The farm is based next to the main college campus just North of Preston, Lancashire. The farm team consist of 8 full time staff and up to a further 4 casuals at busy times of year. The dairy enterprise is managed by Farm Director Ruari Martin with help from Assistant Manager Patrick Armitage and a herdsperson.

Our farm

The farms form neighbouring units which make up the 300 ha farming business, run as one operation comprising 200 dairy cows, 1500 breeding sheep, 70 suckler cattle, 300 finishing beef and 40ha of arable. This commercial activity provides a working example of the industry for over 5,000 students in land-based courses across the North West each year.

Our herd

The dairy herd is managed as a 200 cow, all-year-round calving, 9,000-10,000 litre semi-intensive herd on a CO-OP liquid milk contract. Cows are milked twice a day averaging 4.2% butterfat and 3.45% protein year to September 2020. Sexed semen is used to breed the best heifer replacement with all other inseminations to beef to put through the finishing unit at Lodge. Heifers calve at 24 months with a full RMS courtesy of Genus.

Cows are housed most of the year with PD+ cattle grazed from March to September, weather permitting. PD- and fresh cows are housed all summer to maintain diet consistency and aid fertility. The farm runs a PMR with one diet for open cows and another for PD+ with cows fed to yield through out of parlour feeders. These mixes consist of predominantly grass silage, whole crop, blend and minerals. The future aim is to improve grassland productivity through reseeding to open more cropping ground for home produced forage and grain.

Our journey

Staff and student engagement with the farm as well as external visitors are a big part of the business, as is commercial research and knowledge exchange events in the local community. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has hampered much of this activity, but the team are excited to welcome virtual visitors to the site.

Myerscough are constantly horizon scanning for new opportunities, technology or practices which will improve the business, and staff are encouraged to come with new ideas in their area. Myerscough runs a complex, diversified business of which the Dairy unit is one part, but they aim to be at the top of every sector they are involved in.

Previous meetings

• 15 December 2020 - Strategic farm launch webinar - An open, honest, and transparent overview of the farm from Director of Farm Operations, Ruari Martin, including its background, operations, and a virtual tour.
• 30 September 2021 - Managing soils for a sustainable future - In this meeting, Ruari met with Independent Grassland Consultant, Dr George Fisher, to explore what it takes to conserve the ability of your soil to continue sequestering carbon.