Phillip Duerden

My Role was on 600 cows, maintaining herd health and milk results.

• Milked cows routinely maintaining a consistent dairy production schedule.
• Managed feeding schedules ensuring optimal growth and development of livestock.
• Assisted with birthing processes, enhancing survival rates.
• Administered medication under veterinary guidance, ensuring quick recovery from illnesses.
• Monitored herd behaviour to detect signs of illness or injury.
• Assisted in hoof trimming procedures preventing foot diseases amongst cattle.
• Fed livestock according to dietary needs, leading to healthy weight gain.
• Kept farm buildings, structures and machinery clean and well-maintained.
• Coordinated grooming, clipping and marking activities in line with schedule.
• Using a TMR feeder and self propelled straw chopper

• Oversaw pasture rotation for improved grass growth.
• Milking cows (400)
• Scraping out bedding down
• Paddock grazing
• Drying off
• Vet routines
• Cows feet

I worked across 3 units, one grazing with 250 cows, one unit on robots around 200 cows and then the young stock

• Maintenance of robots, including lazering up cows, and end of day cleaning
• Changing filters on robots
• Milking on a swing over
• Calf rearing
• Scraping, bedding etc
• Organising tractor work

I hired my own tractors and independently worked for myself, contracting myself to other farms local to me.

• Mowing
• Tanking work
• Silaging /Carting silage
• Buck racking
• Spreading slurry
• Cultivation work
• Harrowing

I was working under a very good farm manager, on a very large dairy, where the cows were out wintered on a New Zealand system

• Milking on a rotary parlour
• High levels of efficiency and hygiene
• Setting up fencing for grazing cows
• Our wintering cows
• Feeding with TMR feeder
• Using a load all and JCB
• Moving stock

• Prepared animals for seasonal changes facilitating their adaptation to varying weather conditions.
• Milked cows routinely maintaining a consistent dairy production schedule.
• Bred livestock, increasing overall herd size over time.
• Milking cows
• Drying off
• Cows feet
• Scraping and bedding
• Feeding with TMR feeder