13/05/2026
LITTLE BOVEY FARM, DEVON
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 early May.
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
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 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.
