Dairy Farmer Chris May

CHRIS May, dairy farmer and former South West Farmer of the Year has died at Longbridge Deverill, Wiltshire.

There's a poignant irony that the death of Wiltshire dairy farmer Chris May should come at this time. For Chris had arranged for the complete dispersal of his Hazelden herd of Holsteins in early October, releasing himself from the daily commitment of milking cows to embark upon ventures new with his partner, Maria - probably in Australia.

Chris had devoted his life to farming, building up an exceptional commercial business in which the welfare of his livestock had become a passion. Few people could work for a man whose standards were so exacting, and he had developed and farmed his herd of 200 milking Holsteins largely single-handedly over more than 30 years.

It was not a herd of flashy show cows, or a herd whose name is well-known in the industry, but quietly and determinedly, Chris had improved the quality and production of his cattle to exceptional levels.

Annual production of 10,229 kg at 4.3% fat and 3.13% protein on twice daily milking does not go sufficiently far to reflect Chris's real driving force, which was to breed cows that would last and give exceptional lifetime performance.

"This was his mission statement," remarks livestock auctioneer, Tom Brooksbank, who reflects that Chris had bred 20 cows which had given over 100 tonnes of milk.

"He was simply a stockman par excellence; meticulous in every way and able to make money out of the business when the milk price was on the floor."

Recognition did not escape him and he was South West Farmer of the Year in 1997, won the South West Dairy Farm Challenge in 1999 and was a finalist for the NMR/RABDF Gold Cup in 2006. Victories in the Wiltshire herd competitions have been inexorable, most notably winning seven out of 13 classes in 2004/5 and taking the Shirley Cup for the highest monetary value (in milk) for a cow, no less than 10 times. More recently, the exceptional lifetime production of his herd was recognised through the Alta NMR Lifetime Yield Awards, in which it was in the top five percent nationally.

Off the farm, Chris was a member of the South West regional board for the Arla Foods Milk Partnership, as well as the partnership's Frome District chairman.

"He was highly respected by fellow farmers for his integrity," says Jonathan Ovens, Arla's national chairman, "and they thought he was the right sort of person to represent their interests because he did such a good job on the farm himself."

On his tenanted farm in Longbridge Deverill - which was part of the Longleat Estate - Chris described his straightforward management philosophy: "We just put the cows first," he said.

Focussed single-mindedly on their well-being, he shunned both complication and diversification for fear of taking his eye off the ball. Farming he said should be simple - but it was never going to be easy.

Print

Email this