Our new(ish) parlour

[Courier]

the tamper evident bit on the glass bottles did worry me but as our DHI pointed out, we are manning the shop, so risk is low and he's happy enough with it. Bottling does fall under the EHO but she leaves us alone. We have tried to engage with her but I don't think she's much idea in all honesty so we take advice and guidance from the DHI. The one time the EHO turned up to inspect the dairy, she was dressed more for a beach party rather than a farm visit...........

Consider yourself very lucky - I have had occasions where I have had a meeting in our bottling dairy with the Senior Northern MAFF Dairy Officer and the Local Senior EHO (together) arguing with our acting jobsworth EHO about whether we should use pre-formed plastic hygiene covers on the heads of self tapping internal cladding fixings OR a dogturd squirl out of a silicone gun to use as a covering......He also seriously objected to us using "At least 95.5% fat free on the bottles" and "Naturally More Nutritious".

That backfired on him a little bit though because we ended up with "Naturally more nutritious than when heat treated"

We packed up with all milking etc in 2000..

 

[upnortheast]

romantic, and milkman, conjures up another type of activity, becareful !

Walked into a shop one day. Lady owner was on the phone. Will ring you back she says. I have to see to the milkman.

 

[upnortheast]

I had that sort of romantic image too when we started. Reality is that very few people in our village have milk (less than 10 households I'd have thought) a few more in surrounding villages, but most travel 20 miles or more for it. Only three local farmers come for milk too, and that's not because most have their own cows!

Its not easy finding your niche in the market place, I guess if it was everyone would do it .
Two of the main pillars of our operation are supplying coffee shops & Ice cream makers. Neither of them were on our radar when we started 15 years ago.
Just have to be constantly looking for new angles.

 

[BobTheSmallholder]

What a fantastic thread, thanks very much Tim! We are just about to buy a handful of Shetlands which I want to milk by hand and sell direct to existing customers. Currently trying to work out what kind of milking setup to have, probably going for an in-field setup so it works with the rotational grazing.

 

[som farmer]

good idea, just forget the hand bit, milk will/should be cleaner by a simple machine.

 

[BobTheSmallholder]

good idea, just forget the hand bit, milk will/should be cleaner by a simple machine.

Sorry, when I said "by hand" I meant with a small manually operated milking machine, one (or maybe two) cows at a time.

 

[som farmer]

glad to hear it, i couldn't really find the polite words to say, your nuts !

 

[BobTheSmallholder]

glad to hear it, i couldn't really find the polite words to say, your nuts !

TBH I'm too darn busy to think about literally milking by hand, a 1 or 2 head machine will be slow enough.

 

[Tim G]

@BobTheSmallholder i did consider one of these parlours, out in the field during the summer and in the shed during the winter. Not ridiculously expensive. https://milkingsystem.com/product-list/mobile-milking-parlours/mobile-milking-parlor-motech2

 

[som farmer]

iv'e been reading the brochure hard backed book, of beaty's farm buildings, from 1931, plenty of cheap set up's in there, inc all wood. It's amazing how far we have come, since then, although, some of the fixings, i can remember using !!

 

[Tim G]

@BobTheSmallholder i did consider one of these parlours, out in the field during the summer and in the shed during the winter. Not ridiculously expensive. https://milkingsystem.com/product-list/mobile-milking-parlours/mobile-milking-parlor-motech2

Or more of a 'project'......... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Old-Fash...933406?hash=item4b81d7891e:g:oaIAAOSwMIhfZaTI

 

[BobTheSmallholder]

@BobTheSmallholder i did consider one of these parlours, out in the field during the summer and in the shed during the winter. Not ridiculously expensive. https://milkingsystem.com/product-list/mobile-milking-parlours/mobile-milking-parlor-motech2

At that price it would hardly be worth building your own even out of free materials, the time involved would be worth more than that! I'm keen as I've always planned an outdoor system, I was looking at converting a horse trailer or building something from scratch. Consider me inspired!

 

[BobTheSmallholder]

Or more of a 'project'......... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Old-Fash...933406?hash=item4b81d7891e:g:oaIAAOSwMIhfZaTI

I came across a historical society/museum that have one of those they are trying to renovate.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

Or more of a 'project'......... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Old-Fash...933406?hash=item4b81d7891e:g:oaIAAOSwMIhfZaTI

Why would anyone want to buy that.

 

[Jdunn55]

Why would anyone want to buy that.

Some people might consider it fun! Others less so...

 

[Yosemite Sam]

Some people might consider it fun! Others less so...

I can see no fun in that, but each to their own.

 

[BobTheSmallholder]

Why would anyone want to buy that.

It's a piece of British farming history, some weirdos get off on buying clapped out old things and restoring them...

 

[JohnGalway]

It's a piece of British farming history, some weirdos get off on buying clapped out old things and restoring them...

The man who bought my deceased Dad's tractor stopped on the road one day, in conversation said I could go and see the "done up" tractor if I wanted. Told him he could look at it for me as I'd been looking at it long enough It had been parked up for a number of years.

 

[Tim G]

This was our parlour in its former home. I didn't think I'd find a four stall abreast parlour so expected to buy a 6 or 8 and not use it all. When I was looking I put an ad in the Farmer's Guide and the day it came out I got a phone call, a four stall abreast parlour and it was only 15 miles away!
When I went to see it I got talking to the farmer selling, he told me it was put in in the mid 1950's and used for about 10 years, they made enough money from milking to buy some pigs and then gave up milking, the pigs then made enough to buy the farm (they were tenants). It was a Essex CC farm before they bought it so I asked who the agent was and he remembered it was Christopher Stone. Unbeknown to him Christopher Stone was my Grandfather! Strange now I think about it that my Grandfather would probably have seen it working 60 something years ago.

 

[JohnGalway]

View attachment 909488
This was our parlour in its former home. I didn't think I'd find a four stall abreast parlour so expected to buy a 6 or 8 and not use it all. When I was looking I put an ad in the Farmer's Guide and the day it came out I got a phone call, a four stall abreast parlour and it was only 15 miles away!
When I went to see it I got talking to the farmer selling, he told me it was put in in the mid 1950's and used for about 10 years, they made enough money feom milking to buy some pigs and then gave up milking, the pigs then made enough to buy the farm (they were tenants). It was a Essex CC farm before they bought it so I asked who the agent was and he remembered it was Christopher Stone. Unbeknown to him Christopher Stone was my Grandfather! Strange now I think about it that my Grandfather would probably have seen it working 60 something years ago.

That's a great story for your own business and family history, you'd have to buy it after hearing it