AgriScot Scottish dairy farm finalist 2022, Willie Fleming of Hillhead, Kirkpatrick-Fleming, Lockerbie, is constantly improving the farm in which they have been in for 20 years by being as efficient as possible.
Previously running a smaller herd of 100 Holstein cows in High Boreland, Lesmaghow, the move to Dumfries and Galloway, allowed the family to expand to 370 Holstein milking cows, with his mother and father, Robert and Margaret still involved in the business.
Along with various shed improvements, the most worthwhile investment was four years ago when Willie installed six Lely A5 robots.
“We were struggling with staff and dropped from three milkings a day to two, but we found our milk production was hugely impacted by this,” said Willie, who now has three full time members of staff and two part time.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to put the robots in considering the swingover parlour was only eight years old, but since changing systems we have never looked back. The robots have also led to significant improvements in milk production, as well as overall cattle health enhanced,” he added, with cows averaging 41kg a day with a 3.4P and 4.1BF. All milk is sold to Muller on a Co-Op contract.
Check out the photos in this feature on our Photo Sales section here
Having used the robots for four years now Willie has found that he is getting fewer mastitis cases, believing this is down to each quarter being milked individually so cows are not being over milked, however has found ecoli becoming more of an issue due to various reasons.
“This can be a severe issue and something we need to get on top of very quickly, which is where the Lely app comes in, we are sent notifications if cows are acting differently or have not been milked at their regular time. Unfortunately, there does seem to be a small delay in getting these notifications, but it is certainly something that we are looking into as it could work well,” he said, with all cows having ID collars to record activity.
Such like features include when heifers are bulling and ready to be AI’d, in which all is done in house, with weekly vet checks.
Calving takes place all year round to ensure there is a steady flow of milk coming through the robots, with 80% going to same sexed semen, and the remaining 20% going to beef semen – these beef calves will be sold at three to four weeks of age to Buitelaar, with around 100 leaving the farm annually.
Check out the photos in this feature on our Photo Sales section here
Their milking business is complemented by an elite genetics programme, with a focus on producing high yielding, efficient cows, who have a reduced carbon footprint. They have been using High PLI sires with the emphasis on producing progeny suited to robotic milking and with a longer lifespan, aiming for around 50 days dry before returning to the robots.
The main progeny results in high performing Holstein heifers, in which the majority will be retained for breeding, with any surplus stock being genomic tested before being sold privately to John Forrest, Hurkledale, Annan.
Usually everything will be sold as calved heifers, but this year 200 youngstock were sold through the summer to make room for the shed the Flemings are currently installing.
Calves will be lifted straight off their mothers into individual pens where they will be fed powdered milk through a Holms & Lowe milk taxi. Calves are weaned around 10 weeks of age when they will go into a straw bedded pen in groups of five or six before moving to larger groups and then into the final shed consisting pens of 20 before moving to the cubicles at 10-12 months of age.
The cubicle shed consists of 320 cubicles, along with the six robots, in which all 320 cows are in one big group. Foam mattresses are used along with a dusting of sawdust to try and keep the cow as clean and comfortable as possible.
“Keeping the shed clean is more difficult as it is never fully empty unlike when all cows are out at a parlour. We scrape down the cubicles and bed them twice a day, which is certainly more time consuming, however it is vital. Clean cows are happy cows which in turn produces more milk,” said Willie, with cattle housed all year round, so the family have recently installed new fans throughout the shed to help with the air flow and keeping everything consistent for the cows.
Check out the photos in this feature on our Photo Sales section here
The diet is a key component of any High PLI performing animal and by feeding the three forages – silage, maize, and alkalage, the cows at Hillhead seemed to perform well. Taking four cuts of silage annually to ensure a high-quality control is essential, with local contractor, Graham Rae undertaking all the silage kit.
The cows are also supplemented with a compound which is fed through the robots when milking as well as a protein blend, sodawheat, water and molasses as part of the PMR. This is managed by Robbie Duncan of Quest Farm Supplies who on a regular basis ensures every cow is getting sufficient nutrients to maximise milk production.
And it certainly seems to be doing its job, as the Flemings currently have the 10th highest £PLI heifer in the UK, Hillhead Knowhow Crimson, which is sitting at £921, £PLI.
“Although milk production accounts for over a third of the £PLI, the remaining two-thirds comprise health, fertility, survival and efficiency traits so it is essential we can push these high performing heifers as much as we can to make us a lot more money,” said Willie, with the real focus now starting to flush this heifer.
The higher performing £PLI do tend to be smaller animals but will produce more milk which is what we are all about, we want an animal that will eat less yet produce more.
“By really focusing on this high milk production cow we have had to rear away from producing that top show cow as they need to be a lot bigger and flasher,” said Willie, who will still support his local shows – Dumfries, Moffat and the South West of Scotland evening show. They also participate in herds competitions, this year walking away with the overall points trophy in the Scottish Herds Comp.
The small flock of 20 Texels can also be seen on the show circuit throughout the summer.
“We are pretty much at full stock capacity, I would love to keep expanding in the future but the land is the restriction now,” said Willie, since moving has made improvements to the infrastructure with slurry storage, silage pits, additional sheds, calving pens, robots, and just last year the new cubicle shed for youngstock.
Check out the photos in this feature on our Photo Sales section here
The dairy industry seems to have its ups and downs but if we push on for the future and continue to promote our produce to ensure it stays on the up then there is a strong future for us.
“Milk production has risen more recently which is influencing the price, however with the input costs continuing to increase it is putting more pressure on people’s bottom line. There isn’t the same enthusiasm in the industry for expansion for a lot of farms down to the labour shortage.
“The way to overcome this is to continue to do what we do well and promote our product as best we can. Consumers need to realise the importance of dairy produce over alternatives and bring back the demand,” said Willie, who is also involved with RHET, getting various school kids out for farm visits to push rural skills on the farm.
FARM FACTS
History: Moved to Hillhead in 2002
Involvement: Robert and Margaret with their son, Willie, taking care of the every day running of the business
Livestock numbers: A herd of 370 Holstein cows with 320 milking and 450 youngstock
Acreage: 280 acres are owned with a further 400 acres rented on seasonal lets
ON THE SPOT QUESTIONS
Best investment? The farm, buying and moving to Hillhead in 2002 changed everything
Best advice? Don’t dwell too long on decisions. Make your mind up and go for it.
Biggest achievement? Still enjoying what we do.
Where do you see the dairy industry in 2033? An industry that is perceived by the public as producing healthy food in an environmentally friendly way, using cutting edge technology with a dynamic workforce.
Next challenge: Running the London Marathon this year for Alzheimer's Research UK, in which you can donate here: https://2023tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/william-fleming
Check out the photos in this feature on our Photo Sales section here
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here