Page 75 - Shorthorn Magazine

with sales around 120litres Monday- Thursday, weekend sales can be double. “I want to show people that small farms can prosper, you do not have to inherit a big farm to succeed, you can build your own dreams and make them work.”
Shorthorns have always been at the heart of Florences plans and even though the Nightingale herd is in its infancy the family history is rooted in their love of the Dairy Shorthorns and Albion cattle. This passion for native breeds stems from her Grandmother, Grandfather and Great Grandfather whose passion for rare breeds has been passed down the generations. “The Shorthorns are ideal for the milking enterprise on this farm because they are low input and great converters off pasture. Here the farm is on a higher tier grazing stewardship because of the chalk downs which means we have to graze extensively rather than mob”. Grazing is all about balance and the low input system means that the breed are perfect at maintaining the regenerative structure whilst supporting the diversity of wildlife. There are wildflower rich chalk grasslands that sit amongst the grass and herbal leys and they have to be managed sympathetically but the long period of low intensive grazing also promotes dung beetles and healthier soils. Stocking rates are kept low so that stock can stay in one location for months before rotation. The system here is tailored for ease of management.
“Farming is constantly changing and challenging us to step up and take care of the countryside and the animals. We take
Cattle on the move
care of them so they take care of us. Its a bond that is like no other.” Farmers will always be at the forefront of environmental change and should be rewarded for their ambition to protect and encourage biodiversity as countryside stewards and Florence believes that the native breeds have an important part to play in this change. “They certainly go hand in hand with the higher tier scheme here”. Because of this Florence’s breeding priorities have changed. Florence believes that a purer Dairy Shorthorn will perform better off the hard grazing and minimal concentrates. Cows graze all year round and are only housed for three months at night in the winter. The breed is so efficient at grazing that they are the logical choice for Florence. One of the other factors that makes Florence such a champion of the breed is her sense of a Shorthorn community. “The breed feels like a family, we unite as Shorthorns breeders because we all have the invested interest to promote the breed, to preserve the history and to plan for the future.”
The Nightingale herd began in 2017 when the family moved to the new farm. Florence wanted a clean break from the Attwoods prefix which was their home in Hampshire. Cow families have been introduced over the years from the Cotley dispersal, the Fletching herd as well as the Maxton and Rodway dispersals. In 2002 the first Attwoods Shorthorn was born, Rosebud, since then Florence’s passion has spiralled! The Rosebud family is still a prominent family in the
herd but the current herd matriarch is Attwoods Tabia. A more recent purchase has been Survival Clarrisse who Florence bought from the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Currently Dalton Mossybank is running with the heifers but breeding is usually tailored to each cow. In calf heifers are mainly by Oxton Finna, Oxton Fever and Bushmills Jazz and should be due to calve in the late Winter and early Spring. The aim is to block calve in the Summer and Winter to keep a consistent milk yield for the vending machine.
Florences newest cap to her extensive resume is being one of this years Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN) Farming Champions. NFFN is an organisation led by farmers all over the UK who have a passion for nature friendly and sustainable farming. “I am so excited to join the team and spread the word”. You can not deny that landscapes are shaped by farming hands, maintained and cherished by those who work and understand the countryside best. So who better to raise awareness and share this knowledge than farmers! The NFFN recognise this and strive to work for policies to support farmers in their efforts to improve soil nutrition and wildlife habitats whilst addressing the climate issues and food security.
So now that the six year pipe dream has finale come to fruition whats next for Florence? Expansion? Adding products made from milk? Skies the limit I guess! “Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than knowing my cows, milking them and selling that milk to the public. I think that is the same for all dairy farmers. Once you have milked cows no other farming compares; its not a choice its a lifestyle, its that relationship between you and the cow that only a few get the privilege to appreciate. I am one of the lucky ones”
FARM FACTS
• Farm, Alkham, Dover, Kent
• Dairy herd 30 head
• Albion Suckler herd 70 head
• Chilton Farmyard B&B
• 80 acre farm with 70 additional grazing
• System extensive grazing Higher Tier Stewardship
• Mobile Milk & Milkshake Vending Machine
Shorthorn 75