ONE family dairy farm in Wensleydale has opted to secure succession by a slightly alternative route, going back to direct sales and taking milk to the people, at the same time as investing heavily in improving the herd’s environment and considering all facets of animal welfare.

Brothers Ben and Adam Spence have seen their father work (as many others) tirelessly at Home Farm, Aysgarth, for the last 30 years milking twice daily himself and managing most of the other duties on this hill farm singlehandedly. So as David Spence approaches retirement his sons have opted to return to the family business, together with Ben’s wife Sam.

However, investment and restructuring over the last couple of years are nearing completion - and will enable the farm to survive, albeit with a 90-cow Friesian-type herd.

Ben and Adam made the joint decision to return to the farm at Aysgarth around four years ago, but were resolute that they would not do ‘more of the same’ in terms of the workload their father had endured. They hoped to find a way to add value to their milk product rather than intensifying the business, and put animal welfare at the forefront of their objectives.

Drawing on their experiences, with Ben having a degree in agri-business management and accountancy qualifications and Adam having an architectural engineering degree, has enabled the family to not only structure grant bids and business plans successfully for funding and bank loan applications, but also alleviate a lot of professional costs along the way.

A new cow shed incorporating the parlour and processing plant has been mainly built by themselves, with the two properties the lads call home coming first and being testament to their work ethic and dexterity- in Ben’s own words they have and can turn their hands to most things,

David is an expert welder and with the cattle handling system being one of the few things left to finish and what bis thought to be the country’s first converted horse box mobile milk vending machine in situ - there is plenty to show this dexterity.

The Spence family worked with the national park to plan the new cowshed, which now built houses the 24/24 parlour as well as the 100 cubicles that currently are occupied by 72 in-milk cows. The large parlour keeps milking time down to a minimum and standing time minimal, washing out and cleaning the plant takes longer than milking the three sides of cows.

The building has a ventilated light ridge up the centre and the airy environment certainly hits you on entering the building, with plastic cubicles and matting providing a comfortable and spacious area for cows lying down.

Conductivity meters and cluster flush were built into the parlour to maximise clean milk production and cows fit for the farm and the system are priority.

To this end a stronger type of average-sized cow, with Friesian breeding, is preferable. The farm cannot support the rearing and housing of youngstock so around ten to 15 cows or heifers are bought in each year, with Belgian Blue and Angus used on the herd and the resulting calves sold either privately from the farm or through Leyburn Auction Mart at around six weeks of age.

Around 80 to 100 litres of pasteurised milk every day is now sold through the mobile vending machine, which travels to Hawes Creamery, Bainbridge Vets, the George and Dragon at Aysgarth and West Burton on designated days of the week.

Returning home each day to be emptied (surplus milk fed to calves), cleaned and refilled with pasteurised milk before moving on, the adapted horse box has mainly been promoted through social media channels, although a small local leaflet drop engaged some of the older generation inhabiting the local Dales villages.

Wensleydale Creamery buy the rest of Home Farm’s daily milk production and this to calves), cleaned and refilled with pasteurised milk before moving on, the adapted horse box has mainly been promoted through social media channels, although a small local leaflet drop engaged some of the older generation inhabiting the local Dales villages.

Wensleydale Creamery buy the rest of Home Farm’s daily milk production and this association has been instrumental in the Spences’ business structure.

The staff at the creamery have imparted much time, energy and knowledge in building the processing plant at the farm, and the next phase, which will see a raw cheese made ,will also rely on this relationship, with Ben, Adam and Sam all keen for the day when cheese will also be available to customers through the horsebox.

Sam has made sure that social media keeps everyone engaged. Nearly daily posts right from the start of the new building works mean that people can be part of the journey, whether that be of one cow’s cycle from birth to milk production, or it be the milks journey into the horsebox.

Nowadays society demands transparency of our farmers, and the Spences have embraced this as a means to put local fresh milk and cheese back in our Wensleydale villages, as well as the next generation putting a business in place for them to farm.