This year, for International Women’s Day, Yeo Valley Organic wants to shine a spotlight on its co-founder, Mary Mead, OBE, who recently won the Holstein UK’s Lifetime Achievement Award, for dedicating more than 20 years of service to the dairy industry and British Friesian breed. Below, in her own words, Mary discusses her dairy farming journey…

“It’s been 60 years since my husband Roger and I started our farming career at Holt Farm; 50 years as a yogurt makers and 30 years as an organic brand, I thought it might be interesting to cast my mind back over the changes that dairy farming has experienced during that time.

Did you know that in 1961, when Holt Farm was purchased, milk producers in the UK numbered around 100,000 with an average herd size of 22, but today, 90% of those farms have gone and the average herd of 200 is more commonplace.

In 1961, Roger and I were able to secure the 150-acre Holt Farm in Blagdon, North Somerset. The farm had accommodation for 35 cows and a small milking parlour. We quickly decided that the land, which tended to be wet, didn’t really suit sheep and so we started to increase the number of dairy cows. We also increased the size of our family as Sarah, born in 1962 was joined by Tim in 1963, and Amanda completed our family in 1969.

After nine years, in 1970, we took the opportunity to purchase the neighbouring 40-acre Lag Farm, after arranging further borrowing. We were up to about 150 cows on 200 acres. Later on, we bought Merecombe Farm across the road, this added another 90 acres, but the land needed reclaiming and eventually, we added a milking parlour, where we milked most of the herd in the summer, taking Holt for silage.

Using converted buildings at Lag Farm and second-hand equipment bought from a recently defunct milk collection centre, we took the first tentative steps to trial the making of yogurt. As Holt Farm lay beside a busy road, we had also launched into ‘pick your own strawberries and sweetcorn’, growing and selling potatoes as well. We had established a small café with home baked scones and jam, with cream from the dairy herd. Yogurt was the perfect solution for using the skimmed milk that was left over from making cream, although it was still very much a novelty back then. In 1974, we began making yogurt for local shops. As the new enterprise took up more and more of Roger’s time and, as I had always been involved in ‘keeping the books’, this became my prime input for the farm. However, I had become increasingly fascinated by the breeding of British Friesians and this became an all-consuming passion!

After Roger died in a farming accident in 1990, I took on the responsibility for the farm as, together with our son Tim, we decided to fulfil his vision for the business. At the time, the farm covered 350 acres and the yogurt business employed 135 people. With the help of Tim joining Yeo Valley, Roger’s existing management team and the talented individuals who have since joined us, the business has grown to formerly unimaginable heights.

The decision to convert the farm to an organic system in 1994 was a logical progression to help us become more self-sufficient and, of course, the success of the Yeo Valley Organic products meant that there was a growing demand for organic milk. However, organic is no easy choice, nor is it quick and it was over eight years before we achieved our organic status across all the land. The use of artificial fertiliser and pesticides is, of course, prohibited and it has been fascinating to observe how well the land and the animals have reacted to the change to a more natural way of farming.

Over the years, it has been a privilege to have seen more women come into the farming industry; noticeably women working with livestock. At Yeo Valley’s own farms, we are fortunate to have equal numbers of women and men working on the farm. It’s been a pleasure to observe an inclusive environment for all, where everyone feels valued and part of a team. What a journey it has been.

To find out more about Mary Mead and Yeo Valley Organic visit: www.yeovalley.co.uk