Joe Bramall is determined to make his mark on the farming industry and he has not even graduated yet. He tells Emily Scaife what his future hopefully has in store.
For many, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a sedentary effect, but not for Joe Bramall. As the world recovers and the British agricultural industry teeters on the edge of enormous change, Joe is positive and ready to make his mark on the industry.
The fourth generation to farm at Well House Farm, near Chester, Joe is currently helping his dad, Tom, while studying for an agri-business degree at Harper Adams University.
Joe says: "I can't call myself a dairy farmer yet. At the moment I'm a dairy farmer's son. My dad is at the helm
and he does an incredible job. I have a lot to learn, so right now I'm focusing on my education."
Joe always knew he wanted to work in farming, but was never sure what route he would take.
He says: "I was the only farmer's son at my school. I've been very lucky because some people feel pressured into working for the family business, but my dad always told me to focus on my education first.
"My interest has really picked up since I left school. I took a gap year and worked for a fertiliser company before travelling to New Zealand. Now I'm at Harper and I've loved every minute of it. It's great to be somewhere I can talk to other people about cows."
The Bramall family rents Well House Farm from the Grosvenor Estate. Totalling 162 hectares (400 acres) - 81ha (200 acres) from the Grosvenor Estate and another 81ha (200 acres) from a neighbour - they have established a respected dairy herd made up of 230 Holstein cows.
Joe says: "We're in the top 5 per cent of genetic merit according to AHDB, which is down to my dad's hard work. We're on quite an old farm - the sheds were built in the 1960s - so it has narrow passages and quite a small parlour. However, we're averaging 10,500 litres per cow per year and we've managed to keep our milk solids high at just under 800kg/cow."
Quality
Cows are milked twice-a-day in a 16x16 herringbone parlour, which was recently upgraded from an 8x16.
Joe says: "Milking takes roughly three to four hours. We haven't made the jump to milking three times-a-day yet, although we're thinking about it. Cows are inside during winter, grazing outside in spring and summer and they are buffer fed."
The site is mostly grass, with 26ha (65 acres) of maize and, in the past couple of years, the family has also grown 12ha (30 acres) of wholecrop barley.
They aim to calve heifers at about two years of age, with 50 per cent put to sexed semen and the rest run with a bull in summer. Prior to calving they move onto a transition diet in a newly upgraded calving shed.
Joe says: "We're on a Co-op Muller contract, so we supply Co-op supermarkets with our milk, which is a brilliant contract to be on. This year is the 10th anniversary of the Co-op Dairy Group and we joined them right at the start."
As well as producing the best quality milk as efficiently as possible, Joe and his Tom are passionate about supporting biodiversity on-farm.
Part of the Countryside Stewardship scheme, Joe is particularly passionate about protecting the population of small owls on-farm, in addition to trying to improve water quality.
He says: "It's something we will be expanding upon in the next few years. Ultimately, farming is changing, and we have to be more sustainable going forwards.
"Yes, the bottom line is essential, so keeping output high is vital, but improving our carbon footprint and biodiversity across the farm is very important to me.
"There is a balance to be struck between biodiversity and food production. Our farm is a nice example of how farming and the environment can go hand in hand and work together."
Future
Joe has excelled at Harper Adams so far, winning the McConnel Prize in 2020, which is presented to the student who achieves the best grade overall during their first year.
He is about to begin the third year of his degree, which he will spend on placement with McDonald's, having been accepted onto the Progressive Young Farmers programme. He will be learning more about an aspect of agriculture which is completely new to him - the beef supply chain.
He says: "It's amazing how broad farming is and I haven't got much of an idea how beef farms are run. I'm excited to find out."
Before beginning his course at Harper Adams, Joe took a gap year. He worked for a fertiliser company in the UK, before travelling to New Zealand to spend three months helping out on a block calving unit and the experience opened his eyes to a completely different way of dairy farming.
He says: "We were milking more than 1,000 cows, which were kept outside all year round. It was very full-on and a completely different system to what I have back in England on my family farm.
"I couldn't see myself working with a 1,000-cow herd in the UK with cows inside all year round, but also herds which are outside all year, through thunderstorms and mud up to your knees, wouldn't excite me either.
"I learned that I want to find a balance in my system and I think we're managing that at the moment."
Joe became an NFU Student and Young Farmer Ambassador last year and, although most of the scheme has been conducted remotely so far, he is looking forward to meeting like-minded farmers who are positive about the future of the industry.
He says: "I'm passionate about getting people interested in farming who aren't from farming backgrounds, which is why I applied to the NFU scheme.
"By the end of my career I want to have a sustainable farming business, but I also want to make a positive impact, however small, on farming in a wider sense."
Joe believes the dairy industry is in a strong position and he chooses to be excited about the future, rather than daunted.
He says: "Retailers are supporting our sector and people want to drink milk, so dairy definitely has a future.
NFU president Minette Batters talks about the importance of spreading risk and that will definitely be in my mind going forwards, although dairy will still be my focus.
"We have to be positive about the future of dairy farming because otherwise, what's the point?"
Joe recognises, however, that maintaining a profitable dairy business will be hard work and the future is far from certain.
He says: "While I'm very optimistic about the future, I think there will be some big challenges ahead to improve our carbon footprint and minimise our environmental impact.
"As new government policy starts to address these challenges, I think all stakeholders across the dairy supply chain are going to have to work together and realise the extra cost posed by these challenges and, ultimately, I think that will have to be reflected in the milk price."
He also believes the role played by the next generation of farmers will become more important, particularly if Defra's proposed lump sum exit scheme to help farmers retire from the industry is implemented following a consultation.
He says: "I think the exit scheme Defra is proposing could bring about a big shift. They're trying to encourage new entrants, new thinking and new ideas, and I think there will be more importance placed on encouraging young people into the industry, which is really exciting.
"The most dangerous saying in farming is to say ‘I've always done it this way', especially in the dairy sector. As long as you're ready for change, which I certainly am, you'll be part of the industry going forwards."
