The Powys upland farm that went dairy

But diminishing returns and a desire to take the farm in a different direction from the systems run by previous generations drove a conversion to dairying in 2015.

“A lot of people said it couldn’t be done on this farm and that was another reason for driving forward with the change, the challenge of proving that it could be done and done profitably,’’ Mr Davis recalls.

To inform that change, Mr Davis and his wife, Frances Calver, visited dairy farms running the grazing systems they aspired to replicate at Esgairdraenllwyn and spent time with people with a similar mindset.

“I had no interest in a high input system on this farm, I firmly believe cows should be out grazing grass,’’ he says.

A 50-point rotary parlour was installed and associated infrastructure, including housing, as even with the mindset of a grazing farmer he recognised that a farm that has only four frost-free months a year, an annual rainfall of 60 inches and clay soils has its limitations.

The farm, near Llandrindod Wells, Powys, was stocked with cows and heifers sourced from other parts of Wales and Ireland and the business is now milking 485 New Zealand Friesian crossbreds.

Securing a milk contract was a pinch point. Initially milk was sold to a Nantwich cheesemaker and the farm paid for haulage.

That situation dictated the need for a very tight calving pattern – calving gets underway on 10 March and half the herd calves in the first eight days.

“We need to calve the herd quickly and efficiently because we pay the same transport charge whether the tanker is collecting 3,000 litres or 28,000,’’ Mr Davis explains.

The farm now supplies its milk to Yew Tree Dairy.

Ninety per cent of the grazing platform has been reseeded since the conversion to fulfil the goal of producing milk from grass.

The farm grows 12 tonnes of dry matter a hectare (tDM/ha) a year on average but in 2021 it grew 13tDM/ha.

The biggest limiting factor to grass production is low nighttime temperatures but the philosophy that Mr Davis applies to every area of the business, of ‘massive attention to detail’, has resulted in a concentrate intake per cow of just one tonne.

“We have a very good member of staff who manages the grass and the grazing properly,’’ he says.

Cow efficiency is important too – 1kg of milk solids is produced for every kilogram of bodyweight from cows averaging 475kg.

The Davis’ started producing milk at the height of the milk price crash but, as Mr Davis points out: “You have to play the long game.

“We were haemorrhaging money every day but once you are in that deep you have to keep going or you will drown.’’

Milk production, says Mr Davis, is better for the business financially, and for the farm because it generates an income to fund investment and improvements, but it does require a huge amount of commitment and time.

Some of the skills he applied to beef and sheep farming he can apply to dairying but, as he cautions: “If you are no good at farming beef and sheep, you will be no good at dairying.’’