LITTLE BOVEY FARM
RUN BY MARTIN HARVEY AND HIS FAMILY, THIS 200-HEAD PEDIGREE DAIRY FARM NESTLES IN THE FOOTHILLS OF SOUTHERN DARTMOOR.
AFTER INSTALLING AN EARLIER MILKING PARLOUR FOR MARTIN, WE BROKE GROUND AT LITTLE BOVEY IN LATE 2025. WORKING CLOSELY WITH PAT MAY GROUNDWORKS AND C&R CONSTRUCTION, WE BATTLED THROUGH STORM BRAM AND THEN STORM ÉOWYN IN JANUARY.
NEXT CAME A SERAP MILK TANK DELIVERY, BEFORE ALL THE DELAVAL PARLOUR EQUIPMENT ARRIVED IN EARLY FEB, FOLLOWED by A COLLINSON FEED SILO IN MID MARCH.
RUNNING IN TANDEM WITH THE INSTALL, WE ALSO CARRIED OUT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF ELECTRICAL WORK ACROSS THE SITE INCLUDING NEW MAINS CABLING AND PLUMBING.
THE FIRST COWS WERE MILKED IN APRIL 2026.
GROUNDWORKS | DELIVERY
INSTALLATION
VITAL STATS
WHAT WE’VE INSTALLED:
24:48 DELAVAL PARLOUR WITH BATCH IN-PARLOUR FEEDING
AUTOMATIC CLUSTER REMOVAL
INFRARED MILK METERS
AUTOMATIC PLANT WASHER
20 TONNE COLLINSON FEED SILO
15,000 LITRE SERAP BULK MILK TANK
HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEM
ALL ELECTRICAL WORK AND PLUMBING
LOGISTICAL SUPPORT
GROUNDWORK MANAGEMENT
ELECTRICAL | ENGINEERING
COMMISSIONING
LOW-INPUT FARMING
Little Bovey Farm features a simple, flat-rate feeding system designed specifically for grassland-based herds.
The focus here is on running an efficient system (with fewer moving parts) that prioritises cow flow and ease of operation over yield. It’s centred around getting cows in and out quickly with minimal complication, rather than chasing production through high concentrate feeding.
This infrastructure has been built around a Collinson flat-rate feeder, supplied from a 20-tonne Collinson silo via twin augers, to deliver a reliable feed supply with minimal handling.
Feed is dispensed using simple pull cords into a straight, no-frills galvanised trough - a deliberately uncomplicated set up that is manual, direct and easy to maintain, whilst still delivering consistent feed allocation across the herd.
Overall, this system provides a low-cost and reliable alternative TO a more complex, automated set up.
