A 1,000-acre dairy farm owned by Radstock Co-operative Society is undergoing expansion following a £2.5m funding package from Barclays.
The investment is enabling Manor Farm at Hardington, between Frome and Radstock, to upgrade its machinery and buildings and increase the size of it herd – boosting its milk yield. 
Its 550-strong herd produces around 6m litres of milk a year, averaging 11,730 litres a cow. Over the coming months it will acquire a further 214 cows and, with its new machinery, be able to increase milk production to 11,870 litres per cow per year.
All its milk bought by diary giant Müller Wiseman and, as part of the wider Co-operative buying group, supplied to Co-operative stores across the UK.
The investment in new technology, equipment and infrastructure includes new cow sheds, silage clamps, green bedding separator and a 72-point rotary milking parlour, which will lead to higher standards and improved efficiency.
Radstock Co-op CEO Don Morris said: “We have already started to see a return on the investment due to increased yields in terms of the number of litres of milk produced as well as the quality of the milk.
“This means that we are able to generate more income per head of cattle. The state-of-the-art rotary milking parlour can accommodate more cows per milking session and is less labour intensive.
“This investment will provide scalability to significantly increase the size of the herd in the future while ensuring that we become more self-sufficient and sustainable. We are immensely proud of the scale and size of the project which will help future-proof the farm for the next generation.”
Manor Farm is already sufficient in producing crops of wheat and maize, which is harvested to provide animal feed, so helping to reduce costs. Water from a man-made 10,000 cubic litre lake on the farm, which is fed from an underground spring, also reduces the need to use the metered mains supply.
Barclays Corporate Banking relationship director in Bath, Martin Crook, said: “This is an impressive example of where a farm is investing in its infrastructure and are committed to milk production in the long term. I’m pleased Barclays has been able to support our client by helping them to future-proof their business in what remains a challenging sector.”
Radstock Co-operative Society, which celebrated its 150-year milestone in 2018, employs around 500 people across its 20 convenience stores, large supermarket with a non-food offering, food hall and travel agency as well as Manor Farm.
Pictured, from left: Don Morris, Martin Crook and farm manager Ross Edwards
