Our Farms
Our farms are located across Herefordshire and Gloucestershire have a varied approach to dairy farming. All our farms share the common objectives of producing milk from grass, whilst maintaining high animal welfare standards and protecting the environment. To help us achieve this we work closely with local landowners and businesses along with our produce buyers Arla Foods Ltd and Avara Foods Ltd. As a business it is our aim to find and create growth opportunities in farming. We aspire to be an employer of choice, growing and developing people to their full potential and provide career opportunities in farming.
We are enormously proud of our farms and regularly welcome schools, young farmers and environmental groups to show them around. In 2017 The Leen won the prestigious RABDF Gold Cup award – The Gold Cup is the premier national dairy herds competition, recognising efficiency in commercial milk production- we welcomed over 1000 people to an Open Day at The Leen. Bi-annually we open the farms on the first Sunday of June under the umbrella of Open Farm Sunday and Open Farm School Day ; this is a wonderful opportunity to show anyone who has an interest in where their food comes from, the day to day running of a farm, even our neighbours like to come along.
The Leen
Lower Mowley Farm
Ruddle Court Farm
The Leen
Vision
To manage the farm and landscape for the long-term, balancing the commercial operation with the environment ensuring sustainability in everything we do.
Mission
To be a top-quality producer, with high animal welfare and be an employer of choice that provides a great working environment to work that allow personal, financial and career growth for all employees.
The Leen is our family farm and the office base to all our enterprises. Nestled in the Arrow Valley in Herefordshire, The Leen has been farmed by the Norman/Smith family for over 100 years. It comprises of a 600-cow autumn block calving, grass based dairy herd milked through a rotary parlour. The dairy herd is made up of robust easy calving animals based on the New Zealand style of grassland management and breeding. We also run a 500kw anaerobic digester which uses all our dairy slurry along with manure from our broiler chicken unit and some purpose grown crops to generate electricity and heat. We work closely with our neighbouring farms and manage around 400ha at this unit. The Leen also runs a herd of horned Hereford cattle consisting of 20 breeding cows.
Lower Mowley Farm
Vision
To be in the top 5% of block calving dairy producers in the UK
Mission
Achieve the production and profit through allowing cows to harvest feed, being reactive with silage making to maintain pasture quality and have a quality feed source for the winter.
Goals
Motivated people working as a team to deliver our vision
Produce superior quality from a low-cost efficient business
Our farm in Titley runs alongside the River Arrow five kilometres upstream of The Leen and is home to 600 spring block calving Jersey x Friesian cows. Lower Mowley Farm is owned by the Forbes family and was converted to a dairy farm in 2010 by Adam Boley who co-owns the cows in partnership with the Normans. Adam manages the farm together with a team of dedicated assistants who pride themselves on maximising the conversion of grazed grass into top quality milk through healthy contented cows.
Ruddle Court Farm
Vision
To be in the top 5% of block calving dairy producers in the UK
Mission
Achieve the production and profit through allowing cows to harvest feed, being reactive with silage making to maintain pasture quality and have a quality feed source for the winter.
Goals
Motivated people working as a team to deliver our vision
Produce superior quality from a low-cost efficient business
In 2017 Rich & Chris Norman, Adam Boley and Chris North took on a 25 year Farm Business Tenancy for Ruddle Court Farm. Situated on the edge of the River Severn between Gloucester and Chepstow. It is managed on a daily basis by Chris North with mentorship from Adam, Rich and Chris.
Chris North originally started working at Titley before becoming a business partner when we took on the new farm together.
The farm is managed with the same principles as all our farms, prioritising grazed grass in a block calving system and making simple effective systems both for cows and people.
Ruddle Court comprises of 600 acres of pasture and is certified organic. In 2018 we undertook a significant scheme of work to develop the farms infrastructure, this meant adding 50 new water troughs – one for each paddock. Laying a track network to allow the cows to access every field on the farm without damaging the soils and fencing the whole farm with electric fencing.
In 2019 we then built the new milking parlour and winter accommodation. We chose to build this in the centre of the farm allowing the cows to easily access every field.
The new dairy consists of a 36/72 Milfos herringbone parlour, 350 individual cow beds and a free access feed passage.
The cows spend their summer months having a holiday on our lush species rich traditional pastures overlooking the River Severn before they calve in September and October ready to be housed in the winter accommodation as the weather turns. As soon as the weather allows in early spring we start to turn the cows back out to grass allowing them an early bite of grass.
We are currently working very closely with a number of local environmental and community groups to promote the biodiversity of the farm, increase the number of trees and hedgerows and also provide education of both farming and the environment.
We also take on placement students for long term and short term placements to ensure that we are passing on the knowledge and passion we have to others.
