COWDRAY ORGANIC MILK - BACK ON SALE

The Story of Cowdray Organic Milk

The 16,500 acre Cowdray Estate, situated at the heart of the new South Downs National Park, has four organic dairies with organic accreditation from the Soil Association, Britain's top organic certified body.

In May 2007, Cowdray Home Farms, which is responsible for all four dairies, was accepted by Natural England into the Higher Level Stewardshire Scheme, whch indicates that the farm management delivers significant environmental benefits to the area. Moor Farm and Kennels Dairy are situated within the ancient Cowdray Park near Midhurst town centre, while Bepton Organics and Bepton Farms are both located towards the southern side of the Estate.

Sustainable Local Organic Milk

A proportion of the 4.5 million litres milked annually on the Estate is bottled at the state-of-the art processing unit at Bepton Organics dairy. The milk available at Cowdray Farm Shop and other local outlets has never left the Cowdray Estate - reducing the carbon footprint of the milk and that of local customers. The remainder of the milk goes to OMSCo, the national co-operative for organic milk. As local demand rises, more of the milk will be processed at Bepton Organics.

Why Choose Organic Milk?

Organic milk has a high level of the natural nutrients that are essential in our diet. The milk is produced by environmentally and animal friendly methods and milk from organically managed cows is free from the co-products of mass farming, such as hormones, pesticides and antibiotics. It is also GM-free. Milk is a key component of the NHS Healthy Start diet and is recommended for all growing children in the Department of Health's Change 4 Life campaign.

A Word About Cows

The majority of the Cowdray dairy cows are traditional pedigree Holsteins crossed with Swedish Reds for optimum milk quality. Animal Welfare is paramount to the Cowdray Home Farms philisophy. Farm manager David Hamilton-Fox explains: 'We keep raising the overall Herd Health Status so that antibiotics are seldom used on our herds and preventative wormers are not used at all. Natural remedies are used with great success'.

During the spring and summer months, the cows graze on magnificent white clover leys. These are regularly rejuvenated, maintaining high standards of grazing management and plentiful grass. In the winter the cows are fed conserved forages and cereals grown on the Estate, which together provide a balanced and stable rumen, which in turn improves health and fertility. The farm employs 11 full-time local people and casual labout at times of peak workload.

Educating Young People

The Cowdray Model Farm, due to open during 2011, will offer young people especially the opportunity to learn all about the story of organic milk. Being able to see the cows up close and watch milking in progress, along with many other farming methods and processes, will help to give them an understanding of the source of their food and a love and respect for the countryside. If you would like to sign up for the Cowdray Model Farm newsletter, please email enquiries@cowdraymodelfarm.co.uk