Where they're making the white stuff - organic style
Most people associate Goodwood with fast cars and golf...
But farmer Karl Barton is hoping that soon the name will become synonymous with some of the best milk in the country.
This year Home Farm, which is the only entirely self-sustaining organic farm in Europe, started producing its own milk for the public.
Although the farm has been selling it only since March, this new product from Goodwood has gone down a treat with people across the area who enjoy its sweet, creamy taste.
At the 1,200-acre farm, Karl is in charge of 200 shorthorn cows – a breed established in the 16th century and well-known as one of the best milking cows around.
Karl is very sensitive to the needs of his animals so they can produce the best milk.
The cows are inspected every day and staff are on call 24/7 during calving season.
In winter, they are housed in a special cow-friendly dairy designed by the staff, where all the animals have mats covered with straw and 24-hour-a-day access to the outside with lots of space to exercise.
In summer, they enjoy the lush grass in the surrounding fields.
The cows' diet is a major part of what makes the milk taste so good and is better for the animals, as Karl explained.
"My cows are fed organically on red and white clover.
"We save some for winter forage, which is then mixed with millet to make our own feed for the cows, so we are completely self-sustaining as far as feed goes and we can trace 100 per cent of what's in the milk."
Each cow produces about 6,200 litres a year and this year the dairy produced 150,000 litres, a figure which Karl is hoping to increase to a million next year and 1.2 million in 2009.
Being organic means being extra clean and hygienic and Karl is proud of the fact that it has come top in all the tests carried out during inspections.
As the farm is organic, no fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides are used so when the cows are ill they aren't treated with the usual doses of medication.
Once a vet has diagnosed what's wrong, they are instead treated with homeopathy, which works by focusing on the signs and symptoms displayed by an animal.
"It works very well, we have less than two per cent of mastitis – an udder infection which affects a cow's ability to milk," explains Karl.
A veteran organic farmer, Karl has created a solid system for getting the best-tasting milk from his cows.
"After calving, each cow produces 35 litres a day and we give four litres of the milk to the calves, so that they are getting the goodness.
"The system is very simple and very effective, it's going back to what people did before the war."
The milk operation at Home Farm was started in 2001, when Karl was recruited by the Earl of March.
After arriving in West Sussex from Dorset, his job was to help prepare the land, ensuring it was completely organic and certified by the Soil Association before any milk could be produced.
This took three years and in 2004 milk production finally began, but it wasn't until March this year that the farm was producing enough to sell to the public.
And unlike most milk from supermarkets, Goodwood's milk is non-homogenised which means it still has an old-fashioned layer of fat on top and is much healthier for you.
The only thing that happens to Goodwood milk is pasteurisation to kill off any bad bacteria.
While many dairies across the country are suffering, Karl and his team are going from strength to strength, and are expanding into more and more outlets in the area.
"I'm very pleased with the product," he said.
"People love the taste and we often sell out. Lots of people come to the farm shop asking for the milk and we've run out. We are hoping it will become even more popular."
So go on, get a glass of the white stuff...
- CLARE HAWKIN
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Weather for Chichester
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: West
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Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 19 C
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