The volume of milk sold direct from the farm has grown substantially in the Blackmore Vale since lockdown, say farmers.


The introduction of milk vending machines five years ago helped farms move to direct sales, at a time when supermarkets were paying rock bottom prices. Instead of receiving 19p a litre, farmers could sell direct for £1 – and the enthusiasm for milk straight from the herd has continued to rise.

Church Farm Dairy in Semley was the first in the area to introduce a milk vending machine in August 2017, and initial sales were around 60 litres a day.
That rose steady to 100 litres before lockdown – and has climbed again to 130 litres daily.

“Our bottle sales went up quite a lot in March 2020, with a lot of new customers,” says Jenny Allan, a vet and partner of farm manager Jacob Bowerman.
“I thought that if people were going to buy from us, they would have come by now. But a lot of people are looking to buy British, and people have been really positive about it.”

The ability to buy direct is a win-win for the farmers and consumers.
While farmers now earn an average 30p a litre from supermarkets, they can sell direct for £1.
Gate sales account for only 3-4% of milk produced by its 140 Friesian herd but 10% of income.
And customers get creamy, unhomogenised milk within hours and with zero food miles while being able to support farmers such as Church Farm, run by Graham and Serena Bowerman for the past 45 years.

But Jenny acknowledges that there are only so many people who want cream on their cereal, and thinks her market of Semley locals may now be saturated.
And so Church Farm is diversifying, also now supplying Ansty Farm Shop and Coffee Angels in Tisbury with its milk: customers bring back their empty bottle and receive a full one.
Jenny points out that buying a glass bottle for £2 and refilling it each time prevents the use of thousands of plastic milk bottles annually.

“We also engage a lot more with the village,” she says, which affirms what Graham and Serena thought back in 2016: that the farm had lost connection with consumers. Several farms across the Blackmore Vale have followed Church Farm’s lead and have now installed vending machines, often selling other dairy products such as butter, cream and cheese at the same time.

The figures stack up. Say a machine generates £1,000 a week, compared with £300 from selling commercially. Take out (generous) running costs of £100, start-up costs of a shed to house the machine, security cameras and so on, and farmers could pay off the cost of a vending machine within a year.

“The machine paid for itself,” said Jenny, “and the cashflow had paid for a local apprentice who helps with the farm work.
“We now manage it by ourselves. We could get somebody in but the priority is always to pay for improvements to the farm.”

More farmgate milk stations in the Vale

Meggy Moo’s Dairy, Shroton. Milk plus milkshakes, cream, juice, eggs and homemade cakes. Open 7am-7pm daily.

Madjeston Milk Station, near Gillingham Open 24/7 at Newhouse Farm plus eggs, cheese, milkshakes, cream and other items.

The Dorset Dairy Company, Stalbridge Strained yoghurt, butter and cream is made at Crib House Farm – available from milk stations at Harts of Stur and The Hub, Stalbridge.

Woodbridge Farm, Sturminster Newton
Home to Blue Vinny cheese, there is a milk vending machine and other goods: chutney, butter, eggs, pies, even rice pudding, plus local sausages and bacon. Open 7am-8pm daily.

All sell pasteurised, unhomogenised milk at £1 a litre.

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