Get it right now and reap the rewards in the future
In my last article I wrote about the start of the new academic year and how the Walford campus had grown in student numbers, write Chris Jones.
I also mentioned the recent investments the college has made, which was mainly on capital works, such as new buildings, student social areas, learning resource centre, dairy unit, and so on.
This is all exciting and brings with it a sense of inspiration and an aspiration to deliver a fantastic experience to our students, trainees and indeed our wider audience, the land-based industry.
The college has worked hard to secure the funding for the recent investments, but now the real hard work starts. Take our new dairy unit, for example. To increase the herd size from 180 milking cows to 300 means a massive change to the overall way the college farm is managed. Putting up a new building takes a few months, but implementing a new farm management strategy takes a little longer. For example, the farm's cropping plan – in order to feed 300 cows and young stock we have to produce 3,500 to 4,000 tonnes of forage and it's got to be of good quality. In order to grow this much winter feed we have had to radically change our cropping rotation and plans.
As many of you will understand, changing a cropping rotation takes a great deal of thought and there are many considerations to take into account. We have made some very bold decisions, for example putting in grass after maize, although the planting of the whole crop wheat after maize was an easier decision. We have been very fortunate this year with regards to the mild weather, which has influenced our decision making, but let's hope the mild weather continues for a bit longer.
I have always tried to explain to students that the decisions you make now will affect the farms profits for many years to come. The strategies and direction that we have made with our farm will I am sure be the right ones. Relying on home produced feed as the foundation to produce good quality milk while at the same time keeping the cost of production down means we will be in a better place whatever the external markets throw at us. Our aim is to produce milk for the lowest cost possible without compromising quality.
The new management strategy is also using successful practices developed from other industries, for example constructing the farm's financial accounts in such a way to be used as a tool in quickly identifying performance results, which we can compare to our performance targets and financial budgets.
This information is vital as when analysed can be drilled down and can indicate good and bad physical practices. This type of financial management is just as important as producing good quality forage in competing in what can be a harsh environment.
Chris Jones
Director of Walford Campus at Walford and North Shropshire College
