Only at Worthy Farm could you see such a surreal scene.

More than 1,000 dairy farmers from all over the country were crowded on to Glastonbury Festival’s Pyramid Stage to celebrate its organiser winning the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) Gold Cup.

Michael Eavis actually won the award last summer but as tradition has it, the winner invites dairy farmers from across the nation to visit his farm and learn the secrets of their success.

Michael spoke to the assembled crowd as the wind and rain buffeted the Pyramid Stage, conditions all too familiar for generations of festival-goers.

He explained how he had returned to the farm in Pilton aged 19, following his father’s untimely death and in the early years had to work in the coal mines to earn enough money to keep the farm going -- something I cannot imagine many other dairy farmers have done.

But that is not the first time Michael has bucked the trend and he went on to explain how attending the Bath Festival of Blues in 1969 at the Bath and West Showground inspired him to hold the first Pilton Pop Festival in 1970 which over the years has grown into the world famous Glastonbury Festival.

However Michael Eavis has remained a dairy farmer, expanding from 60 cows on 150 acres back in the 1950s to 385 cows and 570 acres today.

Michael was clearly proud to have won the prestigious award and he emphasised the vital role played by his staff, most notably husband and wife team John and Pam Taylor who manage the herd on a day to day basis.

Farmers were then invited to walk the farm and listen to a number of informative talks laid on by the organisers.

Running a dairy farm on the festival site certainly comes with challenges, but attention to detail means the dairy unit is going from strength to strength. Over the past few years herd manager John Taylor, in conjunction with Michael Eavis, has made considerable changes at Worthy Farm, with dramatic results.

“We used to operate as a flying herd (where dairy cow replacements are bought from other farms rather than being from home reared stock) but it just created too many problems with disease and cows not settling in,” says John.

“Now we’ve brought it all in-hand and seen good improvements.

“We’ve also changed the diet. Maize has replaced apple pomace which has boosted cow health.”

As the music festival takes over the whole farm in June each year, maize is grown on contract, and the cows are housed on sawdust and shavings over mats for most of the year.

The team is still making changes and aims to push cow numbers from 385 to 500 in the next few years and possibly increase milking frequency – perhaps using robots in the longer term to improve the quality of life for staff and cows alike.

All in all it was a very successful day despite the weather and I suspect it will be the nearest that most farmers will ever get to headlining on the Pyramid Stage.  

James Stephen MRICS FAAV
Partner
Rural Practice Chartered Surveyor, Wells
T: 01749 683381
E: james.stephen@carterjonas.co.uk