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Last year was one of significant change for First Milk, but it’s not just the business that is going places – many of our members are on the up too and Peter Evans at Neuadd Farm, Newquay, Ceredigion is just one of many.

A year ago Peter was a single man, working largely on the family’s caravan park and his gas business, while his father was holding the reins of the family’s 60 cow dairy farm.

A year later though and not only has Peter’s life been transformed but so has the farm - and its prospects. Cow numbers have expanded by a third from 60 to 80 and their milking prowess has improved too.

The change started when his father decided to retire from the business at the same time as another turning point for Peter – he married what many dairy farmers would view as being the perfect woman: another fanatical dairy farmer.

Fiona’s family milked 150 cows in Shropshire, so it was natural that the couple would relish having the bit between the teeth of their own farm and that they would make some major changes to go onwards and upwards in the dairying world.

They started by increasing cow numbers to 80 by bringing in 25 freshly calved pedigree heifers, sired by top bulls like Picston Shaker, Comestar Outside and Calbrettt Champion. They have also upped the farm’s status to pedigree. The farm now sports the prefix Dolphin Bay, so named because it looks over a bay where dolphins frequently frolic.

Top semen is also increasing the type and performance potential of the stock, while Keenan is upping the stakes on the nutrition front by helping to keep the cows in tiptop nutritional condition through its T2 programme, which is unique to First Milk. Peter is also using the First Milk Direct cluster exchange programme and is hoping to expand his parlour before long.

The aim now is to have 80 cows yielding 10,000 litres, but expanding even further is on the agenda. But with only 100 acres and land hard to come by it isn’t going to be easy, concedes Peter.

“We don’t want to stay at 80 cows forever. I view what we have done this year as a stepping-stone to something bigger. I’m a lot more optimistic about the future, and feel the industry and First Milk are moving in the right direction. We’ve had a good first year, but there’s a lot more to come,” he added.

For more information on the Kennan T2 programme, speak to your Area Manager.