DAIRY, DORSET: Ian is the fourth generation of his family to manage their dairy farm on the edge of the Isle of Purbeck in south Dorset. The farm’s 230 Holstein Friesian cows graze fields beside the Rivers Frome and Piddle through the spring and summer, and are brought indoors in winter.

Ian and his family rear all of their calves from birth, with the dairy heifers (female cows which have not previously calved) growing up to become the next generation of the dairy herd, and other calves reared until being sold off as beef cattle at 18 months old. Although most of the farm is pasture, Ian also grows crops including fodder beet and maize to help feed his cattle.

Ian trained as a civil engineer But in 2016, when the UK milk price hit rock bottom, he decided to return to the farm. Since then he’s been experimenting with different farming methods with a view to making the farm both sustainable and profitable.

“As a farmer I have to strike a balance between protecting the environment, caring for my animals, and earning a living from the land by producing food,” says Ian.

Farming here comes with challenges, he says. “The farm is very vulnerable to climate change. Often the sandy soils on the higher fields struggle with drought, while fields on the river banks can be flooded throughout the winter.”

As a result, he’s trying to make the farm more resilient, to cope with both drought and flood conditions. For instance, he’s switching to deeper rooting crops that can tolerate drought, and planting a diverse range of grasses and herbs rather than just a monocrop of perennial rye grass. “These will hopefully make the land more tolerant in a changing climate, improve the farm’s soils and provide good quality forage for our cows,” says Ian.

“We aim to grow crops that will feed healthy cattle, using similar methods to those my grandfather used. We’re also breeding smaller cows, which are better suited to grazing.”

Ian says he loves working outdoors and seeing cattle in their natural environment, doing what they evolved to do: graze grass. He feels that done right, grass-fed cattle help the environment and are a fundamental part of a pastoral landscape. He admits there are difficult moments too, such as when a cow develops a sudden mastitis or is diagnosed with bovine tuberculosis.

He believes farmers need to engage with the public debate and to inform people about what farming involves. “I’m happy to be a part of a wider discussion, hopefully influencing public discourse in a small but positive way, to demonstrate that there is not a binary choice between food production and environmental enhancement,” he says. “I believe that when done right, the two go hand-in-hand.”