Mike Jones is the Dairy Technical Manager at the UK Agri-Tech Centre’s South West Dairy Development Centre (SWDDC) in Somerset and he is known for his passion of the industry, as well as his care and appreciation of dairy cows.
His role is to manage the state-of-the-art facility in Shepton Mallet, where he welcomes visitors from all over the world who come to see the various innovations the UK Agri-Tech Centre has to offer by way of test, trial and demonstrate, as well as research and development. In addition to his work in the facility, Mike is also an active member of the South & Wiltshire Holstein Club where they host the Winter Herd Competition.
This year, Mike and a representative from Steanbow Farm, who owns the cows at Beard Hill Dairy, attended the competition where they won the Best Milking Heifer trophy with their exceptional young cow, Willsbro Hullabaloo Aferyn 5222 (or “Hullabaloo”). Hullabaloo’s success this winter follows a strong show season last year, where she impressed judges to secure Reserve Champion at the Mid Somerset Show.
According to Mike, Hullabaloo has become a firm favourite within the herd. He said: “She’s a standout heifer with tremendous style and promise. Hullabaloo calved in May last year and is currently projected to produce 11,500 litres at 4.2% butterfat and 3.0% protein, marking her as a high‑performing young cow with a bright future. She is due to calve again in June.”
This latest win highlights both the genetic quality and the dedicated management at Steanbow Farm and Beard Hill Dairy, reinforcing their reputation as leading producers within the region’s Holstein community.
Mike continued: “One of the things we’re most excited about is that the herd is not only housed in a modern facility, but that it is a commercially run herd, owned and managed by Steanbow Farms. It is important that we can conduct groundbreaking projects and at the same time have a herd that is relatable to the current dairy industry in the UK.
Sustainable milk production is a key factor and currently the herd is producing 4000L of production from forage, with a herd average of 12,000L per cow. During the summer months last year, monitoring potential heat stress was a major factor.
However, the barn is open sided to allow good airflow, and with the introduction of fans to increase airflow from the start of the summer, the different data points gained from each cow, plus the environment in the barn, has helped demonstrate what the cows prefer and how possible heat stress affects each cow. I am often heard saying that our building can be compared to a cruise liner for dairy cows because our meeting room has the best view, looking out on a calm, contented herd.”
This calm, high-welfare environment enables agri-tech companies to trial robotics, digital tools and precision systems under commercial, yet controlled, conditions.
The centre features:
- Automated milking and feeding systems
- The ability for dry cows to be grazed throughout summer months with precision grazing practices
- The UK’s first fabric‑roofed dairy building
- An observational meeting space overlooking the herd
- Relocated robotic units for improved operational efficiency
- Current and recent projects include robotic milking advances, chemical‑free milking trials, hoof health monitoring, grassland modelling, sensor integration and immunity research
Mike added: “The cows choose themselves when they visit the robots we have onsite and are diverted four times a week to file through the HoofCount Pedivue Footbath, which helps to prevent hoof diseases. When each cow exits the footbath an image is captured of her feet, with Artificial Intelligence determining if any of her heels have a Digital Dermatitis lesion. The foot bath replenishes itself every 150 cows.”
Home to a 200‑cow, all‑year‑round calving herd, the centre gathers industry‑leading levels of individual animal data, creating a uniquely rich environment for testing new technologies, validating performance and understanding their impact on productivity, cow health and welfare.
The SWDDC is used to:
- Test and trial innovations in a commercial dairy environment
- Generate high‑quality data for product validation and research
- Demonstrate technologies to farmers, investors and industry groups
- Collaborate on innovation projects with expert technical support
Mike has such determination and enthusiasm for his work and this is demonstrated by the many appearances he has made in the media.
Whether it’s as a writer for the Mole Valley Farmers magazine, where he spoke about the silent revolution in dairy farming, or hosting a tour of the facility to the Wells and Glastonbury Young Farmers Club, where they learned about what the UK Agri-Tech Centre does at the site and what the future holds for the industry.
And most recently, Mike has again appeared on the popular ‘ChewintheCud’ podcast, a session which was hosted live at the SWDDC and called ‘From Cows to Code: AI in the Dairy Industry’.
We really do mean business when it comes to agri-tech and our expert staff are on hand to talk to you about your farming innovations.
