Maurice Jones and his son, Fraser, farm together in a formidable partnership that is truly something to behold.

Animal health and welfare

Cow comfort and welfare is at the heart of everything they do as a business, as happy cows mean productive cows. They are employing around 40 staff but one of the biggest challenges to the business is staffing, with the UK’s exit from the EU this has exacerbated the problem.

Fraser Jones said: "For me, management at Lower Leighton is about foreseeing any problems that might interfere with the day-to-day work and tackling them head on, any opportunities that may arise for automation I am keen to investigate if it can benefit the business in a reliable way."

Introducing new dairy systems

The housing for the milking cows was designed meticulously to ensure comfort, health and welfare this includes the lighting. The lighting in the shed is designed to keep the lumens consistent throughout the day from dawn until dusk. This has provided benefits for both the cows and the staff.

“I researched many different dairy systems when implementing the changes here at Lower Leighton and the open sided-shed with controlled lighting means that high temperatures are less of an issue for us,” continues Fraser.

The cows are fed solely on a Total Mixed Ration (TMR) to provide them with consistency within their rumen with no unnecessary spikes in pH. They are milked through a rotary parlour and the whole milking process for each cow takes a total of around 40 minutes. It was important to the business that milking was a smooth and efficient process to provide as little disruption for the cows as possible.

Fraser said:

“Small margins make a huge difference for a business such as ours and so I take each little win as I can to build efficiency and profitability.”

Renewable energy

A keen eye has also been turned to renewable energy through the installation of solar panels and a ground source heat pump. This also helps to reduce the energy costs when cooling the milk after milking. A slurry separation system has also been installed to reduce the storage demand.

The effect of TB 

Another key threat to the business is bovine tuberculosis (TB) and is one of the reasons the business breeds all its own replacement heifers and utilises artificial Insemination, sexed semen and stock bulls.

“I have worked tirelessly with NFU Cymru and the North Wales TB Eradication Board to try and make inroads to defeating this disease in the UK,” states Maurice Jones

“I cannot emphasise enough how it impacts the business and our mental health – something which many farming families are going through. I was very pleased with the formation of the NFU Cymru TB Focus Group, and I hope that with the new CVO in post we can finally start reducing this disease’s effect on the industry,” continues Maurice.

Maurice has been an NFU Cymru member for over 50 years and his contributions and loyal attendance at meetings are highly valued.

NFU Cymru Montgomeryshire County Chairman Richard Jones said:

"It was an absolute pleasure to visit one of the county’s most prestigious farming families and NFU Cymru’s devoted members. What they are achieving with the milking herd and the support the family gives to each other is truly inspiring. Thank you to the Jones family for hosting us.

We look forward to welcoming members of all ages to our next county meeting on Friday 23 June at the Cefn Coch Inn at 7pm to celebrate the end of NFU Cymru’s Celebration of Welsh Food and Farming Week with a curry and a pint. We will be joined by Charlie Cooper-Harding our NFU Cymru Young Ambassador and Awel Mai Hughes, from Agri Advisor, one of NFU Cymru’s legal panel firms.