William Bristol farms in the Ribble Valley, near the village of West Bradford, Clitheroe. Sitting at around 700 feet above sea level across just over 200 acres, it’s not the easiest land to farm – but William and his team have built a system that consistently delivers results.
At the heart of the operation is a dairy herd of around 120–130 milking cows, supported by all their own youngstock, bringing the total to around 260 head. And for William, everything comes back to one thing: getting as much milk as possible from forage.
A Multi-Cut Silage System That’s Delivering
“Forage quality is key,” says William. “We try to get as much milk out of the forage as we can, it’s the cheapest milk we can produce.”
To maximise that, William runs a multi-cut silage system. Last year, the farm achieved five cuts – something they’d never done before. “We start cutting earlier now, just into April. Previously it would be the first week or two of May. Ten years ago we’d probably get three cuts, then four, and last year we achieved five. I think the seasons are changing, but we do just try and get as much milk out of that silage as possible.”
Working with RBC Agri to Improve Grass Performance
Underpinning those results is the quality of the grass itself – and that’s where RBC Agri comes in. William has been using RBC grass seed mixes for over 20 years.
“We’ve used RBC grass seeds for years because we trusted in what the product was – and it was a good product,” he explains. “What we wanted out of the grass seed mix was better forages and more volume and we’ve achieved both.”
Last year, William worked with Russell at RBC Agri to develop a new bespoke mix tailored to his farm’s needs. “I said to Russell we wanted a bit more volume, so he introduced some intermediates into the mix. He said ‘see how it goes, and if it works, we’ll create a mix for you – we’ll run it as a product we sell.’ Good grass going into the rest of the feeding system is crucial. It’s probably the best value money we can achieve by making good quality forage.”
Dugdale Nutrition: Feeding the Whole Farm
When it comes to compound feed and nutrition, William works exclusively with Dugdale Nutrition, something that has evolved organically over time rather than by design.
“Currently Dugdale’s are feeding everything on the farm,” says William. “They do the parlour blend, the parlour nut, the feed wagon blend to feed all the youngstock, even down to the milk powder. Everything actually comes from Dugdale’s. They’re a good support, if we run out, they soon get us some feed here pretty quick.”
The results have been tangible. “We do seem to have increased yields. The parlour nut is a good nut, the cows eat it up well and it runs through the parlour cleanly. We’ve put condition on the cows, the forage has made a massive difference, and even the calves are doing a lot better. They’re carrying more flesh, growth weights are improving. Just all around, everything seems to be doing better.”
The Bigger Picture
William’s system is a good example of what’s possible when nutrition and forage work together. With RBC Agri grass seed mixes driving forage quality and yield, and Dugdale Nutrition supporting the herd from calves through to milking cows, the two businesses complement each other in a way that makes a measurable difference on farm.
“I would recommend Dugdale Nutrition and RBC Agri to other farmers,” says William, “simply because of the service they provide and the quality of the feed.”
To find out how Dugdale Nutrition can support your herd, call us on 01200 420200. For grass seed advice from RBC Agri, call 01642 909080.
P.s.
The Sustainable Farming Incentive returns for 2026, with applications expected to open from 30th June. The first window will be limited to small farms of up to 50 hectares and farms without an existing Environmental Land Management revenue agreement, so if that applies to you, now is the time to get prepared. SFI 2026 will offer 71 actions – a streamlined version of the 102 available under SFI24 – with a maximum agreement value of £100,000 per year and one agreement per farm business. A second window will open in September for all eligible farmers, though the first window may close sooner if the budget is fully allocated. One important change to be aware of is that rotational actions will be limited to the area agreed in year one – you won’t be able to increase the area from year two onwards – making it critical to get the initial agreement structure right. With a number of customers already getting in touch to talk through their options, the RBC Agri team is happy to help you think about which actions suit your system, call on 01642 909080 to discuss further.
