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from Farmers Guardian Dairy Supplement 17th February 2023

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ow happily residing on 50 hectares (124 acres), David Hichens and his partner Helen, along with their two young boys, two-year-old Ben and two-month-old Tom, took on the tenancy of Kerris Farm, near Penzance, in 2020. But the process has not been without its challenges.

After graduating, he spent some time in New Zealand.

He says: “I did what any 20-yearold would do – went and drove a forager then travelled around.”

Little did he know that he would return to New Zealand a few years later.

“I came back to Cornwall but at that time I was not needed on the

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He says: “I never had any aspirations to go to university, but I did okay at A levels and when everyone was doing their UCAS applications I thought I had better do one.

Lucky

“I went to Harper Adams and, even when it came to starting, I thought I would try it for a few weeks and see, but I never looked back.

“I was lucky there was never any pressure from Mum and Dad to come back to the farm and they always encouraged me to try other things.”

Growing up on a small family dairy farm near Penzance, Mr Hichens did not have a particular yearning for academia.I went to Harper Adams and, even when it came to starting, I thought I would try it for a few weeks and see, but I never looked back

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I liked the idea of being a farm manager,” he says.

Mr Hichens applied for Velcourt’s management training scheme, which led him to become a farm manager at Bristol University’s Vet School.

He says: “I did not mind milking cows and the industry was – and still is – struggling for people, so I was successful in my application.”

Rewarding

It was there that he learned a lot about managing people. He says: “It was hard work, very rewarding and I learned an awful lot; I had the freedom to make my own mistakes and learn from them.”

He was there for seven years before the Cornish coast called him home.

“I ended up staying longer than I thought and I was still learning a lot. Then someone asked if I had ever considered a Nuffield Scholarship – I had heard of it but never thought about applying.”

In 2017, he was accepted on to the scholarship and handed in his notice.

He says: “Although your job would normally give you time off to travel and study, I used it as a push to leave my job with a rough plan of what to do next; it gave me more time to travel and study.”

This took him back to New Zealand: “I went with all the questions

I did not know I needed to ask the first time.”

During his Nuffield Scholarship, he worked part-time at home and locally. His topic was how to have a successful career in farming.

He says: “It started quite broad then ended up homing in on what success is and what success is for individuals. Rather than ‘I heard you are doing 14,000 litres, how did you do that?’, it was ‘how did you figure out what you wanted to do? And how did you know when you got there?’”

In 2020, he found and secured a 50-hectare (124-acre) Farm Business Tenancy nearby.

He says: “It was an ex-dairy farm, which milked cows up until 2014. It had been let out for vegetables and beef stores more recently and most of it had been put back to grass.

“We also have another 50ha on short-term lets.”

The farm had some stock-proof hedging, a few buildings and a parlour pit, but no parlour.

“In the summer of 2020, Mum and Dad decided to upgrade their parlour and I ended up taking it on – a 10-a-side herringbone – it fitted perfectly in the old building with the parlour pit.”

Important

Needing cows, Mr Hichens purchased a herd from a Velcourt farm.

He says: “It just goes to show how important it is to build and maintain good relationships within the industry. I bought 200 Irish Friesians and Jersey cross cows ready to calve in February and March, and I have just completed the second season with some very basic tracks and fencing.”

Although he could not get the finance and planning to buy a new parlour, he says it was the best thing which could have happened.

“I had become quite fixated on spending money up front and building a nice facility from the outset but when I was forced in the other direction, I was able to get cows and get milking, and learn about the place before going crazy,” he says.

“The biggest challenge now is getting planning for a slurry lagoon because we are close to a Site of Special Scientific Interest, but I do not have any regrets about taking the farm on.

“When I did the Nuffield Scholarship, I did not have any lightbulb moments or learn any new ways to milk a cow. It was more about gaining the courage and confidence to get started.”

And he says if he cannot get the planning for the slurry storage, he will continue with a loose-housed straw bedding system to reduce the amount of slurry.

Mr Hichens outwinters dry cows on a forage rape and stubble turnip mix and some rough ground to allow for more space in the yard.

“We are a flying herd to keep things simple while getting started. I was keen to maximise cows in milk and worry about replacements as and when they are needed,” he says.

“I would like to go to more of a cross-bred cow. I need to increase constituents because the cows are quite milky but the fat and protein are not as high as I would like. All cows are served to beef and the calves are sold at three weeks old, depending on TB restrictions.”

Mr Hichens’ hard work was recognised in October 2022 when he won Best Dairy Farmer at the Cornwall Farm Business Awards.

He says: “I found out on the night that our landlord nominated us. It was nice to be nominated, but I never thought we would win the award, compared with some of the other businesses which were more polished. But I guess maybe it was our fresh enthusiasm that made up for it.”

Looking ahead, he is keen to im- prove the farm’s infrastructure.

“I’m hoping to acquire more land and hopefully end up milking about 250 cows stocked at 2.7-2.8/ha on the grazing platform,” he says.

Increase

“I will stick to spring block calving, try to increase the constituents and increase milk from grazed grass.”

And for any young farmers in a similar position wanting to start out, he recommends getting out and talking to others, particularly if they have someone to regularly bounce ideas off and who can become a mentor.

“Of course, finding people in the same situation and seeing what they did helps, although it is not a one size fits all answer. Find people with similar problems who have come up with their own solutions and find one that works for you.”