Kiln Farm Dairy on Alderney has been transformed by Clare and Mike Cox over the last 3 years. It is the only dairy farm on the Island of Alderney which lies between Guernsey and France. Alderney has 2,000 residents including 200 children who share the Island School up until GCSE (age 16). Further Education has to be taken either on Guernsey or the Mainland.

Aerial photograph of Alderney Island

Mike and Clare and their 3 children moved from Cheshire in July 2000, having sold a high yielding herd of Holsteins, to take over the Island herd.  Its previous owner had died during the year before and his widow had been unable to manage both the herd and the processing of the milk.

The landlord has been supportive and has provided a new house on the farm as well as changing one of the buildings to allow the processing business to be brought onto the farm as well.  Clare takes responsibility for the processing which -- in addition to whole and skim milks -- now includes cream, yoghurt, ice cream and a wonderful butter.

Alderney has a short visitor season from Easter until August and at that time every available litre of milk is needed for fresh product, but from September until April most of the production is into butter.

Braye Bay - Alderney Island

The island has a weekly supply boat from Guernsey and while there are several flights a day the carrier will not take milk products nowadays after previous mishaps and spillages. This means that “off” island sales are difficult although a start has been made with butter and yoghurt to Guernsey.

Mike does the farming which is on a very extensive basis, and a major fencing programme as well as provision of water tanks is bringing more of the land into hand. The grazing land is of long established pastures full of herbs and drought tolerant grasses as the summers tend to be dry and the grazing season short. Mike has improved 60-70 acres used for a single crop of baled silage, which is wrapped and baled by Mike.  Because of the difficulty of getting spares or repairs, experience has shown that as the only farmer on an Island you need two of everything, as there is no neighbour up the road!

The herd of 45 cows are based around those that were resident when the Coxes arrived and had been sired by various Bulls imported from Guernsey for use by natural service. Unfortunately the records had been neglected and so it has been difficult to assess the herd. I was pleasantly surprised, however, by the quality and the type of most of the cows. They are of medium size but are well adapted to the environment.  They have access to grazing throughout the year but have silage on offer through the winter months and when the grass supply is short.

Mike is able to do his own AI, and has used Angus and Belgian Blue semen on some of the herd. He is developing a lucrative sideline in Quarters of Beef, which he has learned to butcher and which are sold locally. He has also had the use of Zulu of Meadowcourt and Jacob of the Bigard -- both of whom have been used in our GGBP scheme -- and will also bring in some semen from carefully selected sires.

Mike and Clare who are both very interested in “Pedigree” cattle have found the change from a breed where each salesman had at least 15 bulls to offer, to a breed which has only 15 bulls to offer quite frustrating, but thanks to the wonder of the web, I can keep in touch and having spent an enjoyable morning talking cows, feel that I can help to provide the information that they require.

It was a pleasure to visit Alderney for the first time, and to meet the Cox family, and find such enthusiasm for the Guernsey cow, and such a positive outlook to the unique challenges of living on an island.