CHEESEMAKING WITH FELTHAM'S FARM - 2 THE COWS

Godminster Farm’s dairy herd is primarily made up of carefully selected crossbreeds designed to thrive in an organic, grass-based farming system. The farm has stated that its herd includes a blend of 90% British Friesian, Scandinavian Red, Fleckvieh, and Normande bloodlines — chosen for hardiness, longevity, milk quality, and suitability for low-input organic farming. These cows, affectionately referred to as the “Godminster Girls,” graze the Somerset pastures for much of the year and produce the rich, high-butterfat milk as used by Feltham’s Farm.

Today the dairy dairy herd comprises about 280 cows. They ‘work’ 305 days of the year and get 60 days ‘holiday.’ They get more space to live than other herds, yet produce the same amount of milk than a larger herd. It’s ‘built to last - not to maxmimse turnover’ as the farm manager told me proudly.

They have also adopted technology to benefit the welfare of their herd. Individual sensors on each cow will allow the farmers to know when they are in good health and also when they are becoming ill, meaning a very low usage of antibiotics and only when needed.

The result of better care; more space, herbal lays grazing, less chemicals, means that the cows live considerably longer than their shed-contained alternatives, sometimes double the years and into double figures. When they finally do die they are sold as meat.

…and the milk produced is of outstanding quality.