A NORTHUMBERLAND farm was named the top Jersey herd in this year's Gold Cup qualifying herds.

The Richardson family from Wheelbirks Farm, Stocksfield, was presented with the Lilyhill Cup at last week's Livestock Event.

Their 115 cows achieved 5,766kg at 5.88 per cent fat and 4.01 per cent protein for the year ending September 2015 with an impressive calving interval of 373 days.

Brothers Hugh and Tom and Tom’s wife, Lucinda, run the farm which includes 120 pedigree Jerseys. Members of the Jersey Cattle Society, it is the oldest pedigree Jersey herd in Northumberland.

Keen to progress, they use mainly sexed semen on heifers, rearing about 40 a year and selecting from Danish and American genetics.

They have developed the business and use the milk for their award-winning Wheelbirk ice cream – sold through an ice cream parlour on the farm. They also sell unpasteurised liquid milk from there too.

This year's NMR RABDF Gold Cup winner was Simon Bugler from Pilsdon Dairy Farm, Bridport, Dorset.

It was the first time the family partnership has entered its pedigree Holstein Bettiscombe herd of 570 cows and 700 followers. Simon Bugler runs the unit in partnership with his parents, Roland and Heather, and 12 full time employees on 295ha with a further 142ha of rented land for youngstock and forage.

The herd achieved 11,260kg of milk at 3.56 per cent butterfat and 3.1 per cent protein on three times a day milking in the Gold Cup qualifying year to September 2015.

Cows are housed the year round; a move which has improved cattle health and lifted yields. Cases of mastitis are currently 20 per 100 cows, and cell count runs at 111,000cells/ml and Bactoscan at 6. Calving interval is 380 days. Simon has cut antibiotic use at drying off and up to 95 per cent of the dry cows now have no antibiotic treatment, just a teat sealant.

Runner up for the second year running, was Brian Yates from East Logan, Castle Douglas. With wife Sheila, and children Michael and Anna, he runs the 280-cow pedigree Logan Holstein herd on a 137 hectare unit.

Housed all year round and fed a TMR, the average yield is 12,273kg of milk at 3.83 per cent butterfat and 3.09 per cent protein on three times a day milking, with a cell count of 102,000 cells/ml.