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Cornish Jersey Cattle Club

Dairy Farmers Lined Up for Top Award
10/11/06

Cornish farmers Eric and Mary Murley are the winners of this year’s South West Dairy Farmer of the Year Award.

The pedigree Jersey breeders from Higher Bojewyan Farm, in Pendeen, near Penzance, scooped the prestigious trophy and the £1,000 cash prize in the competition which was one of the highlights at this year's Dairy Show.

The Murleys, who have 400 head of cattle and run the 265 acre farm with their three sons, Christopher, Geoffrey and David, faced stiff competition from farmers across the South West in the competition organised by the Royal Bath & West of England Society and sponsored by Milk Link, the leading farmer-owned co-operative in the South West, and Clydesdale Bank.

Farmers from across the South West entered this year’s competition which recognised the region’s dairy farmers who are best prepared to meet the challenges facing them and who could demonstrate a profitable future in the dairy industry.

Every farmer who entered received free tickets to the Dairy Show at the Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, on Wednesday 4th October. The award was made to Mr and Mrs Murley by Dairy Crest Chairman Simon Oliver during the reception before the Dairy Industry Dinner on the eve of the Show.

The competition was open to all farm businesses across Devon, Cornwall, Bristol, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, whose income is mainly derived from milk production.

All finalists were visited by the panel of judges – Michael Rowe from Clydesdale Bank, Patrick Cock from Milk Link and farmer Nicholas Bacon whose son, Stuart, from Crewkerne, won the title last year. They toured each farm, discussed farming plans and policies with the families and analysed the dairy costings and accounts provided by each business.

Patrick Cock, Council Chairman of Milk Link, commented: “It is fantastic that one of our own Members has won the sought-after title of South West Dairy Farmer 2006. The standard of entries from across the South West was extremely high this year. The Murleys have clearly shown that Higher Bojewyan Farm has a great future ahead of it.”

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Treasurer:
Sally Chellew