As part of its Februdairy campaign, the Ulster Farmers’ Union catches up with its dairy chair, Mervyn Gordon, for a quick Q&A.
Tell us about your farm:
I farm with my brother Wesley and Chris, my nephew, has come home recently. We have a mixed dairy and poultry farm outside Garvagh. We milk 230 cows and have recently invested in a new GEA rotary parlour which has meant a lot of changes. The milking time is greatly reduced, and we have added a third milking. The cows really like it and are doing well.
What is the history of your farm?
The farm has been in the Gordon family for a long time and as far as I am aware, we are at least the fifth generation to farm here.
Why did you decide to become a farmer?
I have always loved farming and never had any other plans other than to farm. I was always out and about on the farm from a very young age. When my father passed away when I was 19, I became a full-time farmer.
What advice would you give to young farmers in dairying or looking to get into dairying?
The first thing I would say for anyone thinking of going into dairying, is think very carefully, speak to a lot of active farmers and be very sure this is what you want to do. Running a dairy farm takes 100 percent commitment and it isn’t possible to keep this up if you don’t really love what you do. I also think a few qualifications aren’t hard to carry and can be very beneficial.
What are the biggest issues facing dairy farmers now?
There are a number of big issues, but I would highlight the milk purchasing code and the climate change bill as we need the right legislation that follows the science to help us tackle emissions. These two issues have the potential to change the face of dairy farming for ever.
What are you doing on farm to tackle climate change?
We are trying to reduce CO2 emissions by using more energy efficient systems such as more efficient cooling systems for our milk and re-using plate cooler water. We have also been looking at ways to increase our carbon sequestration including planting new hedging along field boundaries. We continue to drive production efficiencies within our farm which will ultimately lower our methane emissions.
Image captions
Image one: UFU dairy chair Mervyn Gordon (right) and with Don Morrow, CAFRE, at the RUAS Winter Fair 2021.
Image two: Mervyn Gordon pictured on his home farm.
