At Bisterne Estate, home of the 2024 Gold Cup winners, simplicity meets success. In this first episode, we explore their self-feed silage system, designed to keep things practical and efficient.

Milking 600 cows across 500 hectares with a split autumn-spring block calving system, Bisterne Estate has mastered streamlined dairy farming. George and Jimmy share how their self-feed setup works, the benefits it brings to their autumn-calving herd, and why sometimes keeping it simple is the best approach.

📌 In this video:

• Self-feed silage system in action

• Benefits for an autumn-calving herd

• 600-cow split autumn/spring block system

In Part 2 of our series, we look at Bisterne Estate’s winter housing and slurry management systems. With 365 cubicles for the autumn herd and their self-feeding setup, we explore how space, efficiency, and cow comfort are managed through the winter.

📌 In this video:

• 365 cubicle winter housing

• Slurry management system

• Winter setup for autumn herd

Part 3 takes us inside Bisterne Estate’s 50-point rotary parlour. We explore their circular collecting yard, drafting system, and milking routine for 600 cows split between autumn and spring herds.

📌 In this video:

• 50-point rotary parlour

• Collecting yard & drafting system

• Efficient milking for 600 cows

In this episode, George and Adam take us through their calf-rearing unit. We see the setup, how they manage heifer replacements, and the system behind their split autumn/spring calving unit.

📌 In this video:

• Calf-rearing unit design

• Heifer replacement management

• Split block calving system

This instalment focuses on Bisterne Estate’s breeding strategy. We look at the farm’s policy, performance, and management approach, and how breeding excellence drives both productivity and profitability across their split calving herds.

📌 In this video:

• Breeding policy explained

• Performance & herd management

• Driving productivity with genetics

We join George at Bisterne Estate to see how he manages out-wintering cows and young stock on fodder beet. This video shows the system, process, and results behind their approach.

📌 In this video:

• Out-wintering cows & young stock

• Fodder beet system explained

• Management practices & results

George Brown’s journey into dairy farming is nothing short of inspiring. From a non-farming background, he built Bisterne Estate into one of the UK’s top dairy farms, culminating in winning the prestigious Gold Cup.

This story highlights the opportunities available in dairy farming, the challenges George faced, and the strategies that led to his success.

📌 In this video:

• George Brown’s personal journey

• Building Bisterne Estate from scratch

• Gold Cup success story