Local lad in national vote to scoop dairy prize (From Western Telegraph)

Local lad in national vote to scoop dairy prize

cosheston dairy farmer Roger Lewis (pictured) has fought off stiff competition to get through to the finals of The Dairy Farmer of the Future 2004 competition.

A national vote will now decide if he will win the first prize of a weekend break in Paris and £1,000 of goods and services.

The prize is provided by the sponsors: Arla Foods plc, Cephaguard, Dairyforce, Kemira GrowHow, NatWest, Pyes Bibby and Trident. The competition set out to find the best young dairy farmer in the UK.

A spokesman explains: "Many enthusiastic and talented young people are determined to make a career in dairy farming despite the increasingly difficult economic conditions.

"This competition was set up to draw attention to these people who represent the future of our dairy farming industry and to recognise their technical skills, commitment and business acumen."

Following an initial shortlisting, judges representing the sponsors visited four farms. Two farmers were put forward for the final stage where the public will vote for the winner.

Roger, aged 29, farms at Poyerston Farm, Cosheston with his father Philip. Cow numbers have risen steadily since Roger returned home from the Welsh Agricultural College in 1995 and the herd now numbers 180.

Output has also increased and yields are now 8,636 litres, of which an impressive 4,453 are achieved from home-grown forage.

Roger's goal is to maximise farm output and yield from forage and he has plans to increase the herd size to 220 cows.

The judges were impressed by the controlled way in which the expansion has been achieved and the attention to detail paid to all aspects of cow management.

They also acknowledged Roger's clear plans for the future and his vision for the business. l To vote for Roger, telephone 09011 548619 or text the word LEWIS to 83222 (votes cost 50p) or vote online at www.thefarmingdirectory.co.uk.